ABSTRACT

The Eucharist-as-sacrifice has a religious and social purpose in ordering Catholics in a community and hierarchy, as is symbolised in the following arrangement and process. At the Second Vatican Council, revision was given to the Mass by the Council Fathers, who adopted a theology of Church as community based on sources from the New Testament. The modification put an emphasis on the rituals of the early Christian communities which hosted Eucharistic or thanksgiving meals. Popes John Paul and Benedict were intent on maintaining the pre-eminence of the Eucharistic sacrifice to shore up communal distinctions and hierarchical rankings. Innovative Catholics, however, found it increasingly difficult to conform to this ritual which was oriented to maintaining the collective person. The Council Fathers from English-speaking countries also set up the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) to translate Latin texts to facilitate the conciliar demand for "full, conscious, and active participation".