Reflection: The Liturgy of the Eucharist, Part II

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(Editor’s note: This is one in a series of reflections on the importance of the Eucharist and what it means to be a Eucharistic people. These reflections are part of the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s participation in the National Eucharistic Revival, which began last year and will end in July of 2024 with the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. These reflections are designed to be read aloud at Mass by a priest, deacon or experienced minister following the Prayer after Communion. They will appear in print in this newspaper and on the diocese website, www.dioslc.org. The series of reflections will continue through June of 2023 in preparation for the July 9, 2023 Diocesan Eucharistic Rally at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy.)

When the altar is ready and prepared for the sacrifice of the Mass, the priest has already prepared himself to be worthy of offering the sacrifice. We have collectively asked God to accept our sacrifice for our good and the good of all God’s holy Church. Occasionally, the priest will incense the gifts, the cross and the altar itself (which, again, models the rituals of the Temple priests). The incense evokes the image of the burnt offerings on the Temple that would rise up to God in their smoke for him to accept. Incense also uses the sense of smell, further emphasizing that Christ is present among us through every one of our senses at the Mass. The deacon will then incense the priest because the priest will be offering the sacrifice for us.

The role of a priest is extremely important for the Mass, beyond what we in the congregation see. He must go through an extensive method of preparation in order to be made worthy of offering the sacrifice. Many of these things are details that we do not see, and this preparation takes place even before Mass begins.

Every part of the priest’s participation in the Mass is intentional. Something as simple as vesting, or “getting dressed,” for Mass takes on profound theological meaning for a priest. Before the priest vests for Mass, he will wash his hands and even this simple action might be accompanied by a traditional prayer that asks God for the strength to be interiorly clean in mind and heart for what he is about to do on behalf of the Church.

The garments that a priest puts on are also very important. The role of a priest is not passive or insignificant; he will be performing the most important act a human person can, and just like the priests of the Temple in the Old Testament, their garments should signify this. God himself instructed Moses exactly how a priest should be vested for offering sacrifices (you can find this in chapter 28 of Exodus), and we continue to use God’s instruction for Mass. Every layer the priest puts on can involve a specific prayer, further indicating that nothing involving the Mass is done frivolously.

The priest is not celebrating the Mass by himself; Christ is celebrating the Mass through the priest. Therefore, the garments that a priest wears in a way take the focus away from the human being and bring our focus back to Christ, the one who offers the sacrifice of the Mass.

The final act of preparation a priest undergoes before offering the sacrifice occurs at the altar. It recalls all the preparation he went through to get to this point by washing his hands at the altar while saying a prayer silently (Psalm 51:2): “Lord, wash away my iniquities, cleanse me from my sins.”