Strange thing happened at Mass

[MulusChristi]

Greetings,
I’d like your opinion on this. At yesterday’s Sunday Mass, one of our older priests said the Mass. He has been in our parish for many years and is a wonderful, orthodox priest.

I think Father was having a bad day.  When he got to the words of consecration for the host, he mistakenly held up the chalice, saying "...This is my body..."  I had not been paying very good attention ( :rolleyes: so maybe I was having a bad day too) but this caught it.  I could see that he realized the mistake and was getting ready to elevate the host for the second words of institution, but gave up and elevated the chalice again.  So my question is, was the bread consecrated?

My guess is that he had the intention to do what the Church intends and so any minor defect was made up by that.  My wife's theory is that anything on the altar with the correct elements gets consecrated.  What is your opinion?

I guess I need to pray for Father more; he has been having more difficulty walking in the last year.  Please remember him in a quick prayer.

                      Mulus

 

[JKirkLVNV]

May Our Lord your good priest close within His Most Sacred Heart.

 

[JimG]

Yes, it was a valid consecration. The priest’s intention is to consecrate what is placed on the altar, not what is held up. He could have said the words of consecration without elevating either the host or the chalice and the consecration would still be valid.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

MulusChristi:

Greetings,
I’d like your opinion on this. At yesterday’s Sunday Mass, one of our older priests said the Mass. He has been in our parish for many years and is a wonderful, orthodox priest.

I think Father was having a bad day. When he got to the words of consecration for the host, he mistakenly held up the chalice, saying “…This is my body…” I had not been paying very good attention ( so maybe I was having a bad day too) but this caught it. I could see that he realized the mistake and was getting ready to elevate the host for the second words of institution, but gave up and elevated the chalice again. So my question is, was the bread consecrated?

My guess is that he had the intention to do what the Church intends and so any minor defect was made up by that. My wife’s theory is that anything on the altar with the correct elements gets consecrated. What is your opinion?

I guess I need to pray for Father more; he has been having more difficulty walking in the last year. Please remember him in a quick prayer.

Mulus

I would trust that the hosts placed on the corporal, which he intended to Consecrate were. As was the chalice.

He should have stopped and repeated the words only if he had not said them correctly. In this case he was simply holding up the wrong element, the correct element for the spoken words were within his sight.