Sa

A to Bratim
of ibe iSlaoB

By the
Rev. John M. Riach. C. S. P,



DEDICATED

TO

SISTER THERESA

OF THE HOLY CHILD

Imprimatur:

+ JOHN FRANCIS NOLL, D. D.

Bishop of Fort Wajme

Nihil Obstat:

REV. T. E. DILLON

Censor Libroruin

No. 34

Ninth Edition 44,000

PUBLISHED IN U.S.A,

April 16, 1946
BY

OUR SUNDAY VISITOR PRESS
HUNTINGTON, INDIANA

Deaddffied



“This Is My Body”

A Guide to the Drama of the Mass

A platitude is a lifebuoy grabbed

by a small mind when out of its

depth. The conversation has been

drifting deeper and deeper—one
must save one’s face by a sympa-

thetic comment—a desperate sortie
of all one’s mental shock-troops is

made and lo! the platitude! But

there are some sayings of this

genre which, despite their banality,

are everlastingly true and some-

times bear reiterating. That ‘‘Life

is a drama,” is one which cannot

be denied. Yet, when the causes

which give rise to this truth are

investigated, we leave the realm of

platitude far behind, and delve into

the inner secrets of our human na-

ture. Why is life a drama? Pre-

cisely because it embodies the four

constituent elements of the drama:

conflict, characters, dialogues and

emotion. Conflict in life is seen in

the daily fight with temptation, the

incessant tug-of-war between our

lower and higher natures. The

characters are found in ourselves

and our fellow-men in whatsoever

walk of life we happen to be. Dia-

logue is simply a synonym for Ian-



2 “THIS IS MY BODY*’

guages, and the emotions which

finally motivate life’s scenario are

nothing else but the insistent no-

mads of our heart which we call
love, hate, fear, joy, hope, etc., etc.

Those four elements of the drama

are all found in life, and it is our

interest in the final unravelling of

the plot which makes us love to be

alive.

The Dramatic Appeal

Instances of this inherent love

of drama in all stages of life could

be specified galore. The fairy-tales

of our children were really infan-

tile plays, projections into the ex-

ternal world of the inchoate inner

desires of our being. Who among
us has not stood as tense spectators

while the absorbing tragedy of

Punch and Judy came to town?

That was the theatre of our long

ago. All our games, too, are

dramas translated into terms of

athletics, for a stadium is but the

stage for an intensive conflict of

character, dialogue and emotion in

varying degrees. Thus the list

could be extended “ad infiinitum”;

our examination at school, our

fraternities, sororities, the compe-

tition of the business world, our

daily intercourse with the world,

the warfare of the soul to keep

good, the signs, esoteric regalia,

and theatrical ethos of secret so-

cieties—all these things express in



*‘THIS IS MY BODY" Z

their own peculiar way the living

fact that life itself is a drama and

the most thrilling encounter in all

the world.

Everyone, therefore, is irrisis-

tibly drawn to the dramatic. It is

the spice of life, and in its enjoy-

ment are satisfied the innate de-

sires of man. But we are not only

social and intellectual beings; we

are fundamentally and incorrigibly

religious, i. e., we must worship

something whether it be ourselves,

our latest hero, the sun, a Buddhist

idol or the true God. And it fol-

lows from all this that if a certain

religion claims to bear the hall-

mark of divinity, it must appeal to

the dramatic side in order to sat-

isfy the whole man. This is pre-

cisely what the Catholic Church

does. It satisfies first of all the

intellect: reason is its basis as all

who investigate its claims soon

discover, and its presentation of

God’s truths is the most complete

mental discipline of the human

mind; secondly, its sanctions for

the will are the only permanent

things in this impermanent world;

in bodily worship it is no less satis-

fying, as the postures of kneeling,

beating the breast, bowing the

head, etc., etc., testify; and finally

it gives full play to man’s dramatic

instinct because its pivotal act of

worship, the Holy Mass, is the

greatest drama in the world.



‘‘THIS IS MY BODY’*

The Mass a Drama

Why do I call the Mass a drama?
Recall for a moment the four ele-
ments already specified: conflict,
characters, dialogue and emotion.
The Holy Mass contains every one.
Conflict is represented in the two
things which brought it into being,
i.

^

e., God’s goodness and man’s
wickedness. Dialogue is seen in the
prayers of the priest. The char-
acters are Christ in the Sacred
Host, the priest and the people;
and the emotions finally are all
expressed in the sentiments of
hope, mercy, contrition, jubilation,

reverence, awe and love.

And why do I term it the great-
est drama? The reason is not far
to seek: the Mass is a re-enactment
in an unbloody manner of the Sac-
rifice of the Cross. It had, there-

fore, its premiere on a hill outside

Jerusalem. Its stage was the
world, its characters Jesus Christ

and man, its dialogue consisted in
the seven last words, and its emo-
tions found expression in the love

of the sacrificial Savior accom-

panied by the envy and hatred of
the heterogeneous mob. It is, of

course, a real sacrifice as well, but

for the purposes of this pamphlet,

their aspect shall not be treated.

These pages will be confined to a

portrayal of the drama of the Mass
in order to show that it is a riot



“THIS IS MY BODY* 5

of pageantry, symbolism and pan-

tomine, in which no word, action

or posture is without meaning.

Bearing all this in mind then, let

us begin.

Enters the Stage

The priest enters the stage at

the foot of the altar clad in sym-

bolic vestments of varying colors

which change with the feast or the

season. For instance, white is

used for feasts of Our Lord and

Our Lady and signifies joy and

purity; red vestments represent the

blood shed by the martyrs; violet

is penance, used in Lent, Advent

and vigils of feasts; Masses for

the dead, of course, are all char-

acterized by black; and green, the

symbol of hope, eternally asso-

ciated with Easter Sunday, is the

ordinary color for Sunday.

But these colors are only litur-

gical accidents to the vestments;

the one essential thing of the Mass,

Christianity and indeed of man^s

history, is embroidered on the back

—the Cross.
Standing thus at the foot of the

altar, the celebrant blesses himself

and begins the 42nd Psalm. “In-

troibo ad altare Dei”
—

‘T will go

unto the altar of God.” This mov-

ing psalm was, it is believed, com-

posed by an old exile constrained

to be separated from God by the

waters of Babylon. It is at once a



ts ut n6t)T

plea for merciful judgment, release

from exile, and ends in a note of

unquenchable hope:

“I will go unto the altar of God

To God Who giveth joy to my
youth.”

When that is finished, the re-
sponses being given by the altar

boys, the priest then makes a pro-

found bow and recites the “Con-

fiteor,” i. e., confession of sins. As

mere man, of course, he is peccable,

and unworthy to ascend to the

altar of God, without confessing

his human failings. The whole

sentiment of this action is one of

contrition and the posture sym-

bolizes Christ’s prostrate agony in

the Garden of Gethsemane. Then,

to represent the all too-often-for-

gotten fact, that the congregation

are co-actors in this drama with

the priest, the altar-boy repeats the

“Confiteor” on their behalf.

confess to Almighty God, to

blessed Mary ever virgin, to

blessed Michael the archangel
—

”

so the daily accusation and plea

goes on, and comes to a close with

the absolution of the priest.

Procession up the altar steps is

the next movement. But it is not

done in silence. Another plea for

forgiveness of sins is voiced “sotto

voce” by the celebrant as he comes

closer to God’s altar. Then he bows



“THIS IS MY BODY” 7

down and kisses the altar, calling

once again for pardon “by the

merits of the saints whose relics

are here.” Let us stop for a mo-

ment to explain the latter prayer

and action. In the days of the

Catacombs, the martyrs' coffins

were used as altars, and fragments

of these very victims of the Roman

persecutions are now enshrined in

a small stone receptacle on every

altar on which Mass is said. In-

deed, it is an essential part of the

equipment. When therefore the
priest bows down and kisses these

relics he has annihilated nineteen

centuries in one sweep, established

fellowship with the early Christian,

and portrayed the unbroken con-

tinuity of the Catholic Church.

Prelude to the Drama

Having done this, he moves to

the right of the altar, or what is

called the Epistle side, from the

fact that the Epistle of the Mass

is read there later on, and recites

the “Introit”—the entering prayer.
This is the prelude to the drama.

In the old days this supplication

was sung on entrance into the

sanctuary and took the form of a

grand processional march. Note

how the priest prays now with

arms outstretched. That posture is

the immemorial one of orisons. It

should be remarked here also that

every Mass has a theme, i. e., an



8 'THIS IS MY BODY”

individual motif of joy, praise, sup-

plication or, in the case of a

Requiem Mass, of eternal rest for

the departed soul, and the ‘‘Introit”

strikes the key-note for all that is

to follow. It is the opening chord.

The priest then returns to the

center of the altar and begs God

to have mercy on us all. It is the

Kyrie Eleison
—
“Lord have mercy

on us. Lord have mercy on us.”

This cry has been in hallowed use

for 1500 years. Observe that it is

in Greek; that is to remind us that

originally all Masses were said in

that language. Nowadays, of

course, with this exception and

also the recurring “Amens” which

are Hebrew, Latin is used.

“Kyrie Eleison

Christe Eleison”—nine times
God's mercy is called down from

Heaven.

Standing in the same position, the

celebrant next sounds a note of joy

in the “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.”

This is another old Greek hymn

translated into Latin, and when its

opening words are intoned we are

once again under the starlit dome

of that first Christmas sky. The

stable is there with the Babe,

Mary, Joseph and the Travellers,

while down at the foot of the hill,

Bethlehem sleeps. Angel voices

from Heaven lift the first “Gloria”

to the skies. All is well with the

world; for there in a manger lies



“THIS IS MY BODY” 9

He Who made it and has now come
down to share it with us, and to

conquer its sorrows for our sakes.

“Glory be to God on high, and on

earth peace to men of good wilF';
that doxology and benediction first

came from Heaven, and it goes

back again from Christas earthly

home.

“Dominus vobiscum^’ follows.

How many of us realize the full
purport of those words and ac-

tion? Here is again the dialogue

and the pantomine fraught with

meaning. The priest has just been

speaking to God and imbibing His

spirit, so now he turns to the con-

gregation and imparts it to them.

“Dominus vobiscum” he cries;

“The Lord be with you,” and suit-

ing the action to the words, he

opens and closes his hands in a

diffusive gesture.

Proceeding once more to the

Epistle side of the altar, he then

reads the Collects. These are pray-

ers of supplication in harmony

with the theme of the Mass. Open-

ing with the exhortation “Oremus”

(Let us pray) they ask God for

whatever is desired, and close with

the citation of the Avenue of all

blessings, i. e., ^‘Through Jesus

Christ our Lord. Amen.”

TTie Dialogue Continues

At the same position on the

altar, the Epistle is then read. This



10 THIS IS MY BODY”

is still part of the dialogue; and

as we listen, we hear the potent

rhetoric of St. Paul, the fearless,

resounding perhaps from a Roman

dungeon. For style and profundity

of thought read these epistles. The

tent-maker of Tarsus was a master

of antithesis, an artist in paradox,

a human sledge-hammer in force.

Scorning not the subtle aids of ora-

tory to express the faith that was

in him, he has remained the

Olympian in the field of sacred

eloquence. Gamaliel taught him;

but in the end the pupil outstrip-

ped the professor.

When the Epistle is finished, the
Gradual is read. An appendix to

the preceding lesson, this little

anthem still continues the motif,

and takes its name from the fact

that it used to be said on the

*'gradus,” i. e., the step.

Then begins one of the dramatic

moments of the Mass. Up to this
time, the Chief Actor has been

silent; now we clear the stage as
it were, for His voice to be heard

from the pages of the Gospel. First

of all, the celebrant goes to the

center of the altar, and bowing

low, asks that his lips may be
Cleansed with ‘‘a burning coal” in

order that he worthily read God’s

Word. In the meantime, the Mis-

sal is changed to the Gospel side

of the altar. Note the significance

of this act; it represents the end



^‘THIS IS MY BODY” 11

of the Old Dispensation and the

transfer of allegiance to the New.

Christ is coming! A momentary
hush accompanies the passage

across the sanctuary; then the

people rise, as the priest goes over

to enunciate the eternal message

of the First Great Priest. More

symbolism; he makes the sign of

the Cross on the open page, his

forehead, lips and heart. These

gestures portray the fact that the

reader^s mind believes the Gospel,

that his lips will proclaim it till

they are cold in death, and that

finally, his heart will love it, till it

loves no more. Then we hear

Christ speaking through the lips

of his emissary on earth. See the

utmost respect and solemnity that

has preceded and accompanies the

reading of the Gospel. Is it true

then that the Bible is neglected by

the Catholic Church? To an un-

biased observer, this daily per-

formance in Mass would nail that

lie to the counter. The Church,

indeed, gave the Bible to the world,

succored it in times of intellectual

darkness, championed it when Ra-

tionalists would have cast it aside,

and today stands with it pressed

close to her bosom while the em-

broglio between the Modernists

iand Fundamentalists would tear it

|away. The Gospels are hers. “Ca-

veat mundus!”

In the early centuries the end



12 **THIS 13 MY BODY**

of the Gospel reading was the time

for the catechumens to depart.

Their unbaptized state forbade

that they should witness the eso-

teric mystery which was to follow,

and therefore, the priest would

now turn to the congregation and
announce ^Tte missa est,” i. e., ‘‘Go

it is the Mass.” That is why the
ceremonies up to this moment are

included under the one title of:

“The Mass of the Catechumens.”

The “Credo” now follows. Once

.nore the priest stands at the center

of the altar, and with hands joined,

declares the Faith of himself and

the Congregation : “I believe in one

God the Father Almighty Creator

of heaven and earth . . . and in

one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only

begotten Son of God. . . .” This

Creed was formulated at the Coun-

cil of Nicea in 325 A. D. to refute

dogmatically the Arian heretics

who denied that Christ was true

God and true Man. Is it not

humiliating to think that in the

dissolving moods of contemporary

thought, men deny His very exist-

ence? The march of progress has

been uphill—and downhill. And a
caucus of empiricists are trying

desperately to out-do the Arians.

But the one unchanging institution

in the world, the Catholic Church,

bows her head every morning and

humbly reiterates: “I believe in

one God the Father Almighty . . .



“THIS IS MY BODY” 18

true God of true God. . . “She

is ready to lie on the rack for that

today, as ten million of her mar-

tyrs in the first three centuries, for

the same belief, went singing to

the lions. Aye; and as every one

of her Popes up until the year 300

A. D. suffered martyrdom. “You

may kill me,” cried a Mexican
martyr of modern times, “but you

can^t kill God.”

End of the Prelude

At this point the first part of the

Mass comes to an end. It has all

been a kind of a prelude. A hint
of the solemn climax has been re-

vealed in the step-by-step increase

in dramatic intensity. First it was

the prayers of preparation, then

the Epistle leading up to the Gos-

pel and finally the sturdy and un-

equivocal recital of that epitome

of Christian belief—the Creed. One
feels the atmosphere has become

more solemn and more tense, as if

the audience are straining forward

to miss nothing. Now there comes
a brief interlude. The congrega-

tion resume their seats while the

second part, the Offertory, begins.

“Dominus vobiscum” again her-

alds in this section. In ancient

times it was the custom for the

laity to ascend to the altar here,

and present their gifts of bread

and wine; hence the term “Offer-

tory.” Now, of course, that prac-



14 “THIS IS MY BODY”

tice is in desuetude. The priest

first uncovers the chalice, and pre-

sents the unconsecrated host to

God for his own sins, and the sins

of the congregation. That being

finished, he goes to the Epistle

side and pours in wine and water.

It is just a tiny drop of water but

it is ‘‘multum in parvo”; it repre-

sents the petitions of all those pre-

sent in the church, and as it is

mixed with the wine, it will be

later consecrated with the wine

into the Precious Blood of Our

Lord to be sacrificed to God. See

how even this insignificant act is

rich in symbolism : all that we pray

for, hope for, and desire will be

part of the Divine Offering in the

real blood of Christ. That is the

meaning of the prayer which ac-

companies this infusion: ‘‘grant us

to have part in the Godhead of

Him Who hath vouchsafed to share
our manhood, Jesus Christ, thy

Son, our Lord
”

The chalice is now held up in
sight of the congregation while the

priest at the center of the altar

again offers it for our salvation.

Then follows two prayers: one for

gracious reception of the sacrifice

and the other invoking the Holy

Ghost upon the oblation. Again

the celebrant moves back to the

Epistle side to wash the tips of

his fingers. This is the “Lavabo,”

termed so from the opening words



“THIS IS MY BODY” 16

of Psalm 25 which is recited con-

currently. will wash my hands
among the innocent and will com-

pass thy altar, 0 Lord.”

Once more a dramatic moment

occurs. To the center of the altar

the priest retraces his steps, no

more to leave it until the sacrifice

is consummated; and from hence

forward until the Communion a

silence descends upon the sanc-

tuary which will be broken only

seven times. This silence corres-

ponds to Christas on the Cross;

the seven interruptions to His

seven last words. And it was the

custom of old to draw a curtain

across the sanctuary at this time

to keep the silence inviolate and

hide the mystery now rapidly com-

ing on from the vulgar gaze.

The imperative “Orate Fratres”

is now enjoined on the people.

“Pray brethren,” the priest says,

“that my sacrifice and yours may
be well-pleasing to God the Father

Almighty.” It cannot be too often

insisted upon that the Mass is not

only the action of the priest, but

of the people as well. The cele-

brant is their representative; they

are co-actors with him. Moreover,

this is the last time he will face

the congregation until the sacrifice

is completed. It is the sacerdotal

privilege to enter into the Holy of

Holies alone—alone with God,
standing there in the awful stark



16 “THIS IS MY BODY**

simplicity of his human nature,
involving and handling the Sacred

Host which is God Himself.

The Climax Nears

Another prayer is said and then

comes the majestic ‘‘Preface.” Here

we are on the verge of the arcana

of the Mass—the Consecration.
The air is instinct with great

things to come. It is as if we are

waiting breathlessly for some pro-

cession to come in sight.* We hear
the distant cheering, breaking like

waves on the shore, and already

the outriders have turned the cor-

ner, clearing the way. Then the

priest’s voice breaks in: “it is truly

mee<- and just, right and salutary

for us, at all times, and in all

places to give thanks to Thee, 0
Lord, the Holy One, the Father

Almighty, the Everlasting God,

through Christ our Lord.” Slowly

the majestic cadences roll along;

syllable by syllable the sonorous

warning and welcome preface the

coming of Emmanuel. It is Palm

Sunday again in retrospect with

its “Hosanna in the highest, blessed

is He that cometh in the name of

the name of the Lord.” There is

an abrupt stop; then suddenly the

drama is upon us.

Thus, the “Canon” of the Mass

begins. The “Canon,” i. e., the

unchangeable part, which is un-

affected by day or feast. It is the



“THIS IS MY BODY” 17

solemnity of solemnities. A hush
descends. See the priest first of all

slowly bend over the altar as he

asks God to bless and receive this

precious oblation which will soon

draw down sufferance on mankind.

Note, too, how he makes the sign

of the cross over the species. Then

comes the prayer for the particular

recipients of the graces won by the

sacrifice, as well as ‘^omnium cir-

cumstantium”—all those present.
Now is the time, too, to call upon
the Church Triumphant to add

their prayers to ours; beginning

with Mary the Queen of Saints,

dowTi to the last entry into Heaven,

the saints are pled with in hopeful

terms to lend their aid. Help us

dear friends of God! We are still
in the bondage of the flesh and

time and space, but you who have

now been granted the vision Beau-

tiful—help us, we pray!
One more symbolic action before

the climax. Over the oblation the

priest spreads his hands, thus

transferring to the substance of

the victim the sins of poor man-

kind. Christ took them once in

Gethsemane; here on the altar of

Gethsemane He burdens Himself

again. All is ready now. The vic-

tim is prepared, the Sacrifice is

set. Let us hurry on.

The Consecration! Here is the

central point of the drama. With-

out this it would all be mere empty



18 'THIS IS MY BODY”

pantomine and show. But with

this—oh! To this moment, every
syllable of dialogue and every ges-

ture has been leading, like innum-

erable needles pointing to the True

North. On this one action they all

depend and live and have their

being. For this is the Consecra-

tion—the daily Mystical Sacrifice
of Christ on the Cross. Any words

of mine, far from adding to the

sacred character of this moment,

would only detract. It is sufficient

to say that the entire action is

simply a replica of the Last Supper

with the priest taking the place of

Christ. Thus the winged seconds

speed on. We see the priest tak-
ing up the Host in his hands, bend-

ing low over the altar: then

—

‘‘This is My Body.^»

A genuflection—the tinkle of the
bell; the elevation, another warn-

ing bell; a final genuflection—

a

final cadenza of the bell.—Then the
Chalice. Raising it a little off the

altar, and again inclining rever-

ently over it, the priest says:

“This is the Chalice of My
Blood—”

Christ On the Altar

The Consecration is over. Christ

has been called down from high

Heaven and has taken up His Sac-

ramental Presence again under the

form of Bread and Wine. He is



•‘THIS IS MY BODY" 19

with us; our daily Guest, our God,

<Dur Friend; submitting to the call

of a human voice far down on this

world of ours. But not an arbi-

trary voice. Did He not commis-
sion His disciples: ‘‘Do ye this in

commemoration of Me?” And not
only is it the Supper Room again;
Calvary is here as represented in

the mystical death shown by the

separation of His Body and Blood.

The Consecration of the Mass is

the heart of the Mystical Body.

Round this the Church, her sacra-

ments, her altar, her faith, her

doctrine and her salving commis-

sion revolves. Every religion, by

its very essence, must have a sac-

rifice. This is hers. This is the

diploma of the True Church of God

beyond the limits of any argument

—the Sacrifice of Christ in the
Mass. Take this away, and the

Catholic Church would be a mere

empty philanthropic organization,

nothing but another sect. But with

it, she stands alone as the one,

unique, divinely-appointed author-

ity to lead men back to God.

With Christ now on the altar,

notice how every prayer and ges-

ture testifies to that living fact.

First of all, the priest in the

prayer: “Unde et memores Domino
—” offers up to the Father this
sacrifice of His Son. As these

words are said, he makes the sign

of the cross three times over the



20 'THIS IS Mr BODY”

Oblation. But this is not a bless-

ing, for how could we invoke a
benediction on the Fontal Blessing

Himself? It is simply a commem-
oration of the Cross. Immediately

following this, the celebrant asks

God to accept the sacrifice, and

bowing low over the altar, con-

cludes by beseeching Him to com-
mand His angels to escort It on

high to the altar of altars in

Heaven.

Can we forget our dead at this

propitious time? Surely not. The

Purgatorial fields need the cool

grace of the Mass just as much, if

not more so, than we. For the

Church Suffering there having

tasted the sweetness of God, are

starving for His Presence to be

accorded them for ever. So now,

we remember our dead. Joining

his hands in prayer, the priest

pleads that the Lord will grant

them “ a place of solace, of light,

and of peace.”

‘‘Pray for my soul

—

For what are men better than

sheep or goats

If, knowing God, they lift not

hands in prayer

Both for themselves and for those

who call them friend?”

For 1900 years the Church has

obeyed the injunction, “Pray for

my soul.”



‘^THIS IS MY BODY" 21

But not only for the dead. “No-

bis quoque peccatoribus”
—

“for us

who are sinners too,” the priest

goes on. “And grant us fellowship

with the saints and martyrs—not
weighing our merits, but freely

pardoning us our sins.”

The Canon now draws solemnly

to a close. But before it ends an-

other relic of past custom projects

itself to our notice. In olden days,

the faithful at this point brought

the fruits of the earth to the altar

to be blessed by the priest, but

now that ceremony being discon-

tinued, only the words of benedic-

tion remain. Now notice carefully
the priest^s actions, for he is about

to perfom a rite superabundantly

rich in meaning. You will see him,

first of all, take up the Body of

Christ, make three crosses over the

Chalice, and say: “Through Him,

and with Him, and in Him—” This
is an acknowledgment that every

grace comes through Christ. Then

making two crosses outside the

Chalice he goes on: “is to Thee,

God the Father Almighty in the

Unity of the Holy Ghost
—

” Here

we denote the Receiver of the Sac-

rifice. Finally, the celebrant places

the Sacred Host above the Chalice,

and lifting both a few inches off

the altar, concludes: “all honor and

glory.” Christ, Body and Blood is

thus lifted up to the Father and

offered to Him for the sins of the



22 “THIS IS MY BODY”

world. This action is called the

“little elevation” and it is interest-

ing to note, was the only elevation

at Mass up until the twelfth cen-

tury. At that time, it was so high

that all could see, and the curtains

of the sanctuary were drawn aside

to make this possible for the con-

gregation.

The Canon thus ends. Christ has

been made alive in His Sacramen-

tal Body, sacrificed and offered up.

Once more God’s love and mercy

has drenched the world through a

mystical Calvary and mankind can

breathe freely again^

Preface to Happy Ending

Now follows the preface to the
happy ending of the drama, the

“Pater Noster.” Is it not meet

that this, the greatest prayer in

the world, should usher in the

greatest act that man can aspire

to. Holy Communion? Would that

we could realize how no ante-

chamber of Heaven equals the re-

ception of Our Lord in His Body

and Blood! Men talk about ambi-

tion and aspiring to the heights,

but this is the highest height we

can ever reach on earth. Even in

Heaven we will only see God, but

in Holy Communion we receive

Him into our bodies. It is the

tryst with the lover of our souls

—

“Our Father, Who art in Heaven.”

The priest gazes steadily at the



“THIS IS MT BODY' 22

Host, just as the disciples must

have bent their eyes on Christ

when He, on that hill of Galilee

first spoke the great prayer. “Give

us this day our daily bread.” Com-

mon bread? No—nothing but the
Bread of Angels, Holy Communion.

So it goes on, this prayer, a kind

of an interlude allowing us to com-

pose ourselves for the rendevous at

the altar rails.

At the end of the “Pater Nos-

ter” another prayer for deliver-

ance from evil is said, and with its

concluding words, the priest breaks

the Host into three parts over the

Chalice as Christ “broke bread” at

the Last Supper. A triple sign of
the cross is then made over the

Chalice with the smallest fraction

of the Host thus broken, and to

the accompaniment of a prayer for

peace, is dropped into the Blood of

Our Lord.

The next part of the dialogue

takes us back to the time of John

the Baptist. You will recall that

when the Precursor saw Jesus for

the first time, he called out: “Be-

hold the Lamb of God who takest

away the sins of the world.” By

divine intuition he recognized the

One Who was to be sacrificed for
men. The priest at this point,

striking his breast in recognition

of sin, repeats thrice John’s excla-

mation: “Lamb of God who takest

away the sins of the world, have



24 “THIS IS MY BODY”

mercy on us!" It is at once a

recognition and a cry for mercy.

“Have mercy on us” 0 Lord, we
who are so unworthy to receive
your Precious Body and Blood;

“grant us peace.”

After this, there follows three

prayers of immediate preparation

for Holy Communion. The first in-

vokes peace on the Church, the sec-

ond is for personal purification,

and the third asks Christ to heal

us body and soul in the coming

participation of Himself.

All is ready now for the solemn

union of God and man. It is true

that words may describe the ac-
tions relating to Holy Communion,

but no words can ever probe the

profundity of it. The awful sol-

emnity of the event can only be

felt in each individual soul. In a

sense, the very drama of the Mass

seems to hang fire here, because

we leave all gesture and dialogue

behind, to enter into the trans-

cendent reality of union with God.

But it cannot be insisted on too

much that, in another sense. Holy

Communion is the logical comple-

ment to attendance at Mass. This

was the belief and practice of the

early Christians. The Holy Sacri-

fice was not considered to be com-

plete unless they consumed the

Victim. Why are we dilatory now?
Has Holy Communion lost Its

savor? God forbid! Until we all



**THIS IS MT BODY” 26

get back to frequent Communion,

we shall miss the very life and

essence of Catholicism. It is the

Food of the Mystical Body. To the

degree that we neglect it, to that

degree shall we be devitalized of

spiritual life.

‘‘Domine non sum dignus

—

“Lord, I am not worthy that Thou
shouldst enter under my roof; say
only the word and my soul shall be
healed.” It is the evocation of the

centurion in the Gospel, spoken now

by the lips of the priest. Then,

taking up the Body, he makes a

sign of the cross, and breathing

reverently the plea, “May the Body

of our Lord Jesus Christ, keep my
soul into life everlasting. Amen.”,

he consumes his Lord. A brief
pause of grateful silence—Now the
Blood. “May the Blood of our Lord

Jesus Christ keep my soul unto
life everlasting. Amen.”—once
more the ,*sacred prelude is said;

and once more, making the sign of

the cross with the Chalice, he con-

sumes the Blood—Thanksgiving.
A slight rustle is heard in the

congregation. It is the time of the

people^s communion. See them file

slowly up to the altar rails to keep

tryst with their Lord; as hundreds

of millions of their co-religionists

have done since He “broke bread”

at the Last Supper. Here time

stands still. The age-old solidarity



26 “THIS IS MY BODY“

of the Catholic Church binds us to

these Apostles, to Mary, to the

pioneer Christians in the Cata-

combs, to the martyrs in the Ro-

man arena, dying with Christ in

their bodies, to a native Mass in

some African jungle, to a fugitive

band of worshippers on a hillside

in penal times, to every Catholic

living or dead, black, white, yel-

low or red, of whatever nationality,

in whatever land, differing from us

in the every other circumstance but

this—the common fellowship of the
Communion rails. This is the real

stance of true democracy. The

only password is love, the only con-

dition, worthiness—The communi-
cants kneel at the altar rails in si-

lence. Turning to them, the priest

holds up a Host above the ciborium

and calls: “Behold the Lamb of

God. Domine non sum dignus—.”
It is repeated acknowledgment of

the creature’s debasement before

his Creator. Then, coming down to

the kneeling band, he gives them

their Heart’s Desire—And as we
leave the altar rails, there comes to

mind that Galilean shore 1900 years

ago, when the Master gave His own

guarantee: “He that eateth My
Body and drinketh My Blood, abid-
eth in Me, and I in him.”

At this point, the Sacrifice prop-

er is at an end. Events happen

swiftly now. In the relaxed atmos-



IS MY BOD?” 2?

phere that follows Holy Commun-

ion, one senses that the Mass is

conscious of its accomplishment,

and in order to avoid any dragging

with consequent loss of solemnity,

it rallies its forces for a speedy

conclusion. Hence, the priest now

takes the ablutions with prompt

deliberation, the Missal is moved

back to the Epistle side, and after

two or more prayers read there in

thanksgiving, the time for dismis-

sal comes. You will notice now

that the altar is as it was at the

beginning of Mass: the Chalice

covered. Missal closed, and the cele-

brant standing in the center. *‘Dom-

inus vobiscum” then sounds for the

last time, and ‘‘Ite missa est,” the

dispersal follows immediately.

The Grand Epilogue

Yet, all is not over. Our pious

forefathers were accustomed to lin-

ger on after this in prayer, and in

course of time, their devotions were

incorporated into the liturgy of the

Mass. Accordingly we see the

priest turn once again to the altar,

breathe a humble prayer of homage

to God, and finally turn with hands

making the sign of the cross to

bless the congregation. The last

gesture of the drama—the sign of
the cross! We began the Mass with
it, we now ring down the curtain
with it. The cross, the prologue,



28 “THIS IS MY BODT"

the climax and end of all human

activity.

As a grand epilogue to it all, the

opening chapter of St. John’s Gos-

pel is now read. Who among us
can peruse that and not be thrilled!

Beginning with what is perhaps

the most reverberating sentence in

all literature, “In the beginning

was the Word, and ^he Word was

with God, and the Word was God,”

it goes on to fringe eternity itself,

outline the creation of the world,

uncover the identity of its Light

and name the Precursor. Rising in

dramatic volume, man’s rejection

of Christ is arraigned in words liv-

id in their simplicity, while to

those who received Him, “to them

He gave power to be made the

Son’s of God.” Then comes in in-

creasing majesty of cadence, the

awe-inspiring climax to the theme.

“And the Word was made Flesh

and dwelt amongst us.” The In-

carnation! What a sublime * conclu-

sion to the greatest drama in the

world

!

This brings to a close our

thoughts on the dramatic action of

the Mass. As I said at the begin-

ning, love for the drama is a legiti-

mate instinct of every human being,

and if a religion lays claim to be

divine, it must satisfy the whole

man, that is, his intellect, will,

emotions and body, his ascetic and



“THIS IS MY BODY’* 29

aesthetic, and finally his dramatic

instinct. The Catholic Church has

never by one iota swerved from

that claim. Her doctrines, by their

very reasonableness and proof, con-

tent the intellect, her moral sanc-

tions satisfy the will; the body of

man finds a fitting co-ordination

with the soul in the various postures

prescribed by her liturgy, the

ascetic intinct is untrammeled in

its flight to self-purification by her

laws of mortification, the aestheti-

cal instinct finds release and sub-

limation in the beauty of her cere-

monials, and finally, the dramatic

instinct of man needs seek no high-

2T height of satisfaction than that

afforded in the divine drama of the

Holy Mass.

Just Suppose

In conclusion. Suppose Christ in

Heaven took alarm at the wide-

spread disobedience to a certain

command of His made while on

earth, and petitioned His Father

in these words: ‘‘Father, I must go

back to earth. I must descend into

the world again, for I hear that

men are not doing as I commis-

sioned them to do at the Last Sup-

per. You will recall. Father, on

that occasion, when I took bread

into my hands and said: ‘This is
My Body^ and then taking up the
Chalice of wine likewise said, ‘This



to “tms IS mY

is My Blood, which shall be shed
for many unto the remission of

sins,’ I did not end there; I spe-

cifically ordered my disciples to

perpetuate my action through their

successors, to ‘Do ye this in com-

memoration of Me/ But Father,

it has come to my notice that my

command is ignored by many, so

let Me go down once more to see

if the charge is true.” The re-

quest is granted. Christ once more

comes to earth and begins His

quest. Entering a large city on a

certain Sunday morning, He makes

His way to the nearest Church to

look for an altar, a priest, and a

voice saying: “This is My Body—
This is My Blood.” But He looks

in vain. In place of an altar. He

sees a pulpit or an organ, in place

of a priest He beholds a minister

clad in a Geneva gown, and in lieu

of His own doctrine. He hears the

interpretation of Martin Luther,

John Calvin, John Wesley or Mary

Baker Eddy. It is all very puz-

zling. Christ is sad. So leaving

that edifice He steps out into the

sunshine of that Sunday morning

burdened by the thought of man’s

perfidy. Is it true then ? They

have forgotten My command . . .

Other churches which He enters

seem to bear this fear out. Some,

it is true, have altars, but denom-

inational signs, betray a local and



*^THIS IS MY BODY" SI

human origin; others, too, have
even a form of sacrifice, but no
commission to perform it. They
are individualists and their Low
Church brethren round the corner
scorn their pseudo-Popish rites.
But the majority have no sem-
blance of the things sought by the
Pilgrim; it is the same old empti-
ness—the absence of the back-
ground of the Last Supper—Christ
journeys on. The sun is warm now
and fatigue is heightened by dis-
couragement. Should He give up
the search ? Something urges Him
on; and then—His eyes light up!
Rounding a corner, a golden cross
glinting in the sunlight surmounts
a low, rather poor-looking Catholic
church. This is at least encourag-
ing; these people, whoever they are,
are not afraid to display the em-
blem which was My bier. Perhaps,
who knows, my search is ended? I
shall enter and see.

Inside, taking up a shadowy place
by the door, Christ scans the in-
terior of this last possibility. There
is nothing much of ornateness to
hold Him long, yet the very bare-
ness seems to whip into being an
old remembrance of the Supper
Room. People all around Him are
kneeling—all kinds of people from
every strata of society. The mul-
titude in Palestine were not all on
the social calendar. It is all faint-



32 ‘THIS IS MY BODY”

ly encouraging:. Then, casting His

eyes towards the sanctuary, Christ

sees an altar, a priest clad in hier-

atic vestments, and listening to

this man. He recognizes the mes-

sage He gave to the world. It is

still the same. One thing, however,

is still wanting to confirm His

hopes—the Sacrifice. He awaits
that—tense. The sermon is over.
A few minutes pass—A hush de-
scends upon the congregation. A
bell rings

—

The priest bends low, takes up

the bread into his hanus, and says:

‘‘This Is My Body*’—

Christ watches

—

The Chalice is taken up, and con-

secrated: “This is My Blood of the
New and Eternal Testament

—

Ah.

>ften as ye shall do these thingt

ye shall do them in commembra'

tion of Me.”

The End.