No. 13: The Agnus Dei

"Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us"

When the angel of death passed over Egypt, the homes of the Israelites were spared because they were marked with the blood of the paschal lamb. In the temple in Jerusalem, lambs were sacrificed to take away sins. But all of these sacrifices were merely types of the true sacrifice, wrought in the blood of Christ. The innocent lambs, signs of purity, who saved the Israelites from earthly death, were but reflections of the innocent and sinless Lamb, who died on the Cross to save us from endless death. The lambs offered in the temple, which had to be offered again and again because they could not truly take away sins, were but images of the Lamb who has once and for all taken the sins of the world upon His shoulders on Calvary.

"Lamb of God" we call out, "you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us!" Christ is the lamb of the sacrifice, as He is the priest who offers it, and God to whom it is offered. In the mass, the one sacrifice offered to take away the sins of the world now lies upon the altar. Look how humbly He lies there! The God who created the world; the innocent lamb led to the slaughter, the One who takes away the sins of the world, rests on the altar, perfectly still, unmoving, his glory veiled together with his flesh by the appearances of bread and wine. He again makes present and renews the sacrifice that He made once and for all. Why? Not because His offering upon the cross was inadequate, but so that we might share in His sacrifice, so that we might stand at the foot of the cross as we kneel at the foot of the altar, and so that we might receive all of the graces that his sacrifice offers for us. How different, then, is this Lamb from the lambs offered by the Jews. They were led blindly to the slaughter--this Lamb was led forward, knowing the sufferings He was to endure for the sins of the whole world, knowing that He could at any time stop His passion, and yet meekly accepting the ill treatment and the suffering. The senseless lambs slain at the passover provided food for the bodies of the Israelites--the all-knowing Lamb provides food for the souls of Christians. Only the flesh of the lambs slain in the temple could be offered. Our Lamb offers His Body and Blood, His Soul and His Divinity.

"Have mercy on us!" We have dared to come before this great sacrifice, in which God Himself is offered at the hands of the priest, himself configured to Christ, the High Priest. Lord, have mercy on us because we have dared to come here; have mercy on us because we will dare to receive your Body and your Blood; have mercy on us because we are sinners, because we can not rid ourselves of the guilt of our sins. Only you, only you, God, can take away our sins. Only you can take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us.

Three times we repeat our petition, allowing it to dwell on our lips and in our hearts. This is, after all, a central act of worship--praising God's mercy and asking for His aid. There is no better time to do it than when Christ is present on the altar before us. Finally we add, "grant us peace." Peace is at the center of what we ask of God--not simply the peace of a world free from strife, but also the peace of a heart and soul in a right relationship with God. We seek peace with God, where there is no conflict between His will and ours, where our hearts desire whatever He desires for us. Thus, the end of God's mercy is His peace. Reconciled with Him, enriched by His graces, we find our peace in union with Him.

While the "Lamb of God" is sung, the priest takes the host from the altar, breaks it into two, and places a small piece in the chalice. Here we recall again Christ's passion--He is broken so that we might be made whole. His Sacred Body and Precious Blood are mingled. He waits for us to come and receive Him into our bodies, and into our hearts. With perfect love our suffering savior, now glorified, smiles at us from the altar. Come, let us worship Him and receive Him.

©Theodore Book, 2007, reprinted with permission