IN TIMES OF TRIAL (6)

The Holy Mass (continued)

The third part of the mass is the most essential and the pivot of the Sacrifice. It is known as the “Liturgy of the Eucharist”. Eucharist means to give thanks, so it begins with the offertory where we present our gifts to God in appreciation for His benevolence upon us.

After the presentation of the host and wine, the priest says “Pray my brethren that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” This is an open invitation for us to join the priest in the Eucharistic prayer since the sacrifice of the Mass is for everyone. The people responds: “May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his holy Church."

The priest therefore begins the consecration prayers. We have four Eucharistic prayers (I, II, III, and IV). Each of them is used for several occasions and they are similar and serve the same purpose. Since the Mass is a sacrifice, the priest with the powers of his ordination says the words of consecration. He does not have the liberty to say what he feels. That’s the reason why we have a book known as the “Order of Mass”, “Usoro emume missa” where all the prayers are written. If you pay particular attention to the words of consecration, it summarizes the essence of prayer which involves adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, supplication.

The priest starts with, “You are indeed Holy O Lord, the fount of all holiness… (II)” here we acknowledge God as the supreme Holy Being from whom all other being derives their holiness. The priest continues with prayer where he calls down spirit of God to descend upon the gifts so that they may become the Body and Body of Jesus Christ. This is the miracle of “transubstantiation”. It is a mystery beyond our comprehension. We are encouraged to participate in the Consecration because that is the point where prayers are answered, Jesus comes to dine with us, and we encounter God.

After the consecration prayers, we receive Jesus in our soul through the Holy Communion. We are encouraged to abstain from sin so that we will receive communion effectively. This part concludes with the prayers after communion.

The final part of the Holy mass is the concluding rite which is quite short. Here, the priest invites the congregation to receive the final blessings of the mass. He says the prayers for final blessings and then blesses everyone in the name of the Father, and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, we therefore leave knowing and convinced that we have worshiped the triune God and strengthened by Him to live our lives in the world. The priest gives us the final mandate, “the mass is ended. Go in the peace of Christ to love and serve the Lord” of which we reply “Thanks be to God”.

Now, you might wonder why I took time to explain the Sacrifice of the Holy mass. Wonder no more. For you to understand the efficacy of the Holy mass; you need to understand the concept of the holy mass and I guess I did justice to that. There are times in life when we seem to lose hope in the Holy Mass, when we tend to give up on God, when we tend to run helter-shelter searching for miracles and solutions. When life’s problem begins to shake your faith, do not yield to it. Accept the problem with good faith, offer Mass, participate actively in the sacrifice of mass, be patient with God for His time is the best. In essence, the Holy mass is still efficacious. The Holy Mass is still functional; Jesus is still present in the Eucharist. Do not doubt, put your hope on Him, He will surely answer you at the appointed time.

Remember His words when He said: “Come unto me, all you who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28). Instead of offering sacrifices in a “prayer house”, why not offer the greatest sacrifice known as the ‘HOLY MASS’? Remember, Jesus said, ‘My Father is working and I am still working (John 5:17)’. Be patient with God.

To be continued...

Anthony.