takes us beyond the limits of our human understanding. Yet the idea of God's presence in any way is bound to be beyond our complete comprehension. In one way, he is present to us in the world of nature, in another he is present by grace in the soul; in the earthly life of Our Lord, he was present by means of our human nature and the incarnate  presence is still with us in the Most Holy Sacrament. We rightly see in the Blessed Sacrament a special fulfillment of Our Lord's own words: "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." As with the Offertory, the action again is the primary thing; it has been enshrined in the solemn words of Christian liturgy, so that as far as possible its meaning may be made explicit.

THE CONSECRATION OF THE BREAD

Bending over the altar, the Priest, holding the Host in his hands, utters the words of Consecration, the same words that Our Savior himself used at the Last Supper. The great mystery that is accomplished is not merely the fulfillment of a command of Christ, but is his own act; and it is as though speaking in the person of the Lord that the Priest speaks the sacred words. It is for this reason that he uses the first person, "This is my Body," rather than "This is His Body." By the act of Consecration, the bread that was the natural food of man becomes the Body of Christ, truly present though hidden under the sacramental veil. All the beauty of Catholic worship is meant to provide a fitting setting for the act in which he comes to us, and a shrine as worthy as we can make it for his presence. Beautiful vestments, lovely music, flowers, incense and the like are not for our delight, but for the glory of God.

THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST

After uttering the words of consecration, the Priest genu