Eucharist as Sacrifice (conclusion)

     The Sacrament of the Eucharist makes present the unique, unrepeatable, perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

 

     In the Eucharist the same Body and Blood of Christ which were broken and poured out on the cross are given to us. By sharing in the Eucharist we share in Christ’s sacrifice and its fruit - the forgiveness of sins.

     Please note that the Eucharist does not repeat Christ’s sacrifice; it makes that sacrifice present to us in the particular time and place we inhabit. The Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacrifice of Christ are one single sacrifice having the same Victim and the same Priest.

     By participating in the Eucharist we unite our prayers, our sufferings, our work, our very lives to the sacrifice of Christ. Christ’s sacrifice becomes our sacrifice, and our lives are “made God’s”, that is, given to God the Father. But this participation should not be seen as an individual blessing. The whole Church as the Body of Christ participates in every celebration of the Eucharist - the Pope, the local bishop, the priest who presides, the deacons who assist, the community gathered around the altar, and even those already in heaven. In addition, the Eucharistic sacrifice is offered for those faithful departed who are in need of purification from sin before they can enter eternal rest.

                                                                                   Msgr. Lockard

 

Quote for Thought - “ There is a better understanding today that the mere accumulation of goods and services, even for the benefit of the majority, is not enough for the realization of human happiness. Nor, in consequence, does the availability of the many real benefits provided in recent times by science and
technology, including the computer sciences, bring freedom from every form of slavery. On the contrary, the experience of recent years shows that unless all the considerable body of resources and potential at man’s disposal is guided by a moral understanding and by an orientation towards the true good of the human race, it easily turns against man to oppress him.”

 

                          - Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter On Social Concern, #28