During Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church many of you may have notice…

During Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church many of you may have noticed that the priest breaks a small part of the consecrated host and drop it into the chalice of consecrated wine. It is a silent ritual, one that is easily missed as it happens so quickly.

While it is a very brief action, the symbolism behind it is profound. An aspect of this ritual was to signify the unity of the celebration of Mass, which is a re-presentation of the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Catholics believe that Jesus is not sacrificed again and again at each Mass, but that the Eucharist is a mystical participation in the one sacrifice that occurred on Mount Calvary.

The symbolism of this act also points to the unity of the body and blood of Jesus in the host, as both the host and consecrated wine contain the whole presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity.

It is a reminder that each action of the priest at Mass is rooted in nearly 2,000 years of history and tradition and is very deliberate, meant to teach us many profound spiritual truths.

Source: aleteia.org