29. Present Through His Action

Christ is really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist. Further, the activity of Christ is made present. It is heavenly bread given and a blood poured out. We are not sharing a corpse. It is Christ living and doing what he did at Calvary, surrendering himself to the Father. The secret of our Lord's Passion is not the pain, but his WILLINGNESS. Jesus even says, "This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father" (John 10:17-18). He lays it down freely. His choice makes it valuable. In 70 AD with the fall of the Temple, people are crucified in droves everywhere. Despite this tragedy, it is still only the death of Jesus that we commemorate as making a difference. Calvary is made present to us. Sometimes we speak of the Mass as the UNBLOODY sacrifice. It is a poor choice of words. What it tries to convey is that Jesus could only suffer and die once. He is now beyond time and space. Calvary is made here so that we can be there. It makes it possible for us to apply to ourselves what Christ did on Calvary. We need to become holy, that OTHERNESS which participates in God. Consequently, we come back to the source and summit of every grace, the Crucifixion of Christ.

The priest says, "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith." Following the summons, we might respond with one of several acclamations; each of these brings out what has just taken place, Christ offering himself to the Father once again. "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." It stresses the three comings of Christ. The others also make mention of these saving mysteries. We are set free by Christ's Cross and Resurrection. It is a PROCLAMATION of our faith, not something to be whispered or neglected.

What is Christ doing on the altar after the consecration? He is giving himself to the Father. We can use the word ACTS as a mnemonic device to recall some elements of this offering. "A" is for ADORE. Christ is praying, "Father of my people (he is the head), I adore you, I acknowledge you as God, you hold the world in the palm of your hand, your will be done." We enter into his disposition and attitudes. Why is our offering suddenly better? We are entering into his prayer to the Father, the perfect prayer of God's "beloved Son" at Calvary. He is not in pain any more. But, he was willing to suffer pain so that he might pass over into a new life. "C" is for CONTRITION. "Father, these are my people. They are trying to amend their lives. They regret the wrongs they have done." [Satisfaction or Propitiation might be more descriptive of this element.] "T" is for THANKSGIVING, not one time a year in November, but always. St. Paul says, ". . . give thanks to God unceasingly, that in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness. It is the only way to be happy. God has been so good to us. He has given us both spiritual graces and material things. Do we thank him or take him for granted? We thank him perfectly in the Mass. "S" is for SUPPLICATION. That is a big word meaning to ask. We ask God for forgiveness, health, peace, etc. We do this in imitation of Christ who is doing all these things upon our altars.