The Mystery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!
What is ‘mystery’? Often in our day, we are engaged in mystery without realizing it. A mystery is recognizing that we know things through our physical senses, but that those senses are limited to time and space.
Through our senses, we know the physical or natural world. Yet, Jesus promises more in relationship to Him and the Father through the Holy Spirit. We are given the gift of grace which invites us to participate in the Divine Life of God. This participation in the Divine is supernatural (beyond human nature) and metaphysical (beyond the physical). This grace builds on or perfects our nature, but never destroys our nature—our unique goodness—since we are created in the image and likeness of God. Grace helps us to grow in likeness to God, who is Love.
The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council helps us to learn that what is “visible is subordinated to what is invisible” (2). When we participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we are taken into a mystery of sacrifice—to make holy (sacrificare in Latin). We participate in the offering of this sacrifice which is the representation of the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus attracts us to encounter Him when we place our joys and sorrows, our longings and ourselves with him on the altar of sacrifice. We unite our lives with him as he invites us into deeper communion. He gave his life for our salvation so that we might be united with Him and the Father through the Holy Spirit and also be united in charity with one another.
Think of the words that the priest prays on our behalf in what we call the great Doxology of the Mass “Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever” (Roman Missal 123.) We sing “Amen” which means that we believe. What is it that we say we believe? Jesus told us “This is my Body…This is my Blood…do this in memory of me.” The bread that is offered and the wine mixed with a little water that is offered become Jesus (change in substance, from bread and wine to the True Body and Blood of Jesus: transubstantiation CCC 1413). This is a great mystery to which we give ascent with the acclamation that follows the words of the priest “The Mystery of Faith.” The great Doxology gives glory to God the Father, and we participate because we have received the Sacraments of Initiation. The Amen that we say means that by this encounter with Jesus, we long to grow in holiness by again and again participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Our worship of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament in Adoration extends our encounter with Jesus in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Church has given us the great gift of deepening our devotion in this month of June through the celebrations of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), which reminds us of the celebration of the gift of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday. The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us of Good Friday and the depth of love that Jesus has for each one of us.
In Christ,
Sr. Esther Mary Nickel, RSM
Director of the Office of Sacred Worship, Archdiocese of Detroit
