The Chalice with the Host is one of the most recognized symbols of the Eucharist because it portrays an image that is very familiar to those who attend Mass. By showing the Host above the Chalice, we are reminded of the moment at Mass when the priest elevates the Chalice and Host and proclaims the words of St. John the Baptist: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.” It is interesting that this symbol does not visibly portray the priest, who is called at this moment to echo other words of St. John the Baptist: “I must decrease, and He must increase.” At this moment of the Mass, the attention is focused on Jesus, really and truly present in the Sacred Species of bread and wine.
