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sacrifice of the mass leslie Friday, November 9, 2007

Question:

I believe the bread and wine at mass is the body and blood of Jesus. What I don't understand is the Sacrifice of the Mass. Keith Green has written the Mass is Jesus Christ being offered up again, physically, as a sacrifice for sin. Keith Green has written the sacrifice of the Mass is a renewal of the sacrifice of the cross. Christ is forever offering himself in the Mass. Do we perpetually re-sacrifice Jeus at every Mass? Am I missing the true meaning of Sacrifice of the Mass? What gifts are given to us in the Eucharist every time we receive the body and blood of Jesus? Please help, I am very confused.

Question Answered by Mr. Jacob Slavek

Dear Leslie,

First of all I must say that Keith Green is not at all a teacher of the faith, he is not even catholic.  I had not heard of him before so I searched his name and came up with his website.  Turns out he is an evangelical gospel musician.

Many times Protestants who are attacking the Catholic faith will cite Hebrews 9:28 saying, "Christ, offered once to take away the sins"... claiming that this biblical teaching contradicts the idea of the sacrifice of the Mass, because as they say at Mass Christ is "re-sacrificed" at each "individual" Mass.  They of course are mistaken or ignorant of what really happens at the Mass.

Every time we go to Mass, we are seeing the same sacrifice of Christ, which is the same sacrifice at Calvary.  From our own point of view, the same sacrifice is re-presented each time we attend Mass.  But, God is not constrained by time and is thus able to apply the same sacrifice at Calvary on all the altars in the world in all time in an unbloody manner.

So, NO the priests do not perpetually re-sacrifice Jesus... He does not die again and again each time we celebrate Mass.  He died once, was sacrificed once, and rose once.  But, YES we witness this same sacrifice each time we attend Mass.

About gifts given to us in the Eucharist:  well pages and pages can be written on this subject, but just to get you started here's some of the basics from the catechism:  Holy Communion augments our union with Christ, giving life through the Holy Spirit.  It separates us from sin, wipes away venial sins, preserves us from future mortal sins, makes the church, commits us to the poor, and of course is the source and summit of the Christian Life.

Finally, I really would advise everyone NOT to read too heavily into the works of Keith Green, from what little I know of him he certainly does NOT teach the truth and probably has a serious anti-Catholic pro-Fundamentalist bias in his writing.  When studying Theology it is much better to stay with the writings of the saints or any writing that has an imprimatur/nihil obstat.

Mr. Slavek
Footer Notes: (a) A Eucharistic Minister is clergy (Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion). Laity are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and should never be called Eucharistic Ministers.

(b) There is no such Mass called the Novus Ordo. The Current Mass is the Roman Missal of 2000, or the Oridinary Form of the Mass. The Tridentine Mass is the Roman Missal of 1962, or the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. Please refrain from using the term, Novus Ordo. Thanks.

(c) The titles of Acolyte and Lector belong exclusively to the Installed Offices of Acolyte and Lector, who are men (only) appointed by the Bishop. These roles performed by others are Altar Servers and Readers, respectively.