The origins of the Mass are at the Last Supper. Here Jesus told the
Apostles, our first priests, to “do this in remembrance of me.” In
that gesture, Christ gave the priests the power and authority to do
what He had just done – change the bread and wine into His Body
and Blood. Through Apostolic succession and ordination, or “the
laying on of hands,” this has been passed on to every priest down
through the ages.
As Catholics, we understand that Christ is present in the person of
the priest. The priest is acting “in persona Christi.” This is a Latin
phrase that means “in the person of Christ.” Through the sacrament
of Holy Orders, the priest is conformed to Christ in a special way.
So, while the priest celebrates the Mass, it is truly Christ offering
the Mass.
Occasionally, you may see numerous priests and/or bishops at the
altar. This is called concelebrating the Mass.
All this gives us good reason to continue to pray for vocations to
the priesthood. For without the priest, there can be no Mass.
For further study:
To learn more about the priesthood, please read CCC 1536-1600.
This is the section on the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
23
The Priest
Only a priest can offer Mass. Why is that? Why can’t just
anyone get up and say the words and make the gestures?
Notes