The Mass is the ʻsource and summitʻ of the Catholic Faith. In fact, as St. Pio says, ALL that exists in the world and in the universe is held together by the Mass.
"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass." (St. Pio)
From time immemorial Catholics have understood the adage "Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi " which in Latin literally means the law of prayer (how we
worship) is the law of belief (is what we believe). It is
essential for us to remember that Mass is the foundation of Catholic identity and that it expresses our highest purpose which is the love and worship of God. There really ought be NO doubt that there is a reciprocity between Worship and Life and so our ʻLex Orandiʻ ought to ought refelect what we truly believe and
how we view ourselves in relationship to God, the world and one another.
But what is the Mass? Is it just a communal assembly gathering on Sundays where we hold hands and enjoy one anotherʻs company? or is it something more? Surely, if its something more, we ought to understand what it is and internalize it so that we can properly fulfill our ʻhighest purposeʻ and allow the way we worship to reflect what we believe as Catholics.
In the first canon of the 22nd session of Trent we see the Church affirm that the ʻThe Mass is a true and proper sacrifice which is offered to God.ʻ In this audio Mp3 (Recorded at our weekly study group) and accompanying PDF we take a look at the Mass as a sacrifice. By using the Magisterial documents of the Church as well as Holy Scripture we challenge ourselves to come to a deeper appreciation of the immensity of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and, in turn, be more receptive to receiving greater faith in what we believe as Catholics.
image from the 'FSSP' via wikimedia commons. Tridentine mass—elevation, FSSP – Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri
