Although all the acts of Christ were redemptive, there is, nevertheless, a singular event in His life that stands out above all others, and toward which all others are directed: the moment when the obedience and love of the Son offered to the Father a sacrifice without measure, because of the dignity of the Offering and by the Priest who offered it.
And it is He who remains in the Mass as the principal Priest and the Victim truly offered and sacramentally immolated.In the Holy Mass, the fruits that directly regard God, such as adoration and thanksgiving, are always produced in their infinite fullness, without depending on our attention or the fervor of the priest. In every Mass, an adoration, a reparation, and a thanksgiving of limitless value are infallibly offered to God, because it is Christ Himself who offers it and who is offered.
Therefore, it is impossible to adore God better, or to recognize His sovereign dominion over all things and over all men. It is the most perfect fulfillment of the precept: You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve6.It is impossible to offer God a more perfect reparation for the faults daily committed than by offering and devoutly participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar$^7$. It is impossible to thank Him better for the benefits received than through the Holy Mass: Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi?
… How shall I repay God for all the benefits He has bestowed upon me? I will lift up the chalice of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord$^8$. What a great opportunity to thank God for so many blessings as we receive… for sometimes it is possible that we forget to give thanks to God for His gifts, so very many; it can happen to us as it did to the lepers cured by Jesus…"Adoration, reparation, and thanksgiving are infallible effects of the sacrifice of the Mass that look to God Himself"9, since it is the very same who offers and is offered.
What a great honor for priests, to lend Christ their voice and hands in the Eucharistic sacrifice! What greatness for the faithful to be able to participate in so great a Mystery!"Tell the Lord that, from now on, every time you celebrate or attend Holy Mass, and administer or receive the Eucharistic Sacrament, you will do so with a great faith, with a burning love, as if it were the last time of your life.
—And grieve for your past negligences."
HCD