His words will not pass away....

When a priest offers Mass, it is really Jesus who offers the sacrifice and Jesus who says, “This is my body; this is my blood” in the person of the priest.  Jesus multiplies Himself through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in every ordained priest during the Consecration of the Host.  The bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, Himself! 

This action occurs during the Eucharistic Prayer.  There are generally 4 Eucharistic Prayers the priest uses, each with a slightly different emphasis.

In the third Eucharistic Prayer, which is most often said at Sunday Mass, emphasis is placed on our worshiping God by the sacrifice of Jesus, and we allow Jesus, through the priest, to offer us to the Father as part of the sacrifice.  One of my favorite lines in the prayer is “May he make us an everlasting gift to you.”

Most cultures use words as a primary tool for information.  We follow up words with action, but it is the word that is significant.  If then we are to be formed as an everlasting gift for God, what better method than turning to scripture as a primary guide.

In the gospel Christ points out, "the heavens and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." (Luke 21:33)

Advent is almost upon us, when we will celebrate the coming of the Word as flesh and blood.  Let’s enter the season with the realization that the Word can inform our "flesh and blood" if we but open our hearts and minds.