At Mass, the deacon is the minister of the cup. He prepares the chalice of wine and elevates the cup of blessing with the priest in his elevation of the host.
It always humbles me when I pray the Prayer of Preparation for the chalice: “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” The prayer is said quietly while pouring the wine and a drop of water into the chalice. Many people in the pews may not even be aware of the prayer being said. The wine represents Jesus’ divinity; the water, His humanity. As I hand the chalice to the priest, my heart is full of humility that God has allowed me to participate in this mystery.
At the time of elevation, the deacon stands next to the priest and raises the cup, no longer containing the wine that he poured into it but, transformed through the consecration of the Holy Spirit, by the priest in “persona Christi,” the blood of Christ.
As the priest prays the concluding doxology, “Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever,” my eyes are fixed on the chalice, and that is when I am humbled once again. I see my reflection on the inside of the chalice. But it is not just my reflection, because of the curvature of the cup, my reflection is upside down. It’s as if I am being plunged head-first into the redeeming blood of Christ.
The next time you attend Mass, watch for the commingling of the water and wine. And when the priest, or the priest and the deacon, elevate the cup, take a moment to visually place yourself into that chalice. Let the blood of the Lamb wash over you and cleanse your stained soul. Place yourself on the elevated paten with the host and when you receive the Eucharist, receive it with all humility, for you are receiving the true body of Christ and sharing in His divinity.
By Deacon Dan D’Amelio