Holy Thursday 2018: The Eucharist, Priesthood, and Sacrifice

One essential thing links the Eucharist and the Priesthood, and that is sacrifice. We've spent a lot of energy communicating the Mass as a meal, but we haven't done a good job of teaching that the Mass is sacrifice: The priestly offering that Jesus makes of his Body and Blood, which he then shares with us as our spiritual nourishment. The thousands upon thousands of slaughtered animals offered in sacrifice by priests of the Old Covenant, themselves attempts to achieve reconciliation with God, come to an end with the one sacrifice of Christ the High Priest offered for all time. This is the mystery that we encounter when we come to Mass--the mystery of the Divine Person offered and offering at the Altar, through the person of the priest, the efficacious sacrifice that brings life into the world. May we always grow in our devotion to this most profound mystery!