Full text of "The Mass, its doctrine, its history : the story of the Mass in pen and picture"

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THE MASS

ITS DOCTRINE, ITS HISTORY

The Story of the Mass in Pen and Picture

By ABBOT CABROL, O.S.B.

FRA ANGELICO : THE LAST SUPPER. In the
Museum of San Marco, Firenze. (Photo
Brunner et C O

TOURS

A. MAME & SONS

Publishers to the Holy Apostolic See

Printers to the Sacred Congregation of Rite

OGT 3 1 1940

Printed in France.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 5

I. THE ORIGIN OF THE MASS 9

II. THE MASS AMONGST CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES. 14

I. The Early Church 14

II. From the Fourth Century onwards: Liturgical Varia
tions 19

III. THE EXPLANATION OF THE ROMAN MASS 22

I. The Mass of the Catechumens 24

II. The Mass of the Faithful 27

IV. THE MASS COMPARED WITH OTHER RITES 35

I. Comparison with non-Christian Rites 35

II. Comparison with other Christian Rites 37

III. Efficacy 40

V. THEOLOGY OF THE MASS : Its Place in Theology ; In the

Liturgy ; In the Mystical Life 13

VI. THE MASS IN ART : Architecture; Painting; Music 47

VII. LITERATURE OF THE MASS 54

VIII. CONCLUSION 58

APPENDIX AND NOTES 61

I. The Bread, Wine and Water of the Mass 61

II. The Gestures used in the Mass; Sacred Vestments;

Liturgical Colours 63

III. Stipends for Masses 68

VAN THULDEN. THE ADORATION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST.

LEONARDO DA VINCI : THE LAST SUPPER. - One of the finest pictures of this scene. Rarely has
his genius served the artist better than when he composed this painting, so rich, and at the
same lime so simple; and of which the wonderful face of Our Lord is the centre. (Phot. Ets.
Levy et Neurdein.)

INTRODUCTION

Of all the Christian Rites not
one is more universally known or
more important than that of the
Mass. The only proof of this
which we will give here is that
all heresies, all the Protestant
sects which have eliminated the
greater number of the other rites
have, under one form or another,
kept this one. The only exception
of which I know is that of the
Quakers, who have rejected this
as well as all the other Catholic
Ceremonies.

The complete history of the Mass
has not yet been written, but it
would be a truly marvellous history.
It would show how the Mass, myst
eriously celebrated in the vaults
of the catacombs, on the tombs
of the martyrs, became in the fifth
and sixth centuries, in that same
Rome which for 300 years had

persecuted Christianity, a pub
lic solemnity where the Pope,
surrounded by numbers of his
clergy and followed by crowds of
the faithful, went in procession
to the church of the " Station "
to offer the Holy Sacrifice as Su
preme Pontiff.

The synaxis, or liturgical as
sembly described in the Acts of
the Apostles and by the writers
of the first centuries, had become
everywhere in the churches of
Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria,
Edessa, Constantinople, Milan,
and Rome ; in Gaul, in Spain, and
throughout the whole Catholic
world - - a solemn ceremony, sur
rounded with symbolic rites ; the
centre of Catholic worship. It is
the same Mass, with new develop
ments, which, from the ninth to the
fifteenth century was to flower in

THE MASS

the choirs of our
Roman and Goth
ic cathedrals, as
well as in the
sanctuaries of the
Greek and Orien
tal churches ; it
is the Mass at
which our con
temporaries may
assist to-day in
their own parish
churches, in the
humblest village
or beneath the
tent of the mis
sionary priest.

It would tell of
such tragic days
as those in Eng
land in the reign
of Elizabeth and
her successors,
when the priest
in hiding who cel
ebrated Mass in some secret place
was accused of the crime of trea
son, and risked being drawn,
hanged and quartered at Tyburn
Tree. And how a little later, dur
ing the French Revolution, for the
same crime of saying Mass priests
were tracked from farm to farm,
and condemned to the scaffold, or
to an imprisonment worse than
death.

Lastly it would recall, in a chap
ter by no means the least impor
tant of this history, the magnifi
cent masterpieces which the Last
Supper, the journey to Emmaus,
the wedding at Cana, the sacri
fice of Abraham, the multiplica
tion of the loaves, and all the pages
of the Old and New Testaments
relating to the Mass or the Eucha
rist have inspired in artists, paint-

GRANET : LEAVING THE SACRISTY. Preceded
by acolytes bearing lighted c ndles, t nd by
his assistants, the celebrant passes down the
long cloister on his way to the church. (Photo
Bloud and Gay.)

Apostles ; the

ers, sculptors, ar
chitects, musi
cians, illumina
tors of missals and
breviaries. Sim
ply from the phil
osophic and his
toric standpoint
it would interest
every enquiring
mind.

The Mass, as a
rite, is the most
august in the
Catholic religion,
for none has found
a more sublime
symbol to realise
the union of the
faithful with their
God. It is the
act which recalls
and renews the
Last Supper of
Christ with His
bread and wine
changed into His Body and Blood
become the food of His disciples.
It is Jesus Christ Himself, Whose
Body is to be crucified, Whose
Blood is to be shed to redeem the
sin of mankind. What earthly
poem can be compared with this
Divine story?

Theologians and Catholic litur-
giologists are by no means the last
to exalt the value and supreme
importance of the Mass. It is
indeed their mission to show that
it is the centre of Christian wor
ship ; to point out the eminent
place it holds in the economy of
Christian dogma, of which it may
be called the synthesis. As to
mystical writers, they are never
weary of describing the effects
of this Sacrament of Life upon

PROLOGUE

the Christian soul. Lastly, what
gives the Mass a unique place in
the history of religions is, that
wherever it is celebrated it abol
ishes all sacrifices involving the
shedding of blood, and becomes
their substitute. In this way,
wherever He is sacrificed, the
Lamb without spot has stayed
the flow of that river of blood
which streamed from heathen al
tars, and even in the Jewish
Temple : blood of bulls, goats,
lambs, and sometimes that of hu
man victims.

Sacrifice is an essential element
of all the ancient religions : in a
general sense it might even be said,
of all religions. To some this may

MAURICE DENIS : THE EXECUTION OF NOEL
PINOT AT ANGERS. The martyr is led to the
scaffold vested in his sacerdotal ornaments.
According to tradition his last words were
those of the priest going up to the altar.
(Taken from the Histoire religieuse de la
Nation Francaise, by M. Georges Goyau).

ALTAR OF THE ENGLISH MARTYRS, SET
HENEATH A REPLICA OF TYBURN " TREE "
IN TYBURN CONVENT, HYDE PARK PLACE,
LONDON.

be a cause of scandal : others will
seek for an explanation of this
problem, which assuredly needs
one. Let us be content with stat
ing the fact, rejoicing that the
Host of Peace has freed all other
victims ; and that the human soul
finds in this Sacrament, which is
at the same time a Sacrifice, the
realisation of its deepest needs,
its highest ambitions.

For many, unfortunately, the
Mass is only a mysterious, compli
cated rite, of which they do not
grasp the meaning. Early in the
morning a man, clad in archaic
vestments, comes out of the sa
cristy holding a chalice in his
hands and followed by a server.
Together they pass to the altar
where two tapers are lit ; a dia
logue in Latin begins ; certain
prayers are recited in a low voice ;

THE MASS

certain ceremonies performed.
All this lasts about half-an-hour ;
after which the priest returns to
the sacristy. How many in the
town, just beginning to wake to
the stir of its daily affairs, realise
that in this obscure chapel a great
event-- certainly the greatest of
the day has just taken place ; and
that only a few steps away Jesus
of Nazareth, Christ Himself in
person, has again descended to
earth, and has renewed the mir
acle and the mysteries of His
life? And I speak not only of the
indifferent ; or even of enemies,
who see in the Mass nothing
but an act of idolatry, or at
best a sacrilegious comedy, I
speak also of Christians : of
those who on Sundays in our
great towns press in vast crowds
on the thresholds of our chur
ches : how many of them could
explain satisfactorily the rite at

the celebration of which they have
just assisted ?

During the Great War I was
present in Westminster Cathedral
at a Requiem Mass for fallen sol
diers, to which had been invited
all the King s Ministers, with Gen
erals and Ambassadors of all the
Allied Powers. Many of them
were evidently attempting to
understand this ceremony, quite
new to them. Another priest
said to me : " Why do they not
give them a little book of the
words a sort of programme two
or three pages long, which would
allow them to follow the Mass? "

To such as these ; to all who do
not know, to those who wish to
know, this little book may perhaps
be of some help ; for it aims in a
modest way at explaining in a few
pages what the Mass really is; at
describing its origin, and its com
ponent parts.

MASS IN THE DESERT. Beneath a tent and
upon a haphazard altar Father Charles de
Foucauld celebrates Holy Mass. (Photo
Harlingue.)

THE I.AST SUPPER. A PAINTING BY FRA ANGELICO. In the Museum of San Marco, Fire.nze.

THE ORIGIN OF THE MASS

The word Mass is to-day the most
popular name for that august act
which has yet other titles. It is
derived from the Latin word Missa,
the equivalent of Missio, which,
in the language of the fifth to the
ninth centuries means " dismis
sal. " At the end of the ceremony
the Deacon said, as he does still :
He, Missa est : (Go, it is over ; the
Mass is ended.) This word was
remembered by the people, and
by them applied to the entire rite ;
hence the word Kermesse, or Kir-

messe, meaning the Patronal Feast,
or the dedication of a church ;
a day of rejoicing, and frequently
the day of the parish fair .

In early days a higher and deep
er meaning was attached to cer
tain words than now. Hence the
term Eucharist, which expresses
the Sacrament more generally,
and means thanksgiving. Christ
blessed all food, and gave thanks
at every meal, as did the other
Israelites. But at the Last Sup
per His prayer was of so solemn a

1 The attempts made by some scholars to seek the etymology of the word Mass, in Hebrew
or other languages are purely fantastic, and may be passed over in silence.

THE MASS

THE WASHING OF THE FEET. The Gospel
of SI. John relates how Our Lord, on the
night of the Last Supper, washed the feet
of his apostles. The difjerent scenes of
this act of humiliti/ are here presented.
(From the collection of Comte Dur-
rieu, Paris. Extracted from I he " Fle
mish Miniatures in the time of the court
of Burgundy. " Van (Est, Paris.)

character that this divine Sacra
ment has become for us the very
highest Act of thanksgiving, the
Eucharist, which alone allows us
to thank God adequately for all
His benefits. The word Eulogy,
which means blessing, and which
originally rivalled the word Eu
charist, soon came to mean merely
the blessed bread which was distri
buted at the Mass, and thus, in a
general way, every object blessed 1 .
The expression Breaking of
Bread was also much used during
the first centuries to express the
whole Eucharistic mystery ; and
the words are full of meaning.
Christ, after having consecrated
the bread, broke it (fractio) to dis

tribute it to His disciples. They
understood the full meaning of
this action. Christ had only chang
ed the bread into His Body in or
der to give It to them as food.
Each received a fragment ; but
their Lord was whole and entire
in each, and to each gave Him
self whole and entire. Thus, Com
munion is the necessary result of
Consecration ; and this is the great
mystery of the unity of the members
in Christ which the early Christians
understood by the term Fractio
Panis. " We, being many, are one
bread, one body : all that partake
of one bread. " (I. Cor. X. 17.)

The Last Supper (Cosna, supper)
means that last meal which Jesus
took with His disciples ; but the
Protestants of the sixteenth centu
ry, having got all their notions con
fused, took pleasure in substitu
ting for the word Mass the expres
sion the Last Supper ; thereby ex
cluding its sacrificial character,
and for the most part making it
little more than a symbolic repast.
To accomplish the Sacrament (or
better, the Sacraments, i. e., the Mass)
meant with the ancient Fathers,
notably with St. Augustine, to
say Mass. And this too is right ;
since the Mass is the greatest Sa
crament of all. Hence is derived
the word Sacramentary, which is
the old name for the Missal. The
word Offering (Oblatio) was also
sometimes used to design the Mass,
which is a sacrifice, and thus an
offering to God. Lastly, the
phrase the Holy Sacrifice teaches
us that the Mass is the sacrifice of
Calvary renewed amidst ourselves.

The Mass, if we disregard all the

1 The custom of blessing bread at the Offertory in still maintained in France (le pain
benit) and in some other places.

THE ORIGIN OF THE MASS

ceremonies which surround it to
day and go straight to the central
point, the Consecration, is the rep
etition of the Last Supper where
Jesus gave to His disciples His
Body and Blood, under the forms ,
of bread and wine. To under
stand the origin of the Mass we
must recall the circumstances of
that Last Supper.

Palm Sunday is marked by the
triumphal entry of Jesus into Jeru
salem. From that moment the
events which are to bring about
the condemnation and death of
Christ crowd upon each other.
On Wednesday Judas concludes
his bargain with the chief priests
to betray Him. Jesus, Who knew
all that was being done ; knowing
too that His hour was come,
wished to leave to His Apostles,
and to all those disciples who
would follow them, a supreme
proof of His love. " Having loved
His own who were in the world,
He loved them unto the end ".
(St. John XIII, 1.) And thus
He showed His love. The Pass
over was approaching. Jesus was
accustomed to celebrate the feast
with His Apostles, according to the
Mosaic rite. He sends Peter and
John to prepare a room in Jeru
salem where this last meal shall
take place. For Him it was as
the last meal of one condemned to
die. This feast of the Passover
was always a solemn one ; remind
ing the Jews of their last meal
before their going out from Egypt,
which they ate standing, their
loins girt and staff in hand, ready
for a hasty departure. For Jesus
it had now another meaning,
far more sublime. Therefore He
wishes that the room in the house

THIERRY BOUTS : THE LAST SUPPER. A
hic/h Gothic room. The faces of Christ
and His Apostles arc profoundly expressive.
I.ouvain. (Photo Bulloz.)

of a friend should be large, and
well prepared : it is the Cenacle,
or dining-room : Cosnaculum mag
num stratum (St. Luke XXII, 12),
which with Calvary is to be the
scene of the most important event
in sacred history in the world.

The story is given to us by the
three synoptic gospels, St. Mat
thew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, and
by St. Paul. St. John, though
a witness of the scene, passes over
the story of the Consecration in
silence, as he does over many other
facts related in the Synoptic Gos
pels ; but he gives us, as we shall
soon see, important details which
complete its history.

This, then, is what was done.
At that time the Paas^ygr was no
longer what it had been for cen
turies, a meal eaten standing,
loins girt, staff in hand, to recon
stitute as far as possible the circum-

TUP: MASS

JEAN FOUQUET : THE LAST SUPPER. A
number of people, doubtless Jewish priests, are
present in astonishment at the Last Supper,
which marks the close of their ministry, and
the institution of the Christian priesthood.
(Chantilly Museum. Photo Giraudon.)

stances of the flight from Egypt.
The old ritual had been a little
modified ; and the Apostles with
their Master lay on couches round
a table, as was the custom at sol
emn feasts. But the habit still
survived of eating a lamb with
bitter herbs ; and of blessing with
special prayers the cups of wine
mingled with water which passed
from guest to guest. It is evident
that in the Synoptic Gospels we
have merely an outline of what
now occurred. St. John, who, as
is his custom, completes the three
Synoptic Gospels, adds some other
details to their facts. In the sixth
chapter of his Gospel he has relat
ed the miracle of the multiplica
tion of the loaves, where the Eu
charist is announced and prefig
ured. In the thirteenth and fol
lowing chapters he will tell us
how Our Lord, before supper,

washed the feet of His disciples,
and will quote the very words
which He spoke to them, and the
prayers which accompanied the ]/
Eucharist, which are the Divine
commentary on that Sacrament.
The blessing of the cup, of which
St. Luke speaks (XXII, 17, 18.),
doubtless took place after Christ
had washed His disciples feet, and
before the meal began. Towards
the end of this, Jesus took one of
the loaves on the table ; prayed,
giving thanks ; broke it, and gave
to each one a piece, saying :
" This is My Body, Which is giv
en for you. Do this in remem
brance of Me. " Then taking the
chalice, which was probably the
third cup - - that which was call
ed the chalice of blessing, which
was drunk before the final hymn
He blessed it, saying : " This is
the chalice, the New Testament in
My Blood, which shall be shed for
you. " (St. Luke XXII, 19, 20.)
We can imagine nothing more
simple, less prearranged than this
Divine Thing which is the Eucha
rist. But in these short accounts
given by the Evangelists every
thing must be noted and meditat
ed upon ; for this is the very
angle of incidence between the
ancient covenant and the new.
The New Testament succeeds the
Old, the " New Testament in My
Blood; " words which recall those
of Moses founding the old cove
nant between God and His people
in the blood of sacrificed victims.
But here the Blood of Jesus re
places that of the sacrifices of old
time. The Mosaic Passover is
abolished by the new Paschal
Feast ; the Lamb who to-morrow
will !be sacrificed on the Cross

THE 0/?/G/A T OF THE MASS

is the Lamb whose Blood takes
away the sins of the world. This
connection between the Last Sup
per and the Cross is so close that
in a certain sense the two are one.

Jesus said : " Do this in memory
of Me. " Now we know that
this command has been obeyed.
St. Paul describes (I Cor. XI. 23,
seq.) the Eucharistic Feast as it
was celebrated a few years after
the death of Christ, among Chris
tians. The Acts of the Apostles
tell us again and again that the
disciples met in houses for prayer
and the Breaking oj Bread. In
the following chapter we shall see
this evidence accumulate during
the first and second centuries.

The Mass is thus for Christians
a memento of the last Passover of
Christ on earth ; of His last meal
amongst men. " / will not drink
of the fruit of the vine till the King
dom of God come". (St. Luke,//
XXII, 18.) It is more than the
commemoration of that event ; it
is its renewal, and the miracle
which was wrought for the Apost
les is reproduced for ourselves.
While still a repast, it is also a sju&gt;
rific, for at the Last Supper
Christ spoke of His Blood being
shed for man. It is the sacrifice
of Christ on the cross recalled, re
newed, continued.

This origin of the Mass has for
Christians the advantage of being

recalled yearly during Holy Week
by rites of sublime symbolism.
On Palm Sunday we celebrate
the entry of Our Lord Jesus
Christ into Jerusalem ; on Maundy
Thursday, the Institution of the
Eucharist ; and on that afternoon
the ceremony called Mandatum
reproduces the scene when Christ
washed the Apostles feet. On
Good Friday every stage of the
Passion and Crucifixion is lived
over again. Finally, Holy Satur
day and Easter Sunday consecrate
the memory of the descent into
hell and of the resurrection. For
we are too apt to forget that the
Glorious Mysteries of the Resur
rection, the Ascension, and even
that of Pentecost form part of
the Mass as much as the Sorrow
ful Mysteries of Christ s Passion
and death.

The following chapters will show
how the ceremonies of our Mass,
which at first sight seem to have
but little resemblance with those
of the Cenacle and of Calvary, yet
only recall, reconstitute, and re
new them. Henceforth we know
the essential fact : Jesus in His
last Passover instituted the Sa
crament of His Body and Blood.
He has left us this incomparable
pledge of His love, which allows
us to assist at this banquet as did
the Apostles at the Last Supper ;
and, like them, to be partakers of it.

IN THE CATACOMBS. INTERIOR VIEW OF A PLACE OF MEETING (ATRIUM). This is SI. Priscilla s,
one of the most venerable of the Roman catacombs. Here, during the persecutions, the Christians
met for the celebration of the Holy Mysteries. (After Wilpcrt : " Fractio Panis. ")

THE MASS AMONGST CHRISTIANS
THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

I. THE EARLY CHURCH

The Last Supper, as we have
seen, was not simply a mere act of
farewell. The Mass is an institu
tion which may be considered as
the very centre of Christianity ;
which will endure so long as
Christ s followers exist on earth :
that is, to the end of the world.
The evidence which has been pre
served from the first to the twen
tieth centuries will form milestones
for this history. Naturally only
the more important evidence can
be quoted.

The Acts of the Apostles tell

us that the Christians were in the
habit of meeting in private houses
for prayer and the Breaking of
Bread. This may seem nothing,
but these texts have a capital im
portance. The Apostles and first
disciples still went to the Temple
at the hour of prayer : yet from
this moment Christian worship
is founded. It is there in germ
in these assemblies (synaxes) where
Christians pray together ; and
where they accomplish the act
of Breaking of Bread.

St. Paul, about the same time,

THE MASS AMONGST CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

tells us in a text already quoted
that the Christians met at a love-
feast, the Agape ; he condemns
the abuses which had arisen in
connection with this meal, and
reminds the Corinthians that the
Bread is the Body of Christ, the
Wine His Blood, the Blood of the
New Testament (I. Cor. XL 23.)
This Agape, which preceded or
followed the Eucharist, probably
recalled the Feast of the Passover
which preceded the Institution ;
and it was separated from it at
an early stage just because of
possible abuses. It survived pre-
ariously till the fourth or fifth
century ; but traces of it can still
be found during the Middle Ages,
or even later. However this may
be, it is distinct from the Mass.

A document which was discov
ered about fifty years ago : The
Doctrine of the Apostles, which
may date from the end of the
first or beginning of the second
century, throws a clear light on
the history of the Mass. It con
tains manv allusions to this meal

which the faithful took in com
mon, and gives the actual text of
the prayers which were said in
this assembly over the bread
and wine.

About the same time Pliny the
Younger, Governor of Bithynia,
gives an account in a letter to the
Emperor Trajan of an enquiry
as to the Christians, who were al
ready being tracked down by the
imperial police. He has learnt that
they meet on a certain day (very
probably Sunday) ; that they sing
hymns to the Christ-God ; pray
together to Him, and take a meal
in common. A little later St. Jus
tin adds numerous details about
these Christian meetings. The
mystery with which the disciples
of Christ were surrounded ; even
the hour of the assembly, which
was held at night in secret places,
had become the source of dis
agreeable rumours, and even of
abominable calumnies, spread
by evil-minded pagans about the
supposed nocturnal orgies of the
Christians. St. Justin very prop-

SCENE AT AN AGAPE. This very ancient pointing represents the Last Supi;cr. On the dishes
in placed the symbolic Fish ; the baskets are filled with the bread to be consecrated. (After
Wilpert : " Paintings from the Roman Catacombs. ")

THE MASS

FlSH SUPPORTING A BASKKT OF LOAVES. -

The Fish represents Christ, in accordance
with the invariable symbol in the art of
the catacombs. (After Wilpcrt : Paintings
from the Roman Catacombs. ")

erly wrote a defence, or "apology",
for the Christians addressed to
the Emperor (about the middle of
the second century) ; he desires to
clear them from this reproach,
and completely to raise the veil
of mystery which covers them ;
loyally he describes that Mystic
Feast. There are prayers ; the
faithful give each other the kiss
of peace ; bread is brought, and
a cup of wine mixed with water ;
he who presides pronounces the
Eucharistic prayer, to which all
answer Amen ; then to each is
distributed the consecrated bread,
and the wine mingled with water.
The greater number of Christian
writers from the first to the third
centuries St. Clement of Rome,
Ignatius of Antioch, Tertullian and
the rest, make many more or less
direct allusions to the Eucharist in
their writings . To St. Hippolytus,
who wrote at Rome at the begin
ning of the third century, has lately
been rightly attributed a docu
ment of the highest value, which

is nothing else but the Anaphora,
or prayer over the Eucharist, as
he proposed it to the faithful of
his own day. Here there is
found a Preface, with the Domi-
nus vobiscum and the Sursum
Corda ; the recital of the Institu
tion of the Eucharist and the va
rious parts of the Canon ; lastly,
the Communion. Without seeing
in this, as does a learned liturgio-
logist " the apostolic anaphora "
- that instituted by the Apostles
themselves we recognise here all
the features of the most ancient
Eastern anaphora ; and even
those of the Canon of the Roman
Mass. Another text, also discover
ed at the end of the last century,
the Anaphora of Serapion, Bishop
of Egypt at the beginning of the
fourth century, gives us the Mass
as it was celebrated at that epoch
in another form, more developed
than that of St. Hippolytus. It
can thus be said that the arche-
ological discoveries of the last fifty
years, without mentioning those
made in the Catacombs, have
thrown new light upon the an
cient Mass which would have
been of inestimable value to the
Catholic controversialists of the
seventeenth and eighteenth centu
ries in their arguments with their
Protestant adversaries in favour
of the antiquity of the Mass.

Among important documents
on the history of the Mass must be
mentioned the Apostolic Consti
tutions (particularly the eighth
book) which was indeed interpo
lated and retouched till the fourth
and perhaps the fifth century, but

1 For all this evidence we must refer our readers to the authors mentioned in the Biblio
graphy (Ch. VII).

THE MASS AMONGST CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

which, in the
opinion of emi
nent liturgiolo-
gists, has also
preserved a tra
dition which, if
not apostolic, is
at least extreme
ly ancient.

In any case we
have, from the
end of the third
and beginning of
the fourth centu
ry, the Mass with
all its parts, and even with its prin
cipal form. In the following centu
ries we shall only have to notice a
few additions and some new de
velopments. Thanks to these new
discoveries and to a more me
thodical study of texts, we are a
long way removed from the thesis
of the Protestant polemists of the
sixteenth to the eighteenth cen
tury who saw nothing in our
Mass but a form of idolatry dating
from the time of
Charlemagne !

Finally, to com
plete this sketch
of the history of
the Mass during
the first three cen
turies, a few fea
tures must be add
ed, borrowed from
Christian epigra
phy and archaeo
logy. The numb
er of inscriptions
and frescoes which
allude to the Eu
charist is consi
derable. They
have been coll
ected in import-

AXCHOIJ AND FISHES from the sarcopha
gus of Livia Primativa.. The little
fishes, representing Christians, are swim
ming towards the anchor of Hope.

THE CONSECRATION OF THE BREAD AND WINE.

On the left the priest lays his hands on the
elements placed on a tripod. On the right
a woman with outstretched hands is prayiny.
(After Wilpert : " Paintings from the
Roman Catacombs. "

ant works which are quoted
in the bibliography. We will
only mention here two in
scriptions which deserve a
special rank, and which in a
most simple form
and with refined
symbolism, show
us the faith of
Christians of those
generations. That
of Pectorius, dis
covered at Autun,
is probably of the
third century.

" Celestial race of the Divine
Fish, fortify thy heart, since in the
midst of mortals thou hast received
the immortal spring of Divine
water.

" Friend, make glad thy soul
with the ever-flowing water of
that Wisdom which bestows trea
sures. Receive this food, sweet
as honey, of the Saviour of the
saints ; eat it with delight, holding
the Fish in thy hands. "

At the other
end of the world,
at Hierapolis in
Phrygia, aBishop,
Abercius, echoes
these words in his
epitaph :

" Citizen of a dis
tinguished town,
I have erected
this monument in
my lifetime, so
that one day I
may have a place
to lay my body.
My name is Aber
cius ; I am the
disciple of a Shep
herd Who feeds
His flocks of sheep

THE MASS

on the mountains and in the plains,
whose great eyes see everything.
It is He Who has taught me the
true scriptures. It is He Who sent
me to Rome to contemplate sov
ereign majesty, and to see a queen
clad with gold and shod with gold.
There I saw a people marked with
a shining seal. There too I saw
the plain of Syria and all the
towns, Nisibis beyond Euphrates.
Everywhere I found brethren.
Everywhere did the Faith lead
me. Everywhere she served me
as food a Fish from a spring,
very large, very pure, captured
by a holy Virgin. She ceased
not from giving it to eat to
her friends. She possesses a deli
cious wine which she gives with
the bread... "

Beneath the veil of this symbol
ism the Christians of those days
deciphered with little trouble the
hidden meaning of these enigmas :
the Divine Fish is Christ, for in
Greek the word fish formed the
sacred anagram : Jesus Christ,
Son of God, and Saviour. This
food as sweet as honey, this Fish
from a very large, very pure
spring, is the Eucharist presented
to the faithful by a holy virgin,
that is, the Church, whom another

figure in the catacomb of St. Cal-
listus shows us standing, as an
Orante, beside a tripod on which
are bread and wine, upon which
a priest lays his hand. How many
other frescoes in the catacombs
which picture meals of bread and
wine or fish, or the multiplication
of the loaves, or the sacrifice of
Abraham, or the mysterious dol
phin are also allusions to the Eu
charist or the Mass ! There exists
also a rich collection of glasses,
or cups whose bottom is of gold,
of which a large number was found
in the catacombs, with inscrip
tions or symbols indicating that
some of them have doubtless served
as chalices. The sacrifice of
Abraham, the miracle of Cana,
the multiplication of the loaves,
upon the cups of Podgoritza or of
Treves ; other symbols even more
significant, such as the two fishes
and the two loaves, with the ex
clamations : " Drink and rejoice.
Drink in the good things ", are, for
Secchi, Garrucci, Martigny, Dom
Leclerq, Wilpert, and even Go-
guel, allusions to the Eucharist.
If then the documents were silent,
these stones and walls would speak,
and confess the faith of our
fathers in the Eucharist .

1 See bibliographical notes (Ch. vn).

THE MASS AMONGST CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES

II. THE MASS FROM THE FOURTH CENTURY ONWARDS :
LITURGICAL VARIATIONS

The Mass, of which the origin, as
we have seen, is found in Christ, is
not said in the same way every
where. At the Eucharistic Con
gress of Westminster (1908j the
Greek Mass was celebrated on one
day ; and the faithful of the Latin
rite had some difficulty in following
and understanding the ceremo
nies. In Paris, during the com
memoration (1925) of the sixteenth
centenary of the Council of Nicea,
the liturgical week in December
included the celebration of Mass
according to the different Orien
tal rites one, on Dec. 21, in the
Byzantine-Slavonic rite which diff
ered in many
points from our
own liturgical usa
ges. And that is
not all : the same
diversity of rites is
apparent even in
the West, where
we had the Gal-
lican, the Ambro-
sian, the Celtic,
and the Mozarabic
liturgies ; now sup
planted almost
every where by the
Roman liturgy.
This extension of
the Roman rite,
and its adoption
in the ninth , elev
enth and twelfth
centuries up to
our own day, in
France , Spain ,
England, Germa
ny, Poland, the

WITH THE GREEK-MALCHITES, AT SAINT-
JULIEN-LE-PAUVRE (the church reserved
in Paris for the Uniat Greeks). The
ciborium is on the altar, and beneath it is
suspended the Eucharistic Dove. (Photo
Harlingue.)

United States, South America, and
most of the colonies, is another proof,
if proof be needed, in the history
of the Mass, of the fact of the
Roman Primacy. And I think
that the most prejudiced contro
versialists would be obliged to con
clude with Newman, after an im
partial study of the texts, that
the Roman liturgy is by far the
most excellent of all, at least at the
time of its golden age in the fifth
to the seventh century. But the
variety of the rites just mentioned
proves also the liberty allowed by
the Church to different manifes
tations of Catholic piety, up to the
point in which
doctrine is pres
erved pure and
undefiled.

It must also be
agreed that all
these divergences
between East and
West, and be
tween the differ
ent churches of
the West exist
only as regards
details. If Orien
tals especially
manifest in their
liturgy such sen
timents of reli
gious fear and
adoration as are
inspired by the
awful Mysteries
that they with
draw, in conse
quence, behind
the walls and veils

THE MASS

THE ARMENIAN MASS. - A photograph taken
some years ago in an Armenian Catholic
church at the beginning of a Pontifical
High Mass.

of the Iconostasis, in the West, on
the contrary, especially since the
beginning of the Middle Ages, the
altar occupies the centre of the
church. No wall, no veil hides
the secret of the Mysteries from
the eyes of the faithful. At one
time all the prayers, including
probably the Canon, were recited
aloud. To day they are uttered
in a low voice. The kiss of peace
and the Memento of the living and
the dead are not everywhere found
in the same place. The Greeks
consecrate leavened bread ; the
Latins, unleavened. The prayers
of the Mozarabic, Celtic, or Galli-
can liturgies have a warmer, more
ornate character ; those of the Ro
man liturgy aim at precision and
theological exactitude. Thus each

epoch, each country betrays, un
der the exterior form of its Mass,
its religious temperament, its trend
of thought. But faith in the Sac
rament does not change.

Interesting as it is, we cannot
devote more time to this study,
which is but a digression. But
before beginning to explain the
Roman Mass, which may be said
to have become the Mass of the
West, and even that of the greater
part of the Catholic world, we have
a remark to make upon this litur-
giological unity which is of such
great importance from the theo-

ICONOSTASIS OF THE MONASTERY OF ARNOTA,

1706. In the Eastern churches the Iconos
tasis is the screen which separates the choir
and the nave. It is adorned with sacred
pictures. Before the Consecration this
screen is closed and the drawn veils conceal
the sight of the] Sacred Mysteries from the
faithful.

THE MASS AMONGST CHRISTIANS THROUGHOUT THE CEXTURIES

logical standpoint, and which is
one of the characteristics of the
Unity and the Catholicity of the
Church. Heretics themselves,
while contesting the authority and
the teaching of the Church on such
and such a point, have sometimes
nevertheless faithfully guarded
the liturgic tradition. Thus, for
example, we find among the Nes-
torians who still live, amongst the
Jacobites and other heretical sects,
the tradition of the Mass such as it
existed in the fifth century, scarce
ly altered. This is another ar
gument in favour of the unity of
Christian rites. On the other
hand, other heretics, understand
ing what arms the liturgy of the
Mass would furnish against their

errors, have had no scruples in
making such modifications in it
that the Catholic Mass can no
longer be recognised. This is the
case, for instance, with nearly all
the Protestant sects. Long ago
in the first centuries certain here
tics called Aquarians or Hydro-
parasles, consecrated water only,
because being intensely literal Pro
hibitionists, they made a pretence
of condemning the use of wine.
Others again consecrated milk ;
while on the other hand some refus
ed to place in the chalice the ^wa
ter which symbolises the two na
tures in Christ. The moment he
has withdrawn himself from the
one lawful authority, the heretic
is led into every sort of follv.

IN THE SYRIAN CHAPEL, RUE DBS CARMES
PARIS. - - The Rector, M. Vabbe Khayatc,
presents the Sacred Species to the adoration
of the faithful. (Photo Harlingue.)

MASS AT THE FRONT. AT THE FOOT OF THE ALTAR. Often during the Great War soldier-
priests celebrated Mass in the trenches, or in the midst of forests hacked by shells.
Nothing is more poignantly moving than a Mass said under such conditions for those
recently slain, in the presence of their comrades who cannot but think upon the death which
threatens themselves.

Ill

If we except the churches of Mi
lan and of Toledo, the Greek and
Oriental rites celebrated in Rus
sia, in Syria, in Egypt, in Asia Mi
nor and a few other places, we
can say on the whole that the Ro
man Mass is celebrated throughout
the West, in both Americas, in
Australia, Oceania, the Far East
in a word wherever the Catholic
Church is established. Thus it
is the Roman Mass which we must
study more closely. Besides, as
has just been said, even the Mo-
zarabic Mass celebrated at Toledo,

the Ambrosian at Milan, and the
Masses of the Eastern rites, con
tain the same elements, and re
vert without much difficulty to
the Roman type. One might say
that all these liturgical forms seem
to be derived from one primitive
type of fairly liberal outlines which
existed throughout Christendom up
to the fourth and fifth centuries.
From that time the various litur
gical families came into existence.
Why this was so will soon be ex
plained.

The existing Roman rite, then,

_ 99 _

THE EXPLANATION OF THE ROMAN MASS

represents a liturgic type which
goes back almost to the fourth cen
tury ; but which, between the
fourth and the sixteenth century,
by which time it is definitely fixed,
has undergone many modifica
tions and additions as to detail.

Let us first establish a main di
vision :

(1) The Mass of the Catechu
mens (the first part of the Mass)
from the beginning to the Offer
tory.

(2) The Mass of the Faithful, or
real Mass, from the Offertory to
the end.

This division dates from the
most ancient times ; going back,
it may safely be said, to the first
centuries. The writers whom we
have quoted make the distinction
between the first part of the Mass,
to which could be admitted peni-

THE GLORIA AND CREDO. On Feast Days
the priest intones the Gloria in cxcclsis Deo
and the Credo, which are taken up in chorus
by the whole congregation. These two parts
of the liturgy are. very ancient, though for a
long time they formed no part of the Cele
bration of Mass. (Photo Biaud, Cosne,
Nievre.)

THE PRAYERS. - - The priest, his arms
outstretched like those of the Oranti of olden
time, receives (colligit) the desires and
petitions of his brethren, and sends them up
to God in a fervent prayer. (Photo Biaud,
Cosne, Nievre.)

tents, catechumens, and even pa
gans, and the second part, reserv
ed for the initiated (baptised
Christians). We may even sup
pose that in the beginning there
were two rites, at first in juxta
position, but later united : a non-
liturgical synaxis which consist
ed of the singing of hymns and
psalms, of lessons from the Old
and New Testaments, and of a
sermon ; this service is formed
on the model of that of the syna
gogues, and it has preserved its
original elements to the present
time. After the homily, catechu
mens, penitents and Gentiles were
dismissed, and then began the
Mass, or liturgical synaxis. If
these two services have been some
times separated, they were soon
reunited in one solid whole as they
are to-day; and the two parts have
been placed in liturgical relation

THE MASS

THE GOSPKL. The. priest makes the sign of the Cross on his forehead, lips, and breast to show
the belief of his intelligence, the faithfulness of his lips, and the love of his heart.

with each other. The Mass of
the Catechumens can be found,
almost in its ancient form, in our
present office for Good Friday :
readings from the Old and New
Testaments, prayers, the singing

of psalms, and litanic prayers.
This is the non-liturgical synaxis,
which we also find in the Blessing
of the Palms, in the Masses for
Vigils, for Ember-Days, and in
some other circumstances.

I. THE MASS OF THE CATECHUMENS

i. Preparatory Prayers,
n. Introi t, Ktjrie Eleison.
in. Collect.

iv. Epistle, Gradual, Alleluia,
Prose, Sequence, Tract,
v. Gospel, Creed, Sermon.

i. The Preparatory Prayers com
prise Ps. XLII, the Confiteor, and
a few versicles and responses said
at the foot of the altar. There is
nothing special to remark about
these different prayers, which are
of relatively recent date, but which

are most suitable for the begin
ning of Mass.

ii. The Intro it is a psalm which
was sung while the priest and his
ministers came from the sacristy
to the altar. The Kyrie is all that
exists of the Litanies (diaconal
prayer), which are also a proces
sional chant, as we still see for
instance on Holy Saturday, when
the whole Litany is sung while
the clergy go from the baptismal
font to the altar. The first invo-

THE EXPLAXATIOX OF THE ROM AX MASS

people. This prayer is in any
case of the greatest importance ;
it appears in all the day and night
Offices ; and it is in this that the
spirit of the Feast is expressed to
day. Other Collects sometimes
follow the first.

iv. The Epistle is the reading of
a passage from the Old or New
Testament. The name Epistle is
given to it because this reading is
most frequently taken from the
Epistles (EpistolsB) of St. Paul.
In certain Masses of Vigils there
are two or three readings of this
kind ; on the Saturday before Pen
tecost there are six ; on Holy Sa
turday, twelve. The Epistle is
followed by one or several chants,

The Sub-Deacon sings the Epistle from the
ambo. This reading is frcquenly taken from
the Epistles of St. Paul.

cations in Greek remind us of the
Oriental origin of this chant. The
Gloria in Excelsis, which is only
sung on certain days, is one of
those hymns of the kind to which
Pliny the Younger alludes, when
he speaks of the chants in honour
of the God-Christ in the first Christ
ian assemblies. It has also been
called the Great Doxologij, i.e., a
hymn to the glory of the Three
Persons of the Trinity ; to be dis
tinguished from the other doxo-
logies (Gloria Pairi et Filio, etc.).

in. The Colled (Colleda, Collec-
tio, meeting) is a prayer thus call
ed either because it was said on
" Station-Days " at Rome in the
church where the clergy and people
of different parishes met each
other ; or because the Celebrant
here voices the prayers of all the

To sing the Gospel the Deacon is accompanied
bij acolytes bearing lighted candles, by the
thurifer holding the censer, and by the
Sub-Deacon, who presents him with the
sacred book. The solemn manner in which
the Gospel is sung emphasises the respect
paid to it by the Church.

THE MASS

x THE SEDILIA. While the faithful are singing the Gloria and the Credo the priest and his
assistants take their places in the sedilia (seats) at the side of the sanctuary. The singing forms
part of the first part of the Mass. The Eucharislic liturgij has not yet begun. (Photo Biaud,
Cosne, Nievre.)

called sometimes Gradual, because
the psalm was sung on the steps of
the choir ; sometimes Alleluia,
because the chant begins with this
famous acclamation ; sometimes
Trad, which means a psalm sung
without repetition or refrain (trac-
tim.) On five Feasts the Alleluia
is"*followed by a rhythmic chant
called the Prose, or Sequence.
After this chant comes :

v. The reading of the Gospel.
The priest explained and comment
ed on it in the pulpit. This was
the Homily, or Sermon. The Creed,
sung on certain days, like the
Sequence, is a later addition.

However summary this expla
nation may be, the liturgical de
sign of this non-liturgic synaxis
will be manifest. So admirably
arranged is it that its successive
steps are easily noted : the psalms,
the prayers, the readings, and fi
nally the reading of the most Di
vine of books, the Gospel, which
is kissed by the priest with the
deepest respect, and which at

High Mass is surrounded with
solemn rites lights, incense, and
processions. The Epistle is read
on the right side of the altar, the
Gospel on the left; because in the
ancient churches like that of
St. Clement of Rome, the Epistle
was read from the ambo on the
right ; the Gospel from that on
the left side.

Thus already, even in a Low
Mass, the ancient rites of the
solemn Masses of former days
are visible in the acts and the
movements of the priest. This
characteristic will become even
stronger in the Mass of the Faithful.
Henceforth he who follows the
Mass attentively will find there
survivals of those archaic rites of
which the greater part can be re
traced to a more distant antiquity
than that of the fourth century.
At the end of this first ceremony
the penitents, heretics, strangers
and even catechumens were dis
missed; the faithful alone ass.-st-
ing at the Mass, and commun
icating.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE ROMAN MASS

II. THE MASS OF THE FAITHFUL

i. Offertory.

ii. Preface and Sanclus.

in. Canon.

iv. Agnus Dei.

v. Final Prayers ; Dismissal.

i. The Offertory (oblation) is
to-day the name given to the verse
of a psalm which is said or sung
after the Gospel or Creed. It was
at this moment that the faithful
brought to the altar the bread and
wine which were to be used for the
sacrifice. But when the numbers
of the faithful increased the quan
tity of bread and wine brought was
more than enough for the commun
ion of those present, so that it
became possible to set aside a
portion of the offerings presented ;
and this was later distributed to

the widows, orphans, virgins, and
to all the poor in the care of the
Church, as well as to the clergy.
Some added gifts in kind or even
money to the bread and wine
brought for the sacrifice. This is
the origin of stipends for Mass, as
we shall see elsewhere.

These preparations required a
certain time, during which an ap
propriate psalm w r as chanted :
hence our Offertory, which is mere
ly a survival of this custom.

The prayer called Secret is one
which was said in a low voice by
the priest to ask the blessing of
God upon these gifts offered by
the faithful. It is easy to see
from the text of these prayers that
they still preserve this character ;
the greater part being of ancient

THE OFFERING OF THE CHALICE. After the
Deacon and Sub-Deacon have poured into it
the wine and water which will be consecrated,
the priest takes the chalice and offers it to.
God, begging Him to accept his sacrifice
and that of all the faithful. (Photo Biaurt,
Cosnc, NiSvre.)

INCENSING THE ALTAR. After the offering
of the Host and the chalice the priest censes
the offerings of bread and wine which will
be changed into the Body and Blood of
Christ. He also incenses the altar, the stone
of which represents Christ symbolically.
(Photo Biaud, Cosne, Nievre.)

THE MASS

origin. On the other hand the
prayers which follow the Offertory :
Suscipe, sande Pater; Offerimus
libi, Domine; In spirilu humilita-
tis; Veni, Sanctificator ; Suscipe,
Sancta Trinitas; Orate, F mires; are
additions of a later age.

Another very ancient prayer,
and one of astonishing theological
and literary perfection is that be
ginning : Dens qui humanie sub-
sianiise, pronounced by the priest
while mixing with the wine of the
sacrifice a little water, reminding
us of the mingled water and wine
of the Last Supper. According to
this prayer, the mixture is the sign
of the union of the humanity of
the faithful with the Divinity of
Christ. For certain Fathers of the
Church it is also the symbol of the
union of the Divine nature with
that of Our Lord s humanity.

After the gifts had been placed
on the altar the priest incensed
them ; then he washed his hands,
which had received all these offer
ings, and which it was necessary
to purify before proceeding with
the Sacrifice. It was also at the
Offertory that formerly were read
the Dipiijchs or tablets on which
were written the names of the
Pope, the Bishops, and sometimes
of the Emperor and other person
ages ; of those who had made
the offerings, and of the dead for
whom the sacrifice was to be off
ered. To-day in the Roman rite
the Memento of the living and that
of the dead are recited in the
Canon.

n. Preface. The Secret ends
like all the prayers with a doxology
and the Amen. The end of this
doxology : Per omnia ssecula ssecu-

lorum, Amen, is said aloud, and
then begins the Preface. This has
different names in the liturgies :
Contestatio, Immolatio, Anaphora,
Action, Prayer. The word Preface
is properly the Roman name for
the prayer which precedes the
Sanctus. The exclamations which
form a prelude to it (Dominus vo-
biscnm, Sursum corda...) are, it may
be said, of Apostolic origin, as in
one sense is the Preface itself. In
the most ancient texts, which are
cited in Chapter II, the priest or
Bishop spoke in the name of all
the assembly, thanking God who
had given to man bread, wine, and
water ; who had placed all crea
tion at his disposal ; who above all
had sent His Only Son to redeem
him ; who on the eve of His death
had consecrated bread and wine
with the sacramental words : This
is My Body; This is My Blood.

Such is the origin and the most
ancient form of this prayer of
prayers : that which renews the
sacrifice of Christ ; which conse
crates His Body and Blood. Of
the prayer pronounced by Christ
at the Last Supper St. Paul and
the synoptic Gospels have only
preserved the formula of consecra
tion. But it is possible that the
Roman Preface and the most an
cient anaphorss have saved for us
the general theme of the prayer of
Christ : // is meet and just, right
and salutary that we give thanks to
Thee, always and everywhere, Holy
Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal
God, on whom we depend, to whom
we owe all. The improvisation,
which seems to have been the rule
for this prayer of Consecration in
the first centuries, is always a more
or less eloquent variation of this

THE EXPLANATION OF THE ROM AX MASS

theme. This primitive liberty as
to the Eucharistic prayer is attest
ed by the great number of Pre
faces, Contestations, and cmaphorx,
which the liturgical books have
preserved for us, and on which
were exercised with more or less
success, the celebrant s gifts of
improvisation and inspiration.

The ancient Prefaces of the Ro
man liturgy may be considered as
the most finished masterpieces of
liturgical prayer. Rhythm, mea
sure, ascensional movement, the
description in two or three phrases
of the Mystery of the day are of a
precision and dogmatic profundity
quite unique. Until recent years
the number of the Roman Prefaces
was reduced to eleven. Others
have recently been added for
St. Joseph, for the Dead, and for
the Feast of the Kingship of Christ.
Apart from the Mass other Prefaces
exist for the blessing of the palms,
of fonts, &c.

It may be remarked that all
these prayers begin with the same
formula (initial protocol) ; and con
clude in the same way (final pro
tocol) to lead up to the Sanctus.
This, the Angelic Hymn, goes back
(in its first form at least) to the third,
and even to the second century ; and
is one of those chants to Christ, or
doxology, which are mentioned by
the writers of that epoch. Its in
sertion in this place cannot how
ever be anterior to the third cen
tury; perhaps even to the fourth,
for before that time the Eucha
ristic prayer, as we saw by St. Jus
tin, and in the anaphora of St. Hip-
polytus, formed one great whole ;
beginning with the Preface and
ending with a doxology and the
Amen of the faithful.

in. Canon. The term Canon
of the Mass which in the existing
Missal is placed before the Te igi-
tur, formerly preceded the Pre-

THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST. The Host is Consecrated. Our Lord is truly /resent on the
altar. The priest raises the Host that the faithful may see and adore It. This ceremony only
dates from the twelfth century. (Photo Biaud, Cosne, Nievre.)

THE MASS

face, which thus in reality forms part
of the Canon. This word means
Rule, and is here used in the sense
of authentic, regular, official prayer.
It is synonymous with the words
anaphora, oblation, with which we
are already familiar. We have also
said that the Roman Canon in its
existing form represents a compo
sition of the fourth to the fifth cen
tury. Besides the addition of the
Sanclus we may imagine that the
Memento of the Living and that of
the Dead, of which the place is log
ically at the Offertory, have been
transposed into the Canon. How
ever this may be, its actual compo
sition may thus be analysed :
The prayer Te igitur;
The Memento of the living ;
The Communicantes ;
The Plane igitur, and Quam obla-

tionem (preparatory prayers);
The Consecration, Qui pridie,

THE END OF THE PATER. Towards the end
of the Pater the Sub-Deacon brings back to
the altar the paten which till then he had been
holding, hidden beneath the humeral veil.
The priest receives it, and places on it the
fragments of the Consecrated Host. (Photo
Biaud, Cosne, Nievre.)

which is the central point of the
Canon ;

The Unde et memores, or anamnesis,
that is, the recalling of the Great
Mysteries ;

The Supra qux and the Supplices,
which form the Prayer of Offer
ing to the Father;

The Memento of the dead, with the
Nobis quoque;

The Per quern hsec omnia formerly,
as its sense indicates, belonged
to a prayer for the blessing of
first-fruits. On Holy Thursday
it is at this point that the Holy
Oils are blessed ; and grapes on
the Feast of the Transfiguration.

The Per Ipsum is the final doxol-
ogy of the Canon ; it is men
tioned from the third and even
the second century.

The Pater which follows is pre
ceded by an introduction and clos
ed by a final Libera nos which
emphasise its intention and give it
liturgic form. The Fraction of the
Host which takes place after the
Libera nos recalls most solemn and
ancient rites which took place at
Rome during the Pope s Mass.
These are now simplified. The
Kiss of Peace which is given at
solemn Masses after the Pax Do
mini and the Agnus Dei is a rite
of Apostolic origin : before commun
icating the first Christians em
phasised the fact that they forgave
each other s faults by this act of
love. From this moment the ca
nonical prayers may be regarded as
ended. The famous prayer called
Epiclesis, which was an invocation
of the Holy Spirit, and which
holds so large a place in the Orien
tal Masses, has left no trace of its
presence in the Roman Canon.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE ROMAN MASS

THE KISS OF PEACE. Before the Communion the priest embraces (gives the Pax, to) the
Deacon, who in his turn gives it to the Sub-Deacon. The latter passes it on to all the clergy
present. This is a solemn moment, which manifests symbolically both Christian brotherhood
and the admirable unity of the Church. (Photo Biaud, Cosne, Nievrc.)

We will add but one reflection
to what we have already said about
this prayer. The Roman Canon,
which early became that of the
universal Church, save the excep
tions already noted, has preserved
under the austerity and simplicity
of its form the most ancient
Apostolic tradition. The litanic
Prayer, the Preface, the reading of
the Diptychs, the recital of the
Institution, the final Doxology, the
Fraction, the Kiss of Peace, the
Communion, such indeed were
from the beginning the elements
of the Eucharistic assembly. These
are the august rites to which allu
sion is made in the Doctrine of the
Apostles, by the pagan Pliny the
Younger, St. Ignatius, St. Polycarp,
St. Clement, in the first and second

centuries ; as well as in the most
ancient inscriptions and in the
frescoes of the catacombs. " Lift
up your hearts ! " cries the cele
brant ; " Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God. Bend the knee ;
let us adore Him in the fear and
the joy of our hearts, for this is the
Great Mystery, and of all the bene
fits we have received from God the
greatest is His Gift of His Divine
Son, Who, on the eve of His Pas
sion, instituted the Sacrament of
His Body and His Blood !

iv. The Agnus Dei with the foll
owing prayers is an addition of a
later age to prepare for the Com
munion. The Communion of the
faithful who here unite themselves
with the priest in this last rite, as

777/i MASS

THE CONFITKOR BEFORE COMMUNION. The

priest has communicated. Now it is the turn
of the faithful to receive the Bread of Life.
But first they recite, the Confiteor to ask
pardon for their faults. (This picture,
represents choristers in a monastic church).
(Photo Biaud, COSMO, Nievre.)

they should have
been united with
him in the offer
ing of the ele
ments of the Sac
rifice, and in all
the prayers of the
Mass, is, as it
were, the natural
and logical con
clusion of the
whole Mystery.
Such was the cus
tom of the first
centuries of Christ -
ian worship: may
it inspire us with
at least the w r ish
to follow the pray
ers of the priest
with sustained
attention, and to
be united in heart

THE PRIEST S BLESSING. Mass is ended.
Before leaving to take up once more their
daily occupations, the faithful kneel once
more, for the Blessing given by the priest.
(Photo Biaud, Cosne, Nievre.)

with his action.

THE COMMUNION. Their souls wholly puri
fied, their hearts filled with fervent desire,
the choristers advance to the altar to receive
Holy Communion from the hand of the
])ricst. When they return to their places,
each will bear in his heart Our Lord Himself.
(Photo Biaud, Cosne. Nievre.)

The Thanks
giving properly so
called consists of
the Post -Com
munion, which
corresponds to the
Collect and Se
cret, and varies
with them accord
ing to the Feast.

v. The Final
Prayers lie, Mis-
sa est, or Dismis
sal, and the bless
ing of the priest
are ancient rites ;
while the Placeat
Ti M,the Last Gos
pel, and following
prayers have been
added later 1 .
The preceding explanation mere-

1 We have not here printed the text of the Mass, which is easily accessible to all. We
may mention to such as desire these references our Roman Missal, a (Complete Missal in
Latin and English for every day in the year, where the Ordinary is given in the above setting.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE ROMAN MASS

SALUTING THE CHOIR. Accompanied by all his assistants and by the choristers, the priest
returns to the sacristy. Before doing so he bows riqht and left to the choir. Thus the close of
the liturgy is marked by a sign of respect from the clergy to the faithful. (Photo Biaud, Cosne,
Nievrc.)

ly gives us the outline of the
Mass of the day, or Ordinary.
Each of the Latin liturgies, the
Gallican, the Mozarabic, the Am-
brosian, as well as the Roman fill
in this outline with the prayers
inspired by their religious temper
ament, which vary according to
the nature of the Feasts or the sea
son. The primitive system knew
not these varieties. It had only
one the daily Mass, in which the
readings (Epistle and Gospel) alone
varied ; like that which still reigns
in the Greek and other Eastern
churches. The text of the other
prayers was not influenced by the
course of the liturgical year.

In the fourth and fifth centuries
it would seem that the churches of
Milan, of Gaul and Spain began to
vary the form of the Anaphora,
the Collect, Secret, and Postcom-
munion upon the Feasts of Christ
mas, Easter, the Ascension, Pente
cost, and those of martyrs and
confessors, probably following the
example of Rome. The principle
once admitted, each of the Latin

churches seems to have interpreted
and applied it after her own fash
ion, and according to her spirit;
while the Greeks and Orientals re
mained faithful to the rule of the
invariability of the Anaphora and
the rest of the Mass, except the
readings. However this may be,
in the West it is from this epoch
that Spain, Gaul, North Italy and
Rome began to fix their own par
ticular type of liturgy ; and that
each of these churches had her own
Sacramentary, or Missal. Now
that of the Roman Church which
is our own holds first and special
rank amongst all the others. With
out wishing to decry the beauties
of the Mozarabic, Gallican and
other liturgies, it may surely be
said that they often err on the side
of prolixity, and have other literary
defects. The Roman liturgy, es
pecially during its Golden Age
(from the end of the fourth to the
seventh century), is distinguished
by qualities of the highest excel
lence. Its Latin is admirable for its
force, its precision, its firmness; the

THE MASS

liturgy itself for the elegance and
harmony of its expressions, as well
as by the profundity of its thought.
On the whole the Roman liturgy
leaves but little room for emotion ;
and it has been established that
the rites in which religious imagi
nation and poetic feeling betray
themselves are usually derived
either from the Oriental or Gallican
liturgies. It was not the Genius
of Rome which discovered the. Dies
//, the Vidimx Paschali laudes,
the Gloria, laus et honor, the \ 7 eni,
Sancle Spiritus, or the Lauda Sion,
any more than the Blessing of
Candles at the Purification ; that
of ashes and palms, or the Blessing
of Fire on Holy Saturday. Rome

in a sense allowed her hand to be
forced when she accepted these
things. In reading her most an
cient anaphora, that of St. Hippo-
lytus, we get the same impression
of serene austerity and religious
force as we experience in visiting
the catacombs.

The Roman liturgy has thus
preserved the characteristics of
weight and sobriety which are
those of classic literature during
the Augustan age. This is all the
more remarkable because, at the
time of the formation of this litur
gical language at the beginning
of the fifth century, classic litera
ture had reached the age of deca
dence.

JOTTVENET : iTE MissA EST. (Photo Giraudon.)

THE PARADISE OF THE WORSHIPPERS OK MITHRA. Fresco from a tomb in the Appian
Wai/. (After Wilpert : " Paintings from the Roman Catacombs. ")

THE MASS COMPARED
WITH OTHER RITES

I. COMPARISON WITH NON-CHRISTIAN RITES

It has become the fashion among
some archaeologists and scholars to
compare the Mass with the pagan
mysteries of Eleusis, Athis, Mithra,
and I know not how many more.
Some have even seen in it a survi
val of Totemism. It is certain
that we find in many ancient relig
ions, even among those of savages,
the rites of sacrifice, of the religious
banquet, even of union and com
munion with the victim which do
present certain analogies with the
Mass. In some of these religions
in that of the Jews, for example
he who performed and those
who offered the sacrifice partook
of the remains of the victims, and
sometimes consumed them to
gether. It is natural enough that

this should remind us of the
Eucharistic Feast, and even of
Communion. St. Paul himself re
minded the Christians of his day
that they that ate of the sacrifice
were partakers of the altar
(I. Cor. X. 18.) But as soon as we
study the facts a little more closely,
and try to press the comparison,
we see how different is the Christ
ian Eucharist.

The Eucharist, like all the other
Sacraments, and more than all
the others, has its profoundly hu
man side : that is, it responds to
the most mysterious instincts and
demands of that human nature
which is " naturally Christian. "
This is not astonishing, since it
was created by God ; God Who

77/7: MASS

SACRIFICE UNDER THE OLD AND NEW LAW.
(Taken from the " Rational des Divins
Offices. " (1374) (B. N.)

by His Only Son instituted the
Holy Eucharist. This aspect of
Christian harmony has often been
developed by Christian apologists,
from Tertullian to Lammenais,
Gerbet, Newman and Brunetiere.
Is it not also in these considera
tions that the Romantic School of
Germany took such delight Gbr-
res, Creuzer, Brentano, Arnim,
Eichendorff, Count Zochen-- pas
sionate lovers of mysticism and of
the ancient religions, who sought
in India and in Egypt the proto
type of the Gospel? Is not the new
Maria-Laach school tending in the
same direction ; equipped with all
the arms of criticism, and protected
by its orthodoxy against the ex
cesses into which those have fallen
who sought in the Eucharist merely
a survival of the ancient myths?
But those systems which claimed
to find in those myths the origin
and explanation of the Eucharist
are old already. It is impossible

to prove historically that Christians
have borrowed from the pagan
mysteries yet a proof would be
necessary to establish this theory ;
while theologically the differences
are startling. No religion offers a
rite in which, as in the Eucharist,
the victim sacrificed is God Him
self in the Second Person of the
Trinity, immolated in His own
Body, by His own hands ; which
makes of Christ at once both
Priest and Victim. None exists
in which the sacrifice, once accom
plished, is daily renewed under the
forms of bread and wine ; or where
God is present under either Species
by Transubstantiation ; where He
may be consumed by each of the
faithful, to whom He is united in
uniting them amongst themselves
in this great Mystery of union and
of love. It is needless to say that
not only are all these collective
characteristics absent from the
mysteries of ancient theophagy,
but I think it may be added that
when we come to look closely into
those mysteries not one such char
acteristic will be found to exist,
even separately.

There is then nothing in all these
suggestions but distant analogies
which go to prove that the Myste
ries of the Christian religion adapt
themselves readily, in the heart
" naturally Christian " to inclina
tions implanted there by God, and
answering to the deepest needs
created in that soul by God Him
self. But this theory of Obedien-
lial Power, as theologians call it,
shows that the supernatural, as we
know already, is not an edifice
built on a trembling foundation of
sand, but that the natural and
supernatural adapt and complete

THE MASS COMPARED WITH OTHER RITES

each other, their author being God
Himself. We may well remember
here the prayer of the Offertory :
" God, Who in creating human
nature didst marvellously ennoble it ;
and hast still more marvellously
renewed it...

Amidst all the ancient myste
ries, however, the Jewish Passover
must be distinguished ; for it was
truly a preparation for and symbol
of the Eucharist. These analogies
come to light in the chant Exsultet
of Holy Saturday, which opposes
the night in which the Israelites
before leaving Egypt immolated
the Paschal lamb, and filed, guided
through the desert by the fiery
column ; and the night the night
blessed above all others - - which
effaces crime, abolishes sin, makes
the guilty innocent and the sad
joyful : the night in which Christ,
the true Paschal Lamb, breaking

THE JEWISH PASSOVER. A true prepara
tion for and symbol of the Eucharist. (Paint -
ed window in St. Etienne du Mont, Paris.)

the chains of death, descended into
hell to deliver the souls which lan
guished there and to open to them
the gates of Heaven.

II. COMPARISON WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN RITES

It would ill become us to oppose
the Sacraments one to another,
or to set up a sort of competition
as to which should take first place.
Catholic worship presents an admi
rable collection of rites which mu
tually complete, recall, adapt them
selves to, and illumine one another.
Each Sacrament, and even the Sa-
cramentals, does its work in its
own sphere ; confers its own special
grace ; is excellent in its own way.
But all theologians recognise that
the Eucharist is the most impor
tant of all the Sacraments, since it
contains Jesus Christ Himself, the
Author of grace ; and that of all
rites the Mass is the holiest, the
most august.

We must also clearly understand
that if the Eucharist is truly a
Sacrament; if it possesses the char
acteristics common to the rest
of the seven Sacraments, it is in
deed all this in a special sense. In
it there is both matter and form ;
the outward sign and the inward
grace conferred ; but the matter,
which is the bread and wine, is not
only blessed and sanctified, as is
the water in Baptism, the oil in
Confirmation, Extreme Unction
and Holy Orders. It is consecrat
ed, and transubstantiated : to use
the scholastic expression, the mat
ter loses its substance while pre
serving its appearance, or acci
dents, and is transformed into the

THE MASS

J. BRETON : THE BLESSING OF THE WHEAT.

(Luxembourg Museum.)

Body and Blood of Christ which
remain under the appearances of
bread and wine so long as these
are preserved integral. In the
same way the form, which consists
of the words of consecration, oper
ates the transformation ; and the
effect of these words is not momen
tary but abiding.

This Real Presence of Christ
under the Eucharistic Species has
become the starting-point of a
wonderful development of Catholic
piety, proceeding logically on cer
tain lines. To preserve the Species
worthily, Christian art, under the
aegis of authority, has created the
ciborium, the chalice, the Eucha
ristic tower, the hanging Pyx
shaped like a dove, the tabernacle,
which have taken a preponderat
ing place in the history of art.
The visit to the Blessed Sacrament,
Exposition, Benediction, proces
sions, are only applications or devel
opments of a theological principle,
made by the piety of the faithful.
The Christian who has received his
Lord in Holy Communion in the

morning, finds Him again in the
tabernacle at all hours of the day ;
he may tell Him his troubles ; ask
Him for counsel, for strength, for
light.

Lastly it must not be forgotten
that if the Eucharist is a Sacra
ment, it is, as the others are not,
a sacrifice. This point will be
developed in Chapter V. We now
see the eminent position which the
Eucharist merits in the economy of
salvation. It is indeed " the gene
rating dogma of Catholic piety
as Mgr Gerbet points out in a little
book which has lost nothing of its
value at the present day .

But we can arrive at the same
result as this in another way.
Whoever studies Christian worship
with a little care and intelligence
will soon see that the Mass holds
pre-eminent rank ; that it draws
to itself, as it were, all the other
rites, which converge towards it as
to a common centre. Doubtless
Baptism has its independent exist
ence and its own autonomy. Yet,
at the time which we must consider

1 It has been republished many times, especially in Paris in 1852 (4th edition), under this
title : Le dogme gencrateur de la piete catholique.

THE MASS COMPARED WITH OTHER RITES

VAX DER WEYDEN : THE EUCHARIST. On an immense cross erected in the midst of a Golhic
church the Saviour gives His life for the salvation of the world. At the end of the church a
priest celebrates Mass and elevates the Sacred Host. It is impossible to express more clearly
tre identity of the Sacrifice of the Cross and that of the Mass; the latter reproducing and contin
uing the former. (Antwerp Museum. Photo Bulloz.)

as the Golden Age of the liturgy,
Baptism was closely attached to
the Mass, as we may still see by the
Blessing of the fonts on Holy Sat
urday and the Vigil of Pentecost.
The same thing may be said about
Confirmation, which moreover at

that time was not separated from
Baptism. Penitential exercises, or
those at least of public penitence,
are also inserted in the Mass, or
are attached to it, as the Blessing
of the Ashes on Ash Wednesday
(a ceremony originally reserved for

THE MASS

penitents) ; above all, the reconci
liation of penitents on Holy Thurs
day. It is hardly necessary to
show that the Sacrament of Orders
has a relation to the Mass :
" Sacerdoiem oportel offerre " the
priest has to offer, says the Ponti
fical. Each ordination, from Mi
nor Orders to the Consecration of
Bishops, as well as the Blessing of
an Abbot, an Abbess, and the Mo
nastic Profession, takes place at a
certain moment in the Mass.

There is a special Mass for Mar
riages; and Extreme Unction itself
presupposes the Eucharist as one
of its elements. The dedication of
churches, the anointing of Kings
and Queens, the burial of the
dead all great and solemn Bless
ings presuppose and take for
granted the Sacrifice of the Mass.
It is also the centre of the Sacrifice
of Praise, and all the canonical
hours of night and day are in close
relation with it.

III. EFFICACY

From this comparison with all
the other Christian or non-Christ
ian rites the excellence of the
Mass is obvious. It may be proved
in another way.
We must study
the efficacy of
this Sacrament in
the lives of the
Saints. We then
understand what
that moment of
the day may be for
a Christian who
has a lively faith
and who lives
a Christian life,
when, like the
Apostles, he is in
vited by Christ to
take part in this
Divine Banquet,
when, like John,
he is asked to lay
his head on the
Heart of his Mas
ter ; when Jesus
gives Himself to

him under the form of food, so
that he may become one with Him.
Who can describe the transports of
ecstasy of a truly Christian soul
during these Di
vine moments?
" Away with
the infidels, away
with the hea
then! " we exclaim
with the Deacon,
before we read
once more the
famous words in
which Bossuet
compares human
love and the
transports of Love
Divine in the
Eucharist.

Thus we under
stand, since this
impression is so
deep, that we have

EUCHARTSTIC CONGRESS AT CHICAGO. This

Congress assumed immense proportions ;
extending over a large area. The altar here
seen stood in the midst of a stadium capable
of holding 200,000 people. It was about
100 feel high.

arrived to-day at
the point shall
we say through a
more penetrating

Meditations. 24th day.

THE MASS COMPARED WITH OTPIER RITES

intelligence of the
Eucharistic Mys
tery, or by a need
which our sur
roundings render
more urgent?
when we yearn to
receive Our Lord
in the Blessed
Sacrament every
day.

Without press
ing the point,
we must also not
ice the influence
which this daily reception exercises
on a life. Beyond the Sacramen
tal Grace, which is of illimitable
efficacy, the response of the soul
must also be taken into considera
tion. To quote from the same
meditation of Bossuet :

" The soul must be joined (to the
body) ; for what is bodily union if
spiritual union be absent? He who
is united to God, who remains
attached to Him, is the same Spirit
with Him (I. Cor. VI. 15, 16.)
He has the same will, the same
desire, the same felicity, the same
object, the same life. Let us then
unite ourselves to Jesus, body to
body, soul to soul ".

The Eucharist is food and drink ; it
produces in the soul the same effects
as nourishment does in the body.
It sustains, revives, strengthens,
and brings about growth.

Moreover it is a great school in
which Christ teaches us that humi-

THE OFFERING AT THE ALTAR. (From
Rohault de Flcury : La Messe. ")

litywhichbrought
Him down to a
lowly station ;
that obedience
which made Him
submit to the
will of men ; that
patience which
makes Him await
our good pleasure.
Above all it is a
great lesson in
that charity which
unites us to our
brethren, with

whom we are but one body in Holy
Communion. This is the expression
(already quoted) of St. Paul : " For
we, being many, are one Bread,
one Body : all that partake of one
Bread. " (I. Cor. X. 17.)

Finally, it attaches us more
closely to the Church which offers
Christ in the Mass, and which is
associated with His priesthood.
The old Anaphora of the third cen
tury addressed the Father thus :
" We beseech thee to send the
Holy Spirit into the oblation of
Holy Church ". It glorifies God
the Father through Christ in the
Holy Ghost and the Church. It
is like an echo of that fresco in
the catacombs of which we have
already spoken, which shows on
one side a priest standing, and on
the other, a woman in prayer.

This excellence of the Eucharistic
Sacrament will appear even more
clearly in the following chapter.

1 See bibliographical notes, Ch. vn.

H. AND J. VAN EYCK : THE MYSTIC LAMB. Altar piece of the church of SI. Bavon, Ghent.
One of the most beautiful paintings of the Middle Ages. In the midst of a great plain the Lamb
stands on an altar surrounded b\) praying angels. In the background, the Church Triumphant ;
in the foreground the Church Mililanl. grouped round a fountain to sijmbolise Baptism.

THEOLOGY OF THE MASS

The preceding chapters will have
sufficiently shown that the Eucha
rist occupies an important place
in Catholic theology. Usually an
entire and very considerable trea
tise is devoted to it, as to Grace,
the Incarnation, the Trinity, and
the principal Christian dogmas.

In this treatise theologians study
by means of the texts of Holy
Scripture, of the Fathers, of the
liturgies, and by all the other evi
dence of antiquity the historic and
dogmatic relation which exists
between the Mass, the Eucharistic
Feast, and the Sacrifice of the
Cross. They show how the Eucha
rist is at the same time a Sacrifice
and a Sacrament ; they explain in

what Transubstantiation consists
that is, the changing of bread and
wine into the Body and Blood of
Our Saviour Jesus Christ ; they
study the effects of Communion in
the body and soul of the commu
nicant.

We cannot here go at length
into these questions upon which
theologians have bestowed so much
learning and labour. The lumi
nous treatises of St. Thomas Aqui
nas, Lugo, Suarez and those of
modern theologians, notably Fran-
zelin, Billot, La Taille and Lepin,
are of a nature to satisfy the most
exacting. Those who cannot avail
themselves of these works, which
are necessarily difficult of access,

THE MASS

MELCHISEDECH OFFERING BREAD TO AURA-
HAM. Sculpture in the Cathedral of
Rheims. This scene is belter known as " The
Knight s Communion." (Photo Ets. Levy
ft Neurdein.)

will find an easy explanation in
some of the books mentioned in
Chapter VII.

But it is to St. Thomas and the
great theologians that we must
turn if we wish to study deeply the
nature of the Sacrament of the Eu
charist and the questions of matter
and form. It is in these writers
too that we shall find fully treated
the question of the Real Presence
of Christ in the Sacrament, and of
His Permanence under the Species.
We have alluded to the conse
quences which this article of theo
logy has had upon the development
of Catholic piety and Christian art.
This is one of the points upon
which the Protestants of the
sixteenth century separated them
selves most violently from tradi
tional teaching and Christian use.
Anglican theologians, of whom
some of the more conservative seem
to wish to revive several Catholic

practices, find themselves involved
in lively discussions on the Reserv
ed Sacrament, on the Tabernacle,
on all the consequences of the Real
Presence of Christ in our churches.

The question of sacrifice opens
a new field to the researches of
theologians. In what does the
essence of sacrifice in general con
sist? What are the nature, the con
ditions, and the fruits of the Sacri
fice which Christ Himself offered
on the Cross? Where is the place
of reason in the explanation of this
Mystery?

It is rather difficult to give a
notion of sacrifice which will sat
isfy at the same time the theolo
gians, the philosophers, and the
historians of religions. This is the
reason why we have so large a
number of definitions of sacrifice.
Generally speaking we may say
that sacrifice, which is distinct
from every other religious act, is
an offering made to God by man,
in recognition of His sovereign
dominion over every creature.
A point on which all are more gen
erally agreed is that sacrifice, under
one form or another, finds a place
in all religions, even the most rudi
mentary and barbarous. Thus if
the Mass is not a sacrifice, the
Christian religion, which claims to
be the most perfect of all, would on
that point be inferior to the others.
This is the argument upon which
theologians rely strongly in dealing
with Protestants who do not admit
that the Mass is a Sacrifice, nor
that it has any relation with the
Sacrifice of the Cross.

This principle once laid down, it
is not difficult for theologians to
prove, by the nature of the Sacri
fice of the Mass, by the study of its

THEOLOGY OF THE MASS

qualities and fruits, that of all
sacrifices it is the most excellent,
It is the Blood of the Lamb, the
Blood of the New Testament, as
distinguished from the old cove
nant of Moses, sealed in the blood
of the sacrifice of animals. It
follows that Christ, Who is the
Victim and the immolated Host,
is also the Priest of the New Law,
since He oilers Himself. He is
prefigured by the priest Melchise-
dech, who offered the sacrifice of
bread and wine for Abraham.
The Epistle to
the Hebrews mar
vellously describ
es all these ana
logies between
the Sacrifice of
Christ and those
of the old law.

As the outcome
of these theses,
theologians estab
lish further that
the Sacrifice of
the Mass is worthy
of adoration, is
Eucharistic, pro
pitiatory, and im-
petrative. These
terms deserve an
explanation, for
they explain more
fully the nature
of the Mass.

Eucharist, as we
have said, means
thanksgiving.
The Mass is the
Supreme Thanks
giving. The priest
who represents

THE MA.SS OF ST. GREGORY. Christ, rising
from the tomb amidst all the instruments
of the Passion, appears to St. Gregory, f/ius
showing the reality of His Presence on the
altar after the Consecration. The Pope and
his assistants fall on their knees at the sight
of the miracle. (From the " Sforza Book
of Hours, " British Museum. (Photo.
Oxford University Press.)

the faithful, or rather, the Church
which contains them all, gives
thanks to God the Father by the /
Son, in the Holy Ghost, for all
His benefits : for His Providence,
for the Incarnation, for Re
demption, as the ancient Ana
phora says. Christ is there as
Priest and Victim at the same
time. What thanksgiving can
equal that?

The Mass is also a Sacrifice of
Adoration due to God alone. The
Church offers Him this Sacrifice
through Christ,
Who alone can
give to God a
worthy offering.
This is why the
Mass is also pre
eminently the
Service of Praise ;
and why it is
the centre of that
Divine Praise
from which ra
diate the Cano
nical Hours of
day and night.

It is also a Pro
pitiatory Sacrifice:
that is, it has the
power of expiat
ing oursins, of par-
doningour crimes,
and of causing
God to look on us
with favour.

Lastly, it is Im-
petratiue because
it obtains grace
for us. Of all
these character
istics Protestants

1 Latreuticus. The word cannot be expressed in English as a simple adjective.

THE MASS

solely recognise the Eucharistic
value of the Sacrament. This is why
the Mass for them is no true Sacri
fice ; and consequently their ordi

nations have been proclaimed in
valid by the Holy See, since with
out Sacrifice there [can be no

true Priesthood.

THE SACRIFICE OF ABRAHAM is one of the
types of Our Lord. The angel staijs the
arm of Abraham li/led to strike Isaac,
and points out in a bush the ram which
is to be sacrificed. (Les Joyaux de
1 Arsenal. Photo Bcrthaud.)

- 46

PH. DE CHAMPAIGNE : THE LAST SUPPER (Louvre Museum Paris.)

VI
THE MASS IN ART :

ARCHITECTURE. PAINTING. MUSIC

It would be merely an imperti
nent pretension to attempt to deal
in a few pages with a subject
which needs volumes to do it jus
tice. We can but trace the paths
which lead into this vast forest,
and give us some notion of its size
and extent. Yet the examples
quoted will at least be sufficient to
prove the depth of the impression
which this Mystery has made upon
the hearts, the imagination, and
the intelligence of mankind ; in
spiring countless masterpieces ;

works of art so innumerable that a
complete catalogue of them will
probably remain for ever an impos
sible achievement.

This little Host, this Wine, ele
ments of the Sacrifice of the New
Covenant, have become, as it were,
a home in which, one by one, all
the Arts in turn have been renew
ed, inspired. The Host is hidden
in a ciborium of silver or gold ; It
is exposed in a monstrance on
which the richest work of the
goldsmith has been lavished, and

See bibliographical notes, Ch. vn.

THE MASS

THE CIBORIUM FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE PRESENT DAY. In eadlj times the

intended for the sick or reserved in the church were enclosed in cylindrical boxes with a
with or without a foot. These were called pyxides ; and were encased in enamels or u
From the thirteenth century appears the globe-shaped cup made in equal halves, of which ine cover
was supported by hinges. The shape of these cups has seen gradually modified ana hoi
the upper part is no longer hinged. The modern chalice is made on the simplest lines.

which is often studded with the
most precious jewels. Processions
have been organised, that It may
be venerated by the people ; and
sometimes, as at Burgos, It passes
through the midst of the crowds,
borne on a silver chariot, the cha
riot of the Blessed Sacrament.
The ciborium in which It lies hid,
the tabernacle which rises above
the altar, the retable or reredos
which surmounts it, each in its
turn has been de
corated as far as
decoration was poss
ible ; while the grad-
ins of the retable
are laden with can
dlesticks and pre
cious vases of beau
tiful design. The
chalice and paten,
the cruets for wine
and water, the lamp
which burns in the
sanctuary, the taber
nacle under all its
various forms, the

THE EUCHARISTIC DOVE. The
Eucharislic Dove was suspended
from a bracket above the altar or
from the ciborium before the taber
nacle came into existence. It con
tained the Reserved Hosts. (Cluny
Museum, Paris.)

Dove-shaped hanging pyx, the
iron mould in which the Hosts
are made, the Pax, all the sacred
utensils, as well as the vestments
we can see in such a collection
as that of Rohault de Fleury,
which is yet far from being com
plete, in what manner all these
have been wrought and adorned to
be used in Eucharistic worship.

The Diptychs, which stood on
the altar, and from which were
read the names of
the living and the
dead for whom
prayers were offered
in the Mass, deserve
an admirable page
of their own in the
history of carved
ivories. The altar
cards, Gospels, Epis
tles, Missals have
been encased in mag
nificent bindings,
some of ivory or
silver, which will
remain among the

THE MASS IN ART

chief marvels of our libraries and
museums. The illuminations with
which they are enriched are the
sole evidences for many centu
ries of the history of painting.
Needless to say that the types of
the Mass in the Old and New Testa
ments, or some one of its episodes,
are the subjects most frequently
chosen for treatment, as many a
Book of Hours will show. The
vestments worn by the priest,
which even in our own times re
mind us of the vestments of the
Roman consuls, have opened a new
field to the skill of Christian artists,
in which they have achieved won
ders.

But architecture and sculpture
have not allowed themselves to be
outdistanced. While craftsmen ill
uminated missals, while workmen
wove the silk of vestments of which
the ornaments were chiselled by the
goldsmiths, while blacksmiths forg
ed with their heavy hammers the
wrought iron of sanctuary screens,
while founders melted the metal
for the bells which should call the
faithful to Mass, architects and
sculptors rivalled these artists in
zeal, imagination, and talent.
They, too, set themselves to the
work. They conceived plans
which raised around the altar
where Mass was celebrated a choir
sustained by columns; which erected
vast and yet vaster churches
for the faithful ; churches which,
issuing from the crypt of the cata
combs, borrowing some of their
elements from the Roman basilica
or the heathen temple indeed
from all the monuments of anti
quity have nevertheless preserved
a definite character of their
own. Thus Byzantine, Roman, or

VAN EYCK : THE MASS OF ST. GREGORY.
Christ appears to Pope SI. Gregory just as
he has consecrated the bread and wine.

LE SUEUR : THE MASS OF ST. MARTIN.
Sulpicius Severus relates that one day, as
St. Martin was celebrating Mass, he sud
denly saw a fiery globe rise in the air above
his head. This miracle has been v(nj pop
ular with painters. (Louvre, Paris. Photo
Giraudon.)

THE MASS

SIMOXK MARTINI : ST. MARTIN CELEBRATES
MASS. Another representation of the mir
acle which marked the Mass of St. Martin.
The painter has even introduced angels,
which are not mentioned by the historian.
(In the Upper Church of St. Francis, at
Assist.)

Gothic churches have sprung up
through the length and breadth of
our Christian countries : glorious
edifices which are still the despair of
disconcerted modern artists, oblig
ed to own themselves conquered,
incapable in any case of sur
passing the skill of their predeces
sors, or even of attaining to it.
The workmen of to-day are no long
er capable of such effort, such
success as the Faith coupled with
Christian genius has produced in
the past. Still, even they place all
the resources of their talent, of
industry and modern technique at
the disposal of the Church, and
they have sometimes produced a
masterpiece.

Painting to name it last has

not remained outside this move
ment. It also has felt the impress
ion we have described. We have
spoken of the labours of the copy
ist, of the humble illuminator to
make the missal reveal to all the
spiritual treasures contained in its
text by the care given to its mate
rial execution. We have alluded
to the frescoes in the catacombs,
the decorated interiors of glasses,
and to other things recalling a
simple art, crude in execution but
refined in its symbolism, which
rivals that of Pectorius of Autun or
Abercius of Hieropolis. We must
wait centuries before this art of
fresco-painting, apparently lost
after the catacombs were deserted,
revives and ventures to reappear
on the walls of our churches.
Sculpture had preceded it in the
vaulted roofs of our Cathedrals,
in the carved wood of the stalls, in
the church doors, in the bronze,
stone, or marble of capitals and
gargoyles ; while the glass-workers
and artists in mosaic supplemented
for a time the labours of the sculp
tor with their painted windows and
figured panels.

But at last the time came when
Art could sing its hymn of praise in
frescoes, in paintings on canvas,
sometimes in the panels of a
triptych. It has produced master
pieces of this sort which will never
be surpassed. The polyptych of
the Van Eyck brothers is not mere
ly a monument of patience and
skill : it is a page of dogma on
which our professors of theology
comment in their lectures ; and in
which the Triumph of the Lamb
sums up the entire history of the
Old and New Covenants. Ra
phael s Dispute on the Blessed Sa-

THE MASS L\ ART

cramenl might also be called the
Triumph of the Eucharist; and
theological inspiration is shown
in each face. How many other
paintings might we not men
tion to illustrate the history of the
Mass?

For the sake of order we might
group these paintings under a few
principal heads : 1) the Last Supper,
the Meeting at Emmaus, the Mar
riage in Cana, &c ; 2) themes drawn
from legend or history, such as
the Mass of Bolsena, of St. Martin,
St. Gregory, St. Leo, St. Giles all
of which refer to some legend in
hagiography or to a miraculous
Mass. All these pictures, before
going to adorn some wall in the
Vatican, were depicted in manu
script Missals or in Books of Hours,
whence by means of engravings on
wood (much sought after now by
collectors) thousands of copies were
reproduced.

As to music and poetry, they
have borne their homage to the
Eucharist from the beginning. The
Christian hymns of which Pliny
speaks in the second century, the
Kyrie, Gloria, Alleluia, and Sanc-
tus, the doxologies and many
other chants which belong to this
category, as well as the Psalms of
David, were sung at Mass from the
earliest times. The texts of
St. Paul, of Tertullian, and many
others, leave us no doubt in this
respect. The beginnings of the
Gregorian chant, which was the
first to accompany the words of
the Mass with its melodies, are as
yet enveloped in obscurity. To
discover the written proofs of its
existence we must go back to the

:,!&gt; i

ST. MARK MASSACRED AT THE FOOT OF THE
ALTAR. St. Mark, the disciple of St. Peter
and Bishop of Alexandria, is massacred at
the altar where he was about to celebrate
Mass. (From the " Trcs Riches Heures "
of the Duke de Berry. In the Conde
Museum, Chantilly.)

ninth century ; though then it was
fully developed and had reached
maturity. It emphasises every
formula of the Mass from the In-
troit to the Preface ; from the
Sanclus to the Communion.

There was to be born from the
Gregorian chant another kind of
music, richer, more varied, fuller,
but of a character perhaps less
religious ; and just as from the
Prose, or Sequence, with its dia
logues, its personages, its scenic
representations, has issued the
Mystery Play, so from the simple,
austere Gregorian chant have issued
the Masses of Vittoria, Palestrina,
Beethoven and Bach, of Liszt
and Franck ; artists who sought
their highest inspirations, like the

1 Such reproductions will be found in books mentioned in Chapter vn.

THE MASS

author of Parsifal, in the Mystery
of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Insufficient as it is, this resume
will give us some idea of the germi

nation and florescence which has
been brought about in the world of
Art by meditation on the Christian
Sacrifice.

REMBRANDT : THE PILGRIMS OF EMMAUS.
In the presence of the disciples, \whom He
has met on the way to Emmaus, and to whom
He has explained the. Scriptures, Jesus
breaks bread, according to the rile inaugu
rated by Him at the Last Supper. Then the
eyes of the disciples were opened, and they
recognised their Risen Master.

THE ALTAR THROUGH THE AGES. To the left, from top to bottom : table-shaped altar of the
seventh century, used for a ve.ry long period; ciborium altar which appeared in the fourth
and fifth centuries in Ilalu, which has kept up the tradition ; Roman altar, with rectangular
base, ornamented with arcades upon small columns. To right : altar of the fifteenth cen
tury, with sculptured retable ; modern altar.

53 -

J. CALLOT : THE LAST SUPPER. Christ, surrounded with an aureole, distributes the consecrated
bread to the Apostles. A number of servants move around the guests. The engraver has repre
sented the Last Supper in the midst of a selling whose solemnity is worthy of the seventeenth cen
tury, when he lived.

VII
LITERATURE OF THE MASS

Were all the books which have
been published about the Mass
assembled, they would form a con
siderable library. One can form
an idea of its extent by reading, in
the Topo-Bibliographie of Canon
Ulysse Chevalier the two articles
Messe and Eucharisiie, which are
yet far from being complete. The
British Museum contains four vol
umes in-folio of the titles of works
almost exclusively on this subject.
The author of a recent work on the
Origins of the Eucharist wrote :
" No problem of religious history
has brought forth so many books,
pamphlets, articles. From 1890
to 1899 not less than two hundred
articles have appeared on this sub
ject in reviews and periodicals.
Corblet, of whom we shall speak
again, has also given a considerable
bibliography of the authors of

works on the Mass. Of all these
we shall only mention the most im
portant : those which form a syn
thesis, or which by their value de
serve our attention.

La Perpeluite de la Foy de VEglise,
Catholique iouchant / Eucharistie de-
fendue contre le liure du Sieur
Claude, &c., is one of those enor
mous works in six volumes in-
quarto, before which the frivolity of
our own age draws back aghast,
but in which the solid and highly-
cultivated mind of M me de Sevigne
took delight. It originated in that
theological and literary workshop
which was Port-Royal, where so
many arms of tempered steel were
forged not all, unfortunately, of
perfect orthodoxy. Arnaud and
Nicole, who, however, did not sign
their work, published the first three
volumes in Paris (1669-1674).

LITERATURE OF THE MASS

A new edition and a continuation
in three more volumes was pub
lished by Renaudot in Paris
(1704-1713). The work made a
great sensation, and converted Tu-
renne. It threw the Protestant
controversialists into confusion
the Sieur Claude, Rivet, Aubertin
and others. They tried to retal
iate, but were finally submerged
beneath the weight and number of
texts. In a word, the Perpetuite
de la Foy, as its title indicates,
proves by the study of the Fathers,
of the most ancient writers, by the
whole Catholic tradition since
St. Paul, that throughout Christen
dom, through all the variety of
rites and usages, the Latin, Greek,
and Oriental churches have always
believed in the
Real Presence of
Christ in the Eu
charist, in Tran-
substantiation :
that there is un
ity, perpetuity,
an uninterrupted
chain of witnesses
on this subject in
the Church. The
work, composed
after the manner
of Tillemont, on
all the most au
thentic texts, is a
masterpiece of
solid, extensive
learning, and of
loyal discussion.
The study of
epigraphy and of
archaeology, the
discovery of in
scriptions and
first-hand texts in
the last century,

RIBALTA : THE MASS OF ST. GREGORY. -
Pope St. Gregory celebrates Mass, while the
Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, flutters
around him. The painter is guilty of an
anachronism in here representing the Ele
vation.

would have allorded fresh argu
ments to this book, which now,
owing to these very things, appears
a little out-of-date ; though it is
still of the greatest value.

Pierre Lebrun, of the Oratoire,
writing later, profits by the labours
of Port-Royal, adding to them the
results of his own researches. Ac
cording to his title he holds to
L Explication litter ale, historique et
dogmatique des Prieres et des Cere
monies de la Messe (Paris, 1716-
1726). His work, which has be
come a classic, has often been re-
published. After the explanation
promised by the title, the book
contains learned dissertations on
both Latin and Oriental liturgies,
and on those of which little was
known at that
time, the Ethiop
ian, Coptic, Ja
cobite, and Nes-
torian rites ; even
going as far as
those of heretical
sects, such as the
Anglican, Luther
an, etc. His
work is full of the
widest informa
tion. Lebrun
had sought for
first-hand infor
mation among
our missionaries,
and even among
our ambassadors
and consuls, thus
procuring valu
able documents
and texts. The
conclusion of his
book is on parallel
lines with that
of the authors of

THE MASS

La Perpeluile de la Foy, and con
firms it ; showing that all the litur
gies of Christendom, in spite of
their divergences, repeat the same
lesson on the Eucharist and the
Mass ; teaching the same faith and
the same doctrine. In our own
opinion the work, even in the light
of the most recent discoveries, still
remains the best book written on
the Mass.

Bossuet, in his Meditations sur
rEuancjile (La Cene) has treated
in a few chapters masterfully, as
is his way the chapters of the
Gospel dealing with the Eucharist.
In his other works he fights against
Sieur Claude, Minister of Charen-
ton, and the other pastors of his
time, with the aid of the Doctors
of Port-Royal and of Renaudot.
His Explication de la Messe and his
other writings form a complete
code of doctrine on the Eucharist.
As so many books have been
written, such as Bossuet and the
Bible, Bossuet and the Fathers, Bos
suet and Devotion to the Blessed Vir
gin, The Philosophy of Bossuet, the
Politics of Bossuet, it would surely
be easy to compose another on the
Eucharist and the Mass which
would show that he yields to none
in the height and depth of his doc
trine on this subject.

In the last century Renault de
Fleury, picking up the broken
threads of tradition in France,
published a monumental work in
eight folio volumes, entitled : La
Messe, etudes archeologiques sur ses
Monuments (Paris, 1883-1889). As
its title indicates, it is the iconogra-

phical history of the Mass. The
writer there studies, especially from
the first to the sixteenth centuries,
pictures, sculpture, manuscripts,
missals, books of the Gospels and
Epistles, altars, tabernacles, pul
pits, ambos, retables, crosses,
moulds for making Hosts, lamps,
candlesticks, bells, organs, vest
ments and liturgical ornaments, cro
siers, mitres, even combs, sandals,
gloves worn by prelates, pectoral
crosses, rings in a word, every
thing great or small that has to do
with the Mass. It is a work of in
calculable value ; a collection of
priceless information, to the ga
thering of which the author and
his son consecrated their lives ; and
which may serve as a stepping-
stone to further researches. It
goes without saying that such a
book must of necessity leave cer
tain tracts unexplored which may
be described by its successors. We
may give one example, that of the
book of Father J. Braun, S. J.,
who has begun the publication
of a great work in two volumes on
the History of the Christian Altar
(the book is in German), published
at Munich (1925), which would
form but a single chapter in the
work of Rohault de Fleury. {

About the same time the Abbe
Jules Corblet, formerly editor of
the Revue de VArt Chretien and well-
known as an archaeologist, pub
lished two volumes on the Eucha
rist which also contain exhaustive
researches on the history of the
Mass, the miracles of the Eucha
rist, and its principal surroundings,

1 The Alcuin Club Collection has published numerous engravings relating to the Mass,
taken from ancient MSS or from Book of Hours; notably (Vol. I) English Altars (1899), and
(Vol. X) Fifty Pictures of Gothic Altars (London, 1922)~

LITERATURE OF THE MASS

such as altars, vases, ornaments
and vestments. This work is ra
ther discursive, and occasionally
makes a few incursions into the
domain of Rohault de Fleury, to
which nevertheless it is a useful
corollary ; for it treats its subject
from the historical, dogmatical and
liturgical standpoints.

A complete and methodical biblio
graphy of the Eucharist and the
Mass would be of the greatest va
lue. In the meantime, until this
work shall appear, we may refer
over and beyond the Topo-Biblio-
graphie of the Abbe Chevalier (the
word MESSE) to the Catholic En
cyclopedia (words EUCHARIST,
MASS, &c.) and to the Diction-
naire de Theologie Caiholique as well
as to the Dictionnaire d Archeologie
Chretienne et de Lilurgie.

Among the numerous works pub
lished in English on the Mass we
will only cite the following :

BRIDGETT (Rev. T. E., C.SS.R)

A History of the Holy Eucharist in
Great Britain, with notes by
Fr. Herbert Thurston, S.J. (Fol.
London, 1908.)

DUCHESNE (Monseigneur)
Christian Worship : Its Origin and
Evolution. Translated by M. L.
McClure. (London, 1919.)

FABER (Rev. F. W.)

The Blessed Sacrament. ( London,
1855.)

FORTESCUE (Rev. Adrian)
The Mass, A Study of Roman Lit
urgy. (New ed. London, 1914.)

GIHR (Rev. Nicholas, D.D.)
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
dogmatically, liturgically and as-
cetically explained. Translated
from the sixth German edition.
(Eighth edition ; St. Louis, Mo.
and London 1929.) Contains a
bibliography of the more impor
tant works on the Mass.

HEDLEY (Bishop)
The Ploly Eucharist. (London,
1907.)

HUSSLEIN(Rev. Joseph, S. J.).
The Mass of the Apostles. The
Eucharist : Its Nature, Earliest
History and Present Application.
(New York, 1929.)

* ROCK (Daniel)

Hierugia or the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, with Notes and Disserta
tions elucidating its Doctrines and
Ceremonies, and numerous illus
trations by Daniel Rock, D. D.
Revised by W. H. James Neale.
(Fourth edition, 2 vols. Lon
don, 1900.) " 2

* STONE (DARWELL) :

A History of the Doctrine of the Holy
Eucharist. (2 vols. London,
1909).

VONIER (Rt. Rev. Abbot)
A Key to the Doctrine of the Eucha
rist. (London, 1925.)

1 Histoire Dogmatique, Liturgique et Archeologique du Sacrement de I Eucharistie (2 vols.
in 8vo. Paris, 1885-1886).

- An asterisk * is placed before works written by non-Catholics.

THE WORDS OF JESUS TO HIS APOSTI.KS DURING THE LAST SUPPER. Our Lord extends His
hand towards a dish which appears to contain a fish. The twelve Apostles are depicted with
aureoles : the painter seems to have forgotten the treason of Judas, and to have grouped his
subjects for the sake of symmetry only. (Painting taken from a Byzantine Gospel-book of
the eleventh century. Greek MS. In the Bibliotheque National?, Paris. Photo Berthaud.)

CONCLUSION

The existence of the Mass with
out essential change for twenty
centuries ; the unity and persis
tence of tradition on this point, is
an argument in favour of the Unity
of the Church, of Her Apostolicity,
Her Catholicity, and consequently
of Her Sanctity and Her Divinity.
On this apologists have rightly in
sisted. This unity in essential
rites and in the Faith of which
these are the expression allows us
to retrace our way, by means of
these different streams, to the One
Source the Apostles sent by
Christ and taught by Him.

Bossuet in his Histoire des Varia
tions drew an argument from their
diversities of doctrine to convince
the different Protestant sects of
error. The same argument might
be used against heretics regarding
the history of the changes which
they have made in the conception
and practice of this essential rite.
On the other hand this uniformity,
this continuity, affirmed by docu
ments to which the researches of
the last fifty or eighty years have

brought fresh evidence, furnish to
Catholic apologists a useful argu
ment to prove that the basis of the
Institution of the Eucharist can
only be the most formal and precise
act and word of Christ Himself ;
which means that the Institution
of the Eucharist goes back to Him
alone.

The efforts of the rationalists to
demonstrate that the Eucharist is
originally only an obscure mystery,
more or less inspired by the pagan
mysteries; an exaggerated and real
istic interpretation of some fare
well words of Christ at the Last
Supper which He took with His
disciples ; this attempt at transpo
sition, which would take from
Our Lord the initiative of the Eu-
charistic Institution, and attribute
it to a vague sentimentality on the
part of certain anonymous disciples
of the earliest Christian communi
ties, is incapable of accounting for
this prodigious fact.

Applied to the Eucharist, it is
the same argument which would
explain the Resurrection of Christ

CONCLUSION

Jesus, and the ineffable events
which have resulted from it to the
whole world, by the illusion of the
disciples, whose heart and imagi
nation caused to appear amongst
them the phantom of a Risen God.
Might we not ask how it happens
that the same regret in the heart
of a mother, or in the imagination
of relatives or friends has never
brought back for them the living
image of the beloved dead?

In the same way, however exalted
we may suppose the feelings of
the disciples to have been, however
strong their hallucination, all this
would not have sufficed to found
faith in the presence of Christ un
der the Species of bread and wine
in the first Christian communities.
We can see what the Agape had
become in the course of two centu
ries, since it had no part in the
words of eternal life. The nega
tion of the Mystery and the mir
acle involves here, as elsewhere,
the acceptance of a mystery and a
miracle more difficult to credit than
the first. It would be a thing in
credible and unheard-of that from
isolated and inde
pendent interpre
tations, from feel
ings of love and
desire , however
ardent, an Institu
tion should arise
whose formulae
and acts may
have been modi
fied by time and
space, but which
has never varied
as to the sense,
the interpreta
tion, and the mean
ing of the words :

BELLA ROBBIA : THE COMMUNION OF THE
APOSTLES. One of the finest bas-reliefs
of (his great sculptor. St. John is leaning
on the breast of Christ, Who looks sadly
upon the Apostles from whom He is about
to be separated. (After a model of the " Art
Catholique. " Ancient and modern sculp
ture.)

This is My Body; This is My
Blood.

Thus in all security, with the
conviction of his intelligence, as
well as with the faith of his soul
and the aspiration of his heart,
the faithful Catholic may assist at
Mass and approach the Sacrament
of Life.

The Institution of the Eucharist
corresponded so well with the
whole of the teaching of Christ ; it
was so admirably adapted to the
feelings which He had awakened in
His disciples, that, though it was a
prodigious revelation of His love,
it was not to them a scandal. And
St. Paul could not have astonished
the faithful at Corinth, some of
whom had been the contempora
ries of Christ, when he said to them:
Whosoever shall eat this Bread, or
drink the Chalice of the Lord un
worthily, shall be guilty of the Body
and of the Blood of the Lord. (I. Cor.
XI. 27.)

Lastly, the history of the Mass
and the Eucharist, and of the mar
vels wrought by It in the world, has
also its demonstrative force, to
which such ratio
nalists as Taine or
Maxime du Camp
have rendered jus
tice. The Eucha
rist is Its own
proof. It acts
slowly but surely
in the heart of
the faithful. If It
came to an end
the whole fabric
of Christianity
would crumble.
On the other hand,
It alone sums up,
confirms, explains

the whole of Christianity, and will progress in the way of sanctifi-

crowns it. cation.

It is the Eucharist which im- The author s only ambition has

plants the Faith in the heart of been to make clear to his readers

believers ; the Eucharist which the value, and the religious and

acts like hidden leaven in the mem- social meaning of the Eucharist,

bers and in the whole body of the and the sense of the Mass in which

Church. Let the Christian soul the Sacrament is accomplished,

correspond with this action, and it May he have succeeded !

QUENTIN MATSYS : THE MARRIAGE IN CANA. The water, miraculously transformed into
wine at the marriage in Cana. is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. The Blessed Virgin begs
Her Son to bless the great jars of water. The guests await the intervention of Christ with
a rather troubled confidence.

APPENDIX AND NOTES

THE BREAD, WINE, AND WATER OF THE MASS

The Church uses Nature in her
designs. She takes such material
substances as water, oil, milk,
honey, salt, wine ; sets them apart
for a supernatural purpose ; and to
that end sanctifies them. Every
Sunday she blesses water for the
use of the faithful ; candles on the
day of the Purification the
" Feast of Lights, " or " Candle
mas ; " ashes on the first day of
Lent, in sign of penitence ; palms
on Palm Sunday. In a magnifi
cent and wholly symbolic ceremony
on Holy Thursday she blesses the

oil for the anointing of the sick and
that for catechumens ; the oil of
Holy Chrism for Baptism, Extreme
Unction, Confirmation, Ordina
tion, the anointing of Kings, the
blessing of bells and other ceremo
nies. On Holy Saturday takes
place the blessing of fire, and that
of the Paschal candle in another
rite which recalls that ancient one
of Lucernarium ; and in which the
poetry of the liturgy perhaps
reaches its highest point. The same
day, as well as the Vigil of Pentecost,
are chosen for the blessing of the

THE MASS

fonts, or baptismal waters. Again,
the Church blesses bread, wine,
eggs, fruits, vegetables all, in fact
which can be made use of by
man.

In thus acting, she does but fol
low the example of Christ, Who
daily blessed the bread eaten by
His disciples, according to the cus
tom of the Jews ; Who told the
Apostles to anoint the sick with oil
(St. Mark VI, 13) ; Who chose
water as the matter of the Sacra
ment of Baptism. As to the Eu
charist, He took bread and wine to
signify the Mystery of His Body
and His Blood : the bread which
nourishes, the wine which fortifies.
He had already designed them for
this in anticipation, when He mirac
ulously multi
plied the loaves to
feed the waiting
crowds ; and the
wine at the wed
ding in Cana. In
the Old Testa
ment the priest
Melchisedech of
fered bread and
wine in sacrifice ;
the manna of the
desert is called the
bread of Angels ;
it was in blood
that the Old Cov
enant was sealed
between God
and His people
(Ex. XXIV. 8.);
it was with the
blood of the lamb
slain at the Passo
ver that the doors
of the Israelites
were signed as a
protection.

THIERRY BOUTS THE MANNA. " Your
fathers did eat manna in the desert and are
dead. This is the Bread which cometh
down from Heaven : that if any man eat of
Jl he may not die. " The Hebrews are here
seen in the act of gathering up the manna
fallen from Heaven. (Photo BulJoz.)

But the bread and wine which
are food and drink are capable of
another symbolism, which the Fa
thers of the Church and mystic
writers have delighted to develop.
As the blades of wheat are scattered
over the plain before the har
vest, then made into sheaves, then
crushed beneath the millstone, and
lastly put into the oven to make a
single loaf, thus the elect are united
in the same Church, and form but
one body in Christ, Who gives Him
self to them, and unites them all in
Himself. In the same way grapes
are gathered ; and thrown into the
winepress, which crushes them to
extract the wine ; thus Christ,
crushed beneath the sull e rings of
His Passion gives His Blood to the
faithful to drink ;
and it is in Him
that we are one.
For we, being
many, are one
Bread, one Body :
all thai partake
of One Bread.
(I Cor. X. 17.)

Papini has sung
of this bread in
lyrical language :
" Born of the
earth, this bread
was once a green
carpet sprinkled
with lilies, a ripen
ing blade bend
ing on its stalk
heavy and fair. "
He has described
how much fa
tigue and anxiety
are contained in
a mouthful of
bread :" The great
oxen who draw

APPENDIX AND NOTES

the harrow, the
peasant who casts
the grain by
handfuls on the
winter soil, the
young grass which
tenderly tri
umphs over the
damp darkness
of the earth, the
reapers bending
low with sunburnt
necks... Whole
days -- and the
sickle at night
has grown hea
vier than a pick
axe and still the
sheaves have to
be bound, and
after that carried
to the threshing-
floor, beaten... " 1

Water is added to the wine at
Mass according to a most ancient
tradition ; for although the Gospel
does not speak of it there is no

MIRACLF, OF OUR LADY. " The memorable
miracle of the voice of a Virgin which was
heard daring Mass. " (Miniature taken
from the " Miracles de Notre-Dame ".
MS. in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.
Photo Berthaud.)

doubt that, follow
ing the Jewish
custom, Our Lord
did mingle water
with the wine in
the cup at the
Last Supper.
This water, which
by the power of
the words of con
secration is trans
formed into the
Blood of Christ,
signifies the union
of the faithful
with Him in the
Eucharistic Mys
tery, or yet again,
the union of His
two natures, the
Divine and the
Human, in One
Person. Because

of this the Monophysite heretics,
who recognised but one nature
in Christ the Divine refused to
use water in their own rite.

THE GESTURES USED IN THE MASS; SACRED VESTMENTS;
LITURGICAL COLOURS

Christian worship does not merely
consist of words which are spo
ken with our mouths, but in ges
tures and actions of the body, and
in attitudes.

In so doing the Church is in com
munion with every race of man
kind, which expresses its feelings
and impressions as much by bod
ily gestures as by words. All
have understood that in prayer ges

tures must be united to words.
This includes even dancing, of
which the religious origin is to-day
admitted by the greater number of
ethnologists ; for the very attitude
of the body may be a prayer. To
bow the head, to kneel, to prostrate
oneself, to strike the breast, to
raise eyes and arms to heaven in a
gesture of appeal or supplication
are all forms of prayer, universal

1 Storia di Cristo. Translation.

- 63

THE MASS

THE ELEVATION. The priest raises on
high the Host for the adoration of the
faithful. It is known that this rile of the
Elevation was not introduced into the
liturgy before the Middle Ayes. (Minia
ture taken from " The Book of Hours
according to the Use of Rome, " execut
ed in Italy at the end of the fourteenth
cent. MS. in the Bibliotheque Nationalc,
Paris. Photo Berthaud.)

and eternal, which the Church has
recognised and consecrated in her
ceremonial. To stretch out the
hands over a person or an object
means sometimes the choice of one
elected to a certain mission ; some
times the grace communicated ;
sometimes the benediction of Heav
en called down on a creature.
Here the Church has consecrated
above all others the sign of the
Cross ; a sign solely and essentially
Christian, and a kind of resume
of the whole Faith, for it reminds
us of the Cross of our redemption,
and unites in one doxology the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Every gesture in use in Christian
worship we find in the Mass, which
has preserved for us the most ar
chaic rites, such as would otherwise
have fallen into disuse. We will

only say here what is necessary
upon a subject which should in
reality have been treated far more
thoroughly.

The priest stands throughout the
Mass, except for the genuflexions,
inclinations, and prostrations indi
cated by the ceremonial. Prayer
made while standing was for long
the custom in Christian antiquity ;
it is also the custom during the read
ing of the Gospel. In the East
this attitude is still retained. With
us the Deacon stands to receive
Holy Communion in the Pope s
Mass. It is an attitude of respect,
and even of adoration. The Prot
estants of the sixteenth century
concluded from this that the first
Christians did not believe in the
Real Presence because they stood
to receive Holy Communion. They
were ignorant of the fact that this
attitude was, among the Jews, the
ordinary one for prayer. More
over, the early Christians did kneel
down at certain times, as the an
cient formula? make clear : Bend
the knees : humble your heads before
God ; words which are still repeated
by the Deacon on certain days.

Prayer with the arms held out
cross-wise, much used formerly, as
is proved by numerous frescoes in
the catacombs representing Oranti
in this attitude, is to-day scarcely
used at all at least officially
except in Mass, where the priest
assumes this posture during the
prayers, the Preface, and the Ca
non.

The laying on of hands, which is
no longer used in the Mass except
at the prayer Hanc igitur oblalio-
nem, was formerly more frequent.
We may believe that when Christ
at the Last Supper blessed the

APPENDIX AND NOTES

bread He did it by laying His
hands upon it ; the term to bless
being often synonymous, in ancient
documents, with that of laying on
of hands.

Instead of this, the priest to-day
multiplies signs of the Cross upon
the bread and wine, even after the
Consecration. This custom has
excited much controversy, since it
is evident that the sign of the
Cross after the consecration does
not mean an ordinary blessing, for
what grace could henceforth be
conferred on the bread and wine
which has become the Body and
Blood of Christ? For this reason
even well-intentioned people have
criticised this custom. This is be
cause they did not thoroughly un
derstand the meaning of the litur
gical gestures. These, particularly
the sign of the Cross, have not
always the value of a blessing : the
priest often only figures or des
cribes an action, or emphasises a
word with a gesture. We shall do
well to remember the words of the
Prayer of Consecration : " Our
Lord Jesus Christ, Who the day
before He sufl ered took bread into
His holy and venerable hands, and
with His eyes lifted up to Heaven
unto Thee, God, His Almighty
Father, giving thanks to Thee He
blessed, " etc. Here the priest re
produces all the actions described
in these words : he takes the bread
into his hands ; raises his eyes
towards Heaven ; blesses the bread,
and then performs the same ac
tions with the Chalice, in exact imi
tation of those of Our Lord. The
manifold signs of the Cross at the
Per Ipsum, el cum Ipso, el in Ipso
are not blessings given to the Body
of Christ, but are made to remind

us of the mystery of the Cross and
that of the Trinity in the most
solemn of all doxologies. The
three signs of the Cross at the Pax
Domini mean that this Peace is of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost.

The act of elevation, which con
sists in showing to the people the
consecrated Bread and Wine ; the
genuflexions of the priest, and the
ceremonies which surround the
Consecration in solemn Masses are
intended to emphasise, against cer
tain theories, the force and mean
ing of the words which operate the
Mystery of Transubstantiation.

The action of the breaking of the
Host, preserved in the Mass, re
minds us in a very brief rite of the
Mass when the Pope used to send
fragments of the Consecrated Host
to the priests in the different par
ishes of Rome, as a sign of com
munion and of unity in the Sacri
fice.

The Kiss of Peace is also one of
those actions of the primitive as
semblies which the Mass has pre-

AN ORANTE. A Christian with outstretched
arms and eyes raised to Heaven in the
attitude of prayer, such as Tertullian des
cribes in the third century. (After Wilpert :
" Paintings from the Roman Catacombs. ")

THE MASS

served for us. The Epistle is read
on the right of the altar ; the Gos
pel on the left as in the time when
each of these readings took place
in an ambone, or pulpit ; the first
on the right, the second on the
left, as we have already remarked.

The custom of facing eastwards
for prayer has been retained under
certain circumstances for the rea
son that the sun rises in the East,
and that Christ the supernatural
Light came to us thence. We find
thus in the Mass all these old rites
whose symbolism is as profound as
their teaching is lofty.

The priest, in saying Mass, puts
on vestments of archaic form
which are nothing less than the
garments used in Rome from about
the fourth to the sixth centuries.
They were adopted by the
Church, and she has kept
them in spite of all
the changes that since
then have been
made in mascu
line attire. The
priest takes first
the white amice,
which he places
on his head and
round his neck ;
for the Latin word
amidus means a
scarf. The alb
(alba, a white
linen vestment)
is a long garment
which falls to the
feet, and is girt
round the waist
by the girdle.
This, it is believ
ed, was the gar
ment worn by
Romans under

In a church of the richest Gothic style a
priest says Mass, repeating the prayers of
the Canon. The choir of Religious sings
the Sanctus. (From the " Tres Riches
Heures " of the Duke de Berry, Cond
Museum. Chantilly. (Photo Giraudon.)

the tunic. The surplice and the
rochet which appear to be deriv
ed from the alb are worn for other
ceremonies, such as Vespers, Bene
diction, &c. The stole (stold), an
other scarf, is probably nothing but
the orarium, which was worn round
the neck. The maniple (manipu-
lus, meaning " sheaf ") was origin
ally a handkerchief worn on the
left arm. The chasuble (casula,
literally " little house "), which is
the chief Mass-vestment, was the
mantle with which a high-class Ro
man enveloped his body. Little
by little its size has been reduced
until to-day (in France) it has arriv
ed at the ungraceful shape called
violin. The ancient shape has
however been almost everywhere
revived ; it is more imposing, and
indeed more normal.

The Deacon wears the
tunic, which in shape
closely resembles at
present the dal
matic. During
Advent and Lent
both Deacon and
sub-Deacon wear
the chasuble, a
survival of an
ancient custom.
The Deacon has
moreoverthe priv
ilege of wearing
the stole, and the
sub-Deacon the
maniple.

The cope (Cap-
pa, (?) Capuf),
which is not used
for Mass, is per
haps merely an
other form of the
primitive chas
uble.

APPENDIX AND NOTES

MIRACLE OF OUR LADY. Miracle of a monk named Ariscl who served the Virgin Man) most
devoutly. (Miniature taken from the " Miracles de Notre-Dame ". MS. in the Biblio-
thcque Nationale, Paris. Photo Berlhaud.)

The shape of all these vestments,
as well as all the other rites and
formulae of the Mass thus carry us
back to their Latin origin ; remind
ing us of that Roman dress which
among barbarous nations repre
sented ancient civilisation in all
its nobility and dignity.

The Church has moreover given
them a mystical meaning. The
amice upon the head and round
the throat is the helmet of the spi
ritual armour. The white alb is a
symbol of innocence and purity ;
the girdle a sign of strength and of
mortification. The maniple, ac
cording to its etymology, is the
sheaf of good works ; the stole, a
vestment of immortality ; while the
chasuble reminds us of the yoke
of Christ, which is sweet and light.

The colour of the maniple, stole
and chasuble is white for the great
Feasts of Our Lord, Christmas,
Easter, Ascension, etc. and also for
Confessors, Virgins, Holy Women,

as well as for all the Feasts of Our
Lady. Violet signifies penitence ;
this colour is used in Advent, Sep-
tuagesima, Lent, on all Vigils, at
Rogation-tide, and on all days of
fasting and penitence. Black is
reserved for funerals, for Masses
for the dead, and for Good Friday,
because of the death of Our Lord.
Red, the colour of fire, is for the
Holy Ghost, the Flame, at Pente
cost and during its Octave. Being
also the colour of blood, red is used
for the Feasts of Martyrs, and for
certain Votive Masses of the Pass
ion. Green is the ordinary colour
for Sundays and Ferials.

Supplementary details will be
found in a rather old-fashioned
book by Mgr. Barbier de Montault :
Le Costume el les Usages Ecclesias-
liques (2 vols, 8uo. Paris, undated.) ;
and in the works already mention
ed by Mgr. Duchesne, Mgr. Battifol,
and in the Diclionnaire de FArche-
ologie Chretienne el de Lilurgie, etc.

- 07

THE MASS

THE ELEVATION. -- The priest is saying mass and
small chapel. The Christians outside stop their con
pray when they hear the bell. (Miniature taken from
de Notre-Dame ", belonging to the Duke de Berry,
Van Oest, publ. Paris.)

elevating the Host in a
versation and begin to
the " Tres Belles Heures
by Count Paul Durrieu.

Ill

STIPENDS FOR MASSES

It has been said how in ancient
days the faithful had the custom of
bringing for the Offertory the
bread and wine which were to be
consecrated for the Communion, as
well as other provisions, which
were blessed towards the end of the
Canon. These gifts were both in
money and in kind, useful for the
necessities of worship, for the main
tenance of the poor, the orphans,
the sick, virgins, widows, and mem
bers of the clergy. It had been the
custom in Old Testament days,
and even in many of the ancient
religions that he who offered the
sacrifice himself brought the ele
ments of it, whether animals,
wheat, barley, or other provisions ;
and that a part of this should be
reserved for the upkeep of the
temple and for the priests.

The Secret Prayer, sometimes

called the Prayer over the Offerings ;
the reading at this moment of the
Diptychs, or lists which bore the
names of those who offered, or of
the dead for whom was offered the
Sacrifice ; the custom which yet
exists in certain liturgies in Masses
of Ordination, of the Benediction
of an Abbot and in some other
circumstances, in which the Ordi-
nand offers to the Bishop a wax
candle, as well as bread and wine, all
remind us of this ancient custom.
This remote origin of stipends
explains and justifies a practice
which has sometimes been most
unjustly condemned, and as to
which the faithful of to-day are
not sufficiently informed. Theolo
gians themselves are not always in
agreement as to the nature of this
transaction between priest and
people. Is it a contract of sale

APPENDIX AND NOTES

an alms a fair retribution a fee?
Few are the problems which have
been more widely discussed by mor
alists and jurists.

We have the satisfaction of
seeing Pere de la Taille, in the
work already mentioned, bring
back this discussion to the liturgi
cal and historical standpoint, from
which the solution appears to us
more easily perceived. The sti
pend forMass does seemto be derived
from ancient custom. It is an
offering made by the faithful of the
matter of the Sacrifice, which
assures to him certainly not the
monopoly of the fruits of that
Mass, which is offered in the name
of the Church and for the whole
Church but a special blessing
from God, and a notable part in
its spiritual benefits.

The question of the payment of
the clergy, which is attached to

this, was from the beginning de
bated with much liveliness ; and
St. Paul often comes back to it
in his Epistles. The missionary
absorbed in his ministry and its
functions, cannot devote himself
either to commerce, or to the exer
cise of a trade or art which would
furnish him with the means of exist
ence. How is he to live? It is but
just that the faithful who demand
his ministry should provide for his
wants. Hence the axiom : The
priest lives by the altar, which sums
up in a rather clumsy and vulgar
saying a principle of elementary
justice. It is under this form of
oblation at Mass that the faithful
in the earliest times and even to
day in many countries made their
contribution to public worship.
Therefore the name which is best
fitted to this stipend is that of
Offering.

1 Cf. the article- in La Vic ct les Arts liturijiques, 1923-1924, p. 231.

- The photographs illustrating Chapter III were taken at the Petit Seminaire
Saint-Martin de Fontgombault (in the Diocese of Bourges) which has been instal ed
since 1919 in the Ahbay of Fontgombault, established in 1096 by the Benedictines.

THE END

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

It is not practical to give here a full list of the numerous works written or edit
ed by the Right Rev. Fernand Cahrol, 0. S. B., Abbot of St. Michael s Abbey,
Farnborough, and, in any case, many of His Lordship s contributions to liturgical
study are to be found only in the publications of learned societies or in the pages
of specialised periodicals.

It is, however, opportune to refer in this work on the Holy Mass to the popular
editions of the Missal prepared by Abbot Cabrol with the express purpose of encour
aging the still wider use of liturgical prayer among the laity, for these editions
have played a prominent part in the great Liturgical Revival of the present day.

MY MISSAL. A Popular Explanatory Missal for Sundays and Feasts.

" My Missal " comprises an exhaustive Introduction and frequent Explanatory
Notes. These enable everyone to follow with ease the Liturgy of the Mass. " My
Missal " is published in various styles of binding at popular prices.

THE ROMAN MISSAL. In Latin and English for Every Day in the Year.

The " Cabrol Roman Missal " gives the complete Latin text, together with a
complete English translation, of the Masses for all days of the year. It is recog
nised as the handiest complete Latin-English Missal available and the easiest to
follow. Issued in various bindings.

THE LITURGICAL PRAYER BOOK. A Combined Missal-Vesperal-Ritual-
Prayer Book in one volume.

Of this work the Irish Ecclesiastical Record says : " As a prayer book for the
laity we know of no other to compare with it. " Available in different styles.

HOLY WEEK. The Complete Offices of Holy Week in Latin and English.

The prayers and ceremonies of the Holy Week liturgy are full of sublime beauty
and practical lessons. Abbot Cabrol s Introduction and Explanatory Notes are
therefore particularly valuable.

MY MISSAL. Large Type Edition.

This new edition a counterpart in large print of the Standard edition of " My
Missal " meets a real need. The large type enables persons with impaired
eyesight to read the Missal with comfort and, incidentally, where the lighting of
the church is poor, this edition will be appreciated by persons with normal sight.
Full details of this bold-type edition will be sent on application.

In connection with the above, it should specially be mentioned that the Intro
ductions and Explanatory Notes are written in simple, homely language. Abbot
Cabrol purposely avoids unnecessary technical terms. Children even can easily
follow his guidance, and, as a matter of fact, " My Missal " is used in many
schools for teaching children how to follow the Sacred Liturgy.

An illustrated prospectus giving full details of the above will be supplied on
application to the publishers whose name is mentioned on the title page of this work.

BX 2230 ,C3 1920Z SMC
CABROL, FERNANDA 1856-

THE MASS, ITS DOCTRINE,
ITS HISTORY : THE STORY