Summary
Highlights
The Mass is an encounter with Jesus in His house. After the readings, we offer our gifts during the Offertory. This is the moment the priest offers bread and wine to God the Father, which will soon become Jesus' body and blood for our nourishment. This offering takes place on the altar, symbolizing a large table. During this time, we are not distracted but attentive, presenting our heart as our gift to God. We can silently tell Jesus, "I offer You all that I am, all that I have, all that is mine is Yours." Jesus is pleased and joyful, knowing He will soon enter the bread and our hearts.
After the Offertory, we stand to celebrate that God is holy, holy, holy. This triple declaration signifies that God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all holy. "Holy" means good, pure, innocent, and that God is only love.
The most important moment of the Mass is the Consecration. It's a profound moment where we kneel. We don't kneel before a piece of bread, but before God. Jesus Christ is God, and He declared Himself to be the living bread descended from heaven.
Saint John, one of the four evangelists, recounts in Chapter 6 that people asked Jesus, "Who are You?" Jesus replied, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. The bread that I will give is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day." This refers to Jesus taking us to heaven when we die. He continues, "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him."
During the Consecration, the priest takes a piece of bread and repeats Jesus' words: "Take, eat, all of you, for this is My Body." This refers not to the priest's body, but to Jesus' body. Then he takes wine and says, "Take, drink, all of you, for this is My Blood." This is why the Mass is so important, and why we kneel before the consecrated bread. Communion is equally important because through it, Jesus lives within us, and we live with Jesus.
In the next catechesis, we will explore the end of the Mass, specifically the moment of Communion. The speaker encourages prayer for himself and all catechists to prepare well for First Communion, believing that everyone is already very well prepared.