Untitled - Saints' Books

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INSTR. i.] The Celebration of Mass. 2 1 7
that the sacrifice of the altar is called the Mass: "On
this account it is called Mass, because the priest sends
his prayers to God through the angel, and the people
send them through the priest."
In the Old Law the
priest was permitted to enter the holy of holies only
once in the year; but now every priest is allowed to
immolate every day the Lamb of God, in order to obtain
the divine graces for himself and the entire people,
says St. Laurence Justinian. 2 Hence, according to St.
Bonaventure, in going to celebrate, a priest should pro
pose to himself three ends: to honor God, to com
memorate the Passion of Jesus Christ, and to obtain
3
graces for the whole Church.
III.
The Reverence and the Devotion with which the Priest should
Celebrate Mass.
Secondly, it is necessary to celebrate Mass with rev
erence and devotion. It is well known that the mani
ple was introduced for the purpose of wiping away the
tears of devotion that flowed from the eyes of the priest;
for in former times priests wept continually during the
celebration of Mass. It has been already said that a
priest on the altar represents the very person of Jesus
Christ, says St. Cyprian. 4 There he says in the person
of Jesus Christ, hoc est corpus mcum: hie est calix sanguinis
Propter hoc Missa nominatur, quia per Angelum Sacerdos preees
ad Deum mittit, sicut populus ad Sacerdotem." P. 3, q. 83, a. 4.
Ipsis profecto Sacerdotibus licet, non tantum semel in anno, ut
olim, sed diebus singulis introire Sancta Sanctorum, et tarn pro ipsis
quam pro populi reconciliatione, offerre Hostiam." De Inst. prcel. c.
10.
3 "
Tria sunt, quae celebraturus intenderedebet, scilicet:
Deum colere,
Christi mortem memorari, et totam Ecclesiam juvare." De Pra>p.
ad
M. c. 9.
4
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Sacerdos vice Christi vcre fungitur."
Epist. ad Gzcil.