Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/681

 the words:  “Do  this  in  commemoration  of  Me”,  our  Lord  gave  to  the apostles and  their  successors,  the  bishops  and  priests  of  the  Church, the power  of  changing  bread  and  wine  into  His  Body  and  Blood,  and of distributing  them  to  the  faithful; so  that,  to  this  day,  in  the  holy Mass, bishops  and  priests  change  the  bread  and  wine  into  the  Body and Blood  of  Jesus  when,  speaking  in  His  name,  they  pronounce  the words: “This  is  My  Body;  this  is  My  Blood.”  The  Sacrament,  in which  the  Body  and  Blood  of  our  Lord  are  thus  present  and  received, is called  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament,  because  it  is  more  holy  than  the other Sacraments;  Jesus  Himself,  and  not  only  His  grace,  being  therein received.

The holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  Our  Lord  did  not  give  His  Sacred Body and  Blood,  under  the  form  of  bread  and  wine,  only  to  be  received by His  apostles;  He  offered  them,  first,  as  a sacrifice  to  His  heavenly Father. That the  most  holy  Sacrament  is  a Sacrifice  is  shown  by  the separation of  the  Blood  from  the  Body,  as  also  by  the  words  of institution:  “This  is  My  Body,  which  is  given  for  you", which  is  offered up  for  your  salvation .  Our  Lord  therefore  instituted  the  Most  Holy Sacrament  to  be  a Sacrifice,  and  commanded  the  apostles  and  their successors  to  continue  to  offer  this  unbloody  Sacrifice,  which  we  call the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  Our  Lord  offered  up  the  first  Mass at  the  Last  Supper,  and  in  it  we  can  distinguish  the  three  principal parts  of  the  Mass.  First,  “He  took  bread,  gave  thanks,  and  blessed it”:  that  was  the  Offertory.  Then  He  said:  “This  is  My  Body — This is  My  Blood”,  and  by  these  almighty  words  changed  the  bread  into His  Sacred  Body,  and  the  wine  into  His  Precious  Blood: that  was  the Consecration.  Finally,  the  apostles  ate  His  Body  and  drank  His  Blood: that was  the  Communion.

Institution of  the  Priesthood.  To  offer  sacrifice  is  the  office  of  a priest,  as  you  have  already  learnt  in  the  Old  Testament. When our  Lord Jesus Christ,  by  His  words:  “Do  this  in  remembrance  of  Me”,  gave  to His  apostles  the  power  to  change  the  bread  and  wine,  and  to  offer up the  spotless  Sacrifice  of  the  New  Testament,  He  instituted  the priesthood of  the  New  Covenant.

Institution of  the  New  Covenant.  Moses  confirmed  and  consecrated the Old  Covenant  by  the  blood  of  victims. Our Lord  refers  to  this