The Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

71. The Thanksgiving

The moments which immediately follow the reception of Holy Communion are exceedingly blessed and precious, rich in grace and devotion; for in astounding condescension the sweet and gracious Jesus now dwells, with all the treasures of heaven, in the inmost sanctuary of the poor human heart. It is then especially requisite¹¹²²1122Decet post communionem in omnibus mente et corpore custoditum ac modestum consistere nec minus esse sollicitum ad Christum grate tenendum quam ante exstiterat ad eum digne suscipiendum. Unde multi arguendi videntur, qui post communionem et Missae consummationem tam faciliter se foras effundunt atque in exterioribus occupantur, nisi necessitas postulet (Dion. Carthus. Expos. Miss. art. 38). — Expleto officio, ferventi ac devotissimo corde gratias age, gratus permane atque in omni conversatione tua esto sollicitus, ne offendas: esto timoratus et custoditus, ne susceptam gratiam perdas, ne fructum amittas adeptum, et sic tota vita tua sit praeparatio ad celebrandum continua (Dion. Carthus. De sacr. serm. 3). for us to forget the world and its pleasures; to avoid all dissipation and levity; in retirement, recollection, in silence to direct all the powers and faculties of the soul to the Heavenly Guest; to embrace with devotion and ardent love the Eucharistic King of our heart; to glorify, to adore, to magnify, to petition Him;—in short, to offer a joyful and heartfelt thanksgiving for the unutterably marvellous grace of Holy Communion.

St. Francis of Assisi once went in company with one of the brethren, Brother Masseo, over a field through the burning heat of the sun. Thirsting for a cool drink, they came to a spot in which fresh water gushed forth, and around which a lofty tree cast a delightful shade. Here they rested, took some pieces of stale bread, which had been given to them in alms, moistened them in the water, ate and drank. At the same time tears coursed down the face of the saint. In amazement the Brother inquired: “Good Father, why do you weep?” — “Ah, Brother,” rejoined the saint, “should I not shed tears of joy and gratitude because our Heavenly Father has prepared for us so delicious a banquet?” Masseo with difficulty refrained from smiling at these words, as the food appeared to him by no means delicious. The saint then continued in a serious tone: “Remember, Brother, how tenderly the Lord provides for us poor creatures. From all eternity He foresaw that we would at one time pass this place, exhausted and thirsty,—and with provident love He here placed a shady tree and a refreshing spring, that we might rest and consume, beneath pleasant shelter, the bread which those good people gave us for His sake. Why have we deserved this paternal love and care? Should not the exceeding goodness of God draw from our eyes tears of reciprocal love and gratitude?” Thus the Seraphic Francis thought—and returned thanks for a few morsels of hard bread, for a drink of fresh water. But what is this gift compared with the sweetness and plenitude of grace contained in the mystical Banquet which the Lord daily prepares for us on the altar? Not earthly, perishable, but heavenly, imperishable food and refreshment He there presents to us—His most sacred Body and His most precious Blood. As “the soul is here filled with the marrow and fatness” of celestial gifts and consolations, she should overflow with gratitude, and with joyful lips praise and magnify the Lord (Ps. 62, 6). This thanksgiving, by which the Eucharistic stream of grace is not only copiously poured into the heart, but, moreover, carefully preserved therein, the Church leaves to the fervor and devotion of the individual. Hence for public worship she has prescribed only a very short and simple celebration after Communion. This liturgical celebration is justly considered and styled the thanksgiving.¹¹²³1123Tota missae celebratio in gratiarum actione terminatur, populo exsultante pro sumptione mysterii (quod significat cantus post communionem), et sacerdote per orationem gratias offerente, sicut et Christus celebrata coena cum discipulis, hymnum dixit ut dicitur Matth. c. 26 (S. Thom. 3, q. 83, a. 4). — In the first place, we here meet the Communio and the Post-Communio, to which on the ferial days of Lent the Oratio super populum is added.

1. The Communio. — Thus the Antiphon, that is, the Verse, is called which is read out of the Missal by the priest after Communion, on the Epistle side¹¹²⁴1124On the Epistle side, as the less worthy side of the altar, the less important portions of the Mass are read, that is, those parts which precede the (first) Gospel and follow the Communion; on the Gospel side and in the middle of the altar tamquam in partibus dignioribus altaris, on the contrary, are performed those prayers and ceremonies which by their intimate connection with the accomplishment of the Sacrifice have a more profound signification. (Cfr. Quarti, p. 2, tit. 11, n. 1). of the altar. Like the Offertory before the oblation, this Antiphon is an abbreviated chant, that is, a remnant of that longer Psalm-chant, which in former times—from the days of the Apostles until about the twelfth century—accompanied the administration of the Eucharist to the clergy and laity. The Psalm-Verses which, in greater or less number, were by turns sung by the choir with an oft-repeated Antiphon, received the name Communio, that is, Communion Hymn, because they accompanied the act of Communion and were intended to intensify the devotion of the communicant.¹¹²⁵1125Mox ut Pontifex coeperit in senatorio (that is, at the place destined for the more distinguished men) communicare, statim schola incipit Antiphonam ad Communionem per vices cum subdiaconibus et psallunt usquedum, communicato omni populo, annuat Pontifex ut dicant “Gloria Patri” et repetito Versu (Antiphon) quiescunt (Ordo Rom. I, n. 20). — Facta confractione debent omnes communicare, interim cum et Antiphona cantatur, quae de Communione nomen mutavit, cui et Psalmus subjungendus est cum “Gloria Patri”, si necesse fuerit (Microlog. c. 18). — In the Ambrosian Rite this Antiphon to be recited after Communion is called Transitorium—scil. quia tunc sacerdos ex cornu Evangelii transit ad partem Epistolae. Since the twelfth century¹¹²⁶1126Cantus quem communionem dicimus, quem post cibum salutarem canimus, gratiarum actio est, juxta illud: “Edent pauperes et saturabuntur et laudabunt Dominum, qui requirunt eum” (Ps. 21, 27. — Rupert. Tuit. De divin. offic. l. 2, c. 18). — Since this time it received in many places also the name postcommunio, which later on was exclusively used to designate the last prayer. Antiphona, quam usitato nomine vocamus Postcommunionem (Hildeb. Turon. [† 1134] Lib. de expositione Missae). — Antiphona, quae Postcommunio a pluribus nuncupatur, ideo sic appellata est, quoniam post communicationem sive in signum, quod communicatio expleta est, concinitur (Durand. l. 4, c. 56, n. 1). Afterward (c. 57, n. 1) he observes: Sacerdos elevatis manibus ultimam orationem, quae proprie Postcommunio vocatur, exsequitur. these Psalm-Verses were gradually omitted at the administration of Communion, and sung afterward, so that they constituted a portion of the liturgical thanksgiving. Later on this hymn was abridged and reduced to the Antiphon which at present, notwithstanding its altered position and application to the thanksgiving, still retains the original name (Communio). The custom, introduced at an early date and universally adopted in the East as well as in the West, of enhancing the celebration of Communion by the singing of Psalms, had undoubtedly its origin and foundation in the guest-chamber at Jerusalem, where the Lord and His Apostles at the Last Supper concluded the hymn (hymno dicto—Matth. 26, 30), before they proceeded to the Mount of Olives.

As a rule the Communion Verse is taken from Holy Scripture, not always from the Psalms; frequently also from the other Biblical Books. Occasionally it is of ecclesiastical origin, or consists of a characteristic saying of the saint commemorated. As to its contents the Communion Antiphon in nowise refers to the reception of the Eucharist, as might be presumed from its name and position, but to the particular celebration of the day or of the Sacrifice. In harmony with the remaining variable constituent parts of the rite of the Mass, it serves to bring the mystery of the feast, or the idea of the ecclesiastical time, or the subject of the Mass in question celebrated, more prominently in view. But rarely is the text so arranged that a reference to Holy Communion could therein be discovered; if this happen, it is more accidental than intentional. In it the Mass liturgy leaves the unchangeableness of the Canon and moves in the course of the ecclesiastical year. The same fundamental tones, which were often heard in the Introit and during the progress of Holy Mass, return in the concluding chant of the Communion Antiphon and in the Post-Communion.

On the four Sundays of Advent the spirit of this ecclesiastical period is briefly and lucidly expressed in the Communion Verses, namely, the joyful expectation of the coming Saviour:

A reference to Holy Communion is contained, for example, in the Antiphon for the feast of St. Aloysius:

The Communio on the feast of the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, for instance, of ecclesiastical origin:

On February the first we find a glorious saying of the celebrated martyr St. Ignatius:

The Communio in Requiem Masses has retained its original form; it is as follows:

2. The Postcommunio. — The Communion-Antiphon and the usual salutation: Dominus vobiscum—Et cum spiritu tuo¹¹²⁷1127Departing from the present rite the celebrant, when entoning the Gloria in excelsis Deo, formerly turned toward the people, while he omitted doing so at the Dominus vobiscum after Communion. Placet regula Joannis Diaconi ex epistola ad Senarium: “Illud firma mente custodio, quod non a majoribus tradita custodiret Ecclesia, nisi certa sui ratio poposcisset; nec ea possumus dicere inania videri ac frivola, quia eorum minime rationem accepimus.” Si tamen conjecturis indulgere licet, ideo Pontifex “hymnum angelicum” praecinens convertebat se ad populum, ut eum ad laudandum Deum invitaret. Ideo vero salutationem illam postremam pronuntiabat versus altare, quod ad fideles communione seu corpore et sanguine Christi Domini tum refectos verba dirigeret, quibus proinde non jam apprecantis optantisve, sed gratulantis more Dominum inesse hac salutatione contestabatur (Mabillon, In Ord. Rom. c. 21). constitute the introduction to the last prayer which, from its position after the Holy Communion, received the name of Postcommunio.¹¹²⁸1128Other ancient designations are, for example, ultima benedictio (this last word often = oratio sacerdotis)—(Oratio) ad complendum—Complenda (inasmuch as in the first ten centuries it formed the conclusion of the sacrificial celebration, as only the dismissal [Ite missa est] followed it). Finita Antiphona surgit Pontifex... et veniens ante altare dat Orationem ad complendum, directus ad Orientem. Nam in isto loco, cum “Dominus vobiscum” dixerit, non se dirigit ad populum (Ordo Rom. I, n. 21). — Collectae quae dicuntur ad complendum (Rupert. Tuit. l. 2, c. 19). — Sequitur oratio, quae post communionem vocatur, in qua sacerdos orat pro his, qui ad communionem eucharistiae accessere (Sicard. l. 3, c. 8). — Sacerdos salutato populo orationem dicat; cui iterum salutanti populum, diaconus “Ite missa est” tempore suo aut “Benedicamus Domino” succinat. Clero respondente “Deo gratias” officium finiat (Joann. Abrinc. De offic. ecclesiast.). — Like the Collect and Secreta the Postcommunio is also a prayer of petition, but in it the following characteristic distinction is to be made and emphasized. While in the Collect the idea (the subject) of the ecclesiastical celebration is exclusively expressed, in the Secreta the remembrance of the Sacrifice of the Mass takes precedence, there exists not unfrequently in the Postcommunio a reference to the reception of the Eucharist. The petition presented in the last prayer, namely, is conceived, supported and based in a manifold way. At one time by the subject of the day’s celebration of the Sacrifice, at another by the celebration of the Sacrifice, again by participation in the Sacrificial Banquet, and also by all these motives combined. — The goods and gifts implored are of most various kinds. They comprise all that may be beneficial to our welfare and salvation for time and for eternity. Chiefly do we pray for a plenteous outpouring, as well as for the preservation, of all the fruits of the Sacrifice and of the Communion celebration. What is more opportune at this moment than the ardent desire, that the Sacrificial Body and Blood of Christ, which we have received, may “as the vine bring forth a pleasant odor, the fruit of honor and riches” (Eccl. 24, 23), of virtue and sanctity unto perfection! The Post-Communions are always recited by the priest in the plural number, that is, for all and in the name of all who have taken part in the Mass, either by actual (sacramental) Communion, as was generally the case in ancient times,—or at least by Spiritual Communion, which should never be omitted by those who unite in the Sacrifice.¹¹²⁹1129Sequitur oratio sive orationes post communionem dicendae, quae eodem numero et ordine orationibus ante lectionem sive pro secreta ante praefationem dictis debent respondere. Quae utique orationes non pro his, qui communicaturi sunt, sed qui jam communicaverunt, juxta proprietatem sui nominis agunt. Ergo et ante ipsas communicare non neglegant, quicumque earundem orationum benedictione foveri desiderant (Microl. c. 19). — Istae orationes pro communicantibus institutae sunt, quando omnes vel plerique, quia aderant sacrificio, communicabant; nam et ipsum communionis vocabulum improprie hic usurparetur, nisi plures de eodem sacrificio participarent. Quamvis autem mos ille desierit, nihil tamen in orationibus immutatum est, sed ideo retentae sunt, ut sciamus, quid olim factum sit, et ex ipso precationum tenore ad pristinum fervorem excitemur (Bona, Rer. liturg. l. 2, c. 20, § 11).

On the Second Sunday of Advent we pray:

On the Vigil of Christmas:

On the Feast of the Precious Blood:

On the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena:

On the Feast of St. Aloysius:

3. The Oratio super populum. — On the week days of Lent after the Post-Communion there follows yet a prayer for the people; it is directly introduced by an Oremus and the exhortation: Humiliate capita vestra Deo—“Humble your heads before the Lord.”¹¹³⁰1130The inclinatio capitis must be made not merely at the Oremus, but it must also accompany the words Humiliate capita vestra Deo (S. R. C. 12. Dec. 1879). With respect to the origin and object of this prayer a variety of opinions have been adduced.¹¹³¹1131Micrologus says (c. 51), that the Oratio super populum is intended for those who do not communicate, while the Postcommunio is destined exclusively for the communicants. That, namely, those persons, who on the ferial days of Quadragesima did not communicate, might not be dismissed without prayer or blessing, the above prayer has been added in their behalf, in qua non de communicatione, sed de populi protectione specialiter oratur. This ordinance was made expressly for the season of Lent, quia cum majorem conflictum in jejuniis et orationibus contra spiritales nequitias sumimus, necessario nos instantius Deo commendare debemus. On Sundays it is not said, either because the prescribed genuflection is omitted, or rather because all present should have received Holy Communion. — Honorius of Autun beholds in the Oratio super populum a substitute for the otherwise customary distribution of the so-called eulogies, which during Lent (propter jejunium) did not take place (cfr. Gemma animae l. 1, c. 67). The occurrence of this prayer in Lent may also be regarded as a reminder of the ancient observance, which now is customary only on Holy Saturday, and which consisted in combining Vespers with the Mass sung after None; the Oratio s. p. was at the same time a concluding benediction and prayer at the end of Vespers preceding the formula of dismissal, as even now the Oratio s. p. and the prayer of Vespers in Lent are alike (Quadt, Die Liturgie der Quatembertage S. 113). The following appears to be the most simple and correct. According to the ancient rite of the Roman Church, the Oratio super populum was not recited, as at present only on certain days, that is, on the days of penance and prayer of the Quadragesima, but every day, even on great feasts: it belonged to the ordinary prayers of the Mass. At that epoch, when the present benediction at the end of Mass had not yet been introduced, this prayer was intended to invoke God’s blessing, protection and assistance on the assembled congregation, before they were dismissed by the Ite missa est from the house of God, after the celebration of the Eucharist. These very ancient prayers are intended as a supplication for the divine benediction not merely by their contents, but, still more, by the prescribed rite thereto annexed. From the earliest times, the liturgies require an humble bow to be made by the faithful whenever they receive a blessing. St. Gregory the Great was also the first to introduce in this a simplification, and to restrict the Oratio super populum to the ferial days of Lent. — If we inquire into the reason why this prayer was particularly and exclusively reserved for Lent, the answer is: In the first place, this period of the ecclesiastical year has in all respects preserved with marked solicitude its ancient rite; then, too, it is characteristic of this great and solemn season of penance, to implore more frequently and more urgently the protection and assistance of Heaven, so as to be enabled to support courageously the painful combat against the enemies of our salvation. The original object of the Oratio super populum, which formerly was said every day, is, consequently, to be distinguished from the reason of its being exclusively restricted to the penitential season of Lent.¹¹³²1132The forty days of Lent are, according to the Fathers and the spirit of the liturgy, a summons, a sallying forth and a combat of the Christian army against Satan, the world and the flesh. Cfr. the expression praesidia militiae Christianae in a prayer for Ash Wednesday. — Amalarius mentions the prayer in question in reference to the Post-Communion ulterior ultima benedictio, in qua milites Christi commendantur pugnae contra antiquum hostem. He then adds: Sacerdos noster, prudens agonotheta et pugnator, quantum in majore periculo videt milites fore, tantum munit eos amplius sua benedictione. Arma nostra contra diabolum sunt humilitas et ceterae virtutes. Vult sacerdos noster, ut nostris armis vestiti simus: propterea jubet per ministrum, ut humiliemus capita nostra Deo, et ita tandem infundit super milites protectionem benedictionis suae (De eccles. offic. l. 3, c. 37).

4. Although the prayer of petition differs and must be distinguished from the prayer of thanksgiving, yet the Post-Communion, which is a prayer of petition, is justly considered as a thanksgiving after Communion, and is designated as thanksgiving.¹¹³³1133Participato tanto Sacramento, gratiarum actio cuncta concludit (S. Aug. Ep. 149, n. 16—ad Paulin.). — Sequuntur orationes, in quibus fit perceptorum beneficiorum commemoratio et gratiarum actio (Ivonis Carnot. Serm. 5). — In ultima oratione sacerdos rogat et gratias agit de sacramenti perceptione, dicens collectas pro numero Secretarum (Durand. 1.4, c. 57). — Ultima pars Missae sequitur, quae dicitur gratiarum actio atque incipit a communione. Vocatur autem communio quasi participatio, quam ideo canimus, ut per eam cum Sanctis divinae gratiae participes efficiamur. Appellatur etiam completio, quoniam per illam Missa, ut sic dicam, completur (Joann. Beleth. c. 49). By this appellation petition and thanksgiving are not exchanged for one another, but it merely expresses that the petition which is contained in the Post-Communion serves also to manifest and confirm the grateful sentiments of our heart toward God. Our gratitude is displayed in this, that we honor the greatness and goodness of our gracious Benefactor, esteeming His gifts, employing them faithfully and striving as far as possible to make a return for them. Toward God we can render in various ways all that appertains to a grateful acknowledgment of benefits received; not only by actual prayer of thanksgiving or formal words of thanksgiving, but, moreover, by many other acts; for example, of praise and extolling, of adoration and offering, of admiration and glorification, yea, even of petition. The prayer of petition is, in the first place, and according to its intrinsic nature, an act of veneration and glorification of God, inasmuch as God is thereby acknowledged as the source and dispenser of all gifts, as well as the infinitely Powerful, Merciful, Just and Truthful.¹¹³⁴1134Quamvis orans praeconia Dei in suis orationibus formaliter non exprimeret, tamen ipsa oratio est Dei laudatio: quoniam orans eo ipso, quod oret Deum, fatetur, ac praesupponit insufficientiam propriam, et omnipotentiam, providentiam atque clementiam Dei, quem non invocaret, nisi crederet eum potentem ad adjuvandum et omnium provisorem ac pium ad succurrendum (Dion. Carthus. De orat. art. 31). Accordingly, by filial and confident petition after Communion, there is offered to the Divine Majesty an agreeable homage, and this homage is the principal gift which we present as a return to the Lord, who has no need of our goods (Ps. 15, 2), for the grace of Communion. These fervent and humble petitions, therefore, can justly be regarded as the outcome and testimony of our grateful disposition, and, consequently, they may be accounted as thanksgiving after Communion. Therefore, as heartfelt thanksgiving for benefits received is the best claim for obtaining new favors (de perceptis muneribus gratias exhibentes beneficia potiora sumamus); so, vice versa, confiding petition after Communion is an acceptable thanksgiving for the sublime grace of the Communion which has been received.¹¹³⁵1135Cfr. the Postcom. Dom. XVIII. post Pent.: Gratias tibi referimus, Domine, sacro munere vegetati: tuam misericordiam deprecantes, ut dignos nos ejus participatione perficias. Per Dominum. Even that marvellous hymn of thanksgiving, the Te Deum, peals out in the most touching and hopeful petition, as, in general, almost all the prayers of the Church are resolved exclusively into petitions.

With what enthusiasm should not the love of our God and Redeemer be praised for the banquet of grace, for the bread and drink of life, which He dispenses to us on the altar,—for the bread which is His Body, and for the Blood which issues forth from His sacred Heart. Yes, on the silent height, upon the marble of our altars, there is found a wondrous food and a wondrous drink, prepared for the poor pilgrims, who in pain and sorrow tread the rugged and stony path, and walk amid the cruel thorns and brambles of this life. To the shadow of the altar they retire as to a haven of rest. Exhausted and weary, by reason of the weakness of their nature, amid the pressure of temptation and the bitter warfare of this life, they seek in this nourishment solace, refreshment and strength. Hence the heart of the Church expands with joy and gratitude and exults in beholding this sacred, mystical nourishment on the altar, our life’s food. By fervent prayers and chants the Church urges her children to praise unceasingly the treasure of grace, the boundless wealth bestowed upon them in these gifts. Well aware that the praise and gratitude of men are at all times inadequate to the dignity and grandeur of these gifts, the Church presents herself in supplication at the portals of heaven, she appears at the celestial court and invites all the angels and saints to unite with her in praise and thanksgiving. Yes, in the fulness of holy enthusiasm, and ever impelled by the need of thanking and of praising, the Church, like unto a suppliant beggar, goes in all humility even to irrational and inanimate creatures, imploring of them an alms, a contribution to the praise and thanksgiving of the Most Blessed Sacrament, so that from all creatures, as from numberless rivulets and channels, adoration and glorification may pour into the Church, thus swelling ever higher and higher the hymnal waves of adoration and thanksgiving (Eberhard).

72. The Conclusion

After the Post-Communion is said again¹¹³⁶1136It is peculiar to the soul, repeatedly to pronounce that with which she is strikingly and profoundly impressed. The repetition of the Dominus vobiscum, accordingly, signifies that the most ardent wish of the Church is that the Lord may be and remain with us. This applies especially at the conclusion of Holy Mass, when the Dominus vobiscum is in a particular manner a petition, that we may be nourished and strengthened by the sacramental or spiritual Communion and the sacrificial fruits, in communion with Christ, that is, in His grace and love, that we may persevere unceasingly in His peace and service; for only he that abides in Christ and Christ in him, produces much fruit (John 15, 5), because he does nothing without Christ, but all with and through Christ. that reciprocal salutation, which throughout the celebration of Mass has so often been repeated in order to maintain between priest and people an active, lively intercourse: Dominus vobiscum—Et cum spiritu tuo.¹¹³⁷1137Hoc tantum bonum sibi invicem optant et postulant (et sacerdos Ecclesiae et Ecclesia sacerdoti), ut sicut ejus gratia illuminatur, ejus praesentia confortatur, ejus protectione munitur, semper eum manere nobiscum, quemadmodum est pollicitus, sentiamus (Florus Diacon. [† c. 860], De actione Missarum n. 13). By the Sacrificial and Communion celebration our relations with God have become more close and intimate; hence the priest, before the conclusion of the holy action, desires for all present that the Lord would by His grace, by His protection, by His assistance, be with them during the course of the day—in joy and in sorrow, in fatigue and in labor; that, as the Good Shepherd, He would conduct and pasture them, be their staff and support; that He would remain with them, when the day draws to a close and the evening appears, so that they “may watch with Christ and rest in peace.”

1. According to the diverse character of the celebration of the Mass, there follows hereupon the concluding formula Ite missa est or Benedicamus Domino or Requiescant in pace.¹¹³⁸1138“Ite missa est” dicitur versus populum, quia dimittitur; “Benedicamus Domino” versus altare, quia ibi peculiari modo Dominus adest; “Requiescant in pace” item versus altare quia sermo est de absentibus (Gravant. Thesaur. p. 2, tit. 11 ad Rubr. 1). When the deacon sings this concluding formula, the celebrant must likewise say the Benedicamus Domino and the Requiescant in pace, but not the Ite missa est, because the latter has not the character of a prayer, but is only a formula for dismissing the people (S. R. C. 7. Sept. 1816).

From the earliest times it was customary at the assemblies of the Christians for divine worship, to announce the dismissal liturgically or to take leave of the people at the close of the holy action.¹¹³⁹1139Post communionem et post ejusdem nominis canticum, data benedictione a sacerdote ad plebem (that is, after the recitation of the Postcommunio), diaconus praedicat Missae officium esse peractum, dans licentiam abeundi (Raban. Maur. De clericor. instit. l. 1, c. 33). In the East and West there were different formulas of dismissal;¹¹⁴⁰1140In the Apostolic Constitutions (l. 8, c. 15): “Go in peace;” in the Liturgy of St. James: “In the peace of Christ let us go;” in the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom: “Let us go in peace;” in the Ambrosian Rite: Procedamus in pace; in the Mozarabic: Solemnia completa sunt in nomine D. N. J. Ch., votum sit acceptum cum pace. it is probable that to the Roman Church the formula Ite missa est = “Go, it is the dismissal,” was at all times peculiar. As is evident from the translation given, the word missa, from which the whole sacrificial celebration has received its name of Mass, occurs here again in its original signification (missio = dismissio).¹¹⁴¹1141Finitis vero omnibus, adstanti et observanti populo absolutio datur, inclamante diacono: “Ite missa est.” Missa ergo nihil aliud intellegitur, quam dimissio, i. e. absolutio, quam celebratis omnibus tunc diaconus esse pronuntiat, cum populus a solemni observatione dimittitur (Florus Diaconus, De actione Missarum n. 92). In the eleventh century¹¹⁴²1142The three oldest Ordines Romani, written before the tenth century, mention without any distinction of days or Masses only the concluding formula Ite missa est—R. Deo gratias. (Cfr. Ordo Rom. I, n. 21. 24; II, n. 15; III, n. 18). the rule now adopted was formed, that the faithful were solemnly dismissed only on days (in Masses) of a festive or joyful character, that is, that the formula of parting Ite missa est might be employed only when the hymn Gloria in excelsis was recited.¹¹⁴³1143Semper cum “Gloria in excelsis” etiam “Te Deum” et “Ite missa est” recitamus (Microlog. De observat. eccles. c. 46). The Ite missa est, therefore, since the Middle Age has been regarded as a characteristic mark of the joyful days of the ecclesiastical year, and to this aspect corresponds, moreover, the circumstance that in the singing thereof, it resounds in joyous tones.

On other days which bear the character of sorrow and penance, the dismissal was not announced; but instead of the Ite missa est the Benedicamus Domino (= Let us bless the Lord) was substituted, whereby all were encouraged to praise God. This originated from the fact, that on those days of penance and prayer the people were required not to leave the house of God immediately after the conclusion of the Mass, but to remain there¹¹⁴⁴1144For this reason in the Middle Age the first Mass of Christmas Eve was often concluded, not as now with the Ite missa est, but with Benedicamus Domino, whereby the congregation was exhorted not to leave the church, but to assist at Lauds, which followed immediately after the first Mass. (Cfr. Microl. c. 34. — Joann. Beleth c. 49. — Durand. l. 4, c. 57, n. 7.) in order to assist until the end at the prayer of the Canonical hour, or the celebration of the Stations which followed directly after the Sacrifice.¹¹⁴⁵1145Crederem, tunc omissam dimissionem, cum fideles peracta Missa non statim abibant, sed permanebant in Ecclesia, donec recitatis canonicis precibus et statione soluta abire fas erat (Bona, Rer. lit. l. 2, c. 20, § 3). Hence arose the present rubrics, that those Masses whose character does not admit of the Gloria in excelsis should be concluded by the more grave and supplicatory¹¹⁴⁶1146Already Micrologus remarks (c. 46), that in Advent and Lent instead of Ite missa est the Benedicamus Domino should be sung pro tristitia temporis insinuanda—that is, to insinuate the penitential sorrow of these days. Benedicamus Domino.¹¹⁴⁷1147The so-much used liturgical formula Benedicamus Domino, to which is regularly given the answer Deo gratias, is of itself a magnifying of the Lord, and contains, at the same time, a summons to praise the Lord. In the Middle Age it was also called Versus clusorius, because with the Deo gratias all the canonical hours are concluded.

To these two formulas, of which the first directly, and the other at least indirectly announce the close of the Sacrificial Celebration, the people answer by the mouth of the acolyte: Deo gratias—“Thanks be to God;” for a sentiment of gratitude should now fill and penetrate the people, since they have been admitted to mysteries so sublime and enriched with graces so precious.¹¹⁴⁸1148Deo gratias, i. e. Deo dicamus agamusque gratias de Missae consummatione et sacrorum mysteriorum completione, ne merito nobis impingatur et exprobretur ingratitudo. Est enim gratiarum actio cum in ceteris a Deo perceptis bonis, tum in hoc excellentissimo dono sacrificii salutaris apprime necessaria et nequaquam praetermittenda (Clichtov. l. 3, n. 84).

As Requiem Masses are a service of mourning for the departed, many prayers and ceremonies are omitted in them which either designate the participation of the living in the sacrificial fruit, or denote joy and solemnity. For the last reason already, in Requiem Masses the dismissal of the people is not accompanied by the joyful and festive Ite missa est. — To this is added, moreover, the circumstance, that those present do not depart at once, but continue in prayer until the suffrages, which, as a rule, take place for the departed after Requiem Masses, are completed. Already in the twelfth century¹¹⁴⁹1149Diaconus Missae finem imponit decantans “Benedicamus Domino” vel “Ite missa est” in diebus festivis vel “Requiescant in pace” ut in mortuorum exsequiis (Stephan. Augustod. De sacram. alt. c. 18). — Dicitur in Missis pro defunctis “Requiescant in pace,” quod ex sola consuetudine generali natum est (Joann. Beleth. c. 49). it was the general custom to conclude divine worship for the departed with the devout and prayerful wish: Requiescant in pace—“May they rest in peace.”¹¹⁵⁰1150This formula is an abridgment of the more detailed one, which frequently occurs in the Office of the Church: Fidelium animae per misericordiam Dei requiescant in pace. In it is found a harmony with the Biblical words: In pace in idipsum dormiam et requiescam (Ps. 4, 9), that is, “in peace in the self same I will sleep, and I will rest” (= with all the saints of God every evening and, consequently, until the rest of the tomb itself) and I will rest in gentle slumber” (full of hope of a glorious resurrection). — Whether Holy Mass be celebrated for one or for more departed souls, the plural number Requiescant always refers to all the suffering souls; for the Church is accustomed in her liturgy to unite her intercession for departed individuals most intimately with her intercession for all the faithful departed. A more comprehensive and suitable formula of conclusion could not be found; for it includes all the gifts which we would procure by the Sacrifice for the suffering souls,¹¹⁵¹1151In Missa (etiam pro uno defuncto) semper “Requiescant” dicendum (S. R. C. 22. Jan. 1678). and which we can in general implore, namely, eternal rest and heavenly peace in the bosom of God. The Amen—“So be it,” given as reply by the acolyte, unites the wishes of the people with those of the priest, so that the combined supplication may be more readily and promptly answered.¹¹⁵²1152In Missa pro defunctis celebrata dicitur haec conclusio: “Requiescant in pace,” ut finis hujus Missae respondeat principio, in quo eis aeterna requies postulatur. Quoniam enim totum illud officium peculiariter ordinatur pro requie defunctis impetranda, ideo ipsis placida requies postulatur in Missae principio, medio et in fine. Et hic respondet pro populo chorus aut minister: “Amen,” i. e. fiat quod petitur piaque nostra desideria compleantur (Clichtov. l. 3, n. 84).

Formerly—until about the twelfth century—the Holy Sacrifice was concluded with one of these formulas; for the three following pieces—the Offering-Prayer Placeat, the Benediction and the beginning of the Gospel of St. John—are later additions, which gradually found acceptance, but which were not until the sixteenth century finally and universally prescribed.

2. While the priest rests his joined hands on the altar, he prays¹¹⁵³1153Primum condescensionem et acceptionem Dei circa obsequium jam in officio altaris exhibitum expostulat ipse sacerdos. Deinde supplex orat, quod hoc sacrificium divinae majestatis oculis oblatum sit illi acceptabile... ex parte offerentis, ut quantulacumque ejus devotio acceptetur a Deo; sit etiam idem sacrificium et ipsi offerenti et omnibus christianis tam vivis quam defunctis, pro quibus illud obtulit, propitiabile, utile et salutare ad diluenda peccata et consequendam gratiam. Et quo facilius exaudiatur sacerdos, haec supradicta deposcit sibi praestari non ex suis meritis et operibus justitiae quae fecerit, sed ex divinae misericordiae magnitudine et miseratrice ejus bonitate. Similiter eadem petit sibi indulgeri per Chr. D. N., in cujus nomine quidquid petere volumus est postulandum et quidquid postulatum fuerit haud dubie ut promisit impetrabitur:—cui pro expleta expositione familiari ipsius sacri Canonis sit laus, honor et gloria in saecula saeculorum. Amen (Clichtov. l. 3. n. 86). with head bowed (inclinato capite) and in silence:

Originally the Placeat was a private prayer, recited by the priest at the close of the holy celebration, but previous to his leaving the altar; since the tenth century it is to be found in different Missals.¹¹⁵⁴1154Finitis omnibus osculatur sacerdos altare, dicens: “Placeat tibi, sancta Trinitas.... (Microlog. c. 22). We find in many Missals up to the sixteenth century the rubric, that the prayer Placeat finita Missa or post Missa should be recited. Wherever the concluding blessing was introduced, this prayer was said after it;¹¹⁵⁵1155This ordinance is still found in Ordo Roman. XIV, of the fourteenth century. Even some Missals of the sixteenth century have the concluding benediction before the Placeat. it is only from the fifteenth century that it has been placed before the blessing.

This prayer is a brief repetition, or an epitome of the oblation petitions, which before as well as after the Consecration form a constituent portion of the liturgy for Holy Mass. In the name and for the glorification of the triune God the Holy Sacrifice was begun, continued and completed; to the Blessed Trinity it is now once more and for the last time recommended.¹¹⁵⁶1156Sanctae Trinitati, cui unam debemus et individuam per omnia servitutem, sicut unum sacrificium offerimus, sic unam quoque gloriam fideli devotione cantamus. Nam quia unam naturam constat esse sanctae Trinitatis, dignum est ut una gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto dicatur a fidelibus in hymnis et psalmis (S. Fulgent. Contra Fabian. fragm. 34). Impressed with the consciousness of his frailty, sinfulness and unworthiness, the priest, in the first place, implores that the Sacrifice offered by him and the homage of profound submission thereby rendered¹¹⁵⁷1157The worship and veneration (obsequium) of which there is question here, is more minutely characterized as such by the addition servitutis, as is due by the totally dependent creature toward the Creator, because of His absolute dominion, and as in sacrifice it principally finds its expression; that is, as a worship of servitude and adoration due to God alone (λατρεία). Obsequium servitutis would, therefore, as to its meaning be the same as oblatio servitutis. The Vulgate often translates (John 16, 2. Rom. 9, 4; 12, 1) λατρεία by obsequium. In the Sacram. Leonian. the Eucharistic gifts are called piae devotionis obsequia. We find there also the following prayer: Repleti, Domine, munificentia gratiae tuae, benedictione copiosa, et pro nostrae servitutis obsequiis et pro celebritate Sanctorum, coelestia dona sumentes, gratias tibi referimus. — Trinitati exhibemus servitutis obsequium (S. Fulgent. Contra Fabian. fragm. 12). may be graciously accepted and received by the Holy Trinity; he then begs that, in consequence of the divine pleasure taken in the Sacrifice and in virtue of the divine mercy, there may flow from the altar unto all for whom it was offered reconciliation and grace.¹¹⁵⁸1158Propitiabilis (like placabilis), properly passive = reconcilable, easy to propitiate, but here active = reconciliatory, effecting atonement. The petition that the Sacrifice may, as hostia placationis, propitiate the anger of God, apply to us His favor and efficacious love, includes all the sacrificial fruits. In order to understand the last petition, it is to be remarked that God does not always impart at once all the sacrificial fruits after the accomplishment of the act of sacrifice, but many of them He frequently bestows at a later period, when, where and as it pleases Him, that is, in conformity with the impenetrable designs of His wise and merciful providence.

3. As a recapitulation¹¹⁵⁹1159Sacerdos velut in quodam compendio petitiones priores recolligit, humiliter petens pro se aliisque omnibus, pro quibus sacrificium illud obtulit, exaudiri (Gabr. Biel, Expos. Can. lect. 89). of the preceding Oblation-Prayers, the Placeat is at the same time a suitable preparation for the blessing which immediately follows;¹¹⁶⁰1160The present blessing at the end of Mass can not be shown to have been in use during the first ten centuries. In the ninth century some commentators do indeed mention a similar benedictio, but they understand thereby the concluding prayer (the Postcommunio or the Oratio super populum). The three oldest Roman Ordines mention, that the celebrant at the end of Mass, not at the altar, but on returning to the sacristy, to the petition of the different ranks of the officiating clerics for the blessing (Jube domne benedicere), repeated each time the words Benedicat nos (or vos) Dominus, to which they responded Amen. (Cfr. Ordo Roman. I, n. 21. — II, n. 15. — III, n. 18.) Since the tenth century many bishops no longer gave the blessing before the Communion (as was the custom in a number of places), but only at the end of Mass, and gradually the priest also began to bless the congregation after the sacrificial celebration, which according to Micrologus (c. 21) already in the eleventh century they could not omit without great scandal (absque gravi scandalo). — The words and actions of the benediction rite during the whole of the Middle Age were neither fixed nor uniform. Some priests often blessed with a threefold sign of the Cross, while others made merely one or even four signs of the Cross; in so doing frequently the chalice or paten or a cross was held in the hand. Already in the fourteenth century (Ordo Rom. XIV, c. 71) the formula now in use is found; on the other hand, we read in Clichtoveus (l. 3) still in the sixteenth century, the following formula of blessing: Coeli benedictione benedicat et custodiat vos divina majestas et una deitas: Pater et Filius et Spiritus sanctus. Amen. Only at the revision of the Missal, under Pius V. and Clement VIII. († 1605), was the different rite of the episcopal and priestly blessing fully regulated and universally prescribed, as Pope Clement interdicted priests from blessing with three signs of the Cross even in Missa solemni. Only since that time may the bishop make, even in low Masses, a threefold sign of blessing, when he introduces the usual formula with some versicles (Sit nomen Dom.... with the so-called German Cross on the breast and Adjutorium nostrum... with the so-called Latin Cross); for benedictio solemnis the mitre is placed on the head and the crosier in the left hand of the bishop. for every blessing proceeds from the Sacrifice, and the celebrant is the organ by which the divine blessing is imparted.

After the Placeat the priest kisses the altar and then pronounces aloud the blessing: Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus—Pater et Filius † et Spiritus sanctus. R. Amen. “May Almighty God bless you—the Father, the Son † and the Holy Ghost. R. Amen.” The act which accompanies and completes the text is as simple as it is impressive: in pronouncing the first words (Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus), the priest raises his eyes and hands on high toward Heaven, whence all good gifts come to us; then he turns to the faithful who are present and makes, at the mention of the triune God (Pater et Filius † et Spiritus sanctus), over them the Cross, that sign and source of every grace and blessing.

To comprehend the full import of the altar-kiss here prescribed, it must be considered in its twofold relation; that is to the preceding prayer Placeat, as well as to the imparting of the blessing which follows. — In the first place, the kissing of the altar concludes the prayer Placeat, inasmuch as symbolically it strengthens, confirms and seals the petition therein expressed.¹¹⁶¹1161Per altaris osculum, quod in fine Missae fit, intellegitur sacerdos omnia praecedentia approbare et eis toto mentis affectu assentire (Durand. l. 4, c. 39, n. 7). The celebrant in the Placeat begs, namely, for a gracious acceptance of the Sacrifice which is accomplished and for an abundant bestowal of the sacrificial fruits, that the union with Christ and His saints, renewed by the Sacrifice and Sacrificial Banquet, may be confirmed and completed. This petition is now perfected and crowned by the kissing of the altar which follows and concludes the prayer. For it is not intended merely to manifest homage and reverence toward the Church triumphant; but rather, according to its profound signification, it is a figure, expression and pledge of the holy communion of love, in which we live with Christ and His saints, and which at the altar, by the Sacrificial Celebration, has once again been ratified and strengthened. — Like the Placeat with which the altar-kiss forms a whole, the latter has, then, a relation to the blessing, which it prepares and introduces. The kissing of the altar, therefore, renews the mystical union with Christ. But precisely from this living and mysterious union with Christ, whose representative he is, the priest draws the power and efficacy to pour out upon the assembled people, in the name of the triune God, by means of the words and signs of blessing, the plenitude and superabundance of the graces of salvation, “as showers falling gently upon the earth” (sicut stillicidia stillantia super terram—Ps. 71, 6). Moreover, as the altar-kiss, independently of the Benediction, in connection with the Placeat has and still retains its essential meaning with respect to the conclusion of the Sacrificial Celebration, the reason is evident why it is prescribed even when the concluding blessing is omitted, that is, in Requiem Masses. In these Masses those who are present, namely, the living, are not blessed, in order to indicate that all the sacrificial fruits are imparted to and reserved for the benefit of the departed.

From the rite prescribed for the blessing, we see that the priest blesses in the name and by the commission of the Church, that is, he implores in prayer of Almighty God the fulness of heavenly and earthly blessings upon the faithful; while, by making the sign of the Cross¹¹⁶²1162Crux est signum Christi, quod nobis est fons omnis benedictionis et gratiae. Quocirca a Christo et Apostolis manavit traditio, ut, dum cui benedicimus, manibus in formam crucis deductis id faciamus (Cornel. a Lap. In Luc. 24, 50). over those who are present, he indicates the source of all blessings and symbolically represents the fulfilment of the benediction pronounced. From the triune God proceeds all the blessing of the creation and redemption, by His almighty power (omnipotens Deus) He can realize and impart every blessing. The priest implores the blessing of the triune God who has created, redeemed and sanctified us: the blessing of the Father, who gave His only-begotten Son for the world, and to whom the Son has even now presented the infinitely precious Sacrifice as an agreeable odor; the blessing of the Son who, for love of man and for the redemption of mankind, endured the poverty of the crib and the ignominy of the Cross, and who, day after day, renews not only the humiliation of His sacrificial life and death on the altar, but in a certain measure transcends it; the blessing of the Holy Ghost who, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, prepared the sacrificial Body of the Saviour, and whose heavenly ardor consumes upon the altar the earthly elements and changes them into the Body and Blood of Christ—these adorable sources of every grace and blessing. The formula of blessing prescribed by God, through Moses, to the priests of the Old Testament contains also an allusion to the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, since in it the mystical and adorable name of Jehovah was pronounced three times. It is as follows: “The Lord (Jehovah) bless thee and keep thee! — The Lord (Jehovah) show his face to thee and have mercy on thee! — The Lord (Jehovah) turn his countenance to thee and give thee peace!” (Numb. 6, 24–26.)

To bless as well as to offer Sacrifice is the vocation of the priest.¹¹⁶³1163Benediximus nos episcopi et praelati vobis, o subditi, de domo Domini, i. e. de Ecclesia Christi praedicando vobis verbum salutis, ministrando vobis sacramenta N. L., orando quoque pro vobis et gratiam nobis divinitus datam, sicut caritas exigit, communicando. Benedictio proprie dicitur collatio gratiae Dei; gratiam autem non confert nisi Deus. Quomodo ergo unus nostrum alteri benedicere seu gratiam communicare potest nisi instrumentaliter, non principaliter? Ideo subditur: Deus Dominus et illuxit nobis, i. e. Deus, qui est Dominus noster, ipse et illuxit nobis, illuminando corda nostra Spiritu sancto et gratiam splendidam nostris mentibus infundendo, dando quoque vobis auctoritatem ligandi atque solvendi, ministrandi sacramenta, praedicandi evangelica verba, consecrandi et benedicendi—ex quibus idonei sumus ad benedicendum vobis (Dion. Carthus. In Ps. 117, 25). After he has offered on the altar the Lamb of God to the Most High, he raises his hands in order to bless the people. He, indeed, implores of God the dispensation of the blessing; but his prayer of sacerdotal blessing is more than a devout wish of happiness—it is at all times efficacious and has the guarantee of being answered. The priest pronounces the words and God bestows the blessing, for God blesses by his mouth and by his hand.¹¹⁶⁴1164Sacerdotes benedicunt exorando, Deus largiendo (Florus Diac. n. 43). — Fit mirabilis operationis divinae effectus, ut per sacerdotum ora Deus ipse benedicat... deprecatur quidem pro salute hominum pia sacerdotis intentio, et praestat eam divinae pietatis devotio, sicque fit, ut caritas quae exhibet in sacerdote deprecationem, ipsa praestet a Domino integram sanitatem (Raban. Maur. l. 2, c. 55).

The reason of the higher power and efficacy of the concluding blessing consists in this, that it is an ecclesiastical-liturgical blessing, which as such can never be fruitless and inefficacious, provided that the recipient present no obstacle. The liturgical blessing is especially a powerful petition of the Church, that is, a petition which is always answered and granted by God, since, on the one side, it is supported by the authority and holiness of the Church, and, on the other hand, it is based on the infinite merits of Jesus, on His Precious Blood and loving promises. Already in the Old Law, the Lord spoke in this manner to Moses (Numb. 6, 23–27): “Say to Aaron and his sons (the high-priests and the priests): Thus shall you bless the children of Israel... They shall invoke My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them (et ego benedicam eis).” Should not this divine promise have far greater, yea, the greatest value in the Church of Christ, which is an institution and a kingdom of blessings, that is, of salvation and redemption for the whole human race, in fact, for all creation? But as the full efficacy of the Sacramentals, to which this blessing appertains, depends also in part on the worthiness of the dispenser and of the receiver, during this holy act of blessing, therefore, both priest and people should be animated and filled with faith, confidence, humility, devotion.

This concluding blessing will appear in a new light, if we conceive it, according to the precedent of the liturgists of the Middle Age, as a figure of that blessing which the Saviour bestowed, at His departure out of this world, upon His disciples on the Mount of Olives,¹¹⁶⁵1165Haec ultima benedictio significat illam benedictionem, quam Christus ascensurus in coelum discipulis dedit; unde ea facta sacerdos se ad orientem vertit quasi se Christo ascendenti commendans (Durand. Rational. l. 4, c. 59, n. 4). and which He will again impart to those who are His own, when He returns to judge the world.¹¹⁶⁶1166Post hoc sacerdos dicit: “Ite, missa est” et populum benedicit. Quod signat quod veniet Dominus in judicio et se nobis ostendet et fidelibus suis dabit benedictionem suam et tunc laeti vadent ad mansiones suas, de quibus dicitur in Joanne (14, 2): “In domo Patris mei mansiones multae sunt.” Ad quas mansiones nos perducat ipse Pontifex et Sacerdos, qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivit et regnat. Amen (S. Bonav. Exposit. Missae c. 4). Such a conception is not merely elevated and profound, it is, moreover, intrinsically solidly established; for it cannot be denied that among the three characteristics therein considered, striking comparisons and points of resemblance occur. — The liturgical Sacrificial Celebration is frequently considered as the representation of the entire sacrificial life of Christ, from the Incarnation to the Ascension¹¹⁶⁷1167Missae officium tam provida reperitur ordinatione dispositum, ut quae per Christum et in Christum, ex quo de coelo descendit usquedum in coelum ascendit, gesta sunt, magna ex parte contineat et ea tam verbis quam signis admirabili quadam specie repraesentet (Durand. l. 4, c. 1, n. 11).—or, yet more comprehensively, as a representation of the history of salvation from the beginning to the end of the world. In this aspect the blessing at the end of the celebration of the Mass, by which Christ’s work of redemption is mystically portrayed, reminds us naturally of the last blessing given by the Saviour after the work of redemption was objectively accomplished; in like manner, does the concluding blessing at Mass contain an indication of the last and greatest of all blessings, which the Lord will impart at the end of time, when the redemption of the world will subjectively be concluded and completed.

From the top of Mount Olivet the Saviour, in the presence of His Mother and His disciples, ascended to heaven; and as He ascended He blessed them with uplifted hands (elevatis manibus suis benedixit eis—Luc. 24, 50), making over them, as we may presume, the sign of the Cross. What devout thoughts and sentiments will be awakened in us, if we consider the blessing at the end of Mass as a repetition of this solemn blessing by the hand and from the mouth of the Divine Saviour! And how greatly must the devotion and joy of our heart be increased, if we behold in this blessing at the conclusion of the Sacrificial Celebration a figure of that perfect blessing which, at the consummation of the time of grace, will be imparted to all the elect at the Last Judgment! The entire and full blessing which Christ acquired by His Blood is reserved for us in eternity; where God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, where death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away (Apoc. 21, 4). “Come, ye blessed (benedicti) of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matth. 25, 34), will the Saviour cry out to His own, leading them to eternal glory, where they shall be blessed with imperishable goods and unspeakable joys. To this the Christians are called, that they may inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3, 9)—a spiritual, heavenly, an eternal blessing.

Since already here on earth God has prevented us with the blessings of His sweetness (Ps. 20, 4), and in eternity will bless and make us happy with the infinite plenitude of His blessing, we should, also, as the favored children of the Heavenly Father, shed blessings around us. Compassionate and active love of our neighbor, mercy and benevolence, goodness and friendliness should be reflected in our whole life, so that whatever we do may be upright and noble, and that consolation and happiness, peace and joy may enter into the hearts whithersoever our steps may be directed. “Healing and doing good,” like the Divine Saviour, we should spend our life on earth. As the Apostles, after receiving the blessing on the Mount of Olives, “went back into Jerusalem with great joy, praising and blessing God,” (Luke 24, 52–53), so should we, filled with holy joy, return to our daily avocations, and our life, sufferings, labors, prayers, and rest should thenceforth be an uninterrupted praise of God and a perpetual thanksgiving for the ineffable riches of the Sacrificial and Communion blessing, which has been bestowed so undeservedly upon us.¹¹⁶⁸1168St. Chrysostom endeavors to draw the faithful from sinful conversation, by reminding them of the grace and dignity which they obtained by participating in the Holy Mysteries. “Therefore, do nothing, say nothing that is earthly. God has elevated you to a heavenly rank: why do you again debase yourselves? Do you not behold here the sacred vessels? Do they not always serve one only purpose? Would any one venture to employ them for aught else? But you are holier than these vessels,—yea, far holier. Why do you defile and contaminate yourselves? You stand in heaven and you slander? You dwell among angels, and you slander? The Lord has favored you with the kiss of peace, and you slander? So greatly has God adorned your mouth,—by angelic praises, by a more than angelic food, by His kiss, by His embrace, and do you slander? Act not thus,—I beseech you!” (Fourteenth Homily on the Epistle to the Ephesians.)

4. The final conclusion of the Eucharistic Sacrificial Celebration is always made by the reading of a portion of the Gospel. In Votive and Requiem Masses the last Gospel is invariably—usually¹¹⁶⁹1169Except the third Mass of the feast of Christmas (Ult. Evang. fest. Epiph.), and the low Masses on Palm Sunday (Ult. Evang. e bened. palm.), and the feastday Masses, which are celebrated on Sundays, on the ferial days and vigils that have a special Gospel (Ult. Evang. de Dom., Fer. major. et Vigil.). at other times also—the beginning (1, 1–14) of the Gospel according to St. John. The reading of St. John’s Gospel at this place was universally prescribed by a decree of Pius V. Previously it was merely a custom introduced from the thirteenth century, in use in some places, to recite in a low voice or aloud this section of the Gospel, which was ever held in high repute, either at the altar or when retiring from the altar or while taking off the sacred vestments.

“As Moses received the Law from God amid thunder and lightning, so in like manner, as tradition informs us, St. John wrote the beginning of his Gospel in the midst of thunder and lightning. Rightly, therefore, was he called by Jesus the Son of Thunder, since from the dark cloud of mysteries in fruitful showers he pours out the floods of wisdom which he had drunk from the Heart of the Master. As the eagle, like an arrow, flies with open eyes toward the sun, thus does St. John soar directly upward to the light of the loftiest mysteries of God, His Trinity and His Incarnation; consequently, among the Evangelists he is designated by the Eagle” (Laurent). The profound, magnificent contents of St. John’s Gospel are in most beautiful harmony with the mysteries of faith celebrated on the altar. All the rays of revelation scattered in the Holy Books regarding Jesus Christ, are here found gathered into a focus. The virginal Evangelist announces, in his majestic eagle flight, the eternal divinity of the Son; he calls Him the Creator of the universe, he exalts Him as the uncreated Light and Life, as well as the Source of all supernatural light and life, that is, as the Author of the order of grace. He then declares His Incarnation¹¹⁷⁰1170To adore the Incarnate Son of God and honor the mystery of His Incarnation as the foundation of our forgiveness by and union with God, that is, our adoption, a genuflection is made at the words: Et verbum caro factum est. and magnifies the Incarnate as the Only-begotten of the Father, in whom the glory of the divinity, the fulness of truth and grace appeared visibly to man. This Gospel, therefore, depicts the divinity and the divine efficacy of Jesus Christ; it shows in what manner all the blessings of creation and redemption proceed from Him. — It may also be appropriately applied to the Eucharistic Saviour; for the Sacrifice and the Sacrament of the altar is truly a memorial of all the mysteries of the Incarnate Word. On the altar, to the eye of faith, the glory of His divinity is revealed under foreign and veiled appearances; thence He pours out light and life, truth and grace into all susceptible hearts. But, moreover, on the altar the world and darkness do not recognize Him; there, too, many do not receive Him,—hence they do not become children of God, but remain in the shadow and night of death.

The Sacrificial Celebration was introduced by the longing cry of the Old Testament: “Send forth, O Lord, Thy light and Thy truth!” It could not be concluded in a more worthy and more sublime manner, than with the powerful and dignified words of the New Testament: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father,—full of grace and truth.” And the faithful, highly favored and strengthened anew by the Celebration of the Holy Sacrifice, from hearts joyfully touched, answer by the mouth of the acolyte: Deo gratias! — “Thanks be to God!” Thus the Holy Sacrifice and the Communion Celebration conclude with a simple, strong expression of gratitude. And, in fact, this assuredly is the place in which joyfully to exclaim: Gratias Deo super inenarrabili dono ejus! — “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!” (2 Cor. 9, 15.) For unutterably great and rich, precious and glorious is the gift of God which we have received from the altar; inexhaustible and indescribable are the blessings that flow to us from the Sacrifice and Communion.¹¹⁷¹1171Frequently (at least in five Mass formulas) the Church recites the following Post-Communion: Repleti, Domine, muneribus sacris; da quaesumus, ut in gratiarum semper actione maneamus.

The Deo gratias is an admonition to the priest to continue for some time (a quarter of an hour at least) in silent and devout thanksgiving.¹¹⁷²1172The thanksgiving inserted in the Missal by the Church (the Canticum trium puerorum, the Psalm 150, the Our Father with several versicles and the three prayers) in the main dates from the Middle Age; for already in the eleventh century Micrologus writes (c. 22): Sacerdos sacris vestibus se exuens cantat “Hymnum trium puerorum”.... psalmum quoque “Laudate Dominum in sanctis ejus” in gratiarum actionem subjungens, cum “Pater noster” et versibus ad hoc competentibus, concludit eam cum oratione illa: “Deus qui tribus pueris.” Soon after (c. 23) he mentions the prayer Actiones nostras. The Ordo XIV of the fourteenth century has all the constituent parts of our gratiarum actio with the exception of the third prayer, Da nobis, which we do not come across at this point until the fifteenth century. — The history and the figurative representation of the three youths in the fiery furnace, was for the Christians in the dark ages of persecution a source of comfort and encouragement. Likewise the canticle of praise entoned by the youths miraculously preserved amid the flames, was at all times highly prized and frequently used in the liturgy. According to Alcuin (De Psalm. usu p. I, n. 12) it is omnibus laudibus laudabilior et Deo pro omnibus amabilior—melle et favo dulcior—hymnus hymnorum, in quo succincte et affatim melius quam in omnibus laudatur Deus. In consideration of the Mass and Communion celebration, in which the Lord has done such great things in him, the priest is filled with sentiments of joy, of jubilation and of gratitude; hence he calls upon the entire creation, heaven and earth, all creatures, animate and inanimate, rational and irrational, to unite in his prayer of praise and thanksgiving, with him and for him to glorify the triune God, because of the blessings wherewith he and the whole world have again been favored from the altar. — This same invitation to join in jubilant praise of God is continued in Psalm 150, in which all voices, all the manifold praises of the other Psalms again meet in unison and exalted accord. Omnis spiritus laudet Dominum—“Let every spirit praise the Lord.” — The main object and chief fruit of the Eucharist is unquestionably quaedam integritatis restauratio, quae continetur tum cupiditatum restinctione pro vita mortali, tum praeparatione ad gloriosam resurrectionem et immortalitatem pro vita futura (Franzelin). Hence the priest implores of God in the first and third prayers, that He would by the powerful breath of His grace suppress and extinguish in us the fire of concupiscence and of the passions, as He once changed the burning heat for the three youths in the furnace and the blessed Lawrence on the gridiron into a refreshing coolness. In the second prayer, he begs for the sanctification of his entire conduct, for self-sacrificing abandonment to God and to His service, as also the help of grace always to pray, to suffer and to labor for the salvation of souls. The first prayer is generally annexed in the liturgy (for example, on the Ember Saturdays) to the hymn of the three youths. The prayer of St. Lawrence was added, quia hujus sacrificii fuit insignis minister et specialis advocatus offerentium sacrificium ad impetrandam puritatem et ne exurantur flamma vitiorum, eo vel maxime, quia ejus Oratio concordat cum prima Oratione, qua idem effectus ex sacrificio postulatur, et specialiter congruit hymno recitato trium puerorum, quibus mitigavit Deus flammas ignium (Quarti p. 2, tit. 12). — Yet the fervent priest is not satisfied with this short thanksgiving after the sacrum convivium of the Eucharist, as he knows the gift of God (John 4, 19) and esteems it, and since he knows what has been presented to him by God (1 Cor. 2, 12). In silent meditation he is immersed in the unfathomable and, therefore, impenetrable mysteries he has just accomplished: his soul is thereby incited to interior and vocal acts of gratitude, of adoration, of astonishment, of praise, of self-annihilation, of petition, of atonement and of intercession. In the German mystics there are few prayers after Holy Communion. The reason may be because the German mystics understood full well and demanded of others, that after receiving the Blessed Sacrament the affections should be drawn from our inmost loving heart rather than from books. — In consideration of this excellentissima dilectio, summa dignatio, pietas maxima, misericordia infinita, which the Saviour confers on the priest in the Sacrament of the Altar, a longer, more fervent thanksgiving after Holy Mass is for him an act of necessary homage and grateful love; at the same time it is, if well performed, a source of blessing and grace for the life and labors of the priest, that is, a specially powerful means of his own sanctification as well as of the salvation of the souls entrusted to his care. On the contrary, to leave the altar and to speak immediately after of worldly affairs without urgent necessity, and to occupy the mind with temporal cares, frivolity and distraction, infidelity and ingratitude directly after the holiest and most tremendous action, leads easily to that dangerous state of tepidity, which often passes into hardness and impenitence of heart (cfr. Apoc. 3, 15–16). Then only will the Most Blessed Sacrament be for the priest contra omnia mundi pericula firmamentum, if he, as a man of mortification and prayer, overcomes the opposition of corrupt nature, in order that day after day he may bestow sufficient time and due care on the preparation for as also on the thanksgiving after Holy Mass. (Cfr. Collect. Lacens. V, 165. 675. 902. — Quarti p. 2, tit. 11, dub. 1–5. — St. Teresa, The Way of Perfection c. 35). “Thou oughtest not only to prepare thyself by devotion before Communion, but carefully also to keep thyself therein after receiving the Sacrament; neither is carefully guarding thyself afterward less required than devoutly preparing thyself before; for vigilance afterward is the best preparation for again obtaining greater graces. For what renders a man very much indisposed to receive them, is if he at once devotes himself with all his soul to exterior things which claim his heart. Beware of much talk, remain in secret, and enjoy thy God; for thou hast Him, whom all the world cannot take from thee. Thou oughtest to give thy whole self unreservedly to the Saviour, so that thou mayst henceforth live, without any solicitude, not in thyself, but in Him.

“Who will help me to the great happiness, O Lord, of finding Thee alone, that I may open my whole heart to Thee, and enjoy Thee as my soul desireth? Behold, O Lord, this I pray for, this I desire, that I may be wholly united to Thee, and may withdraw my heart from all created things; and, by the Holy Communion and often celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass, may more and more learn to relish heavenly and eternal things. Ah! Lord God, when shall I be wholly united to Thee, and absorbed in Thee, and altogether forgetful of myself? Thou in me, and I in Thee; and so grant that we both thus continue as one. Verily, Thou art my peace-maker, in whom is sovereign peace and rest; out of whom is labor and sorrow and endless misery. What creature under heaven is so beloved as a devout soul, into whom God cometh, that He may feed her with His glorious flesh? O infinite love, singularly bestowed upon man! But what return shall I make to the Lord for this grace, and for this so indescribable a love? There is nothing that I can give Him that will please Him better, than my heart, and this will I wholly consecrate to Him and unite it most intimately with His Heart. Then all that is within me shall rejoice exceedingly, when my soul shall be perfectly united to my God; then will He say to me: If thou wilt fain be with Me, I will fain be with thee; and I will answer Him: Vouchsafe, O Lord, to remain with me, and I will willingly be with Thee. This is my only desire, that my heart may be united to Thee” (Imit. Chr. IV, 12, 4. c. 14).

To the Divine Lamb, who was sacrificed for us and who, with His Blood, hath purchased us from all tribes and languages and peoples and nations, be praise and honor and benediction and thanksgiving and power and glory for all eternity, Amen! Alleluja!¹¹⁷³1173Cf. Apoc. 5, 6. 9; 19, 14.