September 1

Post date: Sep 02, 2019 6:15:23 PM

September 1, 2019- Mass Part 3 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

The next part of the Mass is the Liturgy of the Eucharist,

starting with the Preparation of the Gifts, what we used to call the Offertory.

Listen to the prayers the priest prays for us as he lifts the bread and then

the wine: “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation

for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you:

fruit of the earth and work of human hands---

fruit of the vine and work of human hands”.

We all respond: Blessed be God forever.

Do you know where these two prayers come from? They are the prayers every Jewish dad prays at the Passover meal in the family home once a year. The Last Supper was a Passover meal which Jesus raised up to a supernatural level. And so, the Church added an additional line to each of these prayers of offering:

“It will become for us the bread of life---- and our spiritual drink”.

The priest says another prayer quietly

when he adds drops of water to the wine.

“Through the mystery of mixing this water with this wine

may we come to share in the divinity of Christ

who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

Now we will enter the Heavenly Liturgy,

the worship in heaven where angels and saints acclaim God’s glory.

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Hosts. Hosanna in the highest.”

Now we begin the Consecration with one of the four main Eucharistic prayers:

The First Eucharistic Prayer came from Rome.

It is unique because it names the apostles and

then some of the martyrs and bishops of Rome.

The Second Eucharistic Prayer is the oldest and

was written by St. Hippolytus in the 200s.

Number 3 comes from the Byzantine Liturgy of Greece and Turkey.

Number 4 is only 50 years old with more contemporary language.

The Consecration Prayer is always addressed to the Lord.

“You, indeed are holy O Lord”.

Here it does not mean Lord Jesus, but rather God the Father.

The Mass is offered to God the Father

“through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

in union with and by the power and working of the Holy Spirit.”

Then we ask the Father to send down the Holy Spirit:

“Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,

by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,

so that they may become for us, the Body and Blood

of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Remember how at the Annunciation, Gabriel said to Mary,

‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High

will overshadow you.’ This is the Incarnation.

And so, the Son of God took on human nature and became present in Mary’s womb. In like manner, the priest holds his hands over the bread and wine to overshadow them.

Thus, the Holy Spirit makes Jesus present under the appearances of bread and wine.

The separate consecration of the bread and wine symbolize

the separation of Jesus’ blood from His body

which indicates his sacrificial death.

Since Jesus’ resurrection he can no longer die and,

therefore, he is completely present, Body and Blood,

Soul and Divinity in the Host and in the precious Blood.

The Old Covenant was ratified by the sacrifice of animals.

The new and eternal Covenant is accomplished

in the Blood of the Lamb of God.

Take and eat, take and drink—Jesus wants Communion with us.

He says, “Do this in memory of me”.

This means- make what happened in the past, present again under signs.

It does not mean to only commemorate something that happened

a long time ago. In the Jewish mentality, it means

to make the past event present now, like renewing marriage vows.

The Eucharist is a re-presentation of Jesus’ once and for all sacrifice on the cross.

Thus, in the words of St. Paul, we pray: the mystery of faith.

“We proclaim your death, O Lord,

And profess your Resurrection

Until you come again.”