The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament of unity because it unites the faithful more closely with Jesus and with one another. By receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we are taken up into a close union with Him and with one another. In this sacrament, the unity of all those who believe in Jesus …

Only ordained priests and bishops are called to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice to the Father, with Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for the living and the dead, and for the Salvation of all. Christ commanded His Apostles to celebrate this sacrifice when He said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). This is a sacred task: to act …

Holy Communion is the Eucharistic meal of the Body and Blood of Christ, which: (1) reminds us of the Last Supper, (2) celebrates our unity with one another in Christ, and (3) is a foretaste of the eternal Messianic Banquet of Heaven. 1. Holy Communion is the Eucharistic meal of the Body and Blood of Christ, which reminds us of …

A sacrifice to God consists in a lawful priest offering some befitting gift to God, as a victim in the name of the people, in order to acknowledge God’s absolute sovereignty over creation. In a sacrifice, man gives to God something of his own property; this surrender occurs through real or symbolic destruction, whereby the gift is removed from its …

The Mass is the one sacrifice of Christ because His one sacrifice on the Cross is made present to men in every celebration of Mass.

The Mass is both a sacrifice and a sacred meal because it is an unbloody representation of the sacrifice of the Cross; in application of its sacred power, the Lord is immolated in the Sacrifice of the Mass. When the words of consecration are said, this immolation (sacrifice of Christ) becomes present in a sacramental form under the appearances of …

Lay people participate in the Mass by the reception of Holy Communion, and by fully exercising their status as members of the priesthood of the faithful. For example, they offer the Victim, Jesus Christ, and themselves, not only through the hands of the priest, but also with him.

The Holy Mass is offered to give adoration and glory to God the Father, to give praise and thanks for Christ’s immeasurable love for us, to intercede for those in need, and to obtain forgiveness of sins and the remission of the punishment for sins.

The two principal parts of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are: (1) the Liturgy of the Word and (2) the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word includes the Scripture readings together with the homily, the Profession of Faith, and the Prayer of the Faithful. The Liturgy of the Eucharist has three stages: (1) the Offertory rite; …

The most important form of all Christian liturgy is the Mass. Within the setting of a Jewish Passover meal, the Lord instituted the Eucharistic sacrificial meal of the New Covenant. It was from this rite that the New Testament liturgy was born. The Passover meal was a ritual. It called for certain foods, including bread and wine, as well as …