Walking Through The Mass: The Sanctus and Benedictus

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Rembrandt: Adoration of the Shepherds

Christmas is the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord. Every Mass announces and "enfleshes" the mystery of the Incarnation, Birth and the manifestation (Epiphany) of the Lord. In the Presence of the Saviour, we become like the shepherds, bowing and kneeling in the presence of the Word-Made-Flesh, the Saviour sent to redeem us.

Because, in every Mass, we enter into eternity with the Lord, we are also present to the entire reality of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And (Jesus) said to them, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Divine Worship, the Mass, begins with a Bethlehem - the Gloria, the angelic chorus heralding the Nativity of the Lord - and continues along the road to Emmaus, magnificently recapitulating salvation history. The liturgical road leads to the nexus between heaven and earth, to the very intersection of time and eternity.

Now In Flesh Appearing

The road to Emmaus along which the disciples travel with Jesus, the Mass, the breaking of bread in which the disciples awaken to Jesus Present among them, embodies the entire liturgical year.

The Sanctus, the hymn to the thrice holy God, and the Benedictus - echoing the words of our Savior (Matthew 23:39) - herald the advent of the Lord, the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

In Divine Worship, the Mass of the Ordinariate, one hears:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,
heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Glory be to thee, O Lord most high.
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Mindful we are in the presence of the Lord and about to enter into the holy of holies, the sung or spoken recitation of the Sanctus/Benedictus is accompanied by an inclination from the beginning of the Sanctus (Holy, holy, holy...) until the start of the Benedictus, at which point the Celebrant stands erect and all with him make the Sign of the Cross. The inclination at the Sanctus is an ancient gesture. The Benedictus is accompanied by the Sign of the Cross, an acknowledgement it is a text from the Holy Gospel. The text of the Sanctus recalls, too, the passage in the Book of Revelation (4:8-11) which includes a reminder of Who we creatures rightly worship or are supposed to worship.
Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.
The Benedictus announces Jesus' triumphant arrival in Jerusalem. The Holy Ghost makes present in the Mass Jesus' Sacrifice upon Calvary. Mindful of that fact, how can we not kneel in humble adoration?

St. Matthew 21:9
And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
The Benedictus announces Jesus'  return both in the Mass and at the Second Coming. For Catholics, Jesus returns every Mass, and for those with eyes of faith, He is seen when the bread and wine become His very Body and very Blood, and is held aloft by the celebrant during the consecration.

St. Matthew 23:39
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
As we look ahead to the great feast of the Epiphany, of the solemnity of His manifestation to the gentiles, we would do well to be mindful of the other manifestations of Jesus' glory at His Baptism and at the Transfiguration.

Dr. Scott Hahn has written a fine and accessible analysis of the Book of Revelation entitled The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth.


About Dr. Hahn's book: Each time we celebrate the Mass we enter into the heavenly liturgy which is so powerfully and beautifully described in the Book of Revelation. The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, will help you understand the Book of Revelation in light of the Mass.

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