'STAND FAST IN THE FAITH'

New Zealand Tablet, 3 July 1913, Page 3

'STAND FAST IN THE FAITH'

... ■■ ,: — w ..■,'- ■■■' (A Weekly Instruction specially written for the N.Z. Tablet by ' Ghimbl.') THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS EXPLAINED: XIIL THE PATER NOSTER TO THE COMMUNION -.,■;; Since the Blessed Eucharist is food for the soul as well as a Sacrifice, Communion or reception of the Victim follows the Consecration, and in the ease of the priest at least is an integral part of the sacred rite. The last part of the Mass, from, the ' Our Father 'to the last-Gospel, relates to the Communion; it consists of certain prayers and actions in preparation for the Communion, of the actual reception, and the thanksgiving. The Our Father marks the transition. It ■'■■' is contained in nearly all the old liturgies and it is generally thought to have been introduced into the Mass by the Apostles at the command (says St. Jerome) of. our Lord Himself.' Christ's disciples .asked their Master to teach them to pray as John also taught his disciples: He. gave them the ' Our Father' (and IDs. gifts surpass the highest expectations), a prayer so affectionate and intimate that, as the Church says here, we presume to say it only because ' instructed by Thy saving precepts and following Thy divine institution.' The last petition of the 'Our Father' is developed by the Church in the prayer that follows: ' Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evils, past, present, and to come; and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious Mary ever a Virgin, Mother of God, together with Thy blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, and Andrew, and all the Saints, mercifully grant peace in our days; that by the assistance of Thy mercy we may be always free from sin, and secure from all disturbance.' When he comes to the word 'peace' in this prayer, the celebrant signs himself with the paten to signify his hope of obtaining that peace which the heart of man always seeks, and he kisses the paten in token of his love and respect for the ' Prince of Peace,' Whom he is about to receive. The priest now performs two very significant actions in preparation for Communion: the breaking of the Host, and the commingling of the Species.' The Breaking of the Host: ' The Jews used not to cut but to break their bread. In conformity with this practice, our Lord a't the Last Supper, when He had consecrated the bread, broke it and distributed it to His Apostles. This rite was always religiously kept in the primitive Church; it even gave its name to the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which was called the Breaking of Bread.' When the liturgy developed, and several prayers were introduced between the Consecration and the Communion, the Breaking of the Host, was naturally detached from the Communion and placed before the Communion, forwhich it prepared. It was not long before a mystical meaning was sought in this ceremony; without forgetting that the Real Presence of the Sacred Humanity is integrally under each sensible particle of the bread, there was seen in the broken Host, the Body of Jesus (metaphorically), broken by! His sufferings for our sins. . . . The Roman Church . . .'..-;, preserved the simplicity of the early rite and only divided the Host for distribution. It was customary to reserve one portion of the Sacred Host until the Sacrifice of the following day: this was presented to the Bishop for him to adore, when he went to the altar at the Introit, and had to be placed by him in the chalice before the breaking of the new Host. In this way the continuity of the 'Sacrifice of the Cross in all ages was shown forth. Other particles were reserved for the sick and prisoners, or were sent to Bishops, who sometimes lived at a great distance. Later, out of respect for the Sacred Host, these long journeys were forbidden, and then these particles were only sent to priests who celebrated in filial churches. _ This, again, was to show the unity of the Sacrifice: in all churches the same Eucharist is offered. The largest portion of the Sacred Species was naturally destined for the Communion of the celebrant,

his ministers, and the faithful.’ (Vahdeur, pp. 132-3.) The Commingling of the two Species follows immediately. The priest takes the smallest of the three parts into which he has divided the Host and drops it _ into the chalice, saying as he does. so: ‘ May this mingling and consecration of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (that is, the mingling of the consecrated Body, etc.) be to us that receive It, effectual to eternal life.’ The idea is to recall to mind the fact that Christ, whole and undivided, is present under both Species, and may be taken to represent the glorious Resurrection, when Christ’s Soul and Body were united once again. The Agnus Dei ; From the beginning of the Canon up to this point all the prayers have been directed to God the Father; we could hardly pray to our Lord, since in this part of the Mass He is a Victim. But now this Victim is soon to be consumed by the celebrant, and it is fitting that He should be directly addressed. Hence in words borrowed from John the Baptist the priest continues, striking his breast in token of sorrow: ‘ Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us . . . have mercy on us . . ! grant us peace.’ In Masses for the Dead-from the twelfth century at least, the last words of the invocations are changed into ‘ Grant them rest . . . grant them everlasting rest ’—the rest of heaven that the souls in purgatory ceaselessly crave, ‘The “Agnus Dei” is, a preparatory prayer for Holy Communion. So great is the mystery of love about to be wrought, and such the purity it demands, that priest and people feel the need of imploring mercy from the Immaculate Lamb, Who effaces all our sinful stains. They pray for peace—“that peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Phil, iv., 7), and which will prepare them to receive with recollection and devotion Him Who is about to come to them.’ Three prayers follow in which the priest begs from our Lord the gift of final perseverance and interior union with Him, fear and humility in receiving, and the salutary fruits of the Divine Presence.