Topic summary
Catholic Mass
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Mass in the Catholic Church.
Sacrificial nature
In Catholic teaching, the holy sacrifice of the Mass is the fulfillment of all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant, the one sacrifice on the altar of Calvary is revisited during every Catholic Mass. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ merited all graces and blessings for humans by His death on the Cross, and that these merits form an inexhaustible fountain of grace to nourish the supernatural life of souls. At Calvary, Christ is said to have not only merited all graces for people but also established certain channels whereby these graces may be obtained. These channels are the Sacrifice of the Mass and the other Sacraments.