Though the bread has become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, and is Christ whole and entire, the Sacrifice of Jesus accomplished upon the Cross was not completed until both His Sacred Body and Precious Blood had been offered, for the the Blood was completely poured out and separated from His Body in the Passion, and it was not until the moment of the Resurrection these Two were reunited. Therefore, there must needs be accomplished in the Holy Mass a twofold Consecration, one of the Eucharist under the species of bread and one under the species of wine, for only in this way can the Sacrifice of the Cross be made present and accomplished on our altars.
The Priest, thus, continues the Narrative of the Institution of the Eucharist and says:
"In a similar way, when supper was ended,"
Oh how deep these words are! It is a reminder that although we are present at Calvary now, we are also present in the Upper Room where the Last Supper was celebrated and where our Lord appeared to the Apostles after the Resurrection. But let us also take in another meaning, for at the Last Supper, as at every Mass, the Sacrifice of Calvary, which hadn't even occurred in time yet, was made present and even renewed!
This separation in the Consecration of the bread and wine, then, as it makes present the Sacrifice of Christ wherein the Body and Blood were separated, may also be interpreted in the following manner. The second half of the words of Consecration over the bread are, "this is my body, which will be given up for you." Before the last of the Precious Blood of our Lord was shed, His Body hung upon the Cross for three hours. Therefore, we may say the interval in the Consecration of both species, makes present this three hour interval in a mystical way. For the Sacred Host is fully the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, and is being offered to the eternal Father.
Following this interpretation, then, the words and actions which are now taking place are making present the conclusion of the Sacrifice - Jesus' Death on the Cross. It is fitting, therefore, that our Lord waited to the conclusion of the Last Supper to give the Disciples His Blood to drink, for it is not to the end of the three hours agony that it was completely poured forth to give life to the world.
As we explained in the previous post, the Priest dramatically re-enacts the actions of our Lord during this retelling of the Last Supper Institution. Thus, as our Lord did, the Priest takes into his hands the sacred chalice filled with wine and says the following words:
"he took this precious chalice
in his holy and venerable hands,
and once more giving you thanks, he said the blessing
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:"
We easily see the symmetry which formed in this formula to the formula used with the bread. This is due to the Roman symmetrical style of poetry, but we should not on any account think this discredits the truth of the words. Indeed it is only reasonable to believe our Lord would have performed the same actions of giving thanks and blessing with both the bread and wine, for this was the Jewish custom. The only difference we see, is the lack of mention of breaking the bread, for obviously, wine cannot be broken.
As we have explained the features of these words, then, in the previous post, let us here consider another important factor. The Priest does not here touch the wine as he did the host, but he is instead forced to hold a chalice which contains the wine and water which will become the Precious Blood of our Lord. The chalice, then, both on account of its necessity and due to its usage at this august and sublime moment, receives a special dignity not due to the paten or ciboria which hold the Body of Christ. The same hands which touch the Body of Christ now hold "the chalice of salvation (Psalm 116:13)."
Yet the word, "chalice," or, "cup," holds a special significance in Holy Scripture. Our Lord uses it both when he asks St. James and St. John if they are willing to suffer and die as He must (Matthew 20:22), and when He pleads with the Father to escape His Passion if it be in accordance with the will of God (Mark 14:36). The chalice is a symbol of suffering; to drink from it means to embrace suffering. But it is also a symbol of the Lord's bounty and blessing, as we see in Psalm 23:5, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows." Though we cannot see it in the English translation, the words here used in the Latin are the same as those just spoken by the Priest when he said, "he took this precious chalice." The truth of this reference should jump out at us, for the chalice containing the Blood of Christ is the most precious of all, for it contains, "the life of the world (John 6:33)!"
The importance of the chalice, then, is so great that our Lord Himself deigned reference to it to be tied into the Consecration itself as we shall momentarily see. It is for this reason the Church only wishes precious metals and high quality vessels to be used at this portion of the Mass. Only the best is fitting to hold the Blood of Christ, the salvation of the world!
However, let us spend no more time in preliminary considerations, but let us advance to the very action itself. For these next words, the Priest once again bows in adoration at the sacred moment and ceases to act as himself, for it is Jesus Himself who now speaks, and says:
"TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME."
Once again the great change is accomplished, and no longer is wine present on our altars, but instead, there is only the Blood of the Lord! The Sacrifice is accomplished so that the salvation of the world may abound! Our Lord, at the end of His agony upon the Cross, poured forth His Precious Blood to wash the world and so end the great act of atoning for sin. Here, in the Holy Mass as well, the Sacrifice has been offered for the salvation and redemption of the world, and the great moment is now complete. We kneel before Calvary, and our expired Lord is on the Cross before us.
Nevertheless, like with the Host, so with the Precious Blood, Christ is present whole and entire, Body Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in His Risen Body. Thus, though the Sacrificial moment takes center stage here, we are also present at all the other events of the life of Christ. We are present at the Circumcision, when the Blood of Christ was first shed, at the Agony in the Garden where our Lord sweated blood, and at the Scourging and Crowning with Thorns wherein man forced the Precious Blood to flow out upon the earth!
We are present at all the outpourings of the Blood of Christ for the redemption of the world; we stand beneath the Cross to be drenched in that Blood and water which flow forth from the Sacred Heart of Christ and from which the Church is born (John 19:34)!
These should be some of our sentiments as the Priest elevates now the chalice for all the Faithful to adore. While we must admit we cannot see the Sacred Species of the Precious Blood as we could the Host, we have already explained the importance of the chalice, and thus, through gazing upon the chalice, though still on object and creature, we are able to reverence the Precious Blood.
Unlike the elevation of the Host, however, there are no formulas which seem to have definitively stuck over the ages, though there have been numerous pious ejaculations given as well as hymns composed for the moment. We may give as an example, the Faithful being encouraged to silently say, "Remember, O Lord, thy servants, whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy Blood," as well as the ever-famous, "We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world."
Once again, it would appear Holy Church is hesitant to command any prescribed formula for this intimate moment once again. We may, however, fairly safely say the sentiments the soul should have here are not identical to those at the elevation of the Host, but certainly similar. While the adoration of the Sacred Host was given over more so to honoring the Real Presence of God, it may be said the adoration of the Precious Blood is given more over to praise of the price of our salvation. While a Host may be preserved for future adoration and communions, all of the Precious Blood consecrated in a Mass must be consumed by the end of the Mass. Therefore, the Sacrificial nature of the Eucharist is often emphasized through It, whereas the Host is often used to emphasize the Sacramental nature.
For these reasons, then, it would seem appropriate that at the elevation of the chalice, the Faithful call to mind, in an even deeper way, those souls for whom they wish to pray and bathe them in the Precious Blood of Christ. Many of the prayers from the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, given to us by St. Faustina, may also be appropriate here, for this moment is especially given over to repentance and contrition for sin. Finally, it is a moment where thanksgiving and adoration should flow forth to Jesus Christ, Who, "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8)." We should here accept all the trials and tribulations which God has destined for us, so that we may drink of the chalice which Christ drank and thus enter the Kingdom of Heaven with Him!
Following the elevation, the Priest then places the chalice on the corporal (for it now contains the Precious Blood and must thus be separated from all contact with other materials by the corporal, a sign of the True Presence), and he then genuflects in adoration as with the Host.
Let us marvel at this tribute paid by him to our Divine Lord. The Priest has, in the Person of Christ, offered Himself to the Father for all mankind, but the Priest now pays tribute to Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim. Behold the marvels of the Sacerdotal office! The Priest shares has both a human and Divine aspect, in a similar manner to Christ, Who is both human and Divine. As man, the Priest pays tribute to his God, but in the Person of Christ, he offers the very Sacrifice and is immolated in Whom he is adoring!
We must fully understand that although the miracle of transubstantiation takes place at the words of the Priest, it is through the Holy Spirit that the miracle comes about. It is the Son, Who offers Himself to the Father, in the Holy Spirit, and it is this wondrous deed we adore. And it is this deed and the memorial of it which shall carry us through the remainder of the Eucharistic Prayer!
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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