UNDERSTANDING THE MASS, part 1

Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. is composing a series of articles on the Mass over at Catholic Exchange. I've been doing the same for eventual release to our parish. I hope to have them finished this summer. For now, enjoy Dr. D'Ambrosio's.

It’s important to know what the Church means by the "sacrifice" of the Mass. The term is easily misunderstood and has caused much strife among Christians.

First of all, Church teaching reiterates what Scripture states very clearly: there is no other sacrifice except the one offered by Jesus on Calvary. Hebrews 10:12 says that Christ "offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins." That sacrifice cannot be repeated. The Mass, therefore, is not a repetition; it is a re-presentation of that sacrifice.