This book will take the Second Vatican Council’s description of the Holy Mass and will divide it into three sections. They are:

1) Sacrificial Component
2) Redemptive Component
3) Our Participation

The purpose for writing this book is not only to enrich the spirituality of all the faithful attending the Holy Mass but to challenge those who justify not coming to Mass by addressing their conclusion that they do not receive anything from going to the Holy Mass as well. Before we begin this discussion, I desire to leave a thought to reflect on for a few moments.

The Holy Mass can be viewed as attending a funeral. Most of the time, everyone is quiet and console the family for the lost of their loved one. As we enter the Church building, we are stepping back in time and approaching Calvary to witness the death of our Lord. At the foot of the cross, we see our Blessed Mother weeping. As a result, we approach our Blessed Mother to console her. However, as we look up towards our Lord crucified to the cross, something happens within us. The following chapters we are about to engage in reading will not only explain what is happening within us but what is happening during and what we receive from our attendance to the Holy Mass as well.


CHAPTER ONE:

According to CCC #2099, a biblical definition of a sacrifice is “a ritual offering made to God by a priest on behalf of the people as a sign of adoration, gratitude, supplication, and communion.” This ritual offering (sacrifice) is required of the Israelites in order to ratify the covenant God has established. In order to understand the process of this ratification of God’s Covenant with the Israelites, we will look in the Old Testament of the Bible focusing on The Book of Exodus as our foundational text.

In the Exodus Account, we saw that part of the peace offering of the covenant ritual demanded the sacrificing of young bulls. However, in the Gospel Account for the peace offering, the sacrifice is not the blood of animals but Jesus Himself because Jesus, “surrendered Himself to death and was counted among the wicked; and he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses” as the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed. Therefore, Jesus fulfilled or completed this part of the ritual in offering Himself as the sacrifice. What can we say about the oath Jesus solemnly promises?