The Celebrant pours wine into the chalice and adds to it some drops of water whilst saying: “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we partake in the Divine nature of Jesus Christ, as He partook in our human nature.” At first, in olden times, water was probably added to wine to make it somewhat lighter…they had very strong wine in the days of Jesus…it must have been genuine wine. We have to believe that Jesus Himself must have drunk wine mixed with water. But the Church has applied a symbolic value to this mixture, the union of man with Christ. While St.Ambrose, offered another explanation. When Christ was dying on the Cross, from His side came out some blood and water.
Now, once water and wine are mixed, they can’t be separated again…the same we say about the Church and Christ. (A symbol of the Catholic Marriage…once united, no man can separate, put asunder). For this reason it is a heresy, besides being stupid, to say that I’m OK with Jesus, but I don’t care about the Church…or the other way round, ‘I go to church but couldn’t care less what Jesus says.’ I do not know if this is a laughing or crying matter.
The Washing of the finger of the Celebrant is a symbolic rite. It signifies the wish of the priest to be clean and chaste, spiritual cleansing, before offering the sacrifice, whilst saying: “Accept us, Lord God, humble and repentant before you, may this sacrifice, we are offering, be acceptable to you. NOTE that the celebrant is speaking in the Plural…for we are ALL going to offer the Sacrifice.
When incense is burned it makes such a pleasant, sweet odour, smell…and that is a symbol of the Christian life, which should be as sweet as incense offered to God. The Celebrant incenses the Offerings, the altar and the congregation. What is the meaning of this rite? This means that the priest together with the congregation …by sacrificing their life…. will be offering it as a sacrifice pleasing to God. Therefore the use of incense means our union with Christ’s Sacrifice offered to God the Father on the altar. This is the reason why we should follow attentively the words of the Celebrant:”Pray, brethren, so that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.” The congregation answers: “May the Lord accept from your hands this Sacrifice, for the praise and glory of His name, for our own needs and that of His Holy Church.”
Then follows the Eucharistic Prayer which gives glory to God the Father for His work of Redemption. We are now in the very heart of this Celebration. There are various Eucharistic Prayers used throughout the year but, they all include a Thanksgiving, the Acclamation of “Holy, Holy, Holy, the Epiclesis…prayer to the Holy Spirit to bless the Offerings, the narration of the Institution of the Eucharist, the Anamnesi, remembrance of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, the Offering proper of Christ Himself together with the offering of ourselves, the Prayers of Intercession for the dead and living,, the Dossology…’with Christ … Whoever participates fully in the Sacrifice of the Mass will be partaking of its infinite merits. /10
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