SANCTUS

(The Mystery of Faith)

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts; heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

LATIN

| mysterium fidei |

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis.

Throughout Church history, the SANCTUS has been a vital element of worship, reflecting the continuity of faith and the communal nature of liturgical celebration. Its scriptural foundations and theological implications continue to resonate in contemporary worship practices. It has a fascinating journey in Christian liturgy—it bridges Jewish worship traditions, early Christian theology, and centuries of musical development.

Roots

The SANCTUS [Latin = Holy, Holy, Holy] is rooted in Isaiah 6:3 (“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory”) and Revelation 4:8, where heavenly beings proclaim God’s holiness. And influenced by Jewish liturgical qadosh [Hebrew = thrice holy] chant which was part of synagogue prayer. Around the 6th century the second Christological part the Benedictus [Latin = Blessed] from Matthew 21:9 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” was added.

Origins

The SANCTUS has been part of liturgy since the early church. Its earliest references can be traced back to St Clement of Rome (35-100) and Tertullian (155-220), who noted its use in worship.

The text of the SANCTUS is based on the vision of Isaiah, where seraphim proclaim God’s holiness, and also echoed the Gospel’s triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

There are two primary forms of the SANCTUS: the Alexandrian and the Antiochene. The Roman version of the SANCTUS is influenced by the Antiochene liturgy and includes both the acclamation of Isaiah and the Benedictus, which highlights different aspects of God’s nature

By the 4th century, the SANCTUS was already embedded in Eucharistic prayers, in the Roman liturgy. It is positioned at the conclusion of the Preface in the Mass followed by the consecration.

The SANCTUS serves to express both the majesty of God and the humility of Jesus Christ. The repetition of “Holy” emphasizes God’s transcendence, while the phrase “Hosanna in the highest” connects the liturgy to the communal cry of the people during Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, signifying a plea for salvation

Development

Composers like Bach, Mozart, and Verdi gave it monumental musical interpretations, while contemporary liturgies often return to simpler chant forms.

In the image at the head of this page, has the words from 1Corinthians 11:26 the original words of the Memorial Acclamation. To contemplate on why Jesus chose Bread and Wine to memorialize himself read this:

“Why did Our Blessed Lord use bread and wine as the elements of this Memorial? … Wheat has to pass through the rigors of winter, be ground beneath the Calvary of a mill, and then subjected to purging fire before it can become bread. Grapes in their turn must be subjected to the Gethsemane of a wine press and have their life crushed from them to become wine. Thus, do they symbolize the Passion and Sufferings of Christ.” (Fulton Sheen: Life of Christ)

the eternal memorial

Every human memorial is erected by others—statues, plaques, rituals—all designed to preserve their memory after death. But Christ alone established his own memorial before his Passion (Fulton Sheen: Life of Christ).

On the night he was betrayed, he took bread and wine, gave thanks, and said: “Do this in memory of me.” In this command, he did not entrust his remembrance to monuments but to a living act: the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is not a just recollection of the past. It is anamnesis—a memorial that is not static but dynamic, making the Paschal Mystery present reality. In it, Christ’s sacrifice is not repeated but re-presented, drawing the us into his Paschal Mystery. Unlike human memorials that fade with time, Christ’s memorial is eternal, sustained by his own promise and presence.

Within the liturgy, this memorial unfolds in two movements: the consecration and the proclamation. After the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, the priest announces: “The Mystery of Faith.”

Here the faithful respond with the Memorial Acclamation, which gives voice to this mystery, affirming that his memorial is alive in their worship.

It is the Church’s echo of Christ’s command, proclaiming his death, confessing his resurrection, and awaiting his coming in glory. In this moment, the Eucharist’s memorial becomes Christ’s gift to the Church and the Church acceptance.