The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-12-10
Sermons on Catholic Worship.

God in the Old Testament at times
rejected offerings because of the I'M
worthy disposition of those who offer
ed them, and the priest means to ask
God not to remember the sins of
priest and people (propitious), but to
give them dispositions as pleasing to
Him as those of Abel, Abraham and
Melchisedech II the dispositions of
priest and people are proper the body
and blood of Christ must be infinitely
more agreeable to God than the gifts
of Abel, Abraham and Melchisedech.
/ Why does the canon of the Mass
make special mention of the offerings
of Abel, Abraham and Melchisedech,
when the other sacrifices of the Old
Law also foreshadowed the sacrifice
of the Mass? Because these three sac
rifices prefgure the sacrifice of the
Mass more explicitly, and because
those. who offered them were special
types of Christ. Thus Abel offered of
the firstlings of his flock, whilst Christ
offered Himself, 'the firstborn among
many brethren" (Romans, viii, 20.)
Abel was killed without cause or prov
ocation by his brother Cain; so was
Christ put to death unjustly by His
brethren in Abraham. Abraham obey
ed God to the point of immolating
His Son; Christ was obedient to His
Father even to the death on the
cross. Melchisedech offered bread
and wine to God, ''for he was a priest
of the Most High" Gen. xiv, 49,,
whilst Christ, a priest forever &C.
cording to the order of Melchisedech"
Ps. elk, A., at Mass offers His body
and blood to God under the appear
ance of bread and wine.
"The Inundated Victim"
Reciting the third part of the pray
er, the celebrant bows profoundly in
attestation of his sentiments of hui
mility, joins his hands and places
them on the altar to signify by his
acts as well as by his words that he
wishes to unite himself to the sacri.
| flee of Christ. When Jacob paused
and rested in the plain of Bethel in
his sleep he saw ladder, one end of
| which touched heaven whilst the other
end rested upon the earth, and angels
descending and ascending by it. Thus,
angels descend to the earth to ac-
company the Savior to our affairs, and
they ascend with our prayers which
| they offer to God through the merits
of the sacrifice of His beloved Son.
In this third part of the prayer, the
celebrant humbly beseeches God to
send His angel to fulfill this ministry
and to make up for our unworthiness.
I'VE humbly beseech Thee, Almighty
God, commend these to be carried by
the hands of thy holy angels to thine
altar on high in the presence of thy
divine majesty" This tract reminds
us of the words of the Apocalypse:
And another angel came and stood
before the altar, having golden CEN
ser, and there was given to him much
incense, that he should offer of the pray
ers OF all the saints on the golden al
i tar, which is before the throne of God.
And the smoke of the incense of the
prayers of the saints assembled up be.
fore God from the hand of the angel y
(Apoc. viii, 3, ~ We do not ask
THAT the angel carry UP to the heaven
lily altar the body of Christ, since the
body of Christ does not cease to be
in heaven, but that he bring to the
heavenly altar the oblation which we
make on our altar of the body OF
Christ, that it may be graciously &C
copied by God. In return for the of
fering made on the sublime heavenly
altar, in return for the acceptation by
the Divine Majesty of the inundated
body and blood of Christ, we pray t.
be made, through communion, partak
ers of the heavenly altar and granted
all heavenly blessing and grace Tt
partake of this altar is to have share
of the inundated victim: Know yor
not, that they who work in the holy
place eat the things that are of the
holy place; and they that serve the
altar partake with the altar?" Ct Cor
tx, 49,
| May all who assist at Mass partake
of the altar, of the victim offered, Of
the body and blood of Christ in holy
Communion, and be filled with al
heavenly blessing and grace.