How is the Eucharist a Sacrifice?

[Ricky_C]

At Mass, I always hear that the Eucharist is meant to be a sacrifice to God, but I can’t wrap my head around what exactly it is that is being sacrificed and who’s actually making the sacrifice. It’s been bothering me for a while, and I think I’m just missing something essential about what a sacrifice is that’s making it tough for me to understand why the Eucharist is a sacrifice when we’re receiving Jesus Christ into ourselves and becoming one through that.

From what I’ve researched (which probably honestly isn’t that much) is from Canon 1330 of the CCC: “The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church’s offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, “sacrifice of praise,” spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used,150 since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant.” From what I understand, Jesus Christ is the sacrifice, but I’m not sure how it is that the congregation or the priest sacrifices it.

So what is being sacrificed in the Eucharist, and who is it that’s sacrificing it?
Thanks in advance, and God bless!

 

[PaulfromIowa]

The Eucharist is a re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary.

1366 The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit:

[Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper "on the night when he was betrayed," [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.189

The Catechism on the Eucharist:
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm

 

[midori]

Remember that the Mass takes us to the foot of Calvary.

If then Death was the supreme moment for which Christ lived, it was therefore the He wished to have remembered. He did not ask that men should write down His Words into a Scripture; He did not ask that His kindness to the poor should be recorded in history; but He did ask that men remember His Death. And in order that its memory might not be any haphazard narrative on the part of men, He Himself instituted the precise way it should be recalled.

and

But how is it made visible? Where shall we find Calvary perpetuated? We shall find Calvary renewed, re-enacted, re-presented, as we have seen, in the Mass. Calvary is one with the Mass, and the Mass is one with Calvary, for in both there is the same Priest and Victim. The Seven Last Words are like the seven parts of the Mass. And just as there are seven notes in music admitting an infinite variety of harmonies and combinations, so too on the Cross there are seven divine notes, which the dying Christ rang down the centuries, all of which combine to form the beautiful harmony of the world’s redemption.

are good jumping-off points where Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen goes into far more detail than copypasta will allow.

 

[R_H_Benson]

The Sacrifice of the Mass

Lesson 27 from the Baltimore Catechism

1. What is the Mass?

The Mass is the sacrifice of the New Law in which Christ, through the ministry of the priest, offers Himself to God in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine.

For, from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles; and in every place there is sacrifice and there is offered to my name a clean oblation. (Malachi 1:11)

358. What is a sacrifice?

A sacrifice is the offering of a victim by a priest to God alone, and the destruction of it in some way to acknowledge that He is the Creator of all things.

359. Who is the principal priest in every Mass?

The principal priest in every Mass is Jesus Christ, who offers to His heavenly Father, through the ministry of His ordained priest, His body and blood which were sacrificed on the cross.

And having taken bread, he gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In like manner he took also the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which shall be shed for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)

360. Why is the Mass the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of the cross?

The Mass is the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of the cross because in the Mass the victim is the same, and the principal priest is the same, Jesus Christ.

361. What are the purposes for which the Mass is offered?

The purposes for which the Mass is offered are: first, to adore God as our Creator and Lord; second, to thank God for His many favors; third, to ask God to bestow His blessings on all men; fourth, to satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him.
**
362. Is there any difference between the sacrifice of the cross and the Sacrifice of the Mass?**

The manner in which the sacrifice is offered is different. On the cross Christ physically shed His blood and was physically slain, while in the Mass there is no physical shedding of blood nor physical death, because Christ can die no more; on the cross Christ gained merit and satisfied for us, while in the Mass He applies to us the merits and satisfaction of His death on the cross.

For we know that Christ, having risen from the dead, dies now no more, death shall no longer have dominion over him. (Romans 6:9)
**
363. How should we assist at Mass?**

We should assist at Mass with reverence, attention, and devotion.
**
364. What is the best method of assisting at Mass?**

The best method of assisting at Mass is to unite with the priest in offering the Holy Sacrifice, and to receive Holy Communion.

364a. How can we best unite with the priest in offering the Holy Sacrifice?

We can best unite with the priest in offering the Holy Sacrifice by joining in mind and heart with Christ, the principal Priest and Victim, by following the Mass in a missal, and by reciting or chanting the responses.

365. Who said the first Mass?

Our Divine Savior said the first Mass, at the Last Supper, the night before He died.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

At Mass, I always hear that the Eucharist is meant to be a sacrifice to God, but I can’t wrap my head around what exactly it is that is being sacrificed and who’s actually making the sacrifice. It’s been bothering me for a while, and I think I’m just missing something essential about what a sacrifice is that’s making it tough for me to understand why the Eucharist is a sacrifice when we’re receiving Jesus Christ into ourselves and becoming one through that.

From what I’ve researched (which probably honestly isn’t that much) is from Canon 1330 of the CCC: “The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church’s offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, “sacrifice of praise,” spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used,150 since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant.” From what I understand, Jesus Christ is the sacrifice, but I’m not sure how it is that the congregation or the priest sacrifices it.

So what is being sacrificed in the Eucharist, and who is it that’s sacrificing it?
Thanks in advance, and God bless!

Maybe a reading of Odo Casel’s mystery theology would help, though he’s not the easiest theologian to understand. The book The Mystery of Christian Worship explains it all. Through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Christ’s sacrifice is being offered every second of every day - some place on earth - and since we were baptized into his death and Resurrection, we are joined to that sacrifice and its rewards.

 

[JimG]

Well, I couldn’t put it better than the Baltimore Catechism.

We are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice of himself, offered to the Father. It is that same one eternal sacrifice that is made present in every Mass.

 

[Joe_5859]

So what is being sacrificed in the Eucharist, and who is it that’s sacrificing it?

The answer to both of these questions is Jesus.

The priest is up there saying the words, but he is acting in the person of Christ. That’s why he says, “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” He does not say “This is Christ’s body” or “This is Christ’s blood.” That is because it is Jesus who is acting through the priest, not the priest acting on his own.

As the sources above all indicate, the Mass is a re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. It’s not just symbolic. It is a true participation in that sacrifice. But it’s also not a re-sacrifice. Jesus is not sacrificed again and again.

For me, it has always helped to think of it in terms of eternity and the fact that God is not bound by time in the same way we are. The Paschal Mystery—the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection and ascension—is an eternal moment. In the Mass, we “tap into” that eternal moment of Christ’s saving sacrifice.

Does that make sense? These things can be hard to communicate.

 

[smead2942]

At Mass, I always hear that the Eucharist is meant to be a sacrifice to God, but I can’t wrap my head around what exactly it is that is being sacrificed and who’s actually making the sacrifice. It’s been bothering me for a while, and I think I’m just missing something essential about what a sacrifice is that’s making it tough for me to understand why the Eucharist is a sacrifice when we’re receiving Jesus Christ into ourselves and becoming one through that.

From what I’ve researched (which probably honestly isn’t that much) is from Canon 1330 of the CCC: “The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church’s offering. The terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, “sacrifice of praise,” spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used,150 since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant.” From what I understand, Jesus Christ is the sacrifice, but I’m not sure how it is that the congregation or the priest sacrifices it.

So what is being sacrificed in the Eucharist, and who is it that’s sacrificing it?
Thanks in advance, and God bless!

The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the unbloody re-presentation (not to be confused with “representation”) of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary. Jesus Christ is the Sacrifice, and also the Priest, in that he is willingly offering himself as the sacrificial lamb for the redemption of humanity. When the priest consecrates the Holy Eucharist, Heaven meets Earth, and we are brought to the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ at the very same time.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

The answer to both of these questions is Jesus.

The priest is up there saying the words, but he is acting in the person of Christ. That’s why he says, “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” He does not say “This is Christ’s body” or “This is Christ’s blood.” That is because it is Jesus who is acting through the priest, not the priest acting on his own.

As the sources above all indicate, the Mass is a re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. It’s not just symbolic. It is a true participation in that sacrifice. But it’s also not a re-sacrifice. Jesus is not sacrificed again and again.

For me, it has always helped to think of it in terms of eternity and the fact that God is not bound by time in the same way we are. The Paschal Mystery—the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection and ascension—is an eternal moment. In the Mass, we “tap into” that eternal moment of Christ’s saving sacrifice.

Does that make sense? These things can be hard to communicate.

I think you communicated it excellently and beautifully!

 

[Joe_5859]

I think you communicated it excellently and beautifully!

Thanks.

 

[ProVobis]

Does that make sense? These things can be hard to communicate.

It does but in my opinion the sacrifice is made clearer shortly after the consecration when Melchisedech, Abraham, and Abel are mentioned (“Supra quae propitio”), as well as burnt offerings being brought up by an angel (“Supplices te rogamus”).