The salvation of the world is accomplished in the Eucharistic Sacrifice of Christ and of the Church
You feel lucky, when you are needed by someone, when others really count on you in their plans, e.g.. your parents or teachers.
Have you wondered about that?, that even God can count on you ? At first it may seem to you, that God is too great, that He needs you in the fulfillment of His purposes. Is it really so ?
Christ entrusts his sacrifice to the Church
Through his death on the cross and resurrection, Christ saved the world. By accepting his death, he obeyed his Father, trust and love.
But God is waiting, that people would not only accept their free salvation, but they will also cooperate with Christ. Therefore, the Savior at the Last Supper, tonight, when it was released, He instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine. It is the same victim, which he placed on the cross for the salvation of the world. He entrusted this sacrifice to the Apostles and to the whole Church, and commissioned it to be made present for all times for the salvation of all people.. He said : "Do this in remembrance of me".
Apostles and their successors, obeying Christ's command, they gathered Christians. During the prayer of thanksgiving they remembered the Passion, the death and resurrection of Jesus and all the saving work of his life. But it wasn't just a memory, but the celebration and the making of Christ's Sacrifice. Also today during the Holy Mass. Christ makes his sacrifice present in the Church.
The task of the assembled people of God cannot be limited to gratitude for salvation and to benefiting from Christ's sacrifice.. Christ makes his Sacrifice present, that believers may join Him, cooperate with Him and co-offering ourselves to the Father. In this way, they learn to dedicate themselves to the Father with Christ and express their readiness to do his will throughout their lives.. Our collaboration with Christ is about this, that we want to relate to the Father as He did, to people and to the whole world. By joining the sacrifice of Christ, like him we become obedient to the Father, we have full trust and filial love in him. We do this especially then, as we strive to be obedient to God's word to us. And so e.g.. when we hear in the fasting we are encouraged to renew the covenant made with God at baptism., to change our lives and to be converted in the sacrament of penance, and we try to fulfill it in our lives, then we obey and love God the Father. In this way we unite ourselves more fully with Christ and we offer ourselves with him ; we cooperate with God for our own salvation and for the salvation of the world. Christ embraced all people and the whole world with his saving love. Therefore, Christians, gathered for the Eucharist, by their co-sacrifice they embrace the whole world, they direct him to the Father and contribute effectively to his salvation. We Christians, through sharing in Christ's sacrifice, we transform ourselves, we become more open to the needs of others, capable of sacrifice and sacrifice. Thus we grow in love, and this most effectively contributes to the salvation of the world.
How we share in Christ's sacrifice ?
We begin the Eucharistic assembly by listening to and meditating on the word of God. This is the first part of the Holy Mass. called the liturgy of the word. After the sacrifices have been prepared, the Church gathered around Christ begins the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice with an exalted hymn, called "preference". Priest, who presides over the assembly, reminds the faithful of Christ's presence, encourages them to raise their thoughts to God and join in thanksgiving prayer for the great work of the Redemption. When all gathered stand, the priest reads or sings the words of the preface, in which we recall with gratitude all the events in the life of Christ : from incarnation and birth, through the Passion, death, Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost, until the hope of meeting Him on the day of His second coming.
All those gathered around the altar sing in this hymn of thanksgiving ,,Holy". In this way, they worship God in union with the Church, with the angels and with all the saints, and even with the whole world, who praises God through the mouths of believers.
Now the priest, President of the Eucharistic Assembly, on behalf of the whole Church she asks God, that by his power he would sanctify the gifts of bread and wine brought and prepared by people and that he would transform them into the most holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world.
After this prayer, those gathered listen to the words with great respect, with which Christ instituted the Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice and entrusted it to the Church. Just at the time of uttering these words, Christ, present and active in the person of the priest, he transforms the bread into his body, and the wine into its blood. With these words, Christ makes his Sacrifice present on the altar in the assembly of believers. The priest shows the people the bread and wine transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. Both the priest and all the people gathered in a kneeling position express reverence, gratitude and love to your Savior. When the priest reminds the audience, that they are now partakers of the great mystery, then the people in faith and loudly turn to Christ, expresses communion with Him and the desire for complete salvation. Immediately after our transubstantiation, we recall with gratitude the entire saving work of Christ, made present on the altar, and especially his Passion, resurrection and ascension.
Remembering the paschal mystery of Christ, The Church gathered around the altar offers Jesus Christ to the Father, put to death for the salvation of the world. At this point, the faithful surrounding the altar should not only offer Jesus Christ to God, but with him to sacrifice and learn, how, through Christ, to grow day by day in communion with God and in mutual love with one another. It is the only way to turn the whole world to the Father. remember, that there is a place for your co-sacrifice.
The presiding priest recalls in prayer, that the Eucharistic Sacrifice is carried out in union with the whole Church, both pilgrims here on earth, and already sharing in the glory of Christ in heaven. The Church offers this sacrifice for all her members, both live, as well as the dead, that all may be saved by Christ through His sacrifice. During the entire Eucharistic Prayer, except in the words of establishment, consecration, all stand attentively listening and accompany the priest, who presides over the Eucharist.
At the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest raises up the chalice and paten with the host. The whole Church, with Christ His Most Holy. The victim, adores God. This is confirmed by the priest in words : "Through Christ, with Christ…”, to which all those gathered respond : „Amen”. This is an expression of their consent, faith and communion with Christ and readiness to cooperate with him in their lives.
Eucharistic prayer
There are four Eucharistic Prayers. Priest, President of the Eucharistic Assembly, chooses one of them, depending on the conditions and needs. Read carefully the second Eucharistic Prayer and try to find it in it, what we talked about.
Second Eucharistic Prayer
Introductory dialogue between the priest and the faithful.
K. God be with you.
W. And with your spirit.
K. Hearts up.
W. We lift them up to the Lord.
K. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. W. It is right and fair.
1. A thanksgiving hymn for the work of salvation
It is truly worthy and just, right and salutary, that we may be to you, Holy Father, always and everywhere gave thanks through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He is your Word, through which you created everything. You have sent him to us as our Savior and Redeemer, who was made man by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of a Virgin. He doing your will, the holy people have purchased for you, when he stretched out his hands on the cross, to overcome death and to reveal the power of resurrection. Therefore, with the angels and all the saints, we proclaim your glory, with them crying out :
2. Worship of God by the whole community
Holy, holy, holy lord, God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed, who walks in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
3. Prayer of supplication for sanctification and transformation of sacrificial gifts
Verily, you are holy, God, the source of all holiness. Sanctify these gifts by the grace of Your Spirit, that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. Words of consecration
On to, when he voluntarily gave himself up to the Passion, He took the bread and gave it thanks to him, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying :
Take and eat of it, everyone: for this is my body, which will be given for you.
Likewise, after supper, he took the chalice and, thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, speaking :
All of you take and drink from it, for it is the cup of the blood of my new and everlasting covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many, for the remission of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me.
5. Expression of the people's faith and communion with Christ
K. This is the great mystery of faith.
W. We proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, we confess your resurrection and we look forward to your coming in glory.
6. Sacrificial prayer and the invocation of the Holy Spirit
Remembering the death and resurrection of your Son, we offer to you, God, The Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation, and we give thanks, that you chose us, that we may stand before you and serve you.
We humbly beg you, that the Holy Spirit would unite us all, accepting the Body and Blood of Christ.
7. Intercessory prayer for the whole Church
a) For the pilgrim Church.
remember, God, about your Church throughout the world. Make it happen, that he may grow in love with Pope N.. and our bishop N.. and all the clergy.
b) For the dead.
Remember also our brothers, who fell asleep with the hope of a resurrection, and about everyone, who left this world. Let them see Your light. We ask you, have mercy on all of us, that we may deserve to share in eternal life with the Most Holy Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, with the holy apostles and all the saints, who have been pleasing to you through the ages, and that with them we may glorify You through Your Son Jesus Christ.
8. Worship to God at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer
Through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, you, God, Father almighty, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory, for all ages and ages. Amen.
How will I answer God ?
God has invited you to cooperate in the salvation of the world. Thanks to Christ and his sacrifice, present in the Church, you can work with God for your own salvation and for the salvation of others.
Are you listening attentively to the word of God?, to find out, how today you can co-sacrifice with Christ in the Holy Mass. ?
Can you be such obedience to God the Father?, trust and love like Jesus Christ ?
Do you go to Mass?. you think about it, what are you offering to God today, to show your willingness to cooperate with Him ?
Prayer :
"We ask you, Lord, allow us to duly participate in this mystery, for whenever we commemorate Christ's sacrifice, the work of our salvation is accomplished ".
■ Think:
1. How Jesus Christ fulfilled the Father's plan and saved the world ?
2. How Jesus Christ entrusted his Sacrifice to the Church ?
3. Where in our time the sacrifice of Christ is made present ?
4. What is our victim ?
5. How you can most effectively contribute to the salvation of the world ?
■ Remember:
75. What Christ makes present in the Eucharistic Assembly, that is, in the Mass. ?
In the Eucharistic Assembly, that is, in the Mass., Christ, who died and rose again, makes his saving sacrifice present.
76. When Christ makes his saving sacrifice present ?
Christ makes his saving sacrifice present in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Church through the words of transubstantiation.
77. What the faithful sacrifice at Mass. ?
The faithful in the Mass. they offer God in the sacrifice of Christ, and with Him ourselves.
■ Task :
I will consider, with what words would I express to God my fellowship with Christ?. I will write this as a prayer in my notebook.