In-Depth Track
November Week 4 (2025)
Theme: The Mass & the Eucharist
Focus: The Eucharist as Sacrifice, Presence, and Mission
Audience: Catechists • Apologists • Adult learners seeking theological depth
Opening Prayer
Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ,
draw us into Your perfect thanksgiving to the Father.
Open our minds to the mystery of Your Sacrifice,
our hearts to the wonder of Your Real Presence,
and our hands to the mission that flows from the altar.
Amen.
Day 1 – The Eucharist as Sacrifice
1️Biblical foundation
Luke 22:19-20 – “This is My Body… This is My Blood.”
Heb 9:12-14 – Christ entered once for all into the holy place by His own Blood.
1 Cor 11:26 – “As often as you eat… you proclaim the Lord’s death.”
2️Doctrine
CCC 1366-1367: “The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover… The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice.”
Explanation
Re-presentation, not repetition: the one Calvary sacrifice made sacramentally present.
The priest acts in persona Christi; the victim and priest are the same Christ.
The Mass applies the fruit of Calvary to souls here and now.
Patristic voices
St Ignatius of Antioch (c. 107): “The Eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour.”
St Irenaeus: “The oblation of the Church… is pure sacrifice.” (Adv. Haer. IV, 18)
Meditation: At each altar, time touches eternity; Christ’s once-for-all self-offering becomes present so we can unite our lives to it.
Day 2 – The Eucharist as Real Presence
1️Scriptural witness
John 6:51-58 – “My flesh is real food.”
Luke 24:30-31 – The Emmaus disciples recognise Him in the breaking of bread.
2️Theological definition
CCC 1374: “In the most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood, together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, are truly, really, and substantially contained.”
Aquinas (ST III q. 75): Substance changes; appearances (species) remain — transubstantiation.
Analogy: Just as God spoke and creation came to be, so Christ speaks through the priest and the elements become Himself.
Apologetic clarifications
| Objection | Response |
| “It’s only symbolic.” | Symbols point to realities; here the sign is the reality — sacramentally made present. |
| “Isn’t that impossible?” | With God nothing is impossible; omnipotence extends to substance itself. |
| “Why adore bread?” | We adore not bread but Christ veiled under sacramental signs. |
Reflection: To kneel before the Eucharist is to stand before the same Christ adored by angels.
Day 3 – The Eucharist and Thanksgiving
1️Etymology & meaning
Greek eucharistia = thanksgiving.
Jesus’ whole life culminates in thanksgiving to the Father through obedience unto death.
CCC 1360: “The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father.”
Psalm 116:12-13: “What shall I render to the Lord? I will lift up the cup of salvation.”
Spiritual principle: Gratitude is the soil of holiness. The Eucharist trains the soul to recognise all as gift.
Patristic note: St Justin Martyr (155 AD) describes Sunday worship as the people giving thanks (Eucharistian poiein) before receiving the consecrated Bread and Wine.
Reflection: Thanksgiving unites heaven’s joy with earth’s struggle; gratitude is the doorway into divine life.
Day 4 – The Eucharist and Mission
1️From altar to world
Missa = “sending.” The dismissal (Ite, missa est) commissions us.
John 20:21: “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.”
CCC 1397: “The Eucharist commits us to the poor.”
2️Ecclesial dimension
The Church is formed from the Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, JPII).
Participation in the Body of Christ demands concrete charity and evangelisation.
Examples
St Mother Teresa: “We begin every day with the Mass, then go to see Jesus in the poor.”
The early Church fed widows and orphans after the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42-47).
Reflection: If we truly receive Christ, we must become His presence for others. The Eucharist without mission is incomplete.
Day 5 – Heaven Made Present
1️Scriptural vision
Revelation 5 – The heavenly liturgy: angels, incense, the Lamb.
Heb 12:22-24 – “You have come to Mount Zion… to countless angels in festal gathering.”
2️Liturgical theology
CCC 1326: “The Eucharist is the pledge of future glory.”
At Mass we stand within the same worship described in Revelation.
The “Holy, Holy, Holy” joins angelic praise; the sanctuary is an earthly participation in the heavenly temple.
Apologetic note: Far from “man-made ritual,” the Mass is patterned on God-revealed worship — Passover, Temple liturgy, and the heavenly throne room.
Mystical insight: St John Chrysostom wrote, “When the Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels.”
Reflection: The Eucharist is not a symbol of heaven — it is heaven begun in mystery and veiled in sign.
Weekend Synthesis
| Aspect | Key Truth | Spiritual Fruit |
| Sacrifice | The Mass re-presents Calvary. | Atonement & union with Christ. |
| Presence | Christ is really and substantially present. | Adoration & intimacy. |
| Thanksgiving | The Church’s response of gratitude. | Joy & peace. |
| Mission | The faithful are sent to love and serve. | Charity & evangelisation. |
| Heaven | The Mass unites earth with the celestial liturgy. | Hope & contemplation. |
Meditative Exercise: Spend ten minutes after Mass in silent thanksgiving, picturing heaven’s worship continuing through your own heart.
Apologetic Summary
| Challenge | Catholic Answer |
| “The Mass repeats Christ’s death.” | It makes the one sacrifice present; Christ “dies no more.” (Rom 6:9) |
| “The Eucharist is only a meal.” | It is both meal and sacrifice — covenant communion sealed in Blood. |
| “Transubstantiation is philosophy, not Bible.” | The term explains the biblical fact: “This is My Body.” (John 6) |
| “I can meet God in nature, not church.” | Yes, but only in the Eucharist do you receive Him substantially. |
| “Why so much ritual?” | Worship trains love; form expresses faith. God Himself prescribed ritual in both Covenants. |
Key Magisterial Texts
CCC 1322-1419 – Entire Eucharistic doctrine.
Council of Trent, Session XXII – On the Sacrifice of the Mass.
Ecclesia de Eucharistia (St John Paul II).
Sacramentum Caritatis (Benedict XVI).
Mediator Dei (Pius XII).
Further Study
St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III qq. 73-83.
Pope Benedict XVI, The Spirit of the Liturgy.
St Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catecheses.
Romano Guardini, The Spirit of the Liturgy (1918).
The Lamb’s Supper – Scott Hahn.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
living Bread come down from heaven,
renew my faith in Your Sacrifice,
deepen my love for Your Presence,
and send me forth as a witness of Your mercy.
May every Mass I attend shape my life into thanksgiving
until I see You face to face in the eternal liturgy of heaven.
Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 