The great moment of the Mass has arrived! We have reached the oldest and most basic part of the Mass - the account of Institution - without which there could be no Eucharist. The Priest here acts completely in Persona Christi, there is no mention of himself, but as he speaks the words of Consecration, he will speak them in the first person. We must understand it is our Lord as here speaking and acting through the Priest.
But before this occurs, there will be a steady movement towards this full in Persona Christi action. Until now, within the Eucharistic Prayer, although the Priest has been acting in the Person of Christ, he has been speaking on his own behalf and that of the Faithful. During the Institution Narrative, however, he will begin to act both as a narrator and actor in a drama, which actually makes present what it states. This will culminate in the very words of Consecration, where the Priest will not even be a narrator or actor, but will cease as he takes on the Person of Christ completely, making present the great and saving deeds of our Redemption!
We should note this Narrative, composed from Tradition, the three Synoptic Gospels, and the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, is found in any Mass where the Sacrament of the Eucharist is truly confected, and this has always been the case and shall be, though the form may vary slightly. This has been the case from the time of the Apostles, it was this way in the early Church, and even as all the different rites and missals sprang up, this portion was left for the most part, relatively untouched. This should speak of the importance, for Holy Mother Church's exercises the utmost regard in dealing with the administration of the Sacraments, especially one explained and demonstrated by the Lord Himself.
Following from this, we may conclude that the Narrative, since it springs directly from the Apostles and was celebrated by them since the day of Pentecost, predates the writing of the Gospels, which did not occur until the later half of the first century A.D. This explains why some of the material of the Institution Narratives may not be found in the Gospels, and why only certain Gospels contain parts found here, instead of three matching accounts. This should cause us no alarm, for we must remember the Deposit of Faith comes to us through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and these words which follow have deep roots in both.
Let us now move on to our consideration of this Account though, for this is the very heart and life of the Mass, the place where the infinite and the finite meet, the spot where time and eternity come together. It begins with the Priest placing the setting with the words:
"On the day before he was to suffer,"
We are now present at that day, at that Last Supper; it is to us Jesus says, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer (Luke 22:15)." Our Lord has long desired our union with Him, which is to be accomplished through this Sacrifice and Sacrament. He has invited us to approach the Sacred Table to receive the food of everlasting life, but this must come about at a cost, for we are separated by sin. Our Lord's longing for us is so deep and so profound, however, the infinite distance is as nothing to Him. He gladly suffers the Passion so that He might win our redemption and reconciliation!
The Priest having placed himself and us in the time of this great Mystery now takes the bread into his hands, and continues the Narrative:
"he took bread in his holy and venerable hands,"
The Priest has told us what Jesus did, but this is a dramatic retelling! Therefore, the Priest does likewise. It is true indeed the hands of Jesus were holy, but this may be applied to the Priest as well. His hands were anointed with the Sacred Chrism at his Ordination; they were set apart for the service of God. It was the custom, and still is in many places, especially Hispanic regions, to greet a Priest by kissing his hands, for they are the hands which daily touch the Body of Jesus Christ; they are the hands which bring salvation! The hands of a Priest are truly, in a unique and marvelous way the hands of Jesus.
Nevertheless, it is not on account of the bread the Priest now holds that his hands have a special dignity, but on account of what he is about to do. Therefore, the prayer continues with him lifting up his eyes towards Heaven as he says:
"and with eyes raised to heaven
to you, O God, his almighty Father,
giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread
and gave it to his disciples, saying:"
It is often noted this mention of our Lord's raising His eyes is not found in the Scriptures. Here is a fine example of the formation of the Institution Account from Tradition as well as Sacred Scripture. This is in no way contradictory to the Scriptures, though, for we often have mention of our Lord raising His eyes in prayer to His Father (John 17:1). It is certainly reasonable to assume our Lord did this at the Last Supper, then, when He was instituting this most adorable Sacrament, especially since we know He was praying in thanks to His Father (Luke 22:19).
And as our Lord made the moment of Institution a prayer of thanks, so the Church has done likewise, as we have mentioned before, especially in our consideration of the Preface (here). It is from this portion that the rest of the Eucharistic Prayer is formed. We see the solemn address given to God the Father, just as we saw it at the beginning of the Preface and the Te Igitur. This constancy in a solemn address to the Father is a sign of the great level of thanksgiving which the Church is pouring forth in this prayer. A simple prayer of thanks would not suffice, but instead the Eucharist is the thanksgiving par excellance, and therefore all solemnity must be used during Its celebration.
But let us now move on to the very act itself! The Priest has already given the blessing of the bread in the Quam Oblationem; thus, he shall not repeat it, but he needs testify to our Lord performing the act. The same idea is applied to the the breaking of the bread and the giving to the disciples, for these will occur later in the Mass, and be symbolized by our receiving of the Host in Holy Communion. These narrations completed, he bows in adoration at the great act Jesus is to perform through his person, and he says:
"TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT,
FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU."
And thus the bread ceases to exist in substance, giving place to the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ! To this great miracle the Church has given the name of transubstantiation, for in the Eucharist the substances of bread and wine cease to exist, yet their accidents, i.e. their features remain.
Here is the humility of our Divine Lord displayed, for He has bound Himself to obey the words of the Priest. At these words, regardless of the state of the Priest's soul, as long as he has true bread, our Lord must become present at these sacred words. The Priest is the image of Christ, and therefore, when he says "This is my Body," the bread must become his body, but not his body, but the Body of Jesus.
The Sacrifice is now present on our altars, just as it was present on the altar of the Cross on Golgotha. It is one and the same. Our Lord is here offering Himself as Priest and Victim; thus the Priest does likewise on our behalf. He is the Priest who pleads for us and offers the Sacrifice to the Father, but the Sacrifice offered is himself and our very selves, who have united ourselves to the Sacrifice of Christ.
But as it is the Sacrifice of Jesus which offers us all these fruits and benefits, we must needs adore the Sacrament, through which the benefits may be derived. Thus, the Priest at once raises the Host to be adored by the Faithful present. Formerly, the Priest made a genuflection before elevating the Sacred Species, and then another after Its elevation, but Holy Mother Church has deemed it more appropriate that all the Faithful are to immediately join in the adoration, so the unity of the Church's adoration of Christ may be displayed.
It was in the Middle Ages this elevation came about, for increasing devotion to the Holy Eucharist led the Faithful to want to gaze upon the Divine Victim at the moment He became present on the altar. The King has arrived, and though He shall personally visit each soul who approaches Him in a short while, excitement grips the hearts of the Faithful and they must gaze upon Him immediately.
The purpose of the elevation, especially of the Host, is then to give the Faithful a brief period of adoration. The Sacrifice, we may say, is paused for a brief moment and gives way to the Sacramental nature of the Eucharist, for the change undergone is a permanent one and our Lord and God has come among us in His Risen Body, truly present!
It was, and is, natural then that some form of adoration be performed here, and the Church has constantly taken the action and command of our Risen Lord as the basis for this moment. In John's Gospel we read:
"On the evening of that day [the day of the Resurrection], the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were . . . Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. . . . Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them . . . . he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.' Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!' (John 20:19-20, 26-28)"
The command of our Lord was to look and see His Risen Body, and thus the Church has always encouraged the Faithful to here gaze upon the Host. Though we cannot see His Body with our natural eyes, the eyes of faith here give us sight. We see Him, a Babe in the manger, the Priest and Victim on the Cross, Risen from the tomb and reigning at the Right Hand of God. It is natural, then, to assume there would be attempts to further extend this period of adoration with devotional practices, as has often happened with other portions of the Mass. Nevertheless, though the elevation of the Host was able to effectively enter into the Canon, all other practices have died out rather quickly.
There was a time when hymns were sung, such as the Ave Verum or Sacrum Convivium, and there were often acclamations given which the Faithful could recite, but it would seem the Holy Spirit has often guided the Church to allow the Faithful to make this most intimate moment their own. The only acclamation which has gained widespread and enduring usage is that of St. Thomas, and encouraged by Pope St. Pius X, "My Lord and my God."
We may ask then, what should be our own thoughts and actions, then, as the bell is rung to signal the arrival of our Lord upon the altar and He is incensed with three triple swings, the sign of God's presence? While there is little we can say definitively, there is much which may be suggested, for as we have said, this is a most intimate moment. One of the few things we may suggest is to gaze upon the Host, for the reason It is elevated is so that the Faithful may see it. Therefore, it is most sensible to look with the eyes at this point, and if so desired, to bow the head during the genuflection of the Priest.
Beyond that, we may comment upon the recitation of the ejaculation, "My Lord and my God," either silently to oneself or mentally, or some other appropriate acclamation which either emphasizes the Sacrificial or Sacramental nature of the Eucharist. Speaking of the Sacrificial nature, it is most appropriate to once again, especially at this moment when the Sacrifice of the Cross is present, to recommend to the Lord one's intention for the Mass, as well as any people one wishes to pray for.
Other intentions which may be prayed for are an increase in faith, hope, and charity, or an increase in devotion. One may also pray for the forgiveness of sins, or offer acts of thanksgiving and adoration. It is impossible to truly say what sentiment is appropriate for each soul at this august moment of Mass, for every soul shall be touched by the Lord in a different way. There are, of course, feelings and sentiments inappropriate for this time, but it may be safe to say as long as it is accordance with the Liturgy and the theology of the Eucharist, the practice is of God.
This ceremony of adoration of the Sacred Host concludes with the Host being once more placed upon the paten, and the Priest then genuflects in his own adoration of our Lord. For a single moment, his acting in Persona Christi ceases, and he must pay tribute to His God. He is conscious of the great act the Lord has performed through him, unworthy as he is, and thus he must adore his Lord and God, in a manner impossible for those who have not the Sacerdotal power of Consecration to understand.
Following this genuflection, the bells and incense which gave pomp and circumstance to this moment, cease, and the Priest takes the Chalice in his hands, for the Consecration has a twofold nature, and needs now to be completed!
All historical information taken from:
Rev. Joseph A. Jungmann, S.J. The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development. Volume
2. Part IV: The Consecration: The Account of Institution, 194-201; The Consecration: The Accompanying Actions, 202-217.
Translated by Rev. Francis A. Brunner, C.SS.R. (Christian Classics:
Notre Dame, Indiana, 1951).
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