E SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

THE SECOND PRAYER IN THE CANON. 99
EXPLANATION OF THE PRAYER HANG IGITUR
OBLATIONEM.
The word therefore connects the prayer with the
Communicantes which precedes. Encouraged by the
prayers of the Saints, in the hope that God is appeased
and that He will show us mercy, the Church through
the mouth of her priest beseeches God the Father to
accept this oblation of our service as also of Thy
whole family. The Mass is a Sacrifice which we
make to God with all the family of the Church, to
acknowledge His supreme dominion over all creatures,
on Him. Such is the
and our absolute dependence
sense of the phrase oblation of our service. Next,
besides the acceptance of the Sacrifice three petitions
are made: (i) dispose our days in (2) command
Thy peace;
us to be delivered from eternal
the line in the Dies Irae Sed
damnation (compare
tu bonus fac benigne, ne perenni cremer igne
" In
Thy
goodness grant that I be not consumed in everlasting
fire"); (3) and to be numbered in the flock of
Thy elect to make our election SURE (2 Pet.i. 10). In
the Te Deum we say Aeterna fac cum Sanctis tuis in gloria
numcvari
" Grant
that we may be numbered with Thy
Saints in glory everlasting."
The following petitions were added by St. Gregory
the Great.
Quam oblationem tu Deus Which oblation do Thou, O
in omnibus, quaesumus,beneJ God, vouchsafe in all things
dictam, adscri J-ptam, ra ^ to make blessed, f approved,
tarn, rationabilem, accepta- ^ ratified, J- reasonable, and
bilemque facere digneris : ut acceptable, that it may become
nobis Cor^pus et San^guis to us the >f Body and Hr*
fiat dilectissimi Filii tui Blood of Thy most beloved
Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.