A few, many, multis

“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it. This is the cup of my blood… It will shed for you and for all.”

Sounds familiar, right?

Starting in a month:

Take this all of you, and drink from it. For this is the chalice of my blood…It will be poured out for you and for many.

If you asked Albert Pujols, ‘Do you own just one first-baseman’s glove?’ he would probably answer, ‘No. I have a few of them.’ By which he would mean: More than one.

Just like if you asked me, ‘Did you ever see the original Star Wars?’ I would say, ‘Yeah. I have seen it a few times.’ Meaning more than once and less than 55 times.

If you asked Imelda Marcos if she owned a few pairs of shoes, she would say, “Oh, many, many.”

I promise that this will be the last time I discuss the revised translation of the Missal. At least for a few days. But: We will soon encounter this change in the words of consecration, and it may prove a bit of a stunner.

Christ is one. He saves many. From one married couple of First Parents came many sinners. In the Body of Christ, one Head gathers many members to Himself: one Savior, many saved.

Everybody knows that we priests consecrate the Host and the Chalice with the words of Christ, which He spoke at the Last Supper.

When He spoke them the first time, He probably used a language called Aramaic, which was the common tongue of the Holy Land then.

When the Apostles first celebrated Mass, as the Lord had commanded them to do, in the various corners of the world to which they had journeyed, they used the common languages of the different countries, including both Greek and Latin.

In Latin, when the priest consecrates the Chalice, he says that the Blood of the new and eternal covenant is shed “for you and pro multis.”

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Christ, the new Adam, the firstborn of the new creation, died not for Himself, but pro multis, for a lot more than one, “for many.”

‘For all’ will become ‘for many.’ The Blood poured out for many.

This does not mean that the Church now officially teaches that Christ died for fewer people than we used to teach that He died for. The Lord wills that all be saved. Almighty God offers the gift of salvation to all, no exceptions.

But not all accept it. Some—indeed, many—act as if a loose affiliation with God will suffice. “We ate and drank in your company, and you taught in our streets…My grandmother said the Rosary every day…My uncle is studying in the deacon program…I’m a die-hard Notre Dame fan…”

Evildoers, I never knew ye.

He invites all. He poured out His blood for many. He died for us. We owe Him everything.