This one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God
Once again, the second reading is taken from the Letter to the Hebrews. In this week’s text, the author contrasts the priests in the Temple, who offered sacrifices every day, to Jesus, who after his one sacrifice of his life on the Cross “took his seat forever at the right hand of God.” In the New Covenant, Jesus’ single sacrifice is a sufficient sacrifice for all our sins. We have received forgiveness of all sins through the merits of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. His sacrifice is once, for all, and nothing can add to it.
You might ask if this is true, why do priests today offer up the sacrifice of the Mass daily? Are we simply remembering the past through a specific ritual? Or are we repeating that one sacrifice of Jesus repeatedly? The truth is that Mass does not repeat Christ’s sacrifice, but rather re-presents the one and same sacrifice on the Cross. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
“The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique, accomplished once for all; yet it is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Church. The same is true of the one priesthood of Christ; it is made present through the ministerial priesthood without diminishing the uniqueness of Christ’s priesthood: (art. 1545).
At every celebration of the Eucharist, what happened on Calvary is truly happening here and now. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is eternal, once and for all, and it is made present through the priest, who acts in persona Christi, or in the person of Christ.
Why is it important for us to understand this truth? First and foremost, the Holy Eucharist can become routine or even an empty ritual if it doesn’t engage our hearts, minds, and souls in what we profess to be truly happening. Saint John Vianney said, “If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy.” How much happier we would be if we truly grasped his mystery.
Secondly, our understanding of the mystery of the one sacrifice, present on the altar at every celebration of Mass, deepens our understanding of the vocation of priesthood. I reemphasize what I wrote last week. Without priests, there is no mass, the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ is not in our midst. Priests are called upon to do many things, most of which can be done by someone else, but the one single purpose of a priest’s life is to be sacramental. God calls men to be set aside by holy orders and an ontological change, not for themselves and not for power, but to be of service – to offer the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
In these challenging days, we need to experience that eternal sacrifice. We need it in our midst. We celebrate this Eucharist with joy because the Lord has saved us from any evil the world can offer. We pray for those who have been ordained to serve, and we pray that by God’s grace, the call to priesthood will be answered.
CHURCH DOOR PROJECT – I am so grateful for the positive comments many of you have made in the last week about our doors. This significant physical improvement to our church was made possible by the generosity of those whose financial contribution was the sole source of funding. We are also blessed by the talent and diligence of our Operations Manager, Joe Quinto. Joe was in constant communication with Baut Studios, during the design, fabrication, and installation of the doors. His professional expertise and diligence were an essential component of the project’s success.
On another page you will find an acknowledgement of all who financially contributed to the project. A permanent memorial of their generosity will be created and displayed in the near future. In addition, Bishop John Barres will be here to celebrate mass and bless the doors on the first Sunday of Advent, December 1st at 12:00 p.m.
Peace,