E SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 35
we beseech Thee), that we may be worthy to enter
with pure minds into the Holy of Holies.
In the Old Law the High Priest, and he only, entered
once a year into the Holy of Holies in the Temple
to sacrifice for himself and the people ; in the New any
priest may daily offer the Sacrifice of the Altar.
Bowing down over the altar the priest says : "We
beseech Thee, O Lord (again the humble, earnest
request), by the merits of Thy Saints, whose
relics are here, and of all the Saints, that Thou
wouldst vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins.
(Again the humble prayer: digneris "that Thou
wouldst deign.")
The priest kisses out of reverence the relics of the
martyrs which rest in the altar-stone. In the earliest
ages of the Church Mass used to be said on the tombs
of the martyrs: hence perhaps another reason for
enclosing their relics beneath the table of the altar.