The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-05-08
EFFICACY OF THE MASS.

The Church, says Bishop Hedley of
Newport, Eng, in a recent pastoral,
teaches that the Sacrifice of the Mass
lis "a true propitiatory sacrifice; that
we find therein mercy and grace
when we stand in need of assistance"
and that it is rightly and justly Of
fered 'tfor the remission of sin, and
of the punishments of sin, for salts
faction and for other necessities"
THE Council of Trent, .Sess. XXHD
Let us observe that the effect of pro-
pitiation is not the same thing as the
effect of Importation. AS we shall see
just now, importation means obtain
ing a thing by prayer, and the Mass
is the greatest and best of prayers.
But precipitation is something differ
emit; that belongs to the Mass because
it is the Mass, and can never be
separated from it. 1t means that Mass
placates Almighty God, as the phrase
is, and causes His just anger to cease.
We must not suppose that in the most
pure bosom of the Godhead there is
any passion of anger, such as it is
experienced by mortal men. But, how
ever we express it, it is certain that
God Furnishes as if"He were justly an
CRY; and when He is said to be pro-
pitiated or placated, the effects of
what we call His anger are suspended
and He Furnishes no longer.
1t is of faith that this Precipitation
of our God and Creator, which was
perfectly accomplished by the cross, is
applied to the course of Christian life
by the Mass? The Importance of this
tenet of faith arises from this consider
ation-that no graces, blessings or de-
liyerance from evil can be obtained
by men, however 'ardently they may
pray for them, unless the just and
holy anger of God is first made to
cease. Hence any the faithful who
follow the admirable prayers of the
Missal must have noticed how fire.
quently the priest prays that the
sacrifice may placate--that is, appease
or propitiate Almighty God. In the
words of the Roman Catechism, THE
Holy Eucharist was instituted that the
Church might have perpetual sacri
/ fee by which our sins might be ex
plated, and our Heavenly Father, sc
often grievously offended by our wick
edness, might be. turned from anger
to mercy, from just severity to elem
ency." Part 2, CHI. iv.)
1t may be said, without extrava
gance or exaggeration, that it is diff
cult to understand how the WorlC
could be allowed to continue to exis
without the daily Precipitation which il
offered by the Mass.at Consider tht
sinfulness of men in. every age-ir
the past and in the present; conside1
how human life, seyenl in !. Christian
countries, is little else than sin; con
slider the forgetfulness of God, .th,
selfishness, the violence, the injustic,
and the impurity that prevail every
where on the face of the earth Coult
things have been worse when thu
waters of the Deluge were sent tt
destroy the greater part of the race
Would it be any easier to find. jus
men in our own day than it was t,
find them in. Sodom and Gomorrha.
Did the children Of Israel deserve
more justly the war and the plaques
that. darken the pages of the chron
icles and the prophets than the civil
ICED peoples who boast of the Gospe
| light? God still visits men in Hi
wrath; but it is certain that His visi
tations are less terrible, less disas
trous and less absolute than they weri
before Christ came. Where can W,
find the reason for this except in tn,
Precipitation of Calvary, renewed AM
applied daily in the innumerabl
Masses that are our happy priyileg
as children of the Church? TIL,
Mass is offered for our well-being ant
that of the whole world-pro nostri
totiusque mundi salute. Every on
who assists at Mass and devoutl!
unites in the great action does hi
part in lifting from the world tn,
chastisement which the world has de
served.
II