The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-10-08


sermon was prepared by the Rev
John Scherf, pastor of IS. Cyril and
Method church, East Helena:
An Exalted Ceremonial.
Exalted poetic conception and
symbolism envelop the ceremonial of
the offertory. The priest, having
first placed his hands on the altar,
turns and greets the faithful with
the words: "The Lord be With You
They respond: And with thy spirit
Conscious of the stupendousness of the
mysteries, in which he is to be so
soon participant, and sensing his ut.
ter weakness, the priest lays his hands
on the altar which, in the words of st.
Thomas, signifies Christ Mindful
that the assembled faithful, too, need
supernatural help to assist profitably
at the sacred function, he prays that
the Lord may be operative in their
hearts by His grace.
The All-Embracing Prayer.
Taking the paten, on which rests
the host, the priest holds it UP in the
attitude of presentation. His eyes are
momentarily raised to the crucifix,
then fixed on the offering before him,
whilst he prays: Accept, holy
Father, almighty and eternal God,
this unspotted host, which / Thy un-
worthy servant offer unto Thee, my
living and true God, for my innumer-
able sins, offences and negligences and
for all here present; as also for all
faithful Christians, both living and
dead, that it may avail both me and
them for salvation unto life everlast-
ing. Amen This prayer comprehends
the subject, purpose and terminus of
the offering. God, our Father by the
threefold title of creation, of provi-
dental conservation, and of adoption
as brethren of the consubstantial
Son of that Father; our living God
whose essence is life; our true God,
the weight of whose truth skaters
the falseness of idolaters-this our
God is besought to accept the proffered
oblation.
Mans Unworthiness.
e And what an oblation! "This un-
spotted Host" Manifestly these
words are to be applied to Christ's
body, His most pure body, into which
the substance of the host is about
to be changed. To offer a Victim
SO holy, mortal man may we'll own
his unworthiness. In this attitude
of humility he prays to be freed from
the defilement of guilt which weighs
on his soul. Also for the faithful
who offer the sacrifice in union with
him does he implore pardon. Yea,
for all christians, even for the faith
full departed, he begs remission oil
guilt, strength, salvation.
The priest then makes with the
paten and the host the sign of the
cross above the place wherein the
host is@to lie, thus showing that the,
altar, no less than the cross of old,
is the honored instrument of the
worlds atoning sacrifice.
Preparations for ChaIice.
Then follows the preparation of the
chalice. The priest pours wine into
the chalice. And blessing the cruet
of water, he adds therefrom a few
drops, saying: 80 God, who in Great
ing human nature hast wonderfully
dignified it, and still more wonderfully
reformed it; grant that by the mystery
of this water and wine we may be
made partakers of the divine nature
of Him who vouchsafed of our human
nature, Jesus Christ, our Lord thy
Son, who liveth and reigneth with
Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen"
Wonderfully indeed was human nature
created. Endowed with marvellous
gifts, clothed in sanctifying grace,
man was, in truth, made a little less
than the angels, crowned with honor
and glory" Yet man lost his inherit
ance, vitiated his nature by sin. To
purchase back his birth-right, to re-
form his nature, God resorted to
means the wonder of which stupefied
the angels. The Son of God lifted that
nature to the incomprehensible height
of union with the divinity. This union
is the mystery of water and wine
designated in the prayer. In virtue
of this union, and it's seque1-the re-
demption, the church prays that we
may be made partakers of the divine
nature through grace.
Wine SymboIizes Christ.
The wine not blessed symbolizes
Christ, the source and perfection of
all holiness and sanctity, who can
not stand in need of any blessing,
while the water, which according to
st. John, represents the faithful, will
derive a great gain from the sacra-
mental blessing. Moreover, only a.
very small amount of water is added
to the wine, to express how our finite
humanity in it's union with the God
head is made participation in the in
finite divinity of Christ and is in
sense deified. In requiem Masses the
church omits this blessing of the
water to signify that she has no jur-
isdiction over the souls of the faith
full departed.
For the Sins of the World.
When the priest returns to the mid
die of the altar he raises up the chal-
ice, thus signifying it's presentation
to God. Unlike the ceremony of the
oblation of the host, the celebrant
keeps his eyes fixed on the crucifix
until the completion of the prayer
The reason is evident from the prayer
itself In If no mention is made of the