At the Last Supper Christ instituted the paschal sacrifice and banquet by which the sacrifice of the cross is continuously made present in the Church whenever the priest, representing Christ the Lord, carries out what the Lord Himself did and handed over to his disciples to be done in His memory. (GIRM 72)
Therefore the procession and the Mass remind us that the Holy Sacrifice is much more than an event that simply happened at a point in history 2000 years ago. Rather, at each Mass the same sacrifice of the Cross is "made present" although in an unbloodied manner. What a tremendous and awe inspiring event! Furthermore, we have the opportunity to participate in it as often as we wish! The role of the priest in this sacrifice is pivotal. Although Christ is present in the entire gathered assembly, there can be no Eucharistic sacrifice without the priest.
As the priest ascends the altar he, like Christ, mounts the wood of the cross. This is exactly why the priesthood cannot be viewed as simply a "functional" role. As we close out this year for the priest, we should continue to keep in mind the grandeur of the priesthood. We cannot think of the Mass as simply something the priest "does," or as a function he performs. This is a misunderstanding of the divine mysteries present in the sacrament. We cannot begin to comprehend the grandeur of the priestly calling.
I have printed on one of my ordination cards a quote from Thomas A Kempis: "Great is this mystery, and great the dignity of priests, to whom that is given which is not granted to angels." Ex opere operato means that the grace of the sacrament is conferred regardless of the sanctity of the priest. In other words, the primacy of the action is the person of Christ, not in His ministers. However, the integrity and sanctity of the priest are nevertheless very important. Although the sacrament will be conferred regardless, we must always remember to look carefully at the role of the person of the priest in whom Christ is acting.
Many of us have experienced the great good that one priest can do. We have only to look to the Cure of Ars whom our Holy Father has held up this year as the patron of all priests. On the other hand, many of us have witnessed what great harm a priest can do when his actions are scandalous. Pope Benedict XVI once said "It is more important to have good priests than to have many priests."
Although the "year for priests" is coming to a close, we must always pray for the sanctity of our priests. We must pray for our own sanctity as well. I encourage you to take the opportunity of celebrating Corpus Christi with the intention of conforming our lives more closely to Christ and His saints.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Jeffery Fasching
