Episode Transcript  

One

The Our Father

After the Final Doxology of the Eucharistic Prayer, when the priest raises the consecrated Host and the chalice, proclaiming, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever.” And we say, “Amen” Then the priest says, “At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:” We all begin, “Our Father, who art in heaven…”

No mere mortal would dare to call God his father, unless God has given us a way to actually share in his divine life. In the Eucharist, God gives His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. And through it we become divine by participation because God became man so that we could become God. Let that sink in because that is the essence of what Christianity means.

If you are surprised or doubtful, the CCC in paragraph 460 quoting Thomas Aquinas says, “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.”

Two

The Sign of Peace

Having prayed as Christ taught us, we now pray for the gift of His gift of peace. The priest prays, “Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you; look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever.” We respond, “Amen.”

Then he proclaims, “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” We answer, “And with your spirit.” Finally, he invites, “Let us offer each other the sign of peace.”

This moment flows directly from the Our Father we have just prayed: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Before approaching the altar, the liturgy gives us a concrete gesture of reconciliation. Jesus Himself taught: “If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23).

The Sign of Peace is not a polite handshake but a command of love. Communion with Christ cannot be separated from communion with one another. Sometimes this means forgiving or being forgiven by someone near us. Other times it points to reconciliation still waiting beyond the church walls. Either way, the peace of Christ is both gift and mission: we receive it from Him, and we are sent to extend it.

Three

The Lamb of God

Then three times we pray, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.”

The Mass now fixes our eyes on Christ truly present on the altar. The priest raises the consecrated Host and echoes John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.” And because we are about to receive Him in Holy Communion, he adds the words from Revelation, “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”

At that moment, the Church gives us the humble words of the Centurion (Matthew 8). The liturgy adapts his words for us, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

What the Centurion once confessed, we now confess before the Eucharist. God Himself is about to enter, not merely into a house, but into our very bodies and souls. With humility we admit our unworthiness, yet with faith we trust that a single word from Christ heals us and makes us ready to receive Him.

Four

Communion

The Mass is an exchange of hearts. We placed ourselves on the Altar at the Offertory. We were invited to lift up our hearts to the Lord immediately after. We have given ourselves to God. And now He gives His Sacred Heart to us. The Eucharist is the greatest gift we can receive because it is God.

And Jesus promised, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:56). When we receive Holy Communion, His life flows into us as he said, “He who eats me will live because of me” (Jn 6:57). In receiving the Body of Christ, we become what we receive.

Holy Communion nourishes our soul with the divinity of Christ. It preserves and increases the grace of Baptism, renews our love, and heals the wounds of sin. St. Ambrose declared, “Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.” Each time we receive, Christ forgives venial sins and strengthens us to resist temptation. The Eucharist also draws us deeper into the unity of the Church. As St. Paul taught, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body” (1 Cor 10:17).

Finally, Holy Communion commits us to love the poor. To receive Christ truly is to recognize Him in our brothers and sisters, especially those in need.

Five

Thanksgiving

The Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. To receive Jesus in the Eucharist is the closest possible union with God this side of heaven. Once we return to our pew, the most important thing to do is give Jesus your full attention for the time he remains with you physically, about fifteen minutes. 

St. Teresa of Avila urges us never to waste these moments, “Be with Him willingly; don’t lose so good an occasion for conversing with Him as is the hour after having received Communion. This is a most advantageous hour for the soul, during which Jesus is very pleased if you keep Him company.” She encourages us to turn inward, to open the eyes of the soul, and to seek Him with love. When we do, Christ often reveals Himself more deeply.

The very word Mass comes from the Latin words of the dismissal, “Ite, missa est,” which translates to, “Go forth, the Mass is ended.” But these words mean much more than simply that Mass is over. They signify that we are being sent on a mission. After the final blessing, the priest sends us forth with these words, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” The Mass does not simply conclude here; it launches us into mission.

Notice that the priest remains at the church while we go forth. Why? Because we have a mission that only we can fulfill. We are sent to bring the truth and love of Christ into our families, our workplaces, our friendships, and every corner of society. Having encountered Christ in Word and Sacrament, we are sent as His witnesses. What we have received in the Eucharist is not meant to remain within the walls of the church. It is meant to transform the world through us.

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