"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass."

St. Padre Pio

1356 If from the beginning Christians have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form whose substance has not changed despite the great diversity of times and liturgies, it is because we know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord gave on the eve of his Passion: "Do this in remembrance of me."¹⁸³

1357 We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.

1365 Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood."¹⁸⁷ In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."¹⁸⁸

1366 The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit

1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different."

• Christ commanded His followers to celebrate the memorial of His paschal sacrifice.

• The Sacrifice of the Mass takes those of us living in time and space, and makes present to us the Sacrifice of the Lamb taking place eternally in Heaven as well as the past sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary.  

• Christ is not being "re-crucified" on the altar.  There is one sacrifice for all time, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are offering one and the same sacrifice to the Father whenever we do what the Lord commanded at the Last Supper.  

• By virtue of the Mass - by presenting to the Father the one sacrifice of His Son, again and again - we are atoning (again and again) for the sins of the world and our own personal sins.  In other words, Christ is perpetually interceding for the baptized, and all of good will, that the Lord will give us not what we deserve in justice, but what we desire in His Mercy.
•