The Roman Canon

[Canto]

Hi all. Love the Roman Canon (my fav EP) but had a few questions I was hoping you all might be able to answer. I use the new translation that is on it’s way to the OF as it is literal.

that you accept
and bless these gifts, these offerings,
these holy and unblemished sacrifices,
which we offer you first of all
for your holy catholic Church.

Before the consecration, how is the bread and wine holy, unblemished and why called sacrifices?

as we celebrate the memorial of the blessed Passion…
offer to your glorious majesty
from the gifts that you have given us,
this pure victim,
this holy victim,
this spotless victim,
the holy Bread of eternal life
and the Chalice of everlasting salvation.
Be pleased to look upon them
with serene and kindly countenance,
and to accept them,
as you were pleased to accept
the gifts of your servant Abel the just…

The bread and wine are now the Body and Blood.
So why does the text say ‘them,’ what does ‘them’ refer to?
Is it simply the consecrated bread and wine with Christ wholly present in each bit?

In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God:
command that **these gifts **be borne
by the hands of your holy Angel
to your altar on high

What are these gifts - consecration has taken place?
The word gifts is not in the Latin, though implied it seems.

 

[AJV]

To answer your question in short: it is usually explained by the fact that the bread and the wine are “types” of the Body and Blood of Christ. It is what is called prolepsis - a removal out of time as it were, because everything cannot be expressed at one moment of the consecration. In the East there are more blatant example in their liturgies - for example, in the Byzantine liturgy it implies the bread and wine are “the King of all” and, even more, in the Assyrian liturgy, they say “The Body of Christ and the Precious Blood are placed on the altar” when they put the bread and wine there before the Eucharistic Prayer. So also in the Armenian liturgy.

For one of the more detailed explanations often put forward, I would highly suggest Fr. Gihr’s “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” which is at archive.org

 

[Canto]

Thanks for the info!
I’ve downloaded the book and will have a read.