Why does the Catholic Church allocate supreme importance to the Mass in the Christian life? Why are all Catholics obligated to attend Sunday Mass rather than Eucharistic Adoration or even a Communion service?
The answer to all of these questions lies in the unique, sacrificial nature of the Holy Mass—and in the essential role that the chalice plays in the sacrifice of the Mass.
We know, of course, that Catholic parishes do not repose a chalice with Precious Blood in the tabernacle. Consequently, Communion services do not distribute the Blood of Christ (only his Sacred Body). The chalice is exclusively linked to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The Catholic Church teaches that the Mass is a real sacrifice (CCC 1330). Indeed, the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is re-presented in the Mass. The Catechism explains that the crucifixion and the Holy Mass are “one single sacrifice”: “The victim is one and the same…. Only the manner of offering is different.” How is the manner of offering different? “The same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody manner,” sacramentally, on the altar of the Mass (CCC 1367).
Thus, the double-consecration of Christ’s Precious Blood in the chalice along with his Sacred Body on the paten is essential to the sacrifice of the Mass. Our Lord redeemed humanity through the shedding of his blood on the cross. And in the chalice at Mass we encounter our Lord’s Precious Blood—both as really present and as sacramentally signified.
Of course, Jesus is really and truly present in Eucharistic Adoration. But Christ saved us through his self-sacrificial offering. And only in the Mass do we participate in the sacramental re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice: the offering of his body and his blood. Therefore, the sacred vessel that holds the Precious Blood of Jesus is truly the Chalice of Salvation.
The faithful Christian always reverences our Lord’s sacrifice. Why? Because we are justified by his blood (Rom 5:9). What does this mean, practically, for our spiritual lives? An appreciation of the sacrificial nature of the Mass dispels all forms of mindless passivity during the Sacred Liturgy. During Mass, the priest says: “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” Through these words, the liturgy reminds us that the Eucharistic sacrifice includes each and every baptized person—each and every person configured to our sacrificial Savior.
Thus, at Mass, it is a holy practice to place—through the intention of our hearts—all of ourselves into the chalice with the Blood of Christ when the priest elevates this sacred vessel. We recognize that our salvation comes through the shedding of Christ’s blood. We also know that the power of this sacrifice—the sacrifice on Calvary and the sacrifice on the altar—transforms the whole of our lives. Every part of us. No part of our being or our life should be kept from the sacrifice of Jesus. Therefore, with attention and gratitude, we unite ourselves to the Precious Blood of Jesus elevated in the Chalice of Salvation.
