Celebration of Mass

From the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Do this in memory of me

Jesus commanded the Apostles and their successors to repeat his actions and words "until he comes again." From earliest times, the Church has remained faithful to this command. This practice has continued unbroken for two thousand years right up to the present day.

Since the second century, the Mass has had a structure that is common to all Catholics.

When Jesus instituted the Eucharist he gave a final meaning to the blessing of the bread and the wine and the sacrifice of the lamb. The Gospels narrate events that anticipated the Eucharist. The miracle of the loaves and fish, reported in all four Gospels, prefigured the unique abundance of the Eucharist. The miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana manifested the divine glory of Jesus and the heavenly wedding feast in which we share at every Eucharist.

In his dialogue with the people at Capernaum, Christ used his miracle of multiplying the loaves of bread as the occasion to describe himself as the Bread of Life: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. . . Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (Jn 6:51, 53).

—From the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

The Mass is...

a Sacrifice

Jesus Christ makes present his saving, sacrificial death on the Cross by which he redeemed us from our sins. The same Christ who offered himself once on the cross, offers himself on the altar.

a Holy Meal

Jesus Christ shares his Body and Blood under the form of bread and wine. Holy Communion nourishes our spiritual life, strengthens our moral resolve to avoid evil and turn ever more toward God.

the Real Presence of Christ

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ is present in the proclamation of God's Word, in the assembly, in the person of the priest, but above all and in a wholly unique manner in the Eucharist. The appearance of bread and wine remain, the underlying reality - that is, the substance - is now the Body and Blood of Christ.

Participating in the Mass
"I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship." Romans 12:1

In a self-centered culture where people are taught to extend themselves only for something in return, we follow the example of Jesus, who feely sacrificed his life in love for all...At Mass, we can pray, "Lord, take me. Bless me. Break me. Make me a part of your saving, sacrificial gift for the world's bodily and spiritual needs."

When we receive Communion, we need to remember that we are not changing Christ into ourselves. Jesus is transforming us into himself. Our inner receptivity is critical. To receive love, we need to be open to it.

Our reverence for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is shown through postures of genuflecting and kneeling. We are encouraed to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession.