Sunday, October 16, 2005
The Same Sacrifice
It is hard to believe that a week has past since I posted last on this blog. My life is very busy these days. But it couldn’t have been less busy in earlier years! But I digress…
My appreciation for the Eucharist began to deepen when I recalled a basic catechism truth: the Mass is the representation of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It didn't take much reflection for me to realize that Jesus' death on the cross is indeed the source of the Christian life, the well-spring from which all else flows. This was the sacrifice that atoned for the sins of the human race and restored man to proper relationship with God in the New Covenant. Without it, we were lost; because of it, we have been saved. Every vehicle of grace draws from this completely sufficient sacrifice. Even the vehicles of grace of the Old Covenant drew their efficacy from Christ, and of course all the sacraments of the New Covenant do as well. But the Eucharist is unique in that it doesn't just draw from this well-spring, but is in fact the offering once again of that very same sacrifice: Jesus, the same Priest, offers Himself, the same victim, for the same purpose, our salvation.
Further meditation on this truth continues to deepen my appreciation of this great mystery. Imagine what it would be like to travel back in time to the crucifixion of Jesus, knowing the full significance of the event as we do now. Being there at the foot of the cross, knowing what we do, wouldn’t we be transformed? Would we not be humbled and at the same time inflamed by the demonstration before us of God's loving mercy? Knowing that Jesus was making the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, would we not be deeply repentant?
Clearly, being present at
