Vision of the Mass
June 13, 1929 Sr Lucia of Fatima was given a vision of the Mass that evokes in me a Eucharistic Amazement.
In her memoires she writes: Suddenly the whole chapel was illumined by a supernatural light, and above the altar appeared a cross of light, reaching to the ceiling. In a brighter light on the upper part of the cross, could be seen the face of a man and his body as far as the waist (God the Father), upon his breast was a dove also of light (the Holy Spirit) and nailed to the cross was the body of another man (Jesus). A little below the waist, I could see a chalice and a large host suspended in the air, on to which drops of blood were falling from the face of Jesus Crucified and from the wound in His side. These drops ran down on to the host and fell into the chalice. Beneath the right arm of the cross was Our Lady of Fatima, with her Immaculate Heart in her left hand…with a crown of thorns and flames. Under the left arm of the cross, large letters, as if of crystal-clear water which ran down upon the altar, formed these words: "Grace and Mercy."
The vision given to Sr. Lucia depicts the reality of each Mass in which God the Father sends the Holy Spirit to make the saving event of Jesus death and Resurrection present that we may continuously share in His victory.
By His Suffering, Death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ conquered the devil, sin and death.
In the Mass the Holy Spirit makes that historical event, the suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ present, so that His victory over Satan, sin and death can be Re-applied to us. Wait a minute, I thought we were saved through the death and Resurrection of Jesus? Its already done? Yes, we were. But life is messy.
It’s the law of entropy – everything gradually declines into disorder. Because we are constantly self-destructing and messing things up, we are in constant need of being saved. That is why Jesus makes His saving event, His suffering death and Resurrection present in every Mass. Because we need the saving work of the Redeemer constantly Re-applied to us! And we can receive it simply by going to Mass.
In the Eucharist we receive God; the only One who can satisfy all our desires
In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained. CCC 1374
Receiving the Eucharist increases our union with God. Jesus said: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.” John 6
The Eucharist nourishes our Soul. “Growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of the Eucharist. The bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death.”
The Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins.
As St Ambrose said: If as often as his blood is poured out it is poured out for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.
Every time you go to Mass, at that moment when the bread and wine are being placed on the Altar – I want you to remember this:
The Suffering Death and Resurrection of Jesus is made present right there. By His sacrifice Jesus offered Himself to the Father. And Jesus makes his sacrifice present so that we can join ours to His, so that we can offer ourselves to the Father through Him.
The Altar represents the Cross - It is here that His sacrifice is made present. Before the Consecration - the bread and wine represent us. When the gifts are placed on the altar, it is as if we are mounting the Cross with Christ, to offer ourselves to the Father through Him, through his sacrifice on Calvary which is made present in the Mass.
When the bread and wine are placed on the altar our attitude ought to be one of
· Father I give myself entirely to you:
· My prayer, work, joy and suffering,
· I unite it to the sacrifice of your Son made present here.
· I offer My Good and my Bad
· I offer my all to be transformed
Now your sacrifice is joined to Jesus and it takes on a new value – Infinite Value. The Greatest Good you can do for your family, friends and enemies is to Go to Mass and offer it for them
The Eucharist is the greatest way to thank and praise God
The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is the infinite and perfect act of Thanksgiving and Praise of God the Father. Jesus makes this act of thanksgiving present in the Mass so that we can unite ours to His. For this reason, there is no greater way to give thanks to God than by going to Mass.
The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all "thanksgiving." CCC 1360
