Christ is continually sacrificed?

Bob,

I'm afraid that you are the one mistaken. I checked with my parish priest this morning. He has been a priest for 60 years and he states that it is the power of the Holy Spirit working through the priest who are the instruments of Christ.

I think I would rely on the word of someone who has been doing the work of Lord for 60 years via the priesthood and is very knowledgable with regards to the Church's teaching rather than someone who "thinks" they know.

 

Matt,
I apologize but I'm not sure what you are asking.

 

I quoted from the one that our priest use most often.

I'll look for the other two and I'll post them as soon as I find them.

 

Preface

"In the Preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his works: creation, redemption, and sanctification" (CCC 1352). The Preface used depends on which Eucharistic prayer is used.

Preface Acclamation (Sanctus)

The Sanctus or Holy, Holy, Holy is one example of the Mass being connected with the heavenly liturgy. The book of Revalation is John's account of the heavenly liturgy. On the Lord's Day (Rev 1:10) St. John was caught up in the spirit to heaven to witness how heaven worships. The Sanctus is sung by the angels and saints in Rev 4:8. Every Mass we join in the heavenly celebration. For a more in depth discussion of this topic ask to borrow from me The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Dr. Scott Hahn. "The whole community thus joins in the unending praise that the Church in heaven, the angels and all the saints, sing to the thrice-holy God" (CCC 1352). Also see Isaiah 6:3.


Eucharistic Prayer

The Eucharistic Prayer, also called the Anaphora, is the the prayer of thanksgiving and consecration, the heart and summit of the celebration of the Mass (cf. CCC 1352). There are four normal versions and two reconciliation versions.

Epiclesis

"In the epiclesis, the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in the Eucharist may be one body and one spirit..." (CCC 1353).

Institution Narritive

"In the institution narrative, the power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species of bread and wine Christ's body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross once for all" (CCC 1353).

Memorial Acclamation

One of four memorial acclamations may be used:
A. Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. (cf. 1 Corithians 15:3-5) (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15)
B. Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. (1 Corinthians 16:22)
C. When we eat this bread, when we drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory. (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:26)
D. Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world. (Luke 4:42)

 

Eucharist Prayer I

Father, it is our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere
to give you thanks
through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
He is the Word
through whom you made the universe,
the Savior you sent to redeem us.
By the power of the Holy Spirit
he took flesh and was born
of the Virgin Mary.
For our sake he opened his arms on the cross;
he put an end to death
and revealed the resurrection.
In this he fulfilled your will
and won for you a holy people.
And so we join the angels and the saints
in proclaiming your glory as we say:


Preface Acclamation (Sanctus)
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Eucharistic Prayer I

We come to you Father,
with praise and thanksgiving,
through Jesus Christ your Son.
Through him we ask you to accept and bless
these gifts we offer you in sacrifice.
We offer them for your holy catholic Church,
watch over it, Lord, and guide it;
grant it peace and unity throughout the world.
We offer them for N. our Pope,
for N. our Bishop,
and for all who hold and teach the catholic faith
that comes to us from the apostles.
Remember, Lord, your people,
especially those for whom we now pray,
N. and N.


Lord remember all of us gathered here before you.
You know how firmly we believe in you
and dedicate ourselves to you.
We offer you this sacrifice of praise
for ourselves and those who are dear to us.
We pray to you, our living and true God,
for our well-being and redemption.
In union with the whole Church
we honor Mary, the ever-virgin mother
of Jesus Christ our Lord and God.
We honor Joseph, her husband,
the apostles and martyrs,
Peter and Paul, Andrew, and all the saints.
May their merits and prayers
gain us your constant help and protection.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

 

Sorry,
Here is the complete Eucharist I form (I tried to edit my post, but the time had been too long)

Father, it is our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere
to give you thanks
through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
He is the Word
through whom you made the universe,
the Savior you sent to redeem us.
By the power of the Holy Spirit
he took flesh and was born
of the Virgin Mary.
For our sake he opened his arms on the cross;
he put an end to death
and revealed the resurrection.
In this he fulfilled your will
and won for you a holy people.
And so we join the angels and the saints
in proclaiming your glory as we say:


Preface Acclamation (Sanctus)
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.


[Kneel.]


Eucharistic Prayer I
We come to you Father,
with praise and thanksgiving,
through Jesus Christ your Son.
Through him we ask you to accept and bless
these gifts we offer you in sacrifice.
We offer them for your holy catholic Church,
watch over it, Lord, and guide it;
grant it peace and unity throughout the world.
We offer them for N. our Pope,
for N. our Bishop,
and for all who hold and teach the catholic faith
that comes to us from the apostles.
Remember, Lord, your people,
especially those for whom we now pray,
N. and N.


Lord remember all of us gathered here before you.
You know how firmly we believe in you
and dedicate ourselves to you.
We offer you this sacrifice of praise
for ourselves and those who are dear to us.
We pray to you, our living and true God,
for our well-being and redemption.
In union with the whole Church
we honor Mary, the ever-virgin mother
of Jesus Christ our Lord and God.
We honor Joseph, her husband,
the apostles and martyrs,
Peter and Paul, Andrew, and all the saints.
May their merits and prayers
gain us your constant help and protection.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.


Epiclesis
Father, accept this offering
from your whole family:
Grant us your peace in this life,
save us from final damnation,
and count us among those you have chosen.
Bless and approve our offering;
make it acceptable to you,
an offering in spirit and in truth.
Let it become for us
the body and blood of Jesus Christ,
your only Son, our Lord.


Institution Narrative
The day before he suffered
he took bread in his sacred hands
and looking up to heaven,
to you, his almighty Father,
he gave you thanks and praise.
He broke the bread,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
Take this, all of you, and eat it:
this is my body which will be given up for you.


When supper was ended, he took the cup.
Again he gave you thanks and praise,
gave the cup to his disciples, and said:
Take this, all of you, and drink from it:
this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.
It will be shed for you and for all
so that sins may be forgiven.
Do this in memory of me.


Memorial Acclamation
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free.
You are the Savior of the world.


Anamnesis
Father, we celebrate the memory
of Christ, your Son.
We, your people and your ministers,
recall his passion,
his resurrection from the dead,
and his ascension into glory;
and from the many gifts you have given us
we offer to you, God of glory and majesty,
this holy and perfect sacrifice:
the bread of life
and the cup of eternal salvation.
Look with favor on these offerings
and accept them as once you accepted
the gifts of your servant Abel,
the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith,
and the bread and wine offered
by your priest Melchisedech.
Almighty God,
we pray that your angel
may take this sacrifice
to your altar in heaven.
Then, as we receive from this altar
the sacred body and blood of your Son,
let us be filled with every grace and blessing.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.


Intercessions
Remember, Lord, those who have died
and have gone before us marked
with the sign of faith,
especially those for whom we now pray
N. and N.
May these, and all who sleep in Christ,
find in your presence light, happiness, and peace.


For ourselves, too, we ask
some share in the fellowship
of your apostles and martyrs,
with John the Baptist, Stephen,
Matthais, Barnabas, and all the saints.
Though we are sinners,
we trust in your mercy and love.
Do not consider what we truly deserve,
but grant us your forgiveness,
through Christ our Lord.
Through him you give us all these gifts.
You fill them with life and goodness,
you bless them and make them holy.


Doxology
Through him, with him, in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
almighty Father, for ever and ever.


Great Amen
Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

Bob,

Through all of your posts, the fact remains that none of them believe in and of themselves that they are the ones who confect God. They all believe that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit and not because of Joe Shomoe priest.

Yes, the mark of the Holy Spirit stays with the priest even if he is excommunicated. Man can not merely take away what has been given by the Holy Spirit.

I'm not the one who is confused with the clear and obvious points that they all state it is the power of the Holy Spirit and not the mere man.

 

Jesus offered his sacrifice "once for all." It's this "once for all" aspect of Christ's sacrifice, mentioned repeatedly in Hebrews, which supposedly refutes the sacrifice of the Mass.

The Mass has always been held to be a relative sacrifice--relative to the sacrifice of the Cross, not independent of it. The Council of Trent says the Mass is the means "whereby that bloody sacrifice once to be accomplished on the Cross might be represented, the memory thereof remain even to the end of the world, and its salutary effects applied to the remission of those sins which we daily commit" (Session 22, chapter 1).

Trent continues by saying, "And inasmuch as in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner the same Christ who once offered himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross, the holy council teaches that this is truly propitiatory....For the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests who then offered himself on the Cross, the manner alone of offering being different" (Session 22, chapter 2).

Frank Sheed summarizes Catholic teaching on the point in Theology and Sanity:

"There is no new slaying of Christ in the Mass....Yet that it is the Christ who was slain upon Calvary is shown sacramentally by the separate consecration of bread to become His body and wine to become His blood. The essence of the Mass is that Christ is making an offering to the Father of Himself, who was slain for us upon Calvary. The Mass is Calvary, as Christ now offers it to His Father."

Hebrews teaches the atoning death of Christ was effective for the remission of sins and hence needed to be offer only once. But this speaks of what theologians call the "objective redemption." It doesn't mean that, since Jesus died for everyone, everyone will get to heaven. (That's universalism.) The merits or the fruits of Christ's death need to be applied to the individual.

When Catholic theologians talk about the Mass being a propitiatory sacrifice for the remission of sins, they mean, among other things, that the objective redemption which Christ's sacrifice on the Cross merited is subjectively applied to the individual through the sacrifice of the Mass.

Christ's sacrifice objectively merited redemption on the Cross. The same sacrifice of Christ, now offered sacramentally, not physically, is applied to the individual in the Eucharist.

Far from substituting for the Cross or to make up for something that's lacking in Christ's sacrifice, the Mass is a means by which we receive the benefits of the Atonement.

Christ IS "always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). What is the basis of this intercession? The sacrifice of the Cross (Heb. 7:27; 9:12; 10:14), which is forever present before God in the heavenly tabernacle because he who was both offered as victim and who offered the sacrifice as priest "appears before God on our behalf" (Heb. 9:24).

Christ's perfect offering of himself present in heaven (Heb. 9:11-12) is brought to earth in an unbloody, sacramental manner in the Mass. As Frank Sheed puts it, "The Mass is the breaking through to earth of the offering of Himself that Christ makes continuously in heaven simply by His presence there."

In the Mass Christ offers himself to the Father on our behalf, and we, his people, join ourselves sacramentally to his offering. The Mass is a way of approaching God through Christ's sacrifice, which is made present sacramentally because Christ himself is present.

Nothing in this diminishes Calvary or implies we can approach God other than through the Cross. Rather than taking away from the Cross, the Mass emphasizes it.

 

Bob, I highly doubt that Bokenkotter states that the priest is a person with magical powers. I have ordered a copy of his book since you refer to it quite often. I am interested to see what he really says.

It appears that you are the only one who feels that Catholic priest have magical powers.

 

No, I have ordered the book for myself.

But up here you stated

making it appear that the RC historian agrees with your stance about the magical powers.