Eucharistic Thoughts

The other day at Mass I started thinking about the fact that since the Mass is the representation of the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary and I am offering that sacrifice, I am offering up to the Father the crucified Jesus. What an amazing thought! I usually think about the Mass as Jesus offering himself to the Father, which of course is true. But the Mass is also the offering of the Church, the universal Church and also the local Church.(Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1368) The priest-celebrant leads the congregation, but all of us there join with him and also offer the sacrifice. "In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body." Having seen Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, I now have a very vivid mental image of the sacrifice of Calvary, and so realizing that I am offering up this sacrifice fills me with awe, almost terror.