Supplices te rogamus

Following the Supra quæ the priest prays the portion of the Roman Canon known as the Supplices te rogamus. In this prayer the priest bows down before the oblata reflecting the words of the prayer itself, “[i]n humble prayer, etc.” There is a deeper significance to this gesture than merely humbling one’s self in the request. If we look

more closely at the prayer there is a great mystery that is being expressed, the mystery

of the entire action of Mass condensed in a single moment.

What mystery am I referring to? When we speak about the Mass generally we

say that it is a re-presentation of the self-same sacrifice of Christ. As I noted earlier in

our reflections we are mystically being made present to the “abiding Pasch of Christ,”

and in particular, the sacrifice upon Calvary. It is upon the Cross that Christ the High

Priest makes himself the victim as “the Lamb who is slain” and offers himself to the

Father. Christ is both priest and victim.

Recognizing this mystery we ask that “these gifts be borne by the hands of your

holy Angel to your altar on high.” If Christ is both victim and priest, who then is this “holy

Angel?” To understand this we must understand the meaning of the word ‘angel.’ The

word angel means messenger. Here we are speaking of Christ himself as an angel

since he was sent by the Father to give us a message from the Father. And what is this

message?

In his earthly ministry Christ says of himself that he was sent to “reveal the

Father.” It is in this way that Christ is the Angel of the Father. His message is not simply

the particular messages given by the Angels Gabriel, Michael, or Raphael at different

decisive moments of salvation history. Nor is it like anyone else. In the tradition we also

depict St. John the Baptist with angel’s wings because he is the Forerunner, the one

who makes public the message of repentance and identifies Jesus as the Christ, the

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Christ, here, is the perfect Angel.

This is because, as he himself says, “those who have seen me have seen the Father.”

He reveals that God is love itself and he brings that message in the totality of his words

and deeds.

Therefore, we are asking the Father to command his Son, who was perfectly

obedient, “even to death upon the Cross,” to receive the sacrifice he has offered of

himself and bring that offering, that he is, into the presence of the Father for our sake.

Christ is priest. Christ is victim. Christ is messenger. And by this mystery we are “filled

with every grace and heavenly blessing.” For the priest, this moment is truly humbling.

He is asking the Father to command the Son. Here the dignity of his office is made

clear, that the Father would desire a creature, sinful as he is, to participate in his saving

work in such a decisive way on behalf of the people. Nothing could have prepared us for

such a profound collaboration with the Divine.

When we reflect on this mystery we see the intimacy with which God cares for

us, attends to us, and empowers us to share in his ministry for the salvation of souls.

Who could imagine such a magnanimous design?