‘Memorial,’ ‘covenant,’ and ‘sacrifice’ are spoken in every liturgy, but what do they mean?
By Father Randy Stice
“As we celebrate the memorial”—“The new and eternal covenant”—“May the Lord accept the sacrifice.”
We hear these phrases at every Mass, and the three italicized words—memorial, covenant, sacrifice—express three profound aspects of the Mass. If a visitor asked you after Mass how the Mass was a memorial, a covenant, and a sacrifice, how would you answer?
In this column I want to offer concise answers to each of these questions. I will begin with “memorial” since it explains the sacramental manner of the renewal of the covenant. Next, I will discuss the Mass as a “covenant” because that explains the structure and movement of the Mass. Finally, I will consider the Mass as a sacrifice, the central act of the covenant.
When the priest says that we “celebrate the memorial of His suffering, death, and resurrection,” what does “memorial” mean?
In sacred Scripture, “memorial” refers to God’s saving works that are made present when they are celebrated in the liturgy. With the coming of Christ, “memorial” receives its definitive meaning: in the liturgy His saving death, resurrection, and ascension are made real and present in a sacramental way, through liturgical signs and symbols such as bread and wine, water and oil, words and gestures, candles and incense. The Holy Spirit acts through these signs to communicate the saving work of Christ to His children.
What does the reference to “covenant” in the words over the chalice mean?
A covenant is an agreement or contract, but only in the Bible do we find covenants between God and humans. The Mass as a covenant is prefigured by God’s covenant with Moses and Israel on Mount Sinai. It was ratified by three actions.
First, the benefits and requirements of the covenant were read. Second, the covenant was sealed by a sacrifice, and the blood was sprinkled on the altar and on the people, symbolically uniting the people with God. Third, it was completed by a banquet in the presence of God. The words over the chalice, “the blood of the new and eternal covenant,” refer to two Old Testament passages. “Blood” refers to the blood of the covenant on Sinai. The “new and eternal covenant” refers to a prophecy in Jeremiah 31 that God would replace the Sinai covenant, which Israel broke, with a new covenant written not on stone but on hearts.
This covenant is definitively fulfilled in the Mass. In the Liturgy of the Word, the readings, and the homily, the blessings and requirements of the new and eternal covenant are announced. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the covenant is confirmed by Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and in Communion, the eucharistic banquet, the sacrifice is completed and the covenant renewed. Understanding the Mass as a renewal of the covenant makes clear the relationship of the different elements and the dynamic movement of the Mass.
The word “sacrifice” occurs several times during the Mass. How is the Mass a sacrifice?
A sacrifice is a gift freely offered to God that heals our broken relationship and restores our communion with Him. This is what took place on Calvary: giving Himself to the Father in love, Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins and took His seat forever at the right hand of God.” He did this “once for all” and “has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:12, 7:27, and 10:14).
This event, however, is unlike all other historical events in that, although it took place at a specific time and place in history, it does not remain in the past but abides for all time and can be made present again and again. The sacrifice on Calvary and in the Mass are the same sacrifice, but the manner is different.
On Calvary, Christ offered Himself in a bloody manner, and in the Mass He offers himself in an unbloody manner under the appearances of bread and wine. Both on Calvary and in the Mass, Christ is the one who offers the sacrifice and is Himself the sacrifice that is offered, and the body He offers is the same body, only the manner of the sacrifice is different—one bloody, the other under the appearances of bread and wine. This free gift that heals our wounded relationship with God and unites us to Him is accomplished at every Mass.
Conclusion
Memorial, covenant, sacrifice. When we attend Mass, we are not just participating in a familiar religious service; we are renewing our personal and corporate relationship with God. And we do so most fruitfully when our hearts and minds are attuned to the way the Holy Spirit works through liturgical signs and symbols to make sacramentally present the saving sacrifice of Christ, the memorial of His Passover.
Father Randy Stice is director of the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy. He can be reached at frrandy@dioknox.org.