The Sacrament of the Eucharist RCIA October 21, 2014

Transcription

1 The Sacrament of the Eucharist RCIA October 21, 2014 SLIDE 2: What do Catholics believe about the Eucharist? SLIDE 3: (CCC , 1409) What is the Eucharist? The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus which he instituted to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until his return in glory. Thus he entrusted to his Church this memorial of his death and Resurrection. It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. SLIDE 4: (CCC 1337, 1324) When did Jesus Christ institute the Eucharist? Jesus instituted the Eucharist on Holy Thursday the night on which he was betrayed (1 Corinthians 11:23), as he celebrated the Last Supper with his apostles. What does the Eucharist represent in the life of the Church? It is the source and summit of all Christian life Communion with divine life and the unity of the People of God are both expressed and effected by the Eucharist. (Lumen Gentium, 11) SLIDE 5: Minister, Matter and Form Who is the minister for the celebration of the Eucharist? The celebrant of the Eucharist is a validly ordained priest (bishop or priest) who acts in the Person of Christ the Head and in the name of the Church. What are the essential and necessary elements for celebrating the Eucharist? The essential elements (matter) are wheat bread and grape wine. The proper form is the words of consecration.

2 SLIDE 6: Beyond the Veil For the people in Nazareth in Jesus day, Jesus divinity went unnoticed - until announced in the synagogue he was the fulfillment of Isaiah s prophecy. A lack of understanding Jesus Real Presence is not new: The Emmaus Problem (story) Most Catholics have the necessary details, BUT aren t able to put it all together At Mass (minor elevation) the priest says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (words of John the Baptist) John s disciples asked Where do you live? Jesus response, Come and see - this is our invitation each time we receive faithfully. SLIDE 7: So, now that we know what the Eucharist is What does it mean for us? SLIDE 8: 7 Secrets of the Eucharist, Vinny Flynn Not really secrets Information not clearly understood by many Catholics SLIDE 9: #1 The Eucharist is Alive Question If a non-believer knew nothing about the Eucharist, and watched the way we receive the Host, would they know this (that the Eucharist is alive)? The Eucharist is not a thing, it is a person but we tend to be creatures of habit, to act without reflection/focus, to be distracted, to forget 1916 Fatima (explain the apparition), during the third appearance to Lucia, Jacinta & Francisco, something unique happened? (Eucharist suspended, angel prostrates) The angel prostrates, yet we tend to stand in line unfocused Why we bow when we receive We need to cultivate a lively awareness of Christ s Real Presence. Pope St. John Paul II

3 Real Presence is not the dead body of Jesus on the cross the complete Jesus (Life, Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven) SLIDE 10: #2 Christ is not alone Incarnation: becoming flesh, Body, Blood, Soul (human) and Divinity (God) At the moment of Mary s Fiat, by the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus human nature was created and fused forever with the second person of the Trinity 1 person, 2 natures At the Consecration every particle (Host) and drop (Precious Blood) is all of Jesus (Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity) is present the entire Jesus (human & Divine) Creed: He (Jesus) ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty Just as we can t separate the Body and Blood of Jesus, we can t separate the Trinity. When Jesus becomes present in the Eucharist He is truly with us (at every Mass), and in heaven at the same time. At the Mass, heaven and Earth unite all beings in heaven (human and angelic) God wants to live God s Triune Life in us God desires UNION in this way all people are united in God Quotes: p. 34 St. Padre Pio, p. 35 St. Therese SLIDE 11: #3 There is only one Mass Just as there s a veil over the Eucharist, there s a veil over the Mass itself keeping us from seeing the awesome mystery we are invited to enter. TIME vs. ETERNAL NOW the human perception of time, sequentially past, present, future; vs. God s experience (not limited by time and space) e.g., the Crucifixion human experience = a historical event; God s experience = eternal, not a past event What does this mean? The Mass makes present the one sacrament of Christ. (CCC #1330) It s an absolute miracle that recalls events that saves us AND makes them present. It s where the Cross and Resurrection, always present in heaven, is now made present in our time and place. So, there s really only one Mass (Last Supper) taking place in heaven and on earth all the time with Jesus as the Celebrant. Jesus works through the priest to lift us up out of time into the Eternal Now. Priest in persona Christi another Christ; there is no Eucharist without the priesthood, and no priesthood without the Eucharist

4 Quote: The Lamb s Supper by Scott Hahn p. 4-6 SLIDE 12: #4 Not just one miracle Odds are, right now, somewhere in the world, there s a priest celebrating Mass. Masses can be different in some ways, but essentially each Mass is the same. Remember the Eternal Now - there is only one Mass, and it is perpetual. The CCC makes it clear that Jesus Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension are not separate events, but rather one, unique, Paschal Mystery - that, like God, is not confined to time and space. All sacraments are visible signs of invisible grace (St. Augustine). Like all sacraments, the Eucharist is an efficacious sign - a miracle that not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes them, makes them present. (St. Thomas Aquinas, CCC #1095) So, the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice. (#1367), and, as the Council of Trent teaches, the priest and victim are one and the same. In reality there is only one Mass, one eternal Liturgy of the Eucharist, and it s taking place in heaven all the time - with Jesus as the celebrant perpetually offering Himself in sacrifice surrounded by Mary and the angels and saints who sing His praise in endless celebration. What an enormous reality! By our celebration of the Mass in our parish church our human existence of time breaks into eternity, we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life. (#1326) So how many miracles can we name which happen in connection with the Eucharist at Mass? SLIDE 13: #5 We don t just receive How can we receive this gift in merely a passive way? Jesus is doing something, but part of what He s doing is calling to us, inviting us to respond to His initiative in an active way. Mother Teresa explains, Jesus is hungry for souls, and He s calling us to come to Him and satisfy that hunger - calling us to not merely receive Communion, but to enter into communion. How do we enter into communion? First, the word literally means union with, or completely one. It s similar to the union which is effected by the sacrament of marriage, where the two become one flesh, That s why the Eucharist is called Holy Communion.

5 because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body. (1331) All who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him and form but one body in him. (#1329) We unite and enter into - our choice, our active participation. When we receive Communion properly, we are not merely receiving something into us; we are actively involved in the process of uniting our whole being with Jesus (a personal encounter). Throw melted wax into melted wax, and the one interpenetrates the other perfectly. In the same way, when the Body and Blood of Christ are received, the union is such that Christ is in the recipient and he in Christ. (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) Therefore, we must prepare ourselves before we receive, and spend time giving thanks afterwards. The word Eucharist actually means THANKSGIVING. SLIDE 14: #6 Every reception is different This is really a continuation of secret #5, because there is an absolute relationship between how we receive and what I receive. The more I am able to enter into Communion, uniting myself with Jesus, the more fruitful my reception will be. The previous five secrets express the good news about the wonderful things Jesus wants to do for us through our reception of Communion. Here s the bad news: none of it happens if our attitude isn t right. In a false person the sacrament does not produce any effect. (St. Thomas Aquinas) What s this mean? If we re not desiring this special sacramental union with Jesus and trying to get rid of anything in our mind or heart that s blocking it, we gain none of the sacramental effect that Jesus wants to give us. We re still receiving the sacrament, but get none of its fruit. St. Paul warns that if we are not worthy to receive we can bring harm to ourselves spiritually: Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. 1 Cor. 11:27-29 Each time we receive can be significantly different - depending on our spiritual disposition before, during, and after receiving the sacrament will determine whether the sacrament will produce good fruit in us, have no effect at all, or result in condemnation.

6 SLIDE 15: #7 There is no limit In his Summa Teologica, St. Thomas Aquinas talks about two ways of receiving: sacramental and spiritual. Sacramental is when we receive with at least some understanding of the sacrament and some intent to receive it. Spiritual is when our sacramental reception is accompanied by a real longing for union with Jesus. We receive not only the sacrament itself but also the sacramental effect where we are spiritually joined to Jesus in faith and love. St. Thomas goes on to explain that this complete spiritual Communion can even take place when we are unable to receive sacramentally, because the effect of a sacrament can be secured if it is received by desire. ( remember Baptism of desire?) This is the reality of secret #7 - there is no limit. St. Francis de Sales resolved to make a spiritual Communion at least every 15 minutes to that he could link all the events of the day to his reception of the Eucharist at Mass. St. Maximilian Kolbe received the Eucharist daily and made frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament. But even this wasn t enough, so he resolved to enter into spiritual communion every 15 minutes. So why do we need to receive sacramentally? Because Jesus made it very clear that He wants us to receive Him sacramentally: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life within you. (Jn. 6:53) St. Padre Pio and St. Faustina appear to have reached a state of continuous, uninterrupted spiritual Communion, flowing from their daily sacramental reception of the Eucharist as an extension of its fruits. SLIDE 16: Which Secret did you find most profound? #1 The Eucharist is Alive #2 Christ is not alone #3 There is only one Mass #4 Not just one miracle #5 We don t just receive #6 Every reception is different #7 There is no limit