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Title: |
Mediator Dei, Cont.
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Descr.: |
On The Sacred Liturgy
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Pope: |
Pope Pius XII
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Date: |
November 20, 1947
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64.
This way of acting bids fair to revive the exaggerated and
senseless antiquarianism to which the illegal Council of Pistoia
gave rise. It likewise attempts to reinstate a series of errors
which were responsible for the calling of that meeting as well as
for those resulting from it, with grievous harm to souls, and
which the Church, the ever watchful guardian of the "deposit
of faith" committed to her charge by her divine Founder, had
every right and reason to condemn.(53) For perverse designs and
ventures of this sort tend to paralyze and weaken that process of
sanctification by which the sacred liturgy directs the sons of
adoption to their Heavenly Father for their souls' salvation.
65.
In every measure taken, then, let proper contact with the
ecclesiastical hierarchy be maintained. Let no one arrogate to
himself the right to make regulations and impose them on others at
will. Only the Sovereign Pontiff, as the successor of Saint Peter,
charged by the divine Redeemer with the feeding of His entire
flock,(54) and with him, in obedience to the Apostolic See, the
bishops "whom the Holy Ghost has placed...to rule the Church
of God,"(55) have the right and the duty to govern the
Christian people. Consequently, Venerable Brethren, whenever you
assert your authority - even on occasion with wholesome severity -
you are not merely acquitting yourselves of your duty; you are
defending the very will of the Founder of the Church.
66.
The mystery of the most Holy Eucharist which Christ, the High
Priest instituted, and which He commands to be continually renewed
in the Church by His ministers, is the culmination and center, as
it were, of the Christian religion. We consider it opportune in
speaking about the crowning act of the sacred liturgy, to delay
for a little while and call your attention, Venerable Brethren, to
this most important subject.
67.
Christ the Lord, "Eternal Priest according to the order of
Melchisedech,"(56) "loving His own who were of the
world,"(57) "at the last supper, on the night He was
betrayed, wishing to leave His beloved Spouse, the Church, a
visible sacrifice such as the nature of men requires, that would
re-present the bloody sacrifice offered once on the cross, and
perpetuate its memory to the end of time, and whose salutary
virtue might be applied in remitting those sins which we daily
commit,...offered His body and blood under the species of bread
and wine to God the Father, and under the same species allowed the
apostles, whom he at that time constituted the priests of the New
Testament, to partake thereof; commanding them and their
successors in the priesthood to make the same offering."(58)
68.
The august Sacrifice of the Altar, then, is no mere empty
commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ, but a true
and proper act of sacrifice, whereby the High Priest [Christ] by an
unbloody immolation offers Himself, a most acceptable victim, to the
Eternal Father, as He did upon the cross. "It is one and the
same victim; the same person now offers it by the ministry of His
priests, who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner of
offering alone being different."(59)
69.
The priest is the same, Jesus Christ, whose sacred Person His
minister represents. Now the minister, by reason of the sacerdotal
consecration which he has received, is made like to the High
Priest and possesses the power of performing actions in virtue of
Christ's very person.(60) Wherefore in his priestly activity he in
a certain manner "lends his tongue, and gives his hand"
to Christ.(61)
70.
Likewise the victim is the same, namely, our divine Redeemer in
His human nature with His true body and blood. The manner,
however, in which Christ is offered is different. On the cross He
completely offered Himself and all His sufferings to God, and the
immolation of the victim was brought about by the bloody death,
which He underwent of His free will. But on the altar, by reason
of the glorified state of His human nature, "death shall have
no more dominion over Him,"(62) and so the shedding of His
blood is impossible; still, according to the plan of divine
wisdom, the sacrifice of our Redeemer is shown forth in an
admirable manner by external signs which are the symbols of His
death. For by the "transubstantiation" of bread into the
Body of Christ and of wine into His Blood, His Body and Blood are
both really present: now the Eucharistic species under which He is
present symbolize the actual separation of His Body and Blood.
Thus the commemorative representation of His death, which actually
took place on Calvary, is repeated in every Sacrifice of the Altar, seeing that Jesus Christ is symbolically shown by separate
symbols to be in a state of victimhood.
71.
Moreover, the appointed ends are the same. The first of these is
to give glory to the Heavenly Father. From His birth to His death
Jesus Christ burned with zeal for the divine glory; and the
offering of His blood upon the cross rose to heaven in an odor of
sweetness. To perpetuate this praise, the members of the Mystical
Body are united with their divine Head in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and with Him, together with the Angels and Archangels,
they sing immortal praise to God(63) and give all honor and glory
to the Father Almighty.(64)
72.
The second end is duly to give thanks to God. Only the divine
Redeemer, as the eternal Father's most beloved Son whose immense
love He knew, could offer Him a worthy return of gratitude. This
was His intention and desire at the Last Supper when He "gave
thanks."(65) He did not cease to do so when hanging upon the
cross, nor does He fail to do so in the august [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Altar, which is an act of thanksgiving or a
"eucharistic" act; since this "is truly meet and
just, right and availing unto salvation."(66)
73.
The third end proposed is that of expiation, propitiation and
reconciliation. Certainly, no one was better fitted to make
satisfaction to Almighty God for all the sins of men than was
Christ. Therefore, He desired to be immolated upon the cross
"as a propitiation for our sins, not for ours only but also
for those of the whole world"(67) and likewise He daily
offers Himself upon our altars for our redemption, that we may be
rescued from eternal damnation and admitted into the company of
the elect. This He does, not for us only who are in this mortal
life, but also "for all who rest in Christ, who have gone
before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of
peace;"(68) for whether we live, or whether we die
"still we are not separated from the one and only
Christ."(69)
74.
The fourth end, finally, is that of impetration. Man, being the
prodigal son, has made bad use of and dissipated the goods which
he received from his heavenly Father. Accordingly, he has been
reduced to the utmost poverty and to extreme degradation. However,
Christ on the cross "offering prayers and supplications with
a loud cry and tears, has been heard for His reverence."(70)
Likewise upon the altar He is our mediator with God in the same
efficacious manner, so that we may be filled with every blessing
and grace.
75.
It is easy, therefore, to understand why the holy Council of Trent
lays down that by means of the Eucharistic Sacrifice the saving
virtue of the cross is imparted to us for the remission of the
sins we daily commit.(71)
76.
Now the Apostle of the Gentiles proclaims the copious plenitude
and the perfection of the sacrifice of the cross, when he says
that Christ by one oblation has perfected forever them that are
sanctified.(72) For the merits of this sacrifice, since they are
altogether boundless and immeasurable, know no limits; for they
are meant for all men of every time and place. This follows from
the fact that in this sacrifice the God-Man is the priest and
victim; that His immolation was entirely perfect, as was His
obedience to the will of His eternal Father; and also that He
suffered death as the Head of the human race: "See how we
were bought: Christ hangs upon the cross, see at what a price He
makes His purchase...He sheds His blood, He buys with His blood,
He buys with the blood of [Christ], He buys with the
blood of God's only Son. He who buys is Christ; the price is His
blood; the possession bought is the world."(73)
77.
This purchase, however, does not immediately have its full effect;
since Christ, after redeeming the world at the lavish cost of His
own blood, still must come into complete possession of the souls
of men. Wherefore, that the redemption and salvation of each
person and of future generations unto the end of time may be
effectively accomplished, and be acceptable to God, it is
necessary that men should individually come into vital contact
with the Sacrifice of the Cross, so that the merits, which flow
from it, should be imparted to them. In a certain sense it can be
said that on Calvary Christ built a font of purification and
salvation which He filled with the blood He shed; but if men do
not bathe in it and there wash away the stains of their
iniquities, they can never be purified and saved.
78.
The cooperation of the faithful is required so that sinners may be
individually purified in the blood of [Christ]. For though,
speaking generally, Christ reconciled by His painful death the
whole human race with the Father, He wished that all should
approach and be drawn to His cross, especially by means of the
sacraments and the Eucharistic Sacrifice, to obtain the salutary
fruits produced by Him upon it. Through this active and individual
participation, the members of the Mystical Body not only become
daily more like to their divine Head, but the life flowing from
the Head is imparted to the members, so that we can each repeat
the words of St. Paul, "With Christ I am nailed to the cross:
I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me."(74) We have
already explained sufficiently and of set purpose on another
occasion, that Jesus Christ "when dying on the cross,
bestowed upon His Church, as a completely gratuitous gift, the
immense treasure of the redemption. But when it is a question of
distributing this treasure, He not only commits the work of
sanctification to His Immaculate Spouse, but also wishes that, to
a certain extent, sanctity should derive from her
activity."(75)
79.
The august [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Altar is, as it were, the supreme
instrument whereby the merits won by the divine Redeemer upon the
cross are distributed to the faithful: "as often as this
commemorative [Eucharistic] Sacrifice is offered, there is wrought the work of
our Redemption."(76) This, however, so far from lessening the
dignity of the actual sacrifice on Calvary, rather proclaims and
renders more manifest its greatness and its necessity, as the
Council of Trent declares.(77) Its daily immolation reminds us
that there is no salvation except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ(78) and that God Himself wishes that there should be a
continuation of this sacrifice "from the rising of the sun
till the going down thereof,"(79) so that there may be no
cessation of the hymn of praise and thanksgiving which man owes to
God, seeing that he required His help continually and has need of
the blood of the Redeemer to remit sin which challenges God's
justice.
80.
It is, therefore, desirable, Venerable Brethren, that all the
faithful should be aware that to participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice is their chief duty and supreme dignity, and that not in
an inert and negligent fashion, giving way to distractions and
day-dreaming, but with such earnestness and concentration that
they may be united as closely as possible with the High Priest,
according to the Apostle, "Let this mind be in you which was
also in Christ Jesus."(80) And together with Him and through
Him let them make their oblation, and in union with Him let them
offer up themselves.
81.
It is quite true that Christ is a priest; but He is a priest not
for Himself but for us, when in the name of the whole human race
He offers our prayers and religious homage to the eternal Father;
He is also a victim for us since He substitutes Himself for
sinful man. Now the exhortation of the Apostle, "Let this
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," requires that
all Christians should possess, as far as is humanly possible, the
same dispositions as those which the divine Redeemer had when He
offered Himself in sacrifice: that is to say, they should in a
humble attitude of mind, pay adoration, honor, praise and
thanksgiving to the supreme majesty of God. Moreover, it means
that they must assume to some extent the character of a victim,
that they deny themselves as the Gospel commands, that freely and
of their own accord they do penance and that each detests and
satisfies for his sins. It means, in a word, that we must all
undergo with Christ a mystical death on the cross so that we can
apply to ourselves the words of St. Paul, "With Christ I am
nailed to the cross."(81)
82.
The fact, however, that the faithful participate in the Eucharistic
Sacrifice does not mean that they also are endowed
with priestly power. It is very necessary that you make this quite
clear to your flocks.
83.
For there are today, Venerable Brethren, those who, approximating
to errors long since condemned(82) teach that in the New Testament
by the word "priesthood" is meant only that priesthood
which applies to all who have been baptized; and hold that the
command by which Christ gave power to His apostles at the Last
Supper to do what He Himself had done, applies directly to the
entire Christian Church, and that thence, and thence only, arises
the hierarchical priesthood. Hence they assert that the people are
possessed of a true priestly power, while the priest only acts in
virtue of an office committed to him by the community. Wherefore,
they look on the Eucharistic Sacrifice as a "concelebration,"
in the literal meaning of that term, and consider it more fitting
that priests should "concelebrate" with the people
present than that they should offer the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice privately when
the people are absent.
84.
It is superfluous to explain how captious errors of this sort
completely contradict the truths which we have just stated above,
when treating of the place of the priest in the Mystical Body of
Jesus Christ. But we deem it necessary to recall that the priest
acts for the people only because he represents Jesus Christ, who
is Head of all His members and offers Himself in their stead.
Hence, he goes to the altar as the minister of Christ, inferior to
Christ but superior to the people.(83) The people, on the other
hand, since they in no sense represent the divine Redeemer and are
not mediator between themselves and God, can in no way possess the
sacerdotal power.
85.
All this has the certitude of faith. However, it must also be said
that the faithful do offer the divine Victim [Christ], though in a
different sense.
86.
This has already been stated in the clearest terms by some of Our
predecessors and some Doctors of the Church. "Not only,"
says Innocent III of immortal memory, "do the priests offer
the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, but also all the faithful: for what the priest does
personally by virtue of his ministry, the faithful do collectively
by virtue of their intention."(84) We are happy to recall one
of St. Robert Bellarmine's many statements on this subject.
"The [Eucharistic] Sacrifice," he says "is principally offered in
the person of Christ. Thus the oblation that follows the
consecration is a sort of attestation that the whole Church
consents in the oblation made by Christ, and offers it along with
Him."(85)
87.
Moreover, the rites and prayers of the Eucharistic Sacrifice
signify and show no less clearly that the oblation of the Victim
[that is, Christ] is made by the priests in company with the people. For not only
does the sacred minister, after the oblation of the bread and wine
when he turns to the people, say the significant prayer:
"Pray brethren, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable
to God the Father Almighty;"(86) but also the prayers by
which the divine Victim [Christ] is offered to God are generally expressed
in the plural number: and in these it is indicated more than once
that the people also participate in this august [Eucharistic] Sacrifice inasmuch
as they offer the same. The following words, for example, are
used: "For whom we offer, or who offer up to Thee...We
therefore beseech thee, O Lord, to be appeased and to receive this
offering of our bounded duty, as also of thy whole household...We
thy servants, as also thy whole people...do offer unto thy most
excellent majesty, of thine own gifts bestowed upon us, a pure
victim, a holy victim, a spotless victim."(87)
88.
Nor is it to be wondered at, that the faithful should be raised to
this dignity. By the waters of baptism, as by common right,
Christians are made members of the Mystical Body of Christ the
Priest, and by the "character" which is imprinted on
their souls, they are appointed to give worship to God. Thus they
participate, according to their condition, in the priesthood of
Christ.
89.
In every age of the Church's history, the mind of man, enlightened
by faith, has aimed at the greatest possible knowledge of things
divine. It is fitting, then, that the Christian people should also
desire to know in what sense they are said in the canon of the
Mass to offer up the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice. To satisfy such a pious desire,
then, We shall here explain the matter briefly and concisely.
90.
First of all the more extrinsic explanations are these: it
frequently happens that the faithful assisting at Mass join their
prayers alternately with those of the priest, and sometimes - a
more frequent occurrence in ancient times - they offer to the
ministers at the altar bread and wine to be changed into the body
and blood of Christ, and, finally, by their alms they get the
priest to offer the divine Victim [Christ] for their intentions.
91.
But there is also a more profound reason why all Christians,
especially those who are present at Mass, are said to offer the
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice.
92.
In this most important subject it is necessary, in order to avoid
giving rise to a dangerous error, that we define the exact meaning
of the word "offer." The unbloody immolation at the
words of consecration, when Christ is made present upon the altar
in the state of a victim, is performed by the priest and by him
alone, as the representative of Christ and not as the
representative of the faithful. But it is because the priest
places the divine Victim upon the altar that he offers it to God
the Father as an oblation for the glory of the Blessed Trinity and
for the good of the whole Church. Now the faithful participate in
the oblation, understood in this limited sense, after their own
fashion and in a twofold manner, namely, because they not only
offer the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice by the hands of the priest, but also, to a
certain extent, in union with him. It is by reason of this
participation that the offering made by the people is also
included in liturgical worship.
93.
Now it is clear that the faithful offer the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice by the hands
of the priest from the fact that the minister at the altar, in
offering [this] sacrifice in the name of all His members, represents
Christ, the Head of the Mystical Body. Hence the whole Church can
rightly be said to offer up the Victim [that is, Christ] through Christ. But the
conclusion that the people offer the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice with the priest
himself is not based on the fact that, being members of the Church
no less than the priest himself, they perform a visible liturgical
rite; for this is the privilege only of the minister who has been
divinely appointed to this office: rather it is based on the fact
that the people unite their hearts in praise, impetration,
expiation and thanksgiving with prayers or intention of the
priest, even of the High Priest himself, so that in the one and
same offering [of the divine Victim, Christ] and according to a visible sacerdotal
rite, they may be presented to God the Father. It is obviously
necessary that the external sacrificial rite should, of its very
nature, signify the internal worship of the heart. Now the
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the New Law signifies that supreme worship by which
the principal Offerer himself, who is Christ, and, in union with
Him and through Him, all the members of the Mystical Body pay God
the honor and reverence that are due to Him.
94.
We are very pleased to learn that this teaching, thanks to a more
intense study of the liturgy on the part of many, especially in
recent years, has been given full recognition. We must, however,
deeply deplore certain exaggerations and over-statements which are
not in agreement with the true teaching of the Church.
95.
Some in fact disapprove altogether of those Masses which are
offered privately and without any congregation, on the ground that
they are a departure from the ancient way of offering the
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice; moreover, there are some who assert that priests cannot
offer Mass at different altars at the same time, because, by doing
so, they separate the community of the faithful and imperil its
unity; while some go so far as to hold that the people must
confirm and ratify the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice if it is to have its proper force
and value.
96.
They are mistaken in appealing in this matter to the social
character of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, for as often as a priest
repeats what the divine Redeemer did at the Last Supper, the
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice is really completed. Moreover, this
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice,
necessarily and of its very nature, has always and everywhere the
character of a public and social act, inasmuch as he who offers it
acts in the name of Christ and of the faithful, whose Head is the
divine Redeemer, and he offers it to God for the holy Catholic
Church, and for the living and the dead.(88) This is undoubtedly
so, whether the faithful are present - as we desire and commend
them to be in great numbers and with devotion - or are not
present, since it is in no wise required that the people ratify
what the sacred minister has done.
97.
Still, though it is clear from what We have said that the Mass is
offered in the name of Christ and of the Church and that it is not
robbed of its social effects though it be celebrated by a priest
without a server, nonetheless, on account of the dignity of such
an august mystery, it is our earnest desire - as Mother Church has
always commanded - that no priest should say Mass unless a server
is at hand to answer the prayers, as canon 813 prescribes.
98.
In order that the oblation by which the faithful offer the divine
Victim [that is, Christ] in this [Eucharistic] Sacrifice to the heavenly Father may have its full
effect, it is necessary that the people add something else,
namely, the offering of themselves as a victim.
99.
This offering in fact is not confined merely to the liturgical
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice. For the Prince of the Apostles wishes us, as living
stones built upon Christ, the cornerstone, to be able as "a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to
God by Jesus Christ."(89) St. Paul the Apostle addresses the
following words of exhortation to Christians, without distinction
of time, "I beseech you therefore,...that you present your
bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your spiritual worship."(90) But at that time especially when the
faithful take part in the liturgical service with such piety and
recollection that it can truly be said of them: "whose faith
and devotion is known to Thee,"(91) it is then, with the High
Priest and through Him they offer themselves as a spiritual
sacrifice, that each one's faith ought to become more ready to
work through charity, his piety more real and fervent, and each
one should consecrate himself to the furthering of the divine
glory, desiring to become as like as possible to Christ in His
most grievous sufferings.
100.
This we are also taught by those exhortations which the Bishop, in
the Church's name, addresses to priests on the day of their
ordination, "Understand what you do, imitate what you handle,
and since you celebrate the mystery of the Lord's death, take good
care to mortify your members with their vices and concupiscences."(92)
In almost the same manner the sacred books of the liturgy advise
Christians who come to Mass to participate in the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice:
"At this...altar let innocence be in honor, let pride be
sacrificed, anger slain, impurity and every evil desire laid low,
let the sacrifice of chastity be offered..."(93)
While we stand before the altar, then, it is our duty so to
transform our hearts, that every trace of sin may be completely
blotted out, while whatever promotes supernatural life through
Christ may be zealously fostered and strengthened even to the
extent that, in union with the immaculate Victim [Christ], we become a
victim acceptable to the eternal Father.
101.
The prescriptions in fact of the sacred liturgy aim, by every
means at their disposal, at helping the Church to bring about this
most holy purpose in the most suitable manner possible. This is
the object not only of readings, homilies and other sermons given
by priests, as also the whole cycle of mysteries which are
proposed for our commemoration in the course of the year, but it
is also the purpose of vestments, of sacred rites and their
external splendor. All these things aim at "enhancing the
majesty of this great [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, and raising the minds of the
faithful by means of these visible signs of religion and piety, to
the contemplation of the sublime truths contained in this
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice."(94)
102.
All the elements of the liturgy, then, would have us reproduce in
our hearts the likeness of the divine Redeemer through the mystery
of the cross, according to the words of the Apostle of the
Gentiles, "With Christ I am nailed to the cross. I live, now
not I, but Christ liveth in me."(95) Thus we become a victim,
as it were, along with Christ to increase the glory of the eternal
Father.
103.
Let this, then, be the intention and aspiration of the faithful,
when they offer up the divine Victim [Christ] in the Mass. For if, as St.
Augustine writes, our mystery is enacted on the Lord's table, that
is Christ our Lord Himself,(96) who is the Head and symbol of that
union through which we are the body of Christ(97) and members of
His Body;(98) if St. Robert Bellarmine teaches, according to the
mind of the Doctor of Hippo, that in the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the
Altar
there is signified the general sacrifice by which the whole
Mystical Body of Christ, that is, all the city of redeemed, is
offered up to God through Christ, the High Priest:(99) nothing can
be conceived more just or fitting than that all of us in union
with our Head, who suffered for our sake, should also sacrifice
ourselves [as it were] to the eternal Father. For in the [Eucharistic] Sacrament of the
Altar, as the same St. Augustine has it, the Church is made to see
that in what she offers she herself is offered.(100)
104.
Let the faithful, therefore, consider to what a high dignity they
are raised by the sacrament of baptism. They should not think it
enough to participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice with that
general intention which befits members of Christ and children of
the Church, but let them further, in keeping with the spirit of
the sacred liturgy, be most closely united with the High Priest
and His earthly minister, at the time the consecration of the
divine Victim [Christ] is enacted, and at that time especially when those
solemn words are pronounced, "By Him and with Him and in Him
is to Thee, God the Father almighty, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, all honor and glory for ever and ever";(101) to these
words in fact the people answer, "Amen." Nor should
Christians forget to offer themselves, their cares, their sorrows,
their distress and their necessities in union with their divine
Savior upon the cross.
105.
Therefore, they are to be praised who, with the idea of getting
the Christian people to take part more easily and more fruitfully
in the Mass, strive to make them familiar with the "Roman
Missal," so that the faithful, united with the priest, may
pray together in the very words and sentiments of the Church. They
also are to be commended who strive to make the liturgy even in an
external way a sacred act in which all who are present may share.
This can be done in more than one way, when, for instance, the
whole congregation, in accordance with the rules of the liturgy,
either answer the priest in an orderly and fitting manner, or sing
hymns suitable to the different parts of the Mass, or do both, or
finally in high Masses when they answer the prayers of the
minister of Jesus Christ and also sing the liturgical chant.
100.
These methods of participation in the Mass are to be approved and
recommended when they are in complete agreement with the precepts
of the Church and the rubrics of the liturgy. Their chief aim is
to foster and promote the people's piety and intimate union with
Christ and His visible minister and to arouse those internal
sentiments and dispositions which should make our hearts become
like to that of the High Priest of the New Testament. However,
though they show also in an outward manner that the very nature of
the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, as offered by the Mediator between God and
men,(102) must be regarded as the act of the whole Mystical Body
of Christ, still they are by no means necessary to constitute it a
public act or to give it a social character. And besides, a
"dialogue" Mass of this kind cannot replace the high
Mass, which, as a matter of fact, though it should be offered with
only the sacred ministers present, possesses its own special
dignity due to the impressive character of its ritual and the
magnificence of its ceremonies. The splendor and grandeur of a
high Mass, however, are very much increased if, as the Church
desires, the people are present in great numbers and with
devotion.
107.
It is to be observed, also, that they have strayed from the path
of truth and right reason who, led away by false opinions, make so
much of these accidentals as to presume to assert that without
them the Mass cannot fulfill its appointed end.
108.
Many of the faithful are unable to use the Roman missal even
though it is written in the vernacular; nor are all capable of
understanding correctly the liturgical rites and formulas. So
varied and diverse are men's talents and characters that it is
impossible for all to be moved and attracted to the same extent by
community prayers, hymns and liturgical services. Moreover, the
needs and inclinations of all are not the same, nor are they
always constant in the same individual. Who, then, would say, on
account of such a prejudice, that all these Christians cannot
participate in the Mass nor share its fruits? On the contrary,
they can adopt some other method which proves easier for certain
people; for instance, they can lovingly meditate on the mysteries
of Jesus Christ or perform other exercises of piety or recite
prayers which, though they differ from the sacred rites, are still
essentially in harmony with them.
109.
Wherefore We exhort you, Venerable Brethren, that each in his
diocese or ecclesiastical jurisdiction supervise and regulate the
manner and method in which the people take part in the liturgy,
according to the rubrics of the missal and in keeping with the
injunctions which the Sacred Congregation of Rites and the Code of
canon law have published. Let everything be done with due order
and dignity, and let no one, not even a priest, make use of the
sacred edifices according to his whim to try out experiments. It
is also Our wish that in each diocese an advisory committee to
promote the liturgical apostolate should be established, similar
to that which cares for sacred music and art, so that with your
watchful guidance everything may be carefully carried out in
accordance with the prescriptions of the Apostolic See.
110.
In religious communities let all those regulations be accurately
observed which are laid down in their respective constitutions,
nor let any innovations be made which the superiors of these
communities have not previously approved.
111.
But however much variety and disparity there may be in the
exterior manner and circumstances in which the Christian laity
participate in the Mass and other liturgical functions, constant
and earnest effort must be made to unite the congregation in
spirit as much as possible with the divine Redeemer, so that their
lives may be daily enriched with more abundant sanctity, and
greater glory be given to the heaven Father.
112.
The august [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Altar is concluded with communion or
the partaking of the divine feast. But, as all know, the integrity
of the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice only requires that the priest partake of the
heavenly food. Although it is most desirable that the people
should also approach the holy table, this is not required for the
integrity of the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice.
113.
We wish in this matter to repeat the remarks which Our predecessor
Benedict XIV makes with regard to the definitions of the Council
of Trent: "First We must state that none of the faithful can
hold that private Masses, in which the priest alone receives Holy
Communion, are therefore unlawful and do not fulfill the idea of
the true, perfect and complete unbloody sacrifice instituted by
Christ our Lord. For the faithful know quite well, or at least can
easily be taught, that the Council of Trent, supported by the
doctrine which the uninterrupted tradition of the Church has
preserved, condemned the new and false opinion of Luther as
opposed to this tradition."(103) "If anyone shall say
that Masses in which the priest only receives communion, are
unlawful, and therefore should be abolished, let him be
anathema."(104)
114.
They, therefore, err from the path of truth who do not want to
have Masses celebrated unless the faithful communicate; and those
are still more in error who, in holding that it is altogether
necessary for the faithful to receive Holy Communion as well as
the priest, put forward the captious argument that here there is
question not of a [Eucharistic] sacrifice merely, but of a sacrifice and a
supper of brotherly union, and consider the general communion of
all present as the culminating point of the whole celebration.
115.
Now it cannot be over-emphasized that the Eucharistic Sacrifice of
its very nature is the unbloody immolation of the divine Victim
[Christ],
which is made manifest in a mystical manner by the separation of
the sacred species and by their oblation to the eternal Father.
Holy Communion pertains to the integrity of the Mass and to the
partaking of the august Sacrament; but while it is obligatory for
the priest who says the Mass, it is only something earnestly
recommended to the faithful.
116.
The Church, as the teacher of truth, strives by every means in her
power to safeguard the integrity of the Catholic faith, and like a
mother solicitous for the welfare of her children, she exhorts
them most earnestly to partake fervently and frequently of the
richest treasure of our religion.
117.
She wishes in the first place that Christians - especially when
they cannot easily receive Holy Communion - should do so at least
by desire, so that with renewed faith, reverence, humility and
complete trust in the goodness of the divine Redeemer, they may be
united to Him in the spirit of the most ardent charity.
118.
But the desire of Mother Church does not stop here. For since by
feasting upon the Bread of Angels we can by a
"sacramental" communion, as we have already said, also
become partakers of the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, she repeats the invitation to
all her children individually, "Take and eat...Do this in
memory of Me"(105) so that "we may continually
experience within us the fruit of our redemption"(106) in a
more efficacious manner. For this reason the Council of Trent,
reechoing, as it were, the invitation of Christ and His immaculate
Spouse, has earnestly exhorted "the faithful when they attend
Mass to communicate not only by a spiritual communion but also by
a sacramental one, so that they may obtain more abundant fruit
from this most holy [Eucharistic] Sacrifice."(107) Moreover, our
predecessor of immortal memory, Benedict XIV, wishing to emphasize
and throw fuller light upon the truth that the faithful by
receiving the Holy Eucharist become partakers of the divine
[Eucharistic] Sacrifice itself, praises the devotion of those who, when
attending Mass, not only elicit a desire to receive Holy Communion
but also want to be nourished by hosts consecrated during the
Mass, even though, as he himself states, they really and truly
take part in the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice should they receive a host which has
been duly consecrated at a previous Mass. He writes as follows:
"And although in addition to those to whom the celebrant
gives a portion of the Victim [that is, Christ] he himself has offered in the Mass,
they also participate in the same [Eucharistic] Sacrifice to whom a priest
distributes the Blessed Sacrament that has been reserved; however,
the Church has not for this reason ever forbidden, nor does she
now forbid, a celebrant to satisfy the piety and just request of
those who, when present at Mass, want to become partakers of the
same [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, because they likewise offer it after their own
manner, nay more, she approves of it and desires that it should
not be omitted and would reprehend those priests through whose
fault and negligence this participation would be denied to the
faithful."(108)
119.
May God grant that all accept these invitations of the Church
freely and with spontaneity. May He grant that they participate
even every day, if possible, in the divine [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, not only in
a spiritual manner, but also by reception of the august Sacrament,
receiving the Body of Jesus Christ which has been offered for all
to the eternal Father. Arouse Venerable Brethren, in the hearts of
those committed to your care, a great and insatiable hunger for
Jesus Christ. Under your guidance let the children and youth crowd
to the altar rails to offer themselves, their innocence and their
works of zeal to the divine Redeemer. Let husbands and wives
approach the holy table so that nourished on this food they may
learn to make the children entrusted to them conformed to the mind
and heart of Jesus Christ.
120.
Let the workers be invited to partake of this sustaining and never
failing nourishment that it may renew their strength and obtain
for their labors an everlasting recompense in heaven; in a word,
invite all men of whatever class and compel them to come in;(109)
since this is the bread of life which all require. The Church of
Jesus Christ needs no other bread than this to satisfy fully our
souls' wants and desires, and to unite us in the most intimate
union with Jesus Christ, to make us "one body,"(110) to
get us to live together as brothers who, breaking the same bread,
sit down to the same heavenly table, to partake of the elixir of
immortality.(111)
121.
Now it is very fitting, as the liturgy otherwise lays down, that
the people receive Holy Communion after the priest has partaken of
the divine repast upon the altar; and, as we have written above,
they should be commended who, when present at Mass, receive hosts
consecrated at the same Mass, so that it is actually verified,
"that as many of us, as, at this altar, shall partake of and
receive the most holy Body and Blood of thy Son, may be filled
with every heavenly blessing and grace."(112)
122.
Still sometimes there may be a reason, and that not infrequently,
why Holy Communion should be distributed before or after Mass and
even immediately after the priest receives the sacred species -
and even though hosts consecrated at a previous Mass should be
used. In these circumstances - as we have stated above - the
people duly take part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice and not seldom
they can in this way more conveniently receive Holy Communion.
Still, though the Church with the kind heart of a mother strives
to meet the spiritual needs of her children, they, for their part,
should not readily neglect the directions of the liturgy and, as
often as there is no reasonable difficulty, should aim that all
their actions at the altar manifest more clearly the living unity
of the Mystical Body.
123.
When the Mass, which is subject to special rules of the liturgy,
is over, the person who has received Holy Communion is not thereby
freed from his duty of thanksgiving; rather, it is most becoming
that, when the Mass is finished, the person who has received the
Eucharist should recollect himself, and in intimate union with the
divine Master hold loving and fruitful converse with Him. Hence
they have departed from the straight way of truth, who, adhering
to the letter rather than the sense, assert and teach that, when
Mass has ended, no such thanksgiving should be added, not only
because the Mass is itself a thanksgiving, but also because this
pertains to a private and personal act of piety and not to the
good of the community.
124.
But, on the contrary, the very nature of the Sacrament demands
that its reception should produce rich fruits of Christian
sanctity. Admittedly the congregation has been officially
dismissed, but each individual, since he is united with Christ,
should not interrupt the hymn of praise in his own soul,
"always returning thanks for all in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ to God the Father."(113) The sacred liturgy of
the Mass also exhorts us to do this when it bids us pray in these
words, "Grant, we beseech thee, that we may always continue
to offer thanks(114)...and may never cease from praising
thee."(115) Wherefore, if there is no time when we must not
offer God thanks, and if we must never cease from praising Him,
who would dare to reprehend or find fault with the Church, because
she advises her priests(116) and faithful to converse with the
divine Redeemer for at least a short while after Holy Communion,
and inserts in her liturgical books, fitting prayers, enriched
with indulgences, by which the sacred ministers may make suitable
preparation before Mass and Holy Communion or may return thanks
afterwards? So far is the sacred liturgy from restricting the
interior devotion of individual Christians, that it actually
fosters and promotes it so that they may be rendered like to Jesus
Christ and through Him be brought to the heavenly Father;
wherefore this same discipline of the liturgy demands that whoever
has partaken of the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Altar should return fitting
thanks to God. For it is the good pleasure of the divine Redeemer
to hearken to us when we pray, to converse with us intimately and
to offer us a refuge in His loving Heart.
125.
Moreover, such personal colloquies are very necessary that we may
all enjoy more fully the supernatural treasures that are contained
in the Eucharist and according to our means, share them with
others, so that Christ our Lord may exert the greatest possible
influence on the souls of all.
126.
Why then, Venerable Brethren, should we not approve of those who,
when they receive Holy Communion, remain on in closest familiarity
with their divine Redeemer even after the congregation has been
officially dismissed, and that not only for the consolation of
conversing with Him, but also to render Him due thanks and praise
and especially to ask help to defend their souls against anything
that may lessen the efficacy of the Sacrament and to do everything
in their power to cooperate with the action of Christ who is so
intimately present. We exhort them to do so in a special manner by
carrying out their resolutions, by exercising the Christian
virtues, as also by applying to their own necessities the riches
they have received with royal Liberality. The author of that
golden book The Imitation of Christ certainly speaks in accordance
with the letter and the spirit of the liturgy, when he gives the
following advice to the person who approaches the altar,
"Remain on in secret and take delight in your God; for He is
yours whom the whole world cannot take away from you."(117)
127.
Therefore, let us all enter into closest union with Christ and
strive to lose ourselves, as it were, in His most holy soul and so
be united to Him that we may have a share in those acts with which
He adores the Blessed Trinity with a homage that is most
acceptable, and by which He offers to the eternal Father supreme
praise and thanks which find an harmonious echo throughout the
heavens and the earth, according to the words of the prophet,
"All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord."(118)
Finally, in union with these sentiments of Christ, let us ask for
heavenly aid at that moment in which it is supremely fitting to
pray for and obtain help in His name.(119) For it is especially in
virtue of these sentiments that we offer and immolate ourselves as
a victim, saying, "make of us thy eternal
offering."(120)
128.
The divine Redeemer is ever repeating His pressing invitation,
"Abide in Me."(121) Now by the Sacrament of the
Eucharist, Christ remains in us and we in Him, and just as Christ,
remaining in us, lives and works, so should we remain in Christ
and live and work through Him.
129.
The Eucharistic Food contains, as all are aware, "truly,
really and substantially the Body and Blood together with soul and
divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ."(122) It is no wonder,
then, that the Church, even from the beginning, adored the body of
Christ under the appearance of bread; this is evident from the
very rites of the august [Eucharistic] Sacrifice, which prescribe that the
sacred ministers should adore the most Holy Sacrament by
genuflecting or by profoundly bowing their heads.
130.
The Sacred Councils teach that it is the Church's tradition right
from the beginning, to worship "with the same adoration the
Word Incarnate as well as His own flesh,"(123) and St.
Augustine asserts that, "No one eats that flesh, without
first adoring it," while he adds that "not only do we
not commit a sin by adoring it, but that we do sin by not adoring
it."(124)
131.
It is on this doctrinal basis that the cult of adoring the
Eucharist was founded and gradually developed as something
distinct from the [Eucharistic] Sacrifice of the Mass. The reservation of the
sacred species for the sick and those in danger of death
introduced the praiseworthy custom of adoring the Blessed
Sacrament which is reserved in our churches. This practice of
adoration, in fact, is based on strong and solid reasons. For the
Eucharist is at once a Sacrifice and a Sacrament; but it differs
from the other sacraments in this that it not only produces grace,
but contains in a permanent manner the Author of grace Himself.
When, therefore, the Church bids us adore Christ hidden behind the
Eucharistic veils and pray to Him for spiritual and temporal
favors, of which we ever stand in need, she manifests living faith
in her divine Spouse who is present beneath these veils, she
professes her gratitude to Him and she enjoys the intimacy of His
friendship.
132.
Now, the Church in the course of centuries has introduced various
forms of this worship which are ever increasing in beauty and
helpfulness: as, for example, visits of devotion to the
tabernacles, even every day; benediction of the Blessed Sacrament;
solemn processions, especially at the time of Eucharistic
Congress, which pass through cities and villages; and adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed. Sometimes these public
acts of adoration are of short duration. Sometimes they last for
one, several and even for forty hours. In certain places they
continue in turn in different churches throughout the year, while
elsewhere adoration is perpetual day and night, under the care of
religious communities, and the faithful quite often take part in
them.
133.
These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in
faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and
they are reechoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in
heaven which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to
[Christ] "who was slain."(125) Wherefore, the Church not
merely approves these pious practices, which in the course of
centuries have spread everywhere throughout the world, but makes
them her own, as it were, and by her authority commends them.(126)
They spring from the inspiration of the liturgy and if they are
performed with due propriety and with faith and piety, as the
liturgical rules of the Church require, they are undoubtedly of
the very greatest assistance in living the life of the liturgy.
134.
Nor is it to be admitted that by this Eucharistic cult men falsely
confound the historical Christ, as they say, who once lived on
earth, with the Christ who is present in the august Sacrament of
the altar, and who reigns glorious and triumphant in heaven and
bestows supernatural favors. On the contrary, it can be claimed
that by this devotion the faithful bear witness to and solemnly
avow the faith of the Church that the Word of God is identical
with the Son of the Virgin Mary, who suffered on the cross, who is
present in a hidden manner in the Eucharist and who reigns upon
His heavenly throne. Thus, St. John Chrysostom states: "When
you see It (the Body of Christ) exposed, say to yourself: Thanks
to this body, I am no longer dust and ashes, I am no more a
captive but a freeman: hence I hope to obtain heaven and the good
things that are there in store for me, eternal life, the heritage
of the angels, companionship with Christ; death has not destroyed
this body which was pierced by nails and scourged,...this is that
body which was once covered with blood, pierced by a lance, from
which issued saving fountains upon the world, one of blood and the
other of water...This body He gave to us to keep and eat, as a
mark of His intense love."(127)
135.
That practice in a special manner is to be highly praised
according to which many exercises of piety, customary among the
faithful, and with benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. For
excellent and of great benefit is that custom which makes the
priest raise aloft the Bread of Angels before congregations with
heads bowed down in adoration, and forming with It the Sign of the
Cross implores the heavenly Father to deign to look upon His Son
who for love of us was nailed to the cross, and for His sake and
through Him who willed to be our Redeemer and our brother, be
pleased to shower down heavenly favors upon those whom the
immaculate blood of [Christ] has redeemed.(128)
136.
Strive then, Venerable Brethren, with your customary devoted care
so the churches, which the faith and piety of Christian peoples
have built in the course of centuries for the purpose of singing a
perpetual hymn of glory to God almighty and of providing a worthy
abode for our Redeemer concealed beneath the Eucharistic species,
may be entirely at the disposal of greater numbers of the faithful
who, called to the feet of their Savior, hearken to His most
consoling invitation, "Come to Me all you who labor and are
heavily burdened, and I will refresh you."(129) Let your
churches be the house of God where all who enter to implore
blessings rejoice in obtaining whatever they ask(130) and find
there heavenly consolation.
137.
Only thus can it be brought about that the whole human family
settling their differences may find peace, and united in mind and
heart may sing this song of hope and charity, "Good Pastor...Jesus have mercy on us - feed us, protect us -
bestow on us the vision of all good things in the land of the
living."(131)
138.
The ideal of Christian life is that each one be united to God in
the closest and most intimate manner. For this reason, the worship
that the Church renders to God, and which is based especially on
the Eucharistic Sacrifice and the use of the sacraments, is
directed and arranged in such a way that it embraces by means of
the divine office, the hours of the day, the weeks and the whole
cycle of the year, and reaches all the aspects and phases of human
life.
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