Chapter XVII

Holy Mass is the Most Sublime Work of the Holy Ghost

In almost all the previous chapters of this book much has been said of God the Father and God the Son, and but little of God the Holy Ghost. In order that it may be seen to how great an extent the third person of the Holy Trinity cooperates in holy Mass we shall devote the present chapter to a consideration of His action in this central act of worship. It would be impossible to estimate rightly, much more to express in words, the good that Christianity owes to the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the divine charity and mercy, and is ever occupied in conciliating divine justice, and saving sinners from perdition. The Holy Ghost formed the sacred humanity of Jesus Christ of the substance of the Virgin Mary; He created His human soul, and united it to the Divinity in one person in an incomprehensible manner. He it was who brought the work of man’s redemption to a happy consummation on the day of Pentecost, when He descended upon the faithful in the form of fire, kindling them with divine love, and converting by His grace hardened sinners, who were untouched by Our Lord’s miracles and by His passion. He dwells ever with the true believer; and although by many He is dishonored and offended, yet He does not altogether abandon them, but knocks at the door of their heart, and asks for readmission there.

All these are great, nay, divine, acts, so that we may justly say that holy Mass is the chief and sublimest work of the Holy Ghost, and for this reason: All theologians agree that the mystery of the incarnation is the greatest marvel the hand of God has wrought, because thereby the infinite Godhead was united to the Manhood of Christ in one person. This was accomplished through the operation of the Holy Ghost; as we say in the Creed: “Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost.” Although this wonder is unspeakably great, yet the miracle worked in holy Mass seems still greater, because herein the omnipotent Godhead and the perfect humanity of Christ are so abased that they are present in the minutest particle of the sacred host.

That the Holy Ghost is the agent in this mystery we know from the liturgy of the apostle James. Immediately before the consecration we find this prayer: “Send down, O Lord, we beseech Thee, upon these proposed gifts Thy Holy Spirit, that, coming upon them with His holy and glorious presence, He may hallow them, and make this bread the holy body, and this cup the holy blood, of Thy Son Jesus Christ.” Almost identical are the words employed in the liturgy of St. Clement, pope and martyr: “We beseech Thee, O Lord, to send down Thy Holy Spirit upon this oblation, that He may make this bread the body, this chalice the blood, of Thy Christ.” Both these eminent saints, who were contemporaries, attribute the transubstantiation of the bread and wine, not to Christ, but to the Holy Ghost, and Him they invoke to complete the work. For as the Holy Ghost operated the incarnation of the Son of God, according to the testimony of the archangel Gabriel: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee” (Luke 1:35), so in every Mass He accomplishes the renewal of this mystery.

This is also indicated by the action of the priest, who, before making the first sign of the cross over the host and chalice, after they have been offered, elevates his eyes towards heaven, stretches out both his hands, and, joining them again, invokes the Holy Ghost in these words: “Come, O Sanctifier, almighty, eternal God, and bless this sacrifice, prepared to Thy holy name.” This proves beyond a doubt that the Holy Ghost descends from heaven to bless and hallow the holy sacrifice. Even so St. Ambrose says in his liturgy: “Send down,

0 Lord, the invisible majesty of Thy Holy Spirit, as He descended of old upon the holocausts of the patriarchs.“

We will now inquire in what manner the Holy Ghost accomplishes the transubstantiation. The Abbess Hildegarde says: “On one occasion when the priest, vested, went up to the altar I saw a brilliant light, coming from heaven, irradiate the whole altar. This light was not withdrawn until the celebrant left the sanctuary at the conclusion of the Mass. I noticed that when the priest got to the Sanctus and began the canon a flame of extraordinary brightness shot down from above upon the bread and wine, illuminating them with its light as the rays of the sun make glass to shine. Upon this stream of light the sacred elements rose to heaven, and when they descended they were transformed into true flesh and blood, though to the eye of man they yet appeared to be bread and wine. As I gazed upon this flesh and blood

1 saw the signs of the incarnation, the birth, the passion, of Our Saviour reflected in them as in a mirror, and just as we know these events to have been accomplished •when the Son of God was on earth.“

This vision of St. Hildegarde shows us in how wondrous a manner the transubstantiation of the bread and wine is effected by the penetrating power of the divine fire, as by the power of natural fire wood is transformed into glowing embers. That which this holy abbess was privileged to behold occurs at every Mass: a celestial radiance surrounds the altar from the beginning to the end of Mass, and at the time of the consecration a flame of dazzling brightness descends from heaven, and changes the species into the true body and blood of Christ.

Of this we have two beautiful types in the Old Testament. It is recorded that, the first time Aaron offered sacrifice, “The glory of the Lord appeared to all the multitude: And behold, a fire, coming forth from the Lord, devoured the holocaust, and the fat that was upon the altar; which when the multitude saw, they praised the Lord, falling on their faces.” (Leviticus 9:23,24). The same thing happened at the consecration of Solomon’s temple: “When Solomon had made an end of his prayer, fire came down from heaven, and consumed the holocausts and the victims; and the majesty of the Lord filled the house. Moreover all the children of Israel saw the fire coming down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house; and falling down with their faces to the ground, they adored, and praised the Lord.” (2 Paralipomenon 7:1,3)

In both these instances the holy sacrifice of the Mass was typified, in which the Holy Spirit, as fire, descends from heaven to change the elements into Christ’s body and blood. And although we poor mortals have not the grace to behold this mysterious proceeding, yet it takes place none the less certainly, and has been actually seen by some. It is related of the holy bishop and martyr Clement that, being sent by the Emperor Diocletian to the island of Rhodes, where, at the request of the bishop, he said Mass, at the time of the consecration the sacred host was changed into the semblance of a live coal in the sight of all present. A multitude of angels were also seen hovering around the host in joyful and happy adoration. The miraculous coal glowed with a brilliance so dazzling that the congregation could not bear to look upon it, and fell upon their faces, remaining in this posture until after the communion. Not until Clement prepared, with great reverence, to consume the sacred host did it resume its former appearance.

Baronius tells us that the same miraculous change took place several times when St. Ignatius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, was celebrating Mass with special fervor and recollection. In the Greek Church it was the custom to make use of wheaten bread, not hosts, for the holy sacrifice. How amazed were all who were hearing his Mass to see the bread glowing with celestial effulgence, a sure sign of the presence and operation of the Holy Ghost! For the Holy Ghost is a burning fire, and as such He appeared to the disciples on the day of Pentecost, to indicate that He is the ardent charity that unites the Father and the Son.

Baronius also relates the following story, which bears evidence to the presence of the Holy Spirit in Mass. At Formello, near Rome, there was, in early times, a bishop who acquitted himself most conscientiously of all the duties appertaining to his office, and was most reverent in his manner of saying Mass. Notwithstanding this he was accused by some evil-minded persons to Pope Agapetus of having given scandal to his flock by using one of the sacred vessels at table. The Pope, believing the accusation, caused the bishop to be brought to Rome and put into prison. On the morning of the third day after his unjust incarceration, a Sunday, an angel appeared to the Pope in a dream, and said to him: “On this Sunday neither shalt thou nor any other prelate say Mass, but only the bishop whom thou hast placed in confinement.” The Pontiff awoke, and, thinking over this dream, said to himself: “Shall I allow a prelate to say Mass who lies under so grave an accusation of sacrilege?”

Before answering his own question he fell asleep again, and again heard the same voice saying: “I told thee no cue but the imprisoned bishop is to say Mass” While the Pope still hesitated whether he should comply with this injunction, the voice spoke for the third time: “Beware how thou permit any other than the bishop who is in prison to celebrate in thy presence to-day.” There upon the Pope, in some alarm, sent for the bishop, and inquired of him what was his manner of life, and bade him give an account of his actions. The prelate answered only these words: “I am a sinner” Then the Pope asked: 44 Is it true that thou didst eat and drink out of the vessels consecrated to the service of the altar “The bishop replied as before:” I am a sinner. As no other answer could be elicited from him, the pontiff proceeded: “Thou wilt celebrate Mass in our presence today.” And when the bishop, in his humility, begged to be excused, he only repeated the command: “Thou wilt officiate at a solemn High Mass to-day before ourselves and all the cardinals.” Upon receiving this express order the good bishop expostulated no longer, but prepared to obey. Attended by many acolytes, he went to the altar, and commenced the Mass. When he got to the prayer which is said at the time of making the first sign of the cross over the host and chalice, “Come, O Sanctifier, almighty, eternal God, and bless this sacrifice prepared to Thy holy name,” he repeated it four times, and then stopped. The people grew impatient; at length the Pope said: “Why dost thou delay, and repeat this prayer so often?” The bishop answered: “Pardon me, Holy Father; I repeated the prayer because I have not yet seen the Holy Ghost descend upon the altar. May I request your Holiness to bid the deacon leave my side? I cannot venture to do so myself.” The Pope then told the deacon to move to a little distance; no sooner had he done so than both the Pope and the bishop beheld the Holy Ghost come down from heaven, while the celebrant, with the deacon and acolytes, was enveloped in a luminous cloud. This miracle convinced Pope Agapetus of the innocence and sanctity of the bishop, and he much regretted having put him into prison. He resolved for the future not to act so precipitately, and to investigate a charge carefully before giving credence to it.

These miraculous appearances are intended to strengthen our belief that the Holy Ghost always comes down upon the altar to bless the divine oblation. On this subject Father Mansisays: “The unbloody sacrifice of the Mass is so venerable and sublime that the Holy Ghost descends in person to hallow it, while hosts of angels stand by and look on with the greatest delight; as St. Peter tells us: * The Holy Ghost being sent down from heaven, on Whom the angels desire to look.’” (i. Pet. i. 12.)

How unutterable must be the holiness of this adorable sacrifice, since the Author of all holiness, the i Spirit of God, Himself descends to bless, sanctify, and hallow it! How strengthening to the soul, how pleasant to the taste, is this bread of heaven, prepared for our nourishment by the Holy Ghost J For the operation of the Holy Ghost is no less indispensable, nay, far more so, to the preparation of this celestial food than is that of natural fire to the manufacture of our daily bread. For the sacred host, by the agency of this divine fire, does not become our spiritual sustenance alone: it is above all a sacrifice which we can offer to God the Lord for His glory and our own good. What a precious, what an inestimable, treasure we have in it! How much the Holy Ghost accomplishes in this mystery for our temporal and eternal welfare! For, as St. Paul says; “The Spirit helpeth our infirmity:

for we know not what we should pray tor as we ought, but the Spirit Himself asketh for us, with unspeakable groanings. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what the Spirit desireth, because He asketh for the saints according to God.“(Romans 8:26,27)

The meaning of this passage from St. Paul is that one divine Person of the Holy Trinity pleads with the other, for in the Godhead all the three are one, and equally entitled to issue commands and bestow gifts; and because, for the sake of distinguishing the Persons, we attribute principally to God the Father justice, to God the Son wisdom, to God the Holy Ghost goodness and mercy, St. Paul represents divine mercy entreating divine justice not to condemn sinners on account of their transgressions, but to save them by grace. We are sure that the Holy Spirit pleads for us at all times, and no les> sure are we that He pleads for us in a special manner during holy Mass.

We know this too because at that time the holy angels also pray for us, as St. Chrysostom says; “During holy Mass it is not mortals alone who cry to God in supplication; the angels also bend the knee, and archangels plead for us.” And as the reason of this he adds: 4< This is their acceptable time; the holy sacrifice is at their disposal; they exhibit the body of Christ, and intercede for the human race.“As the angels choose the time of Mass because it is a time of mercy, when the anger of God is appeased by this all-prevailing propitiatory sacrifice, we may conclude that the benign and holy Spirit selects the same moment, that in which Christ in His humanity pleads with the Father, to” ask for us with groanings unspeakable “(Romans 8:26) that the severity of divine justice may be tempered by divine mercy.

Learn hence how ineffable is the goodness of the Holy Ghost, Who interests Himself in our salvation, and not only prays for us, but intercedes for us with unspeakable groanings. Who could believe this were it not expressly stated in Holy Scripture? Who can now doubt that we have a true friend in the Holy Ghost t Let us love and trust in Him, Who is indeed our true and faithful friend. And since it is preeminently at Mass that He pleads for thee, thou wouldst do well to hear Mass sometimes for His special honor and delectation.

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