Caution: This reply will not be as beautiful as one made by a few other posters including Deacon Ed. What I want to say is sometimes difficult in that we don’t usually talk in terms being “outside of time”.
This is not a paraphrase of some on-line page, I am responsible for it.
So beware of the theology.
Jesus Christ died only once. He was sacrificed for us on the cross about 2000 years ago outside of Jerusalem. He does not die during the sacrifice of the Mass… The Priest makes an offering of what has mystically become the body, blood and spirit of Jesus Christ to God, and only to God.This object that is offered is called the Eucharist.
Here comes the difficult part.We on earth live “in time”. We have devices that measure the “time” between two events. If there was just one event there would be no measured time. Spirits are said to “live” outside of time. God is outside of time - so God doesn’t wear a wrist watch. (Ha Ha) Catholic theologians say the sacrifice that Jesus made was for ALL time; meaning for people who preceeded Jesus and all those who came after Him.
So in a metaphysical way we can say that Jesus’ death was for us - right now! If His death is for us right now, then since Jesus is a Spirit He transends time. His agony on the cross is still occuring, but OUTSIDE of our “earth time”. At Mass, when the Priest offers up the Body of Christ all who are attending tthat Mass are metaphysically carried to the foot of the cross at Calvary. We could say His death is transported mystically through time to us during Mass.
