Thursday, April 21, 2011

Thoughts from Holy Thursday

Mass tonight was quiet and meditative. For one of the Scripture readings, Father washed the feet of a selected group and reminded us to do the same for others. Father also allowed time to ask questions about the Eucharist--how it could really be the body and blood of Christ, what to do when you come up for communion. Things like this. He stood in front of the altar below the stairs, so he was on the same level as us. He made sure to tell us that the Eucharist is not a symbol of Jesus' body and blood, but quoted scripture that says, "This IS my body. This IS my blood (Matt. 26:27-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20, John 6:53-56). Which also reminded me of some research I did a while ago. I'll paste it below:

Writing to the pagan emperor Antoninus in about 155 A.D., St. Justin Martyr, who later died for his faith as his name suggests, wrote of the Christian celebration of the Eucharist in the terms present day Catholics can easily recognize from the Mass:


    "We call this food Eucharist; and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one  who has been washed in the washing [baptism] which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration [2 Pet 3:21], and is thereby living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common
bread or common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we
have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer [epiclesis  or prayer of supplication to the Holy Spirit] set down by Him [see 1Corinthians 11: 23-26; Luke 22: 19] and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished is both the flesh and blood of the incarnated Jesus (First Apology of Justin, chapter 128).

Notice that Jesus does not say this is a symbol of my body or this represents my blood, but He is very literal in his description. The gift of himself, was symbolized by the “breaking of the bread,” and it was “this expression that the first Christians used to designate their Eucharistic assemblies.”  As St. Paul testifies, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Cor 10:17). This is the fulfillment of the words of Jesus, when he said, “. . .I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew. 28: 20). The Church, taking Christ at His word, teaches that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of Christian life” and that Christ gave it to us, “to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Pascal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

    Jesus instituted the Eucharist as a memorial of his death and Resurrection and by commanding his apostles to offer this “in remembrance of me”(anamnesis) until his return, by ordering its perpetual celebration he made them priests of the New Covenant.  This was a measure of his love which made them sharers of his Passover, which is anticipated in the Last Supper, and celebrated in the Eucharist, the New Covenant sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ.  Jesus transformed the Last Supper into the memorial of his voluntary offering to the Father for the salvation of all men. He said, this is my body which is given for you” and “This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood” (Lk 22: 19-20; 1 Cor 11: 24-25).

In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which replaced the temple sacrifice of the Jews, the Church daily takes to heart the words of Jesus to the Apostles, “Do this as a remembrance of me.” The Mass is celebrated approximately 300,000 times each day so that at any given moment, somewhere in the world, our Lord’s great Passover is being celebrated, remembered and consumed with reverence. The message to the Church in Laodicea in the Book of Revelation might well be addressed to us all, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” As the Church notes in the Catechism, “Christian liturgy not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes them, makes them present. The Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated, not repeated. It is the celebrations that are repeated, and in each celebration there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the unique mystery present.”

    Since God is not bounded by time, his acts have an eternal significance. He gave us His Son in the Eucharist! Unlike the unbloody food/drink offerings of the Old Covenant, the Todah, which could only be consumed by the Levitical priests, the unbloody sacrifice of the Eucharist can be consumed by the “priesthood of all believers.” This is the principal act of worship of the Church, which offers itself as a total offering with Christ at each Mass. As St. Paul reminds us Christians are to offer themselves as a “living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12: 1). Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist is the ultimate communion, a personal relationship of great intimacy, holy and profound, and as Catholics say at every Mass before communion, we must say “Lord, I am not worthy, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Let us give thanks to God as we approach this great mystery of our redemption!

 The Testimony of St. Augustine

Although we are highlighting the testimony of St. Augustine, the record of the Early Church Fathers is unanimous. There is not a single document suggesting that any Christian doubted the interpretation of the Church.  (Examples of this truth can be seen at http://www.catholic.com/library/Christ_in_the_Eucharist.asp.)  Let’s end as we started with a quotation from St. Augustine, who reminds us that the Christians and Jews both had what he called “sacraments” (for example, the manna versus the Eucharist), but the Christian received the reality while the Jew only a figure. “The manna was a shadow, this is the truth.” In a sermon to newly baptized Christians he said:

You should understand what you have received, what you will receive, indeed what you should receive daily. That  bread that you see on the altar and that has been sanctified by the word of God is the Body of Christ. That chalice–rather, that which the chalice contains–has been sanctified by the word of God and is the Blood of Christ. Through these things the Lord Christ wished to entrust to us His Body and his Blood,  which he shed for us unto the remission of sins.  If you receive them well, you are that which you receive. The Apostle says,  ‘One bread and we, the many, are one body  (1Corinthians 10:17). [Sermons CCXXVII:  On Easter Sunday; PL, 38, 1099]

He also wrote, “He walked on earth in that same Flesh to us to be eaten for our salvation. Moreover, no one eats that Flesh unless he has first adored it  . . . and we sin by not adoring it.” (Ennar. In Ps. 99, 9].

So, it's been the Eucharist that has drawn me back to the church. What a gift from God. Why aren't I there every day to receive this incredible experience? I know that when I pray the prayers before communion I am meeting the family of God at the table. All the angels and saints, every Catholic Church around the world, all those who receive the Eucharist are united in the body and blood of Christ--body, blood, soul, and divinity.

After Mass was over,  they traditionally strip the altar to symbolize the stripping of Jesus' clothes on the day he was crucified.  This is a foreshadow of what's the come.  Also, some churches will cleanse the altar with a thorny broom.  This also symbolizes the crown of thorns that Jesus wore.

I'll end with this song by Danielle Rose which summarizes my thoughts beautifully.

1 comment:

  1. I will meet you at the table
    I will meet you in His heart
    In the company of angels
    In the place where all things start
    We receive each other's presence
    We are all made one in Him
    Though I cannot see your face
    I will see you in the Eucharist

    Come and meet me at the table
    Come and meet me in His heart
    We'll be singing with the angels
    Each man playing his own part
    In the symphony of praises
    We will join our song with His
    Though I cannot hear your voice
    We'll be speaking in the Eucharist

    Do not be afraid
    Do not be afraid
    Do not be afraid

    When we gather at the table
    We are closer than our breath
    Even nearer than the angels
    When we touch His very flesh
    Dwelling in each other's presence
    I will hold you close inside
    Every soul in heaven and earth
    Now is present in the Body of Christ

    Do not be afraid
    Do not be afraid
    Do not be afraid

    We are pilgrims on a journey
    We are headed for the throne
    Carried on the wings of angels
    Oh we do not walk alone
    All our prayers we lay before Him
    And His grace will pave the way
    To lead us to our one true home
    Where we'll see each other face to face

    And do not be afraid
    Do not be afraid
    Do not be afraid

    I will meet you
    I will hear you
    I will hold you
    I will receive you
    I will see you in the Eucharist...

    ReplyDelete