Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my blood,
the blood of the new and eternal covenant,
which will be poured out for you
and for many.

The Elect asked me:
If You died for all,
why is Your blood poured out for “many”
and not for all?

But to the ears of the Elect,
every word,
every phrase in the Mass
speaks personally to them.

To him,
the ordained celebrant
is praying in persona Christi,
“live” as it was 2000 years ago.

But for the Christian cradle Catholic,
this prayer, repeated over 2000 Sundays of my life,
not including weekday Masses,
has become part of a prayer ritual.
So I paused to think of an answer.

Perhaps the “many”
are those who believe
and accept Your gift.
But not everyone
is willing to accept it.

During these final days in Lent,
I ask for the heart, eyes, and ears of an Elect.
Let me take in the whole Eucharistic celebration
as if it were my first Mass.