The Theology and Spirituality of
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

In Article 1 of the motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict XVI wrote:
"The Roman Missal promulgated by Paul VI is to be regarded as the ordinary expression of the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite. On the other hand, the Roman Missal promulgated by St. Pius V and published again by Blessed John XXIII should be held as the extraordinary expression of the same law of prayer (lex orandi), and on account of its venerable and ancient use let it enjoy due honor. These two expressions of the law of prayer (lex orandi) of the Church in no way lead to a division in the law of belief (lex credendi) of the Church, for they are two uses of the one Roman Rite...." What follows is a study by Fr. Franz Schmidberger comparing the theology and spirituality of the Latin [Roman] Mass of 1962 with the Novus Ordo Missae which succeeded it. They are not two forms of the same Rite.

The Theology and Spirituality of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

The theme of our catechetical study is a comparison between the traditional and new rites of Mass. The XXII Session of the Council of Trent (September 17, 1562) taught the following about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:

Chapter 1: The Institution of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Since under the former Testament (as the Apostle Paul bears witness) there was no consummation because of the weakness of the Levitical priesthood, it was necessary (God the Father of mercies ordaining it thus) that another priest according to the order of Melchisedech [Gen. 14:18; Ps. 109:4; Heb. 7:11] arise, our Lord Jesus Christ, who could perfect [Heb. 10:14] all who were to be sanctified, and lead them to perfection.

He, therefore, our God and Lord, though He was about to offer Himself once to God the Father upon the altar of the Cross by the mediation of death, so that He might accomplish an eternal redemption for them [illic, there—Ed.], nevertheless, that His sacerdotal office might not come to an end with His death [Heb. 7:24,27] at the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, so that He might leave to His beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice [can. 1] (as the nature of man demands), whereby that bloody sacrifice once to be completed on the Cross might be represented, and the memory of it remain even to the end of the world [I Cor. 11:23ff.] and its saving grace be applied to the remission of those sins which we daily commit, declaring Himself constituted “a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech” [Ps. 109:4], offered to God the Father His own body and blood under the species of bread and wine, and under the symbols of those same things gave to the apostles (whom He then constituted priests of the New Testament), so that they might partake, and He commanded them and their successors in the priesthood in these words to make offering: “Do this in commemoration of Me, etc.” [Lk. 22:19; I Cor. 11:24), as the Catholic Church has always understood and taught [can. 2].

For, after He had celebrated the ancient feast of the Passover, which the multitude of the children of Israel sacrificed [Ex. 12:1ff.] in memory of their exodus from Egypt, He instituted a new Passover, Himself to be immolated under visible signs by the Church through the priests, in memory of His own passage from this world to the Father, when by the shedding of His blood He redeemed us and “delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into His kingdom” [Col. 1:13].

And this, indeed, is the “clean oblation” which cannot be defiled by any unworthiness or malice on the part of those who offer it; which the Lord foretold through Malachias must be offered in every place as a clean oblation [Mal. 1:11] to His name, which would be great among the gentiles, and which the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians has clearly indicated, when he says that they who are defiled by participation of the “table of the devils” cannot become partakers of the table of the Lord [I Cor. 10:21], understanding by table in each case, the altar. It is finally that [sacrifice] which prefigured by various types of sacrifices, in the period of nature and the Law [Gen. 4:4; 8:20; 12:8; 22; Ex: passim], inasmuch as it comprises all good things signified by them, as being the consummation and perfection of them all.

Chapter 2: The Sacrifice Is a Visible Propitiation for the Living and the Dead

And since in this divine sacrifice, which is celebrated in the Mass, that same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner, who on the altar of the Cross “once offered Himself” in a bloody manner [Heb. 9:27], the holy Synod teaches that this is truly propitiatory [can. 3], and has the effect, that if contrite and penitent we approach God with a sincere heart and right faith, with fear and reverence, “we obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid” [Heb. 4:16]. For, appeased by this oblation, the Lord, granting the grace and gift of penitence, pardons crimes and even great sins. For, it is one and the same victim, the same one now offering by the ministry of the priests as He who then offered Himself on the Cross, the manner of offering alone being different. The fruits of that oblation (bloody, that is) are received most abundantly through this unbloody one; so far is the latter from being derogatory in any way to Him [can. 4]. Therefore, it is offered rightly according to the tradition of the apostles [can. 3], not only for the sins of the faithful living, for their punishments and other necessities, but also for the dead in Christ not yet fully purged (Denzinger, §§938-40).

In this explanation of the Council of Trent it is clarified that:

1. the Mass is a true sacrifice, that is offered to God alone;
2. this sacrifice is offered for the praise and adoration of God in three Persons as thanksgiving, impetration, and above all as propitiation for our daily sins;
3. Christ offers Himself to His heavenly Father under the appearances of bread and wine;
4. He, as High Priest of the New Covenant, accomplishes this Sacrifice through human priests and by means of the services of the Church.

The Mass is a True Sacrifice offered to God

First of all, it should be clear that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to God and to God alone, while the sacraments are primarily instituted for humanity, for the sanctification of souls. Therefore, quite logically, the celebrant is turned towards God, the Incarnate and Crucified God. As shepherd, he stands with the flock facing one direction: both face the heavenly kingdom. Churches were therefore almost always built with their orientation to the east, so that the altar was placed against the rising sun, which was considered to be the symbol of the resurrected and glorified Christ, above all in His Second Coming.

The liturgist Klaus Gamber has convincingly explained that the celebration versus populum (towards the people) never existed in the Church. This is the invention of a theology that is fast becoming anthropology. The new orientation of the liturgical celebration is a program of new direction for the Church contained within and according to the Second Vatican Council. Moreover, in the turning of the celebrant to the congregation, the celebrant is often turning his back on the Blessed Sacrament.

When sacrifice is offered to God, then it is also right and fitting to set apart a special place, to erect a proper building, to bless it as a chapel or to consecrate it as a church, to build a sanctuary for the exclusive celebration of this Sacrifice with all those things that relate to it and flow from it, namely, the proclamation of the holy Gospel and the administration of the sacraments as well as prayer.

Moreover, a sacred language, which raises people above everyday concerns, is most fitting for these proceedings. In our cultural milieu, Latin has become an expression and bond of the Church’s unity. Pope Pius XII declared:...[T]he temerity and daring of those who introduce novel liturgical practices... deserve severe reproof. It has pained Us grievously to note, Venerable Brethren, that such innovations are actually being introduced, not merely in minor details but in matters of major importance as well. We instance, in point of fact, those who make use of the vernacular in the celebration of the august Eucharistic Sacrifice.... The use of the Latin language, customary in a considerable portion of the Church is a manifest and beautiful sign of unity, as well as an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth." (Mediator Dei, November 20, 1947)Meanwhile, the objection is raised that the faithful would thus not understand the Sacred Action. In response to these objections, we answer the Holy Mass is not in the first place instruction or catechesis, but sacrifice offered to God. The content of an action is understood much more in its outward gestures than by the words used. Besides, the Holy Mass concerns an unfathomable mystery of the Faith that will never be grasped fully by our sense of reason.

May the faithful thus prepare for the Holy Sacrifice at home with their missals so that, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, they may then stand at the foot of the Cross during the Sacred Action and offer to our heavenly Father, united with the celebrant, the Divine Victim, and, one with Him, offer themselves and their whole lives! In the Eastern rites this mysterious character of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is emphasized all the more inasmuch as the most important parts of the Liturgy are celebrated behind the iconostasis [i.e., the partition separating the apse or choir from the nave in Byzantine churches—Ed.].

But to which God is the Sacrifice offered?

This Sacrifice is offered to the God of the Bible, the God of Revelation, to the One, True, Living God, that is, to the Blessed Trinity. This truth is expressed through words and gestures in the rite as a whole. The celebrant begins the Sacred Action with the words: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” In the Kyrie, the three invocations are made three times. These have been reduced to six in the new rite of Mass. In the Gloria, the mystery of the Blessed Trinity is exalted in the most wonderful way:Glory to God in the highest... O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord, only begotten Son, Jesus Christ... with the Holy Ghost, in the glory of the Father."This basic mystery of our Faith is expressed in a distinctive manner at the end of the Offertory. The Church prays:Receive, O Holy Trinity, this oblation which we make to Thee in remembrance of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ—Suscipe, sancta Trinitas, hanc oblationem...."The first prayer of the Offertory addresses God as “Holy Father.” Furthermore in the Sanctus the holiness of God is praised three times. The Canon is begun with the words, “Te igitur, clementissime Pater—Most merciful Father, we humbly pray and beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord.” It closes with the words: “Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso...—By Him and with Him and in Him are ever given to Thee, Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost all honor and glory.”

At the Agnus Dei we call three times on the mercy of God and at the same time we confess our unworthiness in the Domine non sum dingus—“Lord, I am not worthy”—said three times one after the other. The Holy Mass ends with Placeat tibi sancta Trinitas—“May the homage of my bounden duty be pleasing to Thee, O Holy Trinity.” The priest then gives the blessing in the words “May Almighty God bless thee, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

Not only words proclaim this most sublime mystery, but actions also. The rite often prescribes three signs of the cross, one after the other, as in the following examples:...haec + dona, haec + munera, haec + sancta sacrificia illibata—these + gifts, these + offerings, these + unblemished sacrifices. Quam oblationem tu, Deus, in omnibus, quaesumus, bene + dictam, ad + scriptam, + ratam...—Be pleased, O God, to + bless this offering, to + accept it fully, to + make it perfect and worthy to please Thee.... ...Hostiam + puram, Hostiam + sanctam, Hostiam + immaculatam...—a Victim + pure, a Victim + perfect, a Victim + holy and spotless. Per quem, haec omnia, Domine, semper bona creas, sanct + fificas, vivi + fficas, bene + dicis et præstas nobis.—Through Him, O Lord, Thou dost ever create these good things, and Thou + halloweth, + quickeneth, and + blesseth them as gifts for us."In the same way, three signs of the cross are traced at the Per ipsum at the end of the Canon.

For the incensations at the Offertory, the priest makes three signs of the cross with the thurible over the oblations, then two circles in a counter-clockwise direction and one in a clockwise direction. These gestures reveal the whole mystery of our Faith in a wonderful way. The number three signifies the Most Holy Trinity; the two circles signify the two natures in Our Lord Jesus Christ existing in the one Second Person of the Godhead.

These signs and even the words have nearly all been removed in the new rite. The same is true for the Suscipe sancta Trinitas at the end of the Offertory; likewise for the prayer at the end of the Holy Mass, Placeat tibi sancta Trinitas. In the first of the 1967 reforms, in each case, the three signs of the cross were abbreviated to a single one in order that the rite “...should be distinguished by a noble simplicity. They should be short, clear, and free from useless repetitions.”

The Mass is a sacrificial act

In the traditional rite of Mass three inseparably linked elements express without doubt its sacrificial character: the altar, the sacrificing priest, and the offering of sacrifice. This trio corresponds to three inseparably linked elements in the new rite: the table, the president of the celebrating community, and the memorial meal. Such facts face us in the original framing of Article 7, which contains the definition of the New Order of Mass. As a result of vociferous protest, this Article 7 needed to be corrected only a year after the introduction of the Novus Ordo Missae. Article 7 of the original 1969 edition of the Institutio Generalis reads:The Lord’s Supper or Mass is the sacred assembly or meeting of the People of God, met together with a priest presiding, to celebrate the Memorial of the Lord. For this reason the promise of Christ is particularly true of a local congregation of the Church: 'Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst' (Mt. 18:20)." [The italicized words were omitted in the original International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) translation, making the English version worse that the Latin original—Ed.]The Protestant influence is very evident. In fact, six Protestant ministers took an active part in the drawing up of this new rite of Mass [see Pope Paul's New Mass for details].

In order to understand the absurdity of this definition, we may take an example from the world of music. What would a sane person say to the following definition: “A symphony is the assembly of music lovers under the presidency of a conductor for the memorial of its composer and its first performance?” No!—A symphony is not the assembly of music lovers, but a piece of music composed so that people could experience its performance again and again.

In the same way, the Mass is not an assembly, but the unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, where Our Lord as the Eternal High Priest works through human priests, and the faithful assemble in order to participate in the Sacred Action and to draw from It graces and blessings. But even if no one gathered, even if the priest celebrated totally alone, the Holy Mass is still, according to its whole content, the Sacrifice of the God-Man.

Moreover the priest is not simply a president as a Protestant minister is at the celebration of a communion service. Rather he lends his tongue and his hands to Jesus Christ: Christ Himself offers through him. For this reason he says the words of Consecration: “For this is My Body.... For this is the chalice of My Blood...” although, in this case, it is a question of the Body and Blood of Christ. The priest represents a mediator between God and men only insofar as he represents Christ. Pope Pius XII teaches this in Mediator Dei. The sacramental similarity to the High Priest comes before any representation of the people.

The Holy Mass is also not a simple celebration of the Memorial of the Lord, but the making present of the Sacrifice of the Cross in an unbloody manner. It is, therefore, a true offering of sacrifice. It is both the Sacrifice of Christ and the Sacrifice of the Church. The 37 signs of the cross in the traditional rite—from the Offertory to the Communion of the Priest inclusively express clearly the actual content of the rite. In the new rite there remains only one sign of the cross. When Eucharistic Prayer I is used, however, there are two!

Before the third prayer of the Canon in the traditional rite—the Communicantes—the heading Infra Actionem (“Within the Action”) is printed in the traditional altar missal. In the new rite, this heading is changed to Narratio Institutionis et Consecratio, that is, “The Narrative and Consecration.” The Sacred Action of bread being made Our Lord’s Body is clearly not the same thing as reciting a narrative of the Last Supper!

Moreover the difference in the ordering of the words of Consecration in the traditional rite in comparison with the new is important. In the former, the words introducing the Consecration are, “Who the day before He suffered...” written in the normal typestyle at the end of which is a period. Then, standing out in larger type are the words of Consecration themselves: “Hoc est enim Corpus meum—For this is My Body.” Thus it is made clear that only these words can effect the Consecration.

In the Novus Ordo Missae, the words, “Accipite, et manducate ex hoc omnes—Take and eat ye all of this” are added to the actual words of Consecration and the break after the introductory words precedes it. Consequently, according to the order and typestyle size of the Novus Ordo, the words, “Take and eat ye all of this” are part of the words of Consecration themselves. The same is true for the Consecration of the wine, where the words, “Accipite, et bibite ex eo omnes—Take and drink ye all of this” are similarly added to the words of Consecration.

Without doubt, the creators of the new rite wanted to bring to the fore the ideas of eating and drinking by emphasizing the idea of a meal. More evidence of this emphasis is that in the traditional rite, the Host lies both before and after being consecrated on the corporal, consequently, on the altar stone. In the new rite, the Host remains on the paten—the plate—subtly reducing the idea of sacrifice in favor of that of a meal. Yet the Council of Trent determined the following in rejection of Protestant error:If anyone says that in the Mass a true and real sacrifice is not offered to God, or that the act of offering is nothing else than Christ being given to us to eat, let him be anathema" (Session XXII, can. 1).By contrast in the traditional rite, the two-fold Consecration and the ordering of the words of Consecration clearly express the Sacrifice. In addition the words, “mysterium fidei—the mystery of faith” have been excised from the form of the Consecration in the new rite and instead placed after it.

In this regard, a further observation must be made concerning the vernacular translations of the new rite. In these translations, the phrase “pro vobis et pro multis—for you and for many” in the words of consecration for the chalice are almost always rendered “for you and for all.” On this point, the Roman Catechism, published on the orders of the Council of Trent, states that it should read “for many” and why:The additional words “for you and for many” are taken some from Matthew, some from Luke, but were found together by the Catholic Church under the guidance of the Spirit of God. They serve to declare the fruit and advantage of His Passion. For if we look to its value, we must confess that the Redeemer shed His Blood for the salvation of all; but if we look to the fruit which mankind have received from it, we shall easily find that it pertains not unto all, but to many of the human race. When therefore [Our Lord] said: “for you,” He meant either those who were present or those chosen from among the Jewish People, such as were, with the exception of Judas, the disciple with whom He was speaking. When He added, “and for many,” He wished to be understood to mean the remainder of the elect from among the Jews or Gentiles. The words “for all” constitute a serious falsification of the words of Consecration unjustified linguistically by Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, nor do they correspond to Catholic doctrine. The new rite of Mass does not actually prescribe the replacement of the altar with a table, but in actual fact such an exchange has taken place just about everywhere. The innovators have acted quite logically on this point: a sacrifice is offered on an altar, a memorial meal is consumed with the guests at a table. According to Catholic practice an altar is consecrated by a bishop for the proper purpose of sacrifice and five signs of the cross are carved into it as an image of the five wounds of Christ. These five signs of the cross are anointed with chrism—the symbol and bearer of the Holy Ghost—and on them a plentiful amount of incense is burned in order to make it understood that this place is sacred and prayer and sacrifice should rise up to God from it. At the center of the altar stone, in the sepulchrum, the relics of saints, generally of martyrs, are placed. Pope Pius XII categorically rejects erroneous tendencies regarding altars: '...[O]ne would be straying from the straight path were he to wish the altar restored to its primitive table-form” (§62), and he further condemns the changing of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass into a meal: They, therefore, err from the path of truth, who do not want to have Masses celebrated unless the faithful communicate; and those are still more in error who, in holding that it is altogether necessary for the faithful to receive Holy Communion as well as the priest, put forward the captious argument that here there is a question not of a sacrifice merely, but of a sacrifice and a supper of brotherly union, and consider the general communion of all present as the culminating point of the whole celebration. Now it cannot be over-emphasized that the Eucharistic sacrifice of its very nature is the unbloody immolation of the divine Victim, which is made manifest in a mystical manner by the separation of the sacred species and by their oblation to the eternal Father. Holy Communion pertains to the integrity of the Mass and to the partaking of the august sacrament; but while it is obligatory for the priest who says the Mass, it is only something earnestly recommended to the faithful.'" (Mediator Dei, §§114-15)