With the Advent of the new catechism, every catholic, lay and clergy has a new resource in which to understand and explain the catholic faith. The new catechism clearly teaches that the mass is the sacrifice of Christ. "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice" (1367). The new catechism quotes the Council of Trent (1367): "In this Divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass the same Christ who offered Himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner". In terms Of piety when we are present at mass we are also present at Calvary's mountain and witness our savior's death for us and share in His saving work by faith in our crucified Lord. We should come to mass expecting to meet and receive the Lamb of God who was slain and lives forever. The book of Hebrews explains how the one sacfice of Christ is present et every mass (Hebrews 10:12) "He sits for ever at the right hand of God offering for our sins a sacrifice that can never be repeated."

"The tragedy of our present situation is that this primary awareness of the mass as Christ's sacrifice ha been lost by the vast majority of Catholics. It is not taught or preached as it should be. Many priests do not offer mass as if they were offering Christ. Many priests offer mass with little or no awareness that they represent Christ who offers Himself through the priest to the Heavenly Father. The new catechism quotes Vatican II in describing the priest at the altar: "...in the sacrifice of the mass they (priest) make present again and apply, until the coming of the Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering Himself once for all as a spotless victim to the Father." When the priest changes the words of the mass or ignores the ceremonial rubrics, particularly at the Consecration, he introduces his own interpretation of the mass. Only recently I had the occasion of assisting at a mass where the body and blood of Christ were not elevated for the faithful to adore as is prescribed in the sacramentary. I can only assume that this priest is expressing his own view and not the churches' view on the consecration. The new catechism uses the traditional words: "By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine, Christ Himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: His body and His blood, with His soul and His divinity" (1413). The words of consecration spoken by the priest actualizes Christ's presence. The church's faith witnesses to His presence with a moment of adoration. The people are kneeling and the priest genuflects in adoration. The absence of these actions introduces a foreign element in our understanding of the mass. The new catechism clearly points out that adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place during mass and outside of mass: "In the Liturgy of the mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. 'The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession.'" (1378).

Christ's sacrifice of Himself to the Father enables us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice with Christ. Our response to His sacrificial love for us is to give our all to Him. "The Church which is the body of Christ participates in the offering of Her Head. With Him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites herself to His intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of His body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayers, and work, are united with those of Christ and with His total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with His offering." (1368). We live in a society that is preoccupied with personal happiness to the near exclusion of sacrifice. In fact, it is only in giving that we receive. Christ's sacrifice gives life. When we offer ourselves with and for Christ and others we receive His life and give His life to others.

The rejection in our society of self-sacrifice has infiltrated the church Many priests deliberately use only the 2nd Eucharistic Prayer since it has little reference to the sacrificial character of the mass. There is also a movement afoot to remove crucifixes and kneelers. This is a direct attack against the sacrificial view of the mass as well as the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The mass transcends space and time. Heaven and earth are joined. Christ's death, nearly two thousand years ago, is present at every mass. The angels and saints, and most preeminently the Blessed Virgin Mary, are one with us in our adoration of the Lamb of God who was slain and lives forever: "To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth, but also those already in the glory of Heaven. In communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints, the church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist the church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ." (1370). "The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who 'have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified,' so that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ." (1371). When churches lack statues or icons they do not properly reflect the kingdom of God or our participation in the communion of saints.