Day 17: My Sacrifice and Yours

There’s a lot going on in the liturgy after the Presentation of the Gifts. The priest washes his hands, he mixes the water and wine, and says the prayer over the offerings. All of these small moments are deeply symbolic, explains Dr. Sri. The water and wine symbolize the mystery of the “descent” and “ascent”: God descending to be with us, and the gift he’s given us as he raises us to himself. The washing of hands reminds us of the original Biblical priests approaching God, and the prayer over the offerings tells us that we too are part of the sacrifice about to occur. We conclude the episode in prayer together.