Why does the priest add water the wine at Mass?
The mixing of water and wine is an ancient liturgical practice in both the east and west. Because of the wine’s heavy texture, it became customary in both secular and religious usage to dilute the wine with water to render it less strong. Early Christians continued this custom in the celebration of the Eucharist. Once established, it gained a symbolic interpretation. In the west the mingling came to represent the union of Christ with the faithful: just as wine receives water, so Christ takes us and our sins to himself. The eastern interpretation was that the wine and water represent the divine and human nature in Christ. At Rome the rite was eventually given a prayer expressing both meanings.
