Article I: On the Notion of the Sacrifice of the Mass

1586. DEFINITION. Sacrifice, taken in the broad sense, is every action which redounds to the glory of God, as prayer, almsgiving, etc., according to that Ps. 6: "Offer to God the sacrifice of praise"; and Ps. 50: "A sacrifice to God is a troubled spirit." But strictly it is defined: An oblation made to God through the alteration of some thing as a sign of supreme dominion, from legitimate institution. Thus commonly with Suarez, etc.²

"It is said 1. Oblation for the genus, in which it agrees with other oblations. 2. Made to God, because sacrifice is offered to God alone, not to the Saints. 3. Through the alteration of some thing; for alteration distinguishes sacrifice from other oblations. 4. As a sign of supreme dominion; for by such a sign we signify that we and ours can be destroyed by God as by the supreme lord, just as the thing offered is altered. 5. From legitimate institution; but this institution requires three things: that the sacrifice be made by public authority, that it be made in the name of the whole people, and that it be made by a priest as legitimate minister."³

DIVISION. "On the part of the end, sacrifice is distinguished into latreutic, which is offered merely in homage to God; eucharistic, in thanksgiving; propitiatory or expiatory, unto remission of fault or punishment; impetratory, for obtaining goods from God."⁴

1587. Principles. I. The Mass is a true and properly so-called SACRIFICE, by which the BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST is offered to the divine Majesty, under the species of bread and wine. - This is clear 1. from Trent, which, sess. 22, can. 1, defined thus: "If anyone has said that in the Mass there is not offered to God a true and proper Sacrifice, or that to be offered is nothing other than Christ being given to us to eat, let him be anathema." - It is clear 2. from reason; for all the conditions of a true sacrifice are verified; for the Mass is: 1. an oblation made to God, since Christ Himself is offered to God the Father; 2. this oblation is made through the alteration of some thing; for through consecration and through consumption, as will be said below n. 1589, q. 1, 4th opinion, Christ is mystically slain, and thus there is had the alteration required for sacrifice;⁵ 3. it is made besides as a sign of supreme dominion; for the Sacrifice of the altar is principally ordained to this end; 4. it is made from legitimate institution; for it was instituted by Christ with respect to that which pertains to the essence of the Sacrifice.⁶

"But the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, instituted in the law of grace, by which all ancient sacrifices ceased, perfectly contains the meanings of all of them: for it is latreutic in recognition of divine excellence; it is eucharistic in thanksgiving; it is impetratory of graces through the merits of Christ; it is expiatory of sins, because through it God is moved to mercy."⁷ See a fuller proof and exposition of this doctrine among the Dogmaticians.

1588. II. The unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass is THE SAME IN SPECIES as the bloody Sacrifice OF THE CROSS, both because the same victim is offered by the same highest and eternal Priest, and "because the formal reason of sacrifice is the same, since it is offered in protestation of the supreme dominion which God has over life and death. Therefore the Sacrifice of the altar, as Trent says, does not indeed differ essentially from the Sacrifice of the cross, but only accidentally, with respect to the manner of offering, namely because: 1. In that of the cross real death intervened; in this mystical death intervenes. 2. That was offered by the Redeemer Himself on the altar of the cross; this is offered by the ministry of priests. 3. That was meritorious, because there the price of our redemption was paid; but this is not meritorious, since here only the merits of Christ are applied."⁸

1589. Questions. Q. 1. In what does the ESSENCE of the Sacrifice of the Mass consist?

Resp. Several opinions are present. The FIRST says that it consists in consumption alone, because in that alone is found destruction or alteration of the victim. The SECOND says that it consists in the oblation which follows the consecration, with these words: "Whence also mindful," etc., since sacrifice is nothing other than oblation. These two opinions do not seem probable. - The THIRD teaches that it consists in consecration alone, because in consecration all things required for sacrifice are present, namely the oblation, which is already made in exercised act, and the destruction or alteration of the victim, while by force of the words the Body is now separated from the Blood of Christ. But the consumption pertains to the integrity of the sacrifice, and therefore is prescribed by divine law. "This opinion," says St. Alphonsus, "is indeed very probable and more common, but the FOURTH opinion seems to me more probable, although in Tome I I adhered to the third, which Bellarmine, Tournely, etc., hold. This opinion says that the essence of the Sacrifice consists partially in consecration and partially in consumption; for in the consecration the victim is placed, and in the consumption it is consumed." The principal reason is "because true and real sacrifice requires the true and real destruction of the thing offered, which is not had except through the consumption of the priest, by which the sacramental existence of Christ is destroyed."⁹

Q. 2. Whether for the essence of the Sacrifice the consecration OF EACH species is required?

Resp. It is controverted. - The first opinion denies, because through the consecration of one species whole Christ is placed and offered, and at the same time the death of Christ is already represented, and there is had the oblation and slaying of the victim. But the second opinion, more common and more probable, affirms; and the reason is that, from Trent, sess. 22, cap. 1, the Sacrifice of the Mass ought to be commemorative of the bloody Sacrifice of the cross, according to that saying of Christ the Lord: "Do this in commemoration of me." Now, if only one species were consecrated, although by force of the words the bloodless body would be placed, or although by consumption the slaying would be had, nevertheless the shedding of blood would not be expressed, which happens only through the consecration of each species, through which the separation of blood from body is properly signified, according to the saying of St. Cyril: "By the sword of the words the blood is separated from the body." - By this very reason, each species ought to coexist at the same time upon the altar: wherefore, from the Rubric, if each cannot be had, the Mass is to be interrupted, unless one species has now been consecrated.¹⁰

Q. 3. Who is the OFFERER of the Sacrifice of the Mass?

Resp. 1. The principal and primary minister is Christ, since, as Trent teaches in the cited place, cap. 2, it is the same one offering through the ministry of priests who offered Himself on the cross; nor otherwise could Christ be called a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedech.

2. The secondary minister and one subject to Christ, who nevertheless truly and properly offers, is every and only validly ordained priest, although a heretic, excommunicated, degraded, etc.¹¹

3. But the Church and the faithful concur in the Sacrifice either generally or specially; whence they can be said morally to offer it.

And indeed the Church offers generally through priests, as her delegates; whence in the Canon it is said: "This therefore the oblation of our service, and also of Thy whole family," that is, of the Christian people. - But the faithful concur specially in the Sacrifice when they promote it in a special manner, for example by ministering, or assisting, and most of all by giving a stipend.¹²