The Fourfold Presence of Jesus at Mass
Fr. Hugh Gillespie, SMM
T he Fourfold Presence of Jesus at Mass
It is our Duty and our Salvation to give you thanks O Lord!
Reviewing The Necessity of the Mass is the focus of Part I in the first of this three part series concentrating on The Holy Mass.
Lord, Open My Lips and My Mouth Will Proclaim Your Praise
Today’s conference’s focus is The Presence of Jesus at Mass. Notice the prayer begins with Lord, Open My Lips … The prayer does not begin with me, but rather begins with the Lord. To praise the Lord, I recognize that praising begins with the Lord Who enables me to praise Him! The words of this prayer, taken from Psalm 94/95, is hundreds of years old and stands at the beginning of the day within the Church. We pray this prayer to come into the presence of the Lord, so that we may worship Him.
The Fourfold Presence of Jesus at Mass
This prayer begins the discussion of this conference entitled: The Fourfold Presence of Jesus at Mass. The Lord is present at the Mass! Many Christians believe that The Lord is present only at and through Holy Communion. This is not true.
The Lord is pleased to be in our presence in (Fourfold) four ways during Mass. If the Lord is, therefore, happy to be in our presence four ways, it is important for us to understand this and to also meet Him during each of these ways! This conference reviews each of these four ways.
Fourfold Presence
The Lord is present to us during the actions of the Liturgy in four ways.
-1- In His Body: In the Congregation
-2- In the Ministry of the Priest
-3- In the Proclamation of Scripture
-4- In the Sacrament of the Altar
In His Body
Where two or three come together in My Name, I will be there …
When we walk into Church, He is not present because our family, friends and neighbors are gathering together. He is present to us, those Baptized in Christ, who assemble in Church, as The Body of Christ … it is the faithful coming together in which He is present to us!
We should see more than our family, friends and neighbors at Mass. Those who attend Mass should see those who share in the Life of Jesus. We share His Life through Baptism. We should see the faithful. In doing so, we will be in the presence of the Lord. Hear more on this first way we are in His presence.
In the Ministry of the Priest
The second way we are in His presence is through the Ministry of the Priest. While we all share in the Life of Jesus through Baptism, because of his vocation, the Priest is at the service of Jesus. We who assemble at Mass are the Body of the Church. The Priest stands in place of the Head of the Church. He stands, at Mass, in the place of Christ. Hear more about this special way we enter into the Lord’s presence.
In the Proclamation of Scripture, Especially the Gospel
The Lord is present to us in the Proclamation of the Scripture … not IN THE SCRIPTURE, but rather, in the Proclamation.
When the Gospel is Proclaimed well and faithfully, and when we listen to it attentively, we are in the presence of the Lord! Listening is the way we are in His presence. Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!
When we are about to hear the Gospel, something happens! The assembly rises to their feet. We sat for the first set of readings, but we stand for the Gospel. We recognize we are listening to Him. Not the lecture reading a passage, but Our Lord speaking to us! It is not the Homily that is important. It is the words of the Gospel! The words of Our Lord! The singing and the Kiss of the Gospel are at the service of helping us recognize His presence.
The High Point of the Mass is the Proclamation of the Gospel, not the Homily. Hear more about this third way the Lord makes Himself present to us!
The Sacrament of the Altar
The Eucharist is both a noun and verb. The noun: references the body and blood of this Holy Sacrament. The verb represents God is present through the actions of the altar.
Once Mass begins, the altar becomes more important than the tabernacle. During the actions at the altar, the prayer the priest says is to God through Jesus. The prayers are not said to the assembly / the people!
On the night He was betrayed …. Is part of the prayer to God. The prayer is to Heaven. The actions of the altar is the fourth way the Lord makes His presence known to us! His presence teaches us the meaning of our faith! Out of the actions of the altar comes Holy Communion.
We are called to recognize His presence! Behold the Lamb of God … The eyes do not see the Lord. However, through faith we recognize His presence. When we come forward, therefore, we come forward in faith to receive the Lord. He is present to us and is present in us!
Lord, I am not worthy… This is true, we are not worthy. It is the Lord that can make us worthy! We ask the Lord for the healing words and we come forth!
Holy Communion is a Gift
Holy Communion is then His gift to us! The Eucharist is a gift He gives us and makes us worthy! During and after Holy Communion, the Church does not ask us to participate in song. It asks for our silence. The Church asks us to linger in His presence after you receive Him.
We unite as a community when we receive Him. We unite as an assembly of the faithful when we receive Him.
Listen to more of How His Presence is revealed. To be truly in His presence during the Holy Mass, we must meet Him and be present to Him in The Fourfold Presence of Jesus at Mass!
The Fourfold Presence of Jesus at Mass
Note: *
During the pandemic, The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island’s Facebook page has a series of video covering Mass and Conferences. This conference’s audio appears above. However, if you would like to see the video (captured using FB Live Stream), follow the Video * link. Selecting the button will transfer you directly to the Shrine’s FB page that contains the video. We encourage you to return to this website after viewing the video.
