A Sacrament / A Sacrifice
For Catholics, the greatest form of the worship is the Mass. The Mass is classed as a sacrament, because the Eucharist is received within each Mass. The Mass is also classed as a sacrifice, as the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is made present and true each time the Eucharist is celebrated.
Sunday after Sunday we gather to hear the words of God through the Sacred Scriptures. We offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving as the Holy Spirit transforms our gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Each of us shares in and becomes the Body of Christ and we are sent forth to live and preach the gospel in our daily lives. This is what makes us Catholic!
Here in the Order of the Most Holy Mary Theotokos, we use the Revised Roman Missal as the standard for the celebration of the Eucharist to deepen our understanding of this “source and summit” of our faith and to join with the many others throughout the world who share in the Catholic faith tradition.
Members are encouraged to make use of the Revised Roman Missal whenever possible, however as a dispersed community, use of any of the traditional Eastern and Western Catholic liturgies (e.g., Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, etc.) are certainly acceptable and remains approved for use by clergy within this community.
It is important to remember that while some of these liturgies may not follow the same specific order, they do contain the essential elements of prayer, readings, offerings of bread and wine, consecration, communion, and thanksgiving and therefore the mystery we celebrate is always the same: Jesus Christ, yesterday, today and forever!
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THE MASS. It has gone by many names over the centuries: the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharist, the Divine Liturgy, the Unbloody Sacrifice, the Mystical Supper of the Lamb, and many more.
Any title falls short of capturing what is the “source and summit” of Christian faith. And yet, every title contributes to deepening our entry into this greatest Mystery of our faith.
