Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Cycle B
(Corpus Christi)

1st Reading: Exodus 24:3-8

A sacred meal and sprinkling with blood
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[3] Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordi-
nances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, "All the words 
which the LORD has spoken we will do.” [4] And Moses wrote all the words of
the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the 
mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. [5] And he 
sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed
peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. [6] And Moses took half of the blood and 
put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. [7] Then he took 
the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, 
"All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” [8] And 
Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, "Behold the blood
of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these
words.”

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Commentary: 

24:1-18. It was common practice for those peoples to ratify pacts by means of a
rite or a meal. This section recounts a meal or rite whereby the Covenant was 
sealed. This event is very important for salvation history: it prefigures the sacri-
fice of Jesus Christ, which brought in the New Covenant.

The usual interpretation is that there were two stages in this ratification -- first in-
volving Moses and the elders, that is, authorities (vv. 1-2, 9-11) and then the entire
people (vv. 3-8). Other commentators think that there was only one ceremony,
relayed by two different traditions. In both cases the final editor has tried to make 
it clear that both the leaders and the people themselves took part in and formally
accepted the divine Covenant and all it laid down.

24:1-11. Nabab and Abihu are priests of Aaron’s line (cf. 6:33; 28:1; Lev 10:1-2);
the elders represent the people on important matters. The ceremony takes place
on the top of the mountain, which all the leaders ascended – Moses; the priests,
holders of religious authority; and the elders, that is, the civil and legal authori-
ties (cf. 18:21-26).

Only Moses has direct access to God (v. 2), but all are able to see God without
dying: what they see far outstrips in brilliance and luxury the great palaces and
temples of the East (cf. the vision of Isaiah in Is 6:10). In fact, they all share the
same table with God (v. 11): the description is reminiscent of a royal banquet, in
which the guests are treated on a par with the host: thus, the king of Babylonia
will show his benevolence to King Jehoiachin by having him as his dinner guest
(cf. 2 Kings 25:27-30). But it is, above all, a ritual banquet in which sharing the
same table shows the intimate relationship that exists between God and the
leaders of the people, and shows too that both parties are mutually responsible
for the covenant now being sealed.

24:3-8. The ceremony takes place on the 'slope of the mountain; Moses alone is 
the intermediary; but the protagonists are God and his people. The ceremony has 
two parts -- the reading and accepting of the clauses of the Covenant (vv. 3-4), 
that is, the Words (Decalogue) and the laws (the so-called Code of the Covenant);
then comes the offering which seals the pact.

The acceptance of the clauses is done with all due solemnity, using the ritual 
formula: "all the words which the Lord has spoken we will do”. The people, who 
have already made this commitment (19:8), now repeat it after listening to Moses’
address (v. 3) and just before being sprinkled with the blood of the offering. The 
binding force of the pact is thereby assured,

The offering has some very ancient features -- the altar specially built for the 
occasion (v. 4; cf. 20:25); the twelve pillars, probably set around the altar; the 
young men, not priests, making the offerings; and particularly the sprinkling with
blood which is at the very core of the rite.

The dividing of the blood in two (one half for the altar which represents God, and 
the other for the people) means that both commit themselves to the requirements 
of the Covenant. There is evidence that nomadic peoples used to seal their pacts
with the blood of sacrificed animals. But there are no traces in the Bible of blood 
being used in that way. This rite probably has deeper significance: given that 
blood, which stands for life (cf. Gen 4), belongs to God alone, it must only be 
poured on the altar or used to anoint people who are consecrated to God, such 
as priests (cf. Ex 29:19-22). When Moses sprinkled the blood of the offering on
to the entire people, he was consecrating it, making it divine property and "a
kingdom of priests” (cf. 19:3-6). The Covenant therefore is not only a commit-
ment to obey its precepts but, particularly, the right to belong to the holy nation,
which is God’s possession. At the Last Supper, when instituting the Eucharist,
Jesus uses the very same terms, "blood of the Covenant”, thereby indicating the
nature of the new people of God who, having been redeemed, is fully "the holy
people of God” (cf. Mt 26:27 and par.; 1 Cor 11:23-25).

The Second Vatican Council has this to say about the connexion between the 
New and Old Covenants, pointing out that the Church is the true people of God:
"God chose the Israelite race to be his own people and established a covenant
with it. He gradually instructed this people -- in its history manifesting both him-
self and the decree of his will -- and made it holy unto himself. All these things,
however, happened as a preparation and figure of that new and perfect covenant
which was to be ratified in Christ, and of the fuller revelation which was to be
given through the Word of God made flesh. […] Christ instituted this new cove-
nant, namely the new covenant in his blood (cf. 1 Cor 11:25); he called a race
made up of Jews and Gentiles which would he one, not according to the flesh,
but in the Spirit, and this race would he the new People of God” (Lumen gentium,\
4 and 9).

2nd Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15

Christ Sealed the New Covenant with His Blood Once and for All
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[11] But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,
then through the greater and more perfect tents (not made with hands, that is, not
of this creation) [12] he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the
blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
[13] For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and
with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, [14] how much
more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself with-
out blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God.

15] Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called
may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which
redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenants.

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Commentary:

11-14. The sacrifices of the Old Law could only promise ephemeral benefits,
whereas Christ's redemptive sacrifice obtained for man, once and for all, "the
good things to come", that is, the heavenly and eternal benefits proper to the
messianic age--sanctifying grace and entry to heaven. Like the high priest on the
Day of Atonement, Christ entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, through the
curtain. This sanctuary which he entered is the heavenly one; that is why it is
"greater and more perfect" and not made by men (cf. 8:2). Christ passed through
the heavens into the very presence of the Father (cf. 7:26) and is seated in hea-
ven at his right hand (cf. 8:1).

Many Fathers, Doctors of the Church and modern scholars see the expression
"through the greater and more perfect tent" as referring to the sacred humanity of
our Lord, virginally conceived in the womb of Mary, that is, "not made with hands".
The tent or tabernacle would be our Lord's body, in which the Godhead dwells.
The text then says that it is "not of this creation", because Jesus as man was
conceived without the action of a man and without original sin: he did not follow
"the law of nature which holds sway in the created world" (Theodoret, "Interpreta-
tio Ep. ad Hebraeos, ad loc."). In this case the inspired text would be saying that
Christ redeemed us by means of his human nature (cf. v. 12). However, the words
"through the greater and more perfect tent" can also be understood as referring to
heaven, in the sense of a greater and more perfect sanctuary. In any event, whe-
ther by passing through the heavens or through his most sacred body, Christ
achieved Redemption by offering his own blood. This does not have a temporary
value--like the blood of animals shed each year when the priest entered the Holy
of Holies: Jesus secured eternal Redemption. In the Old Law the Jews were
cleansed by the blood of sacrificed animals from legal impurities which prevented
them from taking part in the liturgy; but Christ's blood does so much more, for it
cleanses man of his sins. "Do you want to know how effective the blood of Christ
is? Let us go back to the symbols which foretold it and remind ourselves of the
ancient accounts of (the Jews in) Egypt. Moses told them to kill a year-old lamb
and put its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of each house [...]. Would
you like an additional way to appreciate the power of Christ's blood? See where
it flowed from, what its source is. It began to flow from the very Cross and its
source was the Lord's side. For, as the Gospel says, when our Lord was already
dead, one of the soldiers went up to him with a lance and pierced his side and at
once there came out water and blood--water, the symbol of Baptism; blood, the
symbol of the Euchari The soldier pierced his side, he opened a breach in the
wall of the holy temple, and there I discover the hidden treasure and I rejoice at
the treasure I have found" (Chrysostom, "Baptismal Catechesis", III, 13-19).

And so the Church includes in the prayers it recommends to be said after Mass,
one which reads: "I beseech thee, most sweet Lord Jesus, may your passion be
the virtue which strengthens, protects and defends me; your wounds, food and
drink to nourish, inebriate and delight me; your death, everlasting life for me; your
cross, my eternal glory" ("Roman Missal of St Pius V", recommended prayer of
thanksgiving after Mass).

12. "Thus securing an eternal redemption": the Greek text uses "havingfound",
here translated as "securing". St John Chrysostom points out that the verb "to
find" in this context has a shade of meaning that implies finding something unex-
pected: the reference is to finding, "as it were, something very unknown and very
unexpected" ("Hom. on Heb, ad loc."). However, taking into account the whole
context and the possible Hebraic background of the expression, the verb "to find"
is synonymous with "to search keenly, to reach, to attain": in other words, Christ
eagerly sought to redeem man and he did so by his sacrifice. The verse refers to
an "eternal" redemption, in contrast to the provisional nature of Mosaic sacrifices.

13. These words refer to a ceremony of purification described in the Old Testa-
ment (cf. Num 19). To cleanse a person from certain transgressions of the Law,
the Israelites could avail of certain expiatory ablutions. There were done with wa-
ter mixed with the ashes of a heifer, which the high priest had sacrificed in front
of the tabernacle and then burned in its entirety. Into the fire cedar-wood, hyssop
and scarlet wool (9:19) had also to be thrown. Thus lustral water was only useful
for legal purification or "purification of the flesh", as distinct from purification of
the spirit.

14. The Messiah acts "through the eternal Spirit", which may be taken as a refe-
rence to the Holy Spirit, as St Thomas, for example, interprets it: "Christ shed
his blood, because the Holy Spirit did so; that is to say, it was by the Spirit's in-
fluence and prompting, that is, out of love of God and love of neighbor, that he
did what he did. For it is the Spirit who purifies" ("Commentary on Heb, ad loc.").

Pope John Paul II has referred to this text to show the presence of the Holy Spirit
in the redemptive sacrifice of the Incarnate Word: "In the sacrifice of the Son of
Man the Holy Spirit is present and active just as he acted in Jesus' conception,
in his coming into the world, in his hidden life and in his public ministry. Accor-
ding to the Letter to the Hebrews, on the way to his 'departure' through Gethse-
mani and Golgotha, the same "Jesus Christ" in his own humanity "opened him-
self totally" to this "action of the Spirit-Paraclete", who from suffering enables 
eternal salvific love to spring forth" ("Dominum et Vivificantem", 40).

The Son of God desired that the Holy Spirit should turn his death into a perfect
sacrifice. Only Christ "in his humanity was worthy to become this sacrifice, for
"he alone" was 'without blemish' (Heb 9:14). But he offered it 'through the eternal
Spirit', which means that the Holy Spirit acted in a special way in this absolute
self-giving of the Son of Man, in order to transform this suffering into redemptive
love" ("ibid.").

It is also possible that "the eternal Spirit" is a more general reference to the God-
head present in Christ; in which case it would be the same as saying that Christ,
being God and man, offered himself as an unblemished victim and therefore this
offering was infinitely efficacious. Thus, as Pius XII says, Christ "labored uncea-
singly by prayer and self-sacrifice for the salvation of souls until, hanging on the
Cross, he offered himself as a victim unblemished in God's sight, that he might
purify our consciences and set them free from lifeless observances to serve the
living God. All men were thus rescued from the path of ruin and perdition and set
once more on the way to God, to whom they were now to give due glory by co-
operating personally in their sanctification, making their own the holiness that
springs from the blood of the unspotted Lamb" ("Mediator Dei", 1).

Christ's sacrifice purifies us completely, thereby rendering us fit to worship the li-
ving God. As St Alphonsus puts it, "Jesus Christ offered himself to God pure and
without the trace of a fault; otherwise he would not have been a worthy mediator,
would not have been capable of reconciling God and sinful man, nor would his
blood have had the power to purify and cleanse our conscience from 'dead works',
that is, from sins which are given that name because (our) works are in no way
meritorious or else are worthy of eternal punishment. 'So that you might serve
the living God"' ("Reflections on the Passion", 9, 2).

15-22. The covenant is shown to be new because it has been ratified by the
death and by the shedding of the blood of the testator or mediator. "Man, having
fallen into sin, was in debt to divine justice and was the enemy of God. The Son
of God came into the world and clothed himself in human flesh; being both God
and man he became the mediator between man and God, the representative of
both sides, so as to restore peace between them and obtain divine grace for man,
giving himself as an offering to pay man's debt with his blood and his death. This
reconciliation was prefigured in the Old Testament in all the sacrifices that were
offered in that period and in all the symbols which God ordained--the tabernacle,
the altar, the veil, the lampstand, the thurible and the ark where the rod of Aaron
and the tables of the Law were kept. All these were a sign and type of the Pro-
mised redemption; and it was because that redemption would come about
through the blood of Christ that God specified the blood of animals--a symbol of
the blood of the divine Lamb--and laid it down that all the symbolic objects men-
tioned above should be sprinkled with blood: 'Hence even the first Covenant was
not ratified without blood"' ("ibid.", 9, 2).

For a third time Christ is stated to be the mediator of a New Covenant. Hebrews
7:22 and 8:6 say that he is the mediator of a better covenant because it can give
eternal life. Here, as in 12:24, it is explained that Christ is the mediator of a New
Covenant, ratified by blood which gives an eternal inheritance. The emphasis is
on the sacrificial aspect: Christ is the mediator insofar as he is the atoning victim
and at the same time the offerer of the sacrifice: in his sacrifice he is both priest
and victim. "Christ is priest indeed; but he is priest for us, not for himself. It is in
the name of the whole human race that he offers prayer and acts of human reli-
gious homage to his Eternal Father. He is likewise victim; but victim for us, since
he substitutes himself for guilty mankind. Now the Apostle's exhortation, 'Yours
is to be the same mind as Christ Jesus showed ' (Phil 2:5), requires all Chris-
tians, so far as human power allows, to reproduce in themselves the sentiments
that Christ had when he was offering himself in sacrifice--sentiments of humility,
of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving to the divine Majesty. It requires them also
to become victims, as it were; cultivating a spirit of self-denial according to the
precepts of the Gospel, willingly doing works of penance, detesting and expia-
ting their sins" ("Mediator Dei", 22).

Christ's sacrifice is not only effective to forgive our sins; it is a manifestation of
our Redeemer's love for us and it sets an example which we should follow. "And
if God forgives us our sins it is so that we might use the time that remains to us
in his service and love. And the Apostle concludes, saying, 'Therefore he is the
mediator of a new covenant.' Our Redeemer, captivated by his boundless love for
us, chose to rescue us, at the cost of his blood, from eternal death; and he suc-
ceeded in doing so, for if we serve him faithfully until we die we shall obtain from
the Lord forgiveness and eternal life. Such were the terms of the testament, me-
diation or compact between Jesus Christ and God" ("Reflections on the Passion",
9, 2).

15-17. As the RSV note points out the Greek word can be translated as either
"covenant" or "will". The context and the parallel with the covenant of Sinai sug-
gest the idea of covenant or pact, since the covenant with the chosen people
was an unilateral pact, that is, a concession granted by God; however, it too can
also be taken in a broad sense as a "will". Both the word "mediator" and the word
"testator" (the one who makes the will) applied here to Christ serve to emphasize
that his death needed to involve the shedding of blood. His is a death whereby we
are called to "receive the promised eternal inheritance": "The work of our Redemp-
tion has been accomplished. We are now children of God, because Jesus has
died for us and his death has ransomed us. "Empti enim estis pretio magno!" (1
Cor 6:20), you and I have been bought at a great price.

"We must bring into our life, to make them our own, the life and death of Chri
We must die through mortification and penance, so that Christ may live in us
through Love. And then follow in the footsteps of Christ, with a zeal to co-redeem
all mankind" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", XIV).

Gospel Reading: Mark 14:12-16; 22-26

Preparations for the Last Supper
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[12] And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover
lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to
eat the passover?" [13] And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go
into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, [14] and
wherever he enters, say to the householder, 'The Teacher says, Where is my
guest room, where I am to eat the passover with my disciples?' [15] And he will
show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us." [16]
And the disciples set out and went to the city, and found it as he had told them;
and they prepared the passover. 

The institution of the Eucharist
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[22] And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave
it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." [23] And he took a cup, and when
he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. [24] And he said
to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. [25]
Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day
when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

[26] And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

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Commentary:

12-16. At first sight our Lord’s behaviour described here seems quite out of char-
acter. However, if we think about it, it is quite consistent: probably Jesus wanted
to avoid Judas knowing in advance the exact place where the Supper will be held,
to prevent him notifying the Sanhedrin. And so God’s plans for that memorable
night of Holy Thursday were fulfilled: Judas was unable to advise the Sanhedrin
where they could find Jesus until after the celebration of the passover meal (dur-
ing which Judas left the Cenacle): cf. Jn 13:30.

12-16. 첫 눈에 여기서 서술된 우리의 주님의 행동은 상당히 어울리지 않은 것처럼 
보인다. 그러나 우리가 이에 대하여 생각을 해보면, 다음과 같이 상당히 일관된다:
아마도 예수님께서는, 유다가 최고 의회에 알리는 것을 막기 위하여, 유다가 사전에 
최후의 만찬이 어디에서 개최될 정확한 장소를 알게 되는 것을 피하고자 하셨을 것이다.
그리하여 성 목요일 밤이라는 이 잊혀지지 않는 밤을 위한 하느님의 계획들이 구현될 
수 있었다: 유다는 파스카 식사의 경축 이후에 이르기까지 어디에서 그들이 예수님을 
발견할 수 있을 것인지에 대하여 최고 의회에 조언을 할 수가 없었다 (파스카 식사를 하는 
중에 유다가 만찬실을 떠났다): 요한 복음서 13,30을 보라.

St Mark describes in more detail than the other evangelists the place where the
meal took place: he says it was a large, well-appointed room -- a dignified place.
There is an ancient Christian tradition that the house of the Cenacle was owned
by Mary the mother of St Mark, to whom, it seems, the Garden of Olives also
belonged.

성 마르코는 파스카 식사가 있었던 장소에 대하여 다른 복음사가들에 비하여 더 
자세하게 서술하고 있다: 그는 그 장소가 커다란, 잘 예약된 방인 품위 있는 장소였다고 
말한다. 성 마르코의 어머니인 마리아가 만찬실의 집을 소유하였다는 고대 그리스도교의 
전통이 있는데, 올리브 동산 또한 그녀에게 속한 것으로 보인다.

22. The word "this” does not refer to the act of breaking the bread but to the
"thing” which Jesus gives his disciples, that is, something which looked like
bread and which was no longer bread but the body of Christ. "This is my body. 
That is to say, what I am giving you now and what you are taking is my body.
For the bread is not only a symbol of the body of Christ; it becomes his very bo-
dy, as the Lord has said: the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is
my flesh. Therefore, the Lord conserves the appearances of bread and wine but
changes the bread and wine into the reality of his flesh and his blood” (Theophy-
lact, "Enarratio in Evangelium Marci", in loc.). Therefore, any interpretation in
the direction of symbolism or metaphor does not fit the meaning of the text. The
same applies to the "This is my blood” (v. 24). On the realism of these expres-
sions, see the first part of the note on Mt 26:26-29.

22. "이는"이라는 단어는 빵을 쪼개는 행위를 말하는 것이 아니라 예수님께서 당신의 
제자들에게 내어주시는 "것"에 대한, 즉 마치 빵처럼 보였던 어떤 것 그리고 이미 
빵이 아니라 그리스도의 몸이었던 어떤 것에 대한 언급이다. "이는 나의 몸이다. 
다시 말하면, 내가 그대들에게 지금 내어 주고 있는 바 그리고 그대들이 받고 있는 
바는 나의 몸이디. 이는 이 빵이 그리스도 지체의 상징일 뿐만이 아니라, 주님께서 
이미 '내가 이 세상의 생명을 위하여 내어 줄 이 빵은 나의 몸이다'라고 말씀하셨듯이,
당신의 바로 그 몸이라는 존재가 되기 때문이다. 그 결과, 주님께서는 빵과 포도주의 
모습을 보존하시나 그러나 이 빵과 포도주를 당신의 몸과 당신의 피라는 실체로 
변화시키신다." [테오필락또, Enarratio in Evangelium Marci, in loc.]. 따라서, 상징 혹은 
은유의 방향으로의 어떠한 해석도 이 본문의 의미에 적합하지 않다. 동일한 이유가 
'이것은 내 피다'(제24절)에 적용된다. 이들 표현들의 실재론에 대하여서는, 마태오 
복음서 26,26-29에 대한 주해의 첫 부분을 보라(엮은이 번역).

24. The words of consecration of the chalice clearly show that the Eucharist is a
sacrifice: the blood of Christ is poured out, sealing the new and definitive Cove-
nant of God with men. This Covenant remains sealed forever by the sacrifice of
Christ on the cross, in which Jesus is both Priest and Victim. The Church has
defined this truth in these words: "If anyone says that in the Mass a true and
proper sacrifice is not offered to God, or that to be offered is nothing else but that
Christ is given us to eat, let him be anathema” (Council of Trent, "De S. Missae
sacrificio", chap. 1, can. 1).

24. 이 잔에 대한 축성의 말씀들은 성찬례가 희생 제사임을 분명하게 나타낸다: 
그리스도의 피가 부어져, 그 결과 하느님의 사람들에 대한 새로운 그리고 최종적인 
계약을 보증한다. 이 계약은 십자가 위에서의 그리스도의 희생에 의하여 영원히 
보증된 채로 남아 있는데, 이 희생에 있어 예수님께서는 집전 사제 및 희생 제물 
둘 다이시다. 교회는 이 진리를 다음과 같이 정의하였다: "만약에 어떤 자가 미사 
중에 참되며 온전한 희생 제물이 하느님께 봉헌되지 않는다고 말하거나, 혹은 
봉헌될 것은 우리가 먹도록 그리스도께서 주어지는 것 이외의 아무 것도 아니라고 
말하는 자는, 저주 받도록 내버려두라." [트리엔트 공의회, De S. Missae sacrificip, 
chap. 1, can. 1](엮은이 번역).

These words pronounced over the chalice must have been very revealing for the
apostles, because they show that the sacrifices of the Old Covenant were in fact
a preparation for and anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice. The apostles were able to
grasp that the Covenant of Sinai and the various sacrifices of the temple were
merely an imperfect pre-figurement of the definitive sacrifice and definitive Cove-
nant, which would take place on the cross and which they were anticipating in
this Supper.

이 잔 위에 선포되었던 이들 말씀들은 사도들에게 있어 매우 뜻이 깊었을 것임에 
틀림이 없는데, 이는 이 말씀들이 옛 계약의 희생 제물들은 사실은 그리스도의 희생에
대한 준비 및 기대였음을 나타내기 때문이다. 사도들은 시나이 계약과 성전의 다양한 
희생 제물들이 단지, 십자가 위에서 있게 될 그리고 그들이 이 최후의 만찬에서 
예상하고 있었던, 최종적인 희생 제사 그리고 최종적인 계약에 대한 불완전한 
사전 모습임을 파악할 수 있었다(엮은이 번역).

A clear explanation of the sacrificial character of the Eucharist can be found in
the inspired text in chapters 8 and 9 of the Letter to the Hebrews. Similarly, the
best preparation for understanding the real presence and the Eucharist as food
for the soul is a reading of chapter 6 of the Gospel of St John.

성체성사의 희생적 특징에 대한 분명한 이해는 히브리인들에게 보낸 편지의 제8장 
및 제9장에 있는 영감을 받은 본문에서 발견될 수 있다. 마찬가지로, 그리스도의 
현존과 영혼을 위한 음식으로서 성체성사를 이해하기 위한 최상의 준비는 성 요한에 
의한 복음서 제6장을 읽는 것이다(엮은이 번역).

At the Last Supper, then, Christ already offered himself voluntarily to his Father
as a victim to be sacrificed. The Supper and the Mass constitute with the cross
one and the same unique and perfect sacrifice, for in all these cases the victim
offered is the same -- Christ; and the priest is the same -- Christ. The only differ-
ence is that the Supper, which takes place prior to the cross, anticipates the
Lord’s death in an unbloody way and offers a victim soon to be immolated; where-
as the Mass offers, also in an unbloody manner, the victim already immolated on
the cross, a victim who exists forever in heaven.

그러고 나서, 최후의 만찬에서 그리스도께서는 당신 자신을 희생될 제물로서 당신의
성부께 자발적으로 이미 봉헌하셨다. 최후의 만찬과 미사 성제는 십자가와 함께 
하나뿐인 그리고 동일한 유일하고 완미한(perfect) 희생 제사를 구성하는데, 이는 이들 
모든 경우들에 있어 봉헌된 제물은 동일한 그리스도이시며, 그리고 집전 사제는 동일한 
그리스도이시기 때문이다. 유일한 차이점은 다음에 있다: 십자가 형벌 이전에 발생하는 
최후의 만찬은 피를 흘리지 않는 방식으로 주님의 죽음을 예상하며 그리고 조만간 
희생될 제물을 봉헌하는 반면에, 미사 성제는, 또한 피를 흘리지 않는 방식으로, 
십자가 위에서 이미 희생된 제물, 하늘(heaven, 천당)에 영원히 계시는 제물을 봉헌한다
(엮은이 번역).

25. After instituting the Holy Eucharist, our Lord extends the Last Supper in inti-
mate conversation with his disciples, speaking to them once more about his im-
minent death (cf. Jn, chaps. 13-17). His farewell saddens the apostles, but he
promises that the day will come when he will meet with them again, when the
Kingdom of God will have come in all its fullness: he is referring to the beatific
life in heaven, so often compared to a banquet. Then there will be no need of
earthly food or drink; instead there will be a new wine (cf. Is 25:6). Definitively,
after the resurrection, the apostles and all the saints will be able to share the de-
light of being with Jesus.

25. 성찬례를 제정하신 후에, 우리의 주님께서는 당신의 제자들과의 친밀한 대화 
안에서, 그들에게 다시 한 번 당신의 임박한 죽음에 대하여 말씀하심으로써(요한 복음서 
제13-17장을 보라), 최후의 만찬의 범위를 넓히신다. 당신의 작별 인사는 사도들을 
슬프게 하였으나, 그러나 당신께서 그들을 다시 만날 때인, 하느님 나라가 모든 
충만함 안에서 장차 이미 도래하게 되었을 때인, 바로 그 때가 올 것임을 약속하신다: 
당신께서는, 상당히 자주 연회와 비교되는, 하늘(heaven, 천당)에서의 행복한 삶에 
대하여 말씀하시는 중이시다. 그 때에는 지상의 음식과 음료를 전혀 필요로 하지 않을 
것이며, 대신에 새 포도주가 마련될 것이다(이사야 25,6을 보라). 확실하게, 부활 후에, 
사도들과 모든 성인들은 예수님과 함께 계심이라는 매우 큰 기쁨을 공유하게 될 
것이다(엮은이 번역).

The fact that St Mark brings in these words after the institution of the Eucharist
indicates in some way that the Eucharist is an anticipation here on earth of pos-
session of God in eternal blessedness, where God will be everything to everyone
(cf. 1 Cor 15:28). "At the Last Supper,” Vatican II teaches, "on the night he was
betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood.
This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages
until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church,
a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a
bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled
with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” ("Sacrosanctum Concilium",
47).

성 마르코가 이 말씀들을 성찬례의 제정 다음에 제시한다는 사실은 어떤 면에 있어 
성찬례가, 하느님께서 모든 이에게 모든 것이 되실(1코린토 15,28) 영원한 행복 안에서, 
하느님을 소유하게 될 것임에 대한 이곳 지상에서의 기다림임을 나타내고 있다. 
제2차 바티칸 공의회는 다음과 같이 가르친다: "당신께서 배반당하신 바로 그 밤에서의 
최후의 만찬에서, 우리의 주님께서는 당신의 몸과 피로 구성된 성찬 희생 제사를 
제정하셨다. 당신께서는, 당신께서 다시 오실 때까지 모든 시대들에 걸쳐 당신의 십자가 
수난이라는 희생을 영속하게  하고자, 그리하여 당신의 사랑하는 신부인 교회에 당신의 
죽음과 부활에 대한 기념제를 맡기고자, 바로 이것을 거행하셨다: 사랑의 성사, 
일치의 표징, 사랑의 계약, 그 안에서 그리스도께서 먹히시고, 마음(the mind)이 은총으로 
채워져, 그리하여 미래의 영광에 대한 보증이 우리에게 주어지는, 파스카 연회" [제2차 
바티칸 공의회, 거룩한 전례에 관한거룩한 공의회, 제47장](엮은이 번역).

26. "When they had sung a hymn”: it was a custom at the passover meal to re-
cite prayers, called "Hallel”, which included Psalms 113 to 118; the last part was
recited at the end of the meal.

26. "그들은 찬미가를 부르고 나서": 시편 제113-118장들을 포함하였던, '할렐'이라고
불렸던, 기도문들을 파스카 식사에서 암송하는 것은 하나의 관습이었으며, 이 기도문들의 
마지막 부분은 파스카 식사의 끝에 암송되었다(엮은이 번역). 

*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.


[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 
출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다. 그리고 본문 중의 우리말 번역문에 
대한 저작권은 엮은이에게 있으며, 본문 중의 우리말 번역문들을 복사하여 가져가는 것을
허락하지 않습니다.]