Christ instituted the Mass


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FACE THE FACTS!

No. 11

Christ Instituted the

Mass

by

Rev. Wilfred G. Hurley, C.S.P.

THE PAULIST PRESS
New Yoxk, N. Y.



Nihil Ohstat:

Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D.,
Censor Librorum .

Imprimatur

:

© Patrick Cardinal Hayes,
Archbishop of New York

.

New York, October 12, 193 5.

COPYRIGHT, 1935

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA



FOREWORD

One of the most powerful, able and influ-

ential men in the world today. A man hon-
ored, respected and admired by all, was

asked: "To what do you attribute your un-

paralleled success ?”

He replied: "To one thing alone! I have
never deceived myself! I face the facts

!”

You have been created!

You exist!

You live!

Why?

What is the purpose of it all?

FACE THE FACTS!



:

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Christ Instituted the Mass

READING TIME—20 minutes, 15 seconds
"The Mass is the only real vestige of

religious faith left in the world.”

Thus Carlisle in his extreme old age,

even though every trace of faith had

left him.

And so must all others agree who in
the light of history look down the vrsta
of the ages at the Great Sacrifice.

For the Sacrifice of the Upper Room
in Jerusalem, and of Calvary, the Sacri-

fice of the Catacombs, and the Deserts,

has been perpetuated down through all
the succeeding ages of history. And it
is now, what it always has been, what

it always must be, the great fact in the

ever varying history of mankind.

The word "Mass” is self-explanatory.

It would seem to be derived from the

Jewish word "Missach,” meaning a
"free-offering.”

Thus it is the fulfillment of the sacri-
fice of the Old Law.

It is the re-presenting, to God, of the

body and blood of His only-begotten
Son, Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God
slain for the sins of the world—Who of-

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fered Himself a "free-offering,” a sacri-

fice for the redemption of mankind.

And it is also the means by which God
would dwell among us in His Sacrament
of Love.

CALVARY PERPETUATED
But the sacrifice of the Mass has still

another purpose. It is to solemnly re-

portray the most tragic spectacle of the

ages. One might say it is a drama. The
Great Action. A moving, speaking,
picturization in which, as St. Paul says,

"As often as you shall eat this bread,

and drink the chalice, you shall shew the

death of the Lord until He come.”
For with the offering of the sacrifice

of Calvary, it was Christ’s divine plan

that the scene of Calvary should pass be-

fore my eyes. That His passion and
death being thus recalled to me, I would

remember all that He has suffered to save
me. And remorse, repentance, and grati-
tude being reborn, I would turn again to

Him. Loving Him with my whole
heart, my whole soul, my whole
strength, my whole mind!

All history proclaims the perpetual

offering of the sacrifice of the Mass from

the time of the Apostles to our own day.

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Has it not been the very center in the

life of the Church for nineteen hundred

years? All history has been written

around it!

Down through the ages, the Mass has
been the keystone in the life of every

Christian. Every week has the Sabbath

of the New Law been sanctified in his
life by attendance at Mass. At the Mass,
he was married. At the Mass, he re-
ceived the body and blood of Christ to

strengthen him against the trials and

temptations which he encountered. At
the Mass his rulers were crowned. At
the Mass, treaties were signed and the

laws passed which were to bring the peo-

ple from serfdom and feudalism into free

people. With the Mass, he was buried.
At the Mass, his soul was prayed for.
Thus it has been since Christ was

among men. Thus it must be until
Christ come again.

THE MASS BEGINS

And so the priest vested, enters into
the sanctuary to begin this great drama

of man’s redemption. At the foot of
the altar he stops. He makes the Sign of
the Cross as he begins. "In the name of

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the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Ghost.” Then, standing there, he

recites the one hundred thirty-ninth

Psalm. "Keep me, O Lord, from the
hand of the wicked: and from unjust

men deliver me.”
"For Thou, O God, art my strength,

etc.” Now bowing deeply, he says that
beautiful prayer, "The Confiteor,” "I

confess to Almighty God.” The psalm

and this prayer can be easily found in

any prayer book. It is simply a per-

sonal prayer of humility by the priest,

acknowledging his unworthiness and

asking God’s help and the prayers of the

saints. The prayers said, slowly the
priest ascends the steps and proceeds to

the right of the altar.

And now the drama of the Mass be-
gins. As in all dramas, the background

is given to furnish the foundation for

what is to follow. Standing at the left

side of the altar the priest reads a prayer.

Some expression of ardent longing, for

the coming of the Redeemer. It is

generally taken from one of the Psalms

of the Old Law. Reminding us how
much those who lived holy lives under
the Old Law yearned and cried out to

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God for the coming of the promised Re-
deemer. But the chosen people were not

alone in this. Throughout the entire

civilized world of the Latin and Greek

civilization was this feeling of desire.

This yearning that God would send a
light into the world that men might see
Him, and a way that they might go to
Him. To commemorate this, the priest
goes to the center of the altar to cry out

in Greek, their pleas for pity. Kyrie

Eleison. Christe Eleison. "Lord have

mercy on us.” "Christ have mercy on

us.” The cry of humanity for the com-

ing of the Messiah! Nine times the cry

is repeated in memory of the nine heav-
enly choirs who implored God for the
Incarnation. "Lord have mercy on us.”

By their prayers, and by the prayers

of the patriarchs and prophets, the time

of the Incarnation is hastened. "The

seventy weeks are shortened,” said the

angel to Daniel.

THE GLORIA
"And the Word was made flesh, and

dwelt among us (and we saw His glory,
the glory as it were of the only-Begotten

of the Father) full of grace and truth.”

The Redeemer comes! To signify this

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glorious event the voice of the priest

now rings out in the words of the angels
that starlit night, announcing the Babe

was born. Gloria in excelsis Deo.

"Glory be to God on High, and on earth
peace to men of good will.” The chant
of joy and love continues. "We praise
Thee, we bless Thee, we adore Thee, we
glorify Thee.”

The Gloria concluded, the priest rests
his hands upon the altar, bends, and

kisses it respectfully. By this ceremony
so simple, yet so significant, he represents

the infinite love of God for man. He
then turns to the people with the joyful

cry, "The Lord be with you.” In the

name of the congregation, the Mass
server answers, "And with thy spirit.”

THE COLLECT

Now the priest returns to the left side
of the altar once more for the Collect.
Collect, which means, "gather together,”

so called because in it, the priest offers

to God the united prayers of the faith-
ful. Our thanks to the Incarnate Christ
for coming among us. This prayer also
signifies the thirty years, which Christ

spent in Nazareth, dwelling among men

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as He grew in grace and wisdom, and
prepared Himself for His ministry. As

the priest prays his arms are held in the

form of a Cross, to remind us in the

words with which he ends the prayers,

that we can only come to God “Through
Jesus Christ His only Son.”

Then, too, before every prayer the

priest says: Oremus, “Let us pray.”
That is, he does not pray alone. We
must pray together.

THE EPISTLE
The prayers are finished. Christ’s

hidden life was at an end. His ministry

begins. He preaches to the Jews. To
signify this, under the name Epistles, the
priest reads certain extracts from the

Old Law, or words addressed to the Jews

in the New Testament. While this is
being read, the congregation remains

seated, to “shew forth” the sad state of

the world, which “sits in darkness and

in the shadow of death,” before Christ

comes to bring them truth and life. It

also signifies the rejection of the Messiah

by the Jews. “He came unto His own,
and His own received Him not.”
The time to begin His mission having

come, Christ leaves Judea to go to Gali-

Pagt Eleven



lee. But previous to beginning His pub-

lic life, He prepares Himself to preach
the Gospel by forty days of prayer and

penance in the desert. How does the
Church recall this to our minds?

The priest withdraws from the Epistle
side of the altar, as our Lord left un-

grateful Judea. Pausing in the middle

of the altar to recollect himself in

prayer, as Christ in the desert.

The priest prays, head bowed low.

Meanwhile, the "Missal” or the Mass-

book is changed from the left to the

right side of the altar. This shows, says

St. Bonaventure, that "The nations fig-

ured by the right side of the altar, the

Gentiles, have received the doctrine of

Jesus Christ from the Jews. For the

Jews with the exception of a small num-
ber have rejected the teachings of the

Saviour, and driven out the Apostles.

They have deserved to hear the words:

'Because you have refused the word of

God we will carry it to the Gentiles.’
”

THE GOSPEL

The congregation which has been

sitting, now rises. Ip is their part in the
drama. No longer is it the prophets of
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the Old Testament speaking to men nor
the Apostles of the New Testament, but
it is Jesus Christ Himself. A hush falls
over all. Christ is speaking through the

lips of His emissary on earth. For ex-

tracts from the Gospel are always the

words of Christ. The people stand to

signify how the Gentiles accepted Christ.
Together the priest and people sign

themselves, three times, with the Sign

of the Cross. It is to show their ac-

ceptance of the Holy Gospel. On the
forehead, to show they believe it. On
the lips, to show they will never deny

it. On the heart, to show they love it
and will follow it faithfully.

To testify fully their belief, to con-
fess Him before men, that He may con-
fess them before God in heaven. The
"Creed” is now recited. Moving to the
center of the altar standing before the

tabernacle, the priest recites this pro-

fession of faith. The profession of
faith that comes down from the very
infancy of the Church.

THE CREDO

"I believe in one God, the Father Al-

mighty, Maker of Heaven and earth,

Pag* Thirteen



and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-
begotten Son of God, born of the Fa-

ther before all ages. God of God: Light
of Light: very God of very God: be-
gotten not made; being of one substance

with the Father, by Whom all things
were made. Who for us men, and for
our salvation, came down from Heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
of the Virgin Mary, and was made man .
He was crucified also for us, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, and was buried.

The third day He arose again according
to the Scriptures; and ascended into

Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand

of the Father; and He shall come again
with glory to judge both the living and

the dead; of whose kingdom there shall

be no end.

"And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the
Lord and Lifegiver, Who proceedeth
from the Father and the Son; Who to-
gether with the Father and the Son is

adored and glorified; Who spoke by the
prophets. And One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic Church. I confess one bap-

tism for the remission of sins. I look

for the Resurrection of the dead, and

Psge Fourteen



the life of the world to come. Amen.”
To testify their love further, when

the words are recited, "And was made
man,” they kneel in reverence.

The drama has moved forward rapid-
ly. Christ’s ministry has been por-

trayed by the reading of the Gospel and

the reciting of the Creed. Swiftly it

comes to the climax. The passion and
death of Christ.

THE OFFERTORY
Following Christ’s command and ex-

ample, the priest now takes bread in his
hands and offers it to God. As the bread

is to be changed into the body of Christ,

he prays that men’s hearts may be trans-
formed into hearts of Christ. Till it be

"no more we who live, but Jesus Christ
Who lives in us.” Now is offered to
God the chalice of wine mixed with
water. St. Cyprian, who lived in the
second century, explains: "The wine

represents Christ and the water the

Christian people.” Thus Christ uniting

Himself to men atoned for them in His
sacrifice.

In the Old Law, the priests before of-

fering their sacrifices to God, went to

th£ Brazen Laver of Ablution. Thus

Page Fifteen



too, the priest of the New Law, before
offering up the sacrifice of the New Law
goes to the side of the altar and washes

his hands. This reminds men also, how
Christ washed the feet of the Apostles at

the Last Supper. Showing what purity

of soul He required from those who
would be present at the sacred banquet.

The Last Supper being finished, Christ
goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, to of-

fer Himself up to His Father. Likewise,

the priest now returns to the center of
the altar, and bowing low, offers up the
sacrifice to the Most Holy Trinity.

The scene changes. To the Garden of
Olivet. Christ prays, prostrate in His

agony. In the middle of the altar the

priest leans forward, his hands joined in

a position of humiliation and prostra-

tion. Slowly the priest raises himself,

and turns to the congregation. It is the

last time he will face them until the

Sacrifice is completed. He entreats
them: "Brethren, pray, that my sacrifice
and yours may be acceptable to God the
Father Almighty.” In the name of the

congregation, the altar boy answers:

"May the Lord receive the sacrifice at
thy hands, to the praise and glory of His

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name, to our benefit, and to that of all

His holy Church.” The congregation is

reminded of Christ coming to the Apos-

tles and finding them heavily sleeping.

"What?” Christ asks, "Could you not
watch one hour with Me? Watch ye
and pray. ...” Turning back to the
altar, the prayers continue in silence.

The Agony in the Garden is ended,
shattered by the shouts of the rabble

come there seeking Christ. To oppose
their shouts of blasphemy, derision, and

hate, the priest, and the altar boy, now
cry out in praise and love of Christ.

Sending up with that hymn of the angels
before the throne of God, "Holy, Holy,

Holy, Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and
earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in
the highest. Blessed is He that cometh
in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in
the highest.”

THE CANON

And now silence again. A profound
silence. The angels gather round in awe

and reverence. The priest prays in a low

tone. All are quiet and still. For the

real moment approaches when Jesus
Christ becomes present in the Sacrament

of the Altar.

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What emotion should be awakened
in men’s souls as in these moments

of silence are commemorated Christ

scourged! Christ crowned with thorns!

The heart-rending carrying of His Cross

up Calvary’s hill!

In the silence, the priest bends low

over the altar preparing for the sacred

words of consecration. The people re-

member Christ being stripped of His
garments, thrown on the Cross, His

hands and feet nailed fast.

THE CONSECRATION

Jesus speaks through the lips of the

priest, "This is My body.”
The priest falls on his knees in deepest

reverence. Then he holds up the Sacred
Host for the people to adore. Once

again he kneels in reverence.

The bell rings three times. It was a
custom with the Romans to sound a
trumpet at the moment of the execution
of one who had been condemned to
death. As the priest holds up the Sacred

Host, we see our Saviour raised on the

Cross. Thus the bell rings.

The silence continues. The priest

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takes the chalice of wine in his hands.

Again Christ speaks through his lips.

. . . This is My blood . . . which shall
be shed for many unto remission of
sins.” Again does the priest fall to his

knees in reverence. Then the chalice
with the Sacred Blood is held up that all

may adore. And again does the priest
kneel in reverence. Again the bell rings.

Jesus Christ is now present on the
altar. Body and soul, blood and di-

vinity. His promise has been kept.

"... Behold I am with you all days,
even to the consummation of the

world.” He has come to be near men, to
help them, to hear their requests. They

remember His words, "Ask, and you

shall receive.”

In remembering His Agony on the

Cross, they instinctively remember their

loved ones who have departed from this

world. The priest prays for all the faith-

ful departed that God may give them a
"place of refreshment, light and peace.”

Suddenly in the silence rings out the

voice of the priest. Nobis quoque peca-

toribus . "To us sinners also show

mercy.” With the uttering of these

Page Nineteen



words the priest strikes his breast. Why?
Because it represents the repentance, the

confession, and the prayer of the thief

crucified on the right hand of our Lord.

Thus in the name of the congregation,
the priest asks for all, "... Lord, re-
member me when Thou shalt come into
Thy kingdom.”
The three hours of agony have passed

by. To signify this, with the Host in
his hands, the priest makes the Sign of

the Cross three times over the chalice.

Jesus is dead.

The drama goes on. The lifeless
body hangs on the Cross. Standing be-
neath the Cross were His beloved

mother, St. John, St. Mary Magdalene,
and the little band of faithful disciples.

What were they doing? The Gospel is
silent. But if I ask my heart, and look
down the vista of the years, I see them
falling down upon their knees, their
eyes wet with tears, praying to the Fa-

ther in Heaven. What prayer did they
say? What words did their lips utter?
Months before His death they had

asked Jesus to teach them to pray. And
Jesus said to them words which the

priest now cries out:

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THE LORD'S PRAYER

"Our Father Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in

Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And* forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass
against us,

And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil. Amen.”

Now comes a prayer in silence. The
Libera nos . "Deliver us, we beseech
Thee, O God, from all evils past, pres-
ent and to come.” This prayer said

silently, reminding that Jesus immedi-

ately after His death goes to deliver the

souls of the just in Limbo to lead them

into Heaven, the gates of which had

been opened by His atoning death.

A soldier armed with a lance ap-
proaches the body of Jesus. Pausing a

moment to steady the lance he drives it
straight through the heart of Jesus. To
portray this the priest gently taking up

the Host, reverently breaks It.

And then came the eventide. The
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body of Jesus was taken down from
the Cross and laid in the sepulcher. To
portray this, the priest, like another Jo-

seph of Arimathea, lays the Host in the

chalice.

AGNUS DEI
"And on the third day He rose from

the dead.” To signify the Resurrection
of Christ, three times does the priest

cry out, Agnus Dei. "Lamb of God
Who taketh away the sins of the
world.” "Who taketh away the sins
of the world” reminding men that after
His Resurrection came those solemn

words of Christ that gave to the Apos-

tles the power to forgive men their sins.
Then as if this were not enough to

express such joy and happiness, he re-

echoes the words of Christ, Pax vobis*

cum. "Peace be unto you.” "And
with thy spirit ...”
"He that eateth My flesh, and drink-

eth My blood, hath everlasting life: and
I will raise him up in the last day.” On
the altar reposes the body of Christ.

In the chalice is His Most Precious

Blood. With ineffable joy and happi-
ness, the priest bends low. But first,

three times, he must cry out, the Cen-

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turion’s words so pleasing to Jesus.

Domine non mm dignus. "Lord I am
not worthy that Thou shouldst enter
under my roof; say but the word and
my soul shall be healed.” Thus pro-
testing his unworthiness to God’s love,

the priest reverently consumes the Eu-

charistic bread and wine.

And now the faithful assemble at the
altar railing like the disciples at Em-
maus to participate in this divine ban-

quet. The Confiteor is recited through

which men protest repeatedly their un-
worthiness of God’s infinite love and

goodness. Then the priest administers to

them, one by one, their heart’s desire, a

particle of this "living bread which

came down from Heaven.”

For forty days after the Resurrection

Christ dwelt among His own. To com-
memorate this the priest returning to

the right of the altar recites the prayer

known as the "Postcommunion.” A
prayer of joy and thanksgiving.

"He ascended into Heaven.” The

priest goes back to the middle of the

altar, portraying the passage of our

Lord to the Mount of Olives. Turning

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to the congregation again he wishes

them peace. "The Lord be with you.
Again he kisses the altar to signify

men’s everlasting love for God, and

God’s eternal love for men. Then
turning to the people, he blesses them.

Once more the priest goes to the left
side of the altar. This is to read the

Holy Gospel according to St. John. It
is the end of the Mass! The drama
ends! Once again we have shown
forth the death of the Lord. For the

reading of this Gospel portrays the

Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit,

going forth to "Teach all nations.”

Again we make the Sign of the
Cross, on our forehead, on our lips, on

our hearts, recalling Christ’s own words
to the Apostles, "He that heareth you,
heareth Me. ...”

Then, in joy and thankfulness,

standing before the tabernacle, looking

up to Heaven, in his own name, in the
name of the Church, in the name of all

the faithful, the priest cries out to God,

Deo Gratias. "Thanks be to God.”

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