“Power of Consecrating: The supreme power of the priestly office is the power of consecrating. ‘No act is greater,’ says St. Thomas, ‘than the consecration of the body of Christ.’ In this essential phase of the sacred ministry, the power of the priest is not surpassed by that of the bishop, the archbishop, the cardinal or the pope. Indeed it is equal to that of Jesus Christ. For in this role the priest speaks with the voice and the authority of God Himself. When the priest pronounces the tremendous works of Consecration, he reaches up into heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the victim for the sins of man.”
“It is a power greater than that of monarchs and emperors: it is greater than that of saints and angels, greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary. For, while the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man – not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ the Eternal and Omnipotent God, bows His head in humble obedience to the priest’s command.”
“Of what sublime dignity is the office of the Christian priest who is thus privileged to act as the ambassador and the vicegerent of Christ on earth! He continues the essential ministry of Christ; he teaches the faithful with the authority of Christ, he pardons the penitent sinner with the power of Christ, he offers up again the same sacrifice of adoration and atonement which Christ offered on Calvary. No wonder that the name which spiritual writers are especially found of applying to the priest is that of ‘alter Christus.’ For the priest is and should be another Christ” (Faith of Millions, John O’Brien, Ph.D., LL.D., 268-269, “nihil obstat” by Rev. T. E. Dillon-Censor Librorum and “imprimatur” by John Francis Noll, D.D. -Bishop of Fort Wayne).
“The priest says: Hoc est corpus meum, he has to say it for the validity of the consecration. Meum! But it is not he who says these words; his voice indeed we hear, but he is only the instrument of the Sovereign Priest: our Lord speaks through His minister. The glory of this minister consists precisely in disappearing, in allowing Jesus to act through his personality: Sacerdos alter Christus. This Christ now offering Himself to God by the hands of the priest is the same Christ who is in heaven. Same happiness, same power, same majesty. He is performing the same acts, offering the same adorations, the same thanksgiving, the same prayers. He, the object of the beatitude of the elect, is now in the hands of the priest: Agnoscite quod agitis. But if really the priest causes our Lord to be present on the altar, if he offers Him, whilst Jesus is now in heaven, have we not to conclude that it is from the very bosom of the Father that the priest draws this divine Victim? Agnoscite quod agitis”. (Our Priesthood, Rev. Joseph Bruneau, S.D.D., 149-151, “nihil obstat” by M.F. Dinneen, S.S.,D.D. -Censor deputatus, “imprimatur” by James Cardinal Gibbons -Archbishop of Baltimore, “Re-Imprimatur” by Michael J. Curley -Archbishop of Baltimore).
“The Consecration and Transubstantiation: The last time we left off, we were reflecting upon our participation in the “Communion of Saints” at mass. All who believe in Christ as Savior and Lord are united to Him and to each other. We pray that our unity may be complete. Christ holds His faithful to Himself in this world (The Church Militant). He holds to Himself the souls in purgatory (The Church Suffering) and He holds most closely and intimately those already in Heaven (The Church Triumphant). As we approach the moment when bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ (which is called the Consecration) the Communion of Saints is realized. Where Christ is present, there are His saints in glory, the holy souls in purgatory and all of us struggling in this world. As I have said before the mass transcends space and time. Peri Lamy, a French priest and visionary who lived up until the 1930’s, would have conversations not only with our Lord and Lady, but also with saints and angels during mass. What was open to His eyes visibly is open to our eyes in faith.” By Rev. Richard M. Miles, http://www.miraclerosarymission.org/mi94oct.htm
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