The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-12-03
CONSIDERATION OF THE MASS.

Whilst at supper with His Apostles
In the upper room at Jerusalem the
night before He died, Jesus, took
bread, and gave thanks, and blessed,
and broke, and gave. to His disciples,
saying: "Take We, and eat, this is My
body which is given for you; do this
for a. commemoration of me-" In like
manner, taking the chalice also, aft
er He had supped, He gave thanks and
gave to them saying: Drink We all
of this, for this is my blood of the
New Testament, which shall be shed
for you, and for many, for the remis-
sion of sin. This do We as often as
you shall drink, for the commemora-
ton of me-"
When Christ said over the bread,
Take We and eat, this is my body"
the bread was changed into His body.
We believe it, because Christ. Who
can neither deceive nor be deceived,
said so. In like manner, when Christ
said over the wine, Drink We all of
this, for this is my blood" the wine
was changed into His blood. We
hold this for certain, because Christ,
the Eternal Truth, so declared. In
both cases the change of the bread
and wine into the body and blood of
Christ was made by His almighty pow
er, that power which through the slow
process of nature changes the bread
we eat and the wine we drink into
our body and blood, the same power
which in an instant changed water
into wine at the wedding of Cana, and
which in the beginning created all
things, visible and invisible.
After changing the bread and wine
into His body and blood, Christ gave
His apostles the power and the com.
mand to do the same by saying, "This
do We for the cemmemoration of me"
This power is transmitted to the
priest at his ordination by the Bishop,
a lawful successor of the apostles.
The priest makes use of this power at
the conservation of the Mass. This
is the subject of today's instruction.
The Ceremonies.
At the conservation of the Mass,
the priest is the representative of
Christ. speaks and acts in His name,
and doing this, through the almighty
power of Christ, changes the bread
and wine into the body and blood of
Christ. The words and ceremonies of
the conservation are contained in the
following words of the missal: "Who,
the day before He suffered, took bread
into His holy and venerable hands,
and with eyes lifted up toward heav-
en-, unto Thee, o God, His Almighty
Father, giving thanks to Thee, did
bless, break and give unto His disci-
pies, saying: Take, and eat We all
of this, for this is my body"
This hturgical formula contains the
p, Biblical text concerning the Last Sup
per and, in addition to it, the follow
ing words: Into His holy and veneer
able hands, and with eyes lifted up
toward heaven unto Thee, o God, His
that these verbal additions go back
to the apostolic age. The words,
who, they day before He suffered"
were added by Pope Alexander I, who
reigned from 121-132. Saying these
words, the priest wipes the tips of his
fingers to cleanse them, because in a
few moments they will hold the King
of Glory. "Jesus took bread into His
holy and venerable hands" Holy and
venerable indeed are the hands of
Christ, because they are the hands
of the Goldman, all-holy. Saying these
words, whilst taking the bread into
his hands, the priest is reminded that
his hands, holy by their conservation
with holy Oil at his ordination to- the
priesthood, should remain so by the
spotlessness of his life. "And with
eyes lifted up toward heaven" Say
ing these words, the priest lifts his
eyes heavenward, whence the Son Of
God is soon to descend upon the al
tar. Giving thanks to Thee" Christ
gave thanks to God the Father, as man
and not as God; He thanked His Fa-
Their because it was given Him to
eat this pasch with His disciples, to
institute the sacrifice of the New Law,
the Sacrament of thanksgiving, of the
Holy Eucharist. Saying "did bless, "
the priest makes the sign of the cross
to call to his mind that the sacrifice
of the cross is about to be renewed
in an unbloody manner on the altar.
The Elevation.
did break and give unto His dis
ciples saying: Take, and eat We all
of this; for this is my body" AS the
priest at the time of the conservation
represents Christ, he does not say,
"This is the body of Christ" but, this
is my body" Having spoken these
most sacred words distinctly, rever-
emily, and in low tone Of voice, the
priest, holding the sacred host above
the altar, bends the knee in solemn
alteration to his Master really present
before him. then, rising again, raises
the sacred host aloft, in order that the
people present may see it and also
adore it whilst exclaiming with st.
Thomas, "My Lord and My God" The
priest then replaces the sacred host
on the corporal and genu1ects again.
At both genHfections and whilst the
priest lifts up the sacred host, the
altar boy rings the bell to give notice
to people in all parts of the church
of what is going on at the altar.
The elevation of the host is fol-
lowed by the conservation of the wine.
The priest removes the pail from the
chalice, takes the chalice in his hands,