| Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi
Title of Series: "Sacraments: The Catholic Faith Celebrated"
Part 5: "Eucharist: Ever Ancient, Ever New"
February 7th, 2008
First Thursday
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his
house and dine with him, and he with me." Rev 3: 20 As a loving friend, Jesus knocks at our hearts and desires so much to dine with us at the sacrificial meal we call the Eucharist.
How do we respond? Are we Sunday regulars, weekday people? Regular at all? Periodic?
Did you ever meditate on the fact that "as often as the sacrifice of the Cross...is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out?" CCC 1364 It is awesome to think of the Eucharist in this way. How can we not celebrate the Eucharist if we understand that our very salvation, our redemption is at stake?
Do we hear the voice of Jesus calling us to dine with Him? As we turn over in bed on Sunday morning, what do we do? What choice do we typically make and why? How can we refuse if we hear Him? Truly hear His voice? Hopefully, these meditations, and your prayerful reading of the catechism and Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter, Sacramentum Caritatis, (“Sacrament of Charity”) will spur you on to a deeper love and more regular celebration of the Eucharist.
I have entitled this 5th meditation on the Eucharist, the second on the Eucharist in this series, “Eucharist: Ever Ancient, Ever New.”
It is divided into four parts: I.) The Eucharist in God’s Plan: A Marvelous History -- An Ancient History, II.) The liturgical celebration of the Eucharist, III.) The effects of the Eucharist, and IV.) Our preparation for the Eucharist.
I.) The Eucharist in God's Plan: A Marvelous History -- An Ever Ancient History
"At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood." CCC 1333
Bread and wine! Think about them. Throughout all of salvation history, they appear over and over again, ultimately becoming in a surprising way the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
The Eucharist was prefigured in the Old Testament -- the bread and wine offered by that mysterious king-priest Melchizedeck; the manna in the desert by which God's chosen people were fed; the Passover meal prefigures the Eucharist directly: the unleavened bread and the blessing cup.
Then there is the New Testament and the "multiplication of the loaves," a text found significantly in all four of the gospel writers, when the Lord "says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through the disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of the Eucharist." CCC 1335 Then there is the sign of water turned into wine at Cana -- the second of the new Luminous Mysteries of the rosary.
Now the actual institution itself! "The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love. In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament." CCC 1337
"And he took the bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after the supper, saying, 'This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood." CCC 1339
"Do this in memory of me." That was His command. The three synoptic Gospels and St. Paul have handed on to us the account of the institution. The fourth Gospel does not include these words of eucharistic institution, but has in their place the foot washing ceremony -- a symbolic way of giving a concrete expression to the Love which is the Eucharist itself. From the beginning, the Church has been faithful to the Lord's command -- "Do this in memory of me."
What does the "do" mean in Christ's command? For sure it is the breaking of the bread and the giving of the cup. But it is so much more than that.
Theologian Father Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F. M. Cap., explains it this way: “he didn’t in fact just mean: Do exactly what I have done, repeat this same ritual. He was also saying: Do the essence of what I have done, offer your bodies as a sacrifice, as you have seen me do! “For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done” (John 13:15). The Eucharist Our Sanctification, p. 25 He says further, referring to Jesus’ interior act that accompanies the action of the breaking of the bread, “Then I understand that to “do” what Jesus did that night, I must, first of all, “break” myself and that is, lay before God all hardness, all rebellion towards him or towards others, crush my pride, submit and say “yes,” fully, to all that God asks of me. I too must repeat the words: Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God! You don’t want many things from me; you want me and I say “yes.” To be Eucharist like Jesus signifies being totally abandoned to the Father’s will.” Cantalamessa p. 26
The Acts of the Apostles testifies that the Church has been faithful to the Lord’s command from the very beginning. From the Church of Jerusalem, we read in Acts: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers...Day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts.” (Acts 2:42,46) CCC 1342
The Acts further tells us that they gathered on "the first day of the week" -- the day of the Lord's Resurrection. (Acts 20:7) Down to our own day, the same basic structure of the Eucharist has been used. Note the letter in the catechism of St. Justin Martyr that as early as the second century, the basic lines for the order of the Eucharist were formed. CCC 1345
II.) The Liturgical Celebration of the Eucharist -- Ever New
There are two parts to every celebration of the Eucharist -- the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The catechism is careful to point out, however, that "the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist together form 'one single act of worship.'" CCC 1346
One of my favorite passages in all of scripture is Luke 24: 13-35 -- the post-Resurrection account of Jesus and two disciples on the road to Emmaus shortly after the Resurrection. If you study that story, you will see hidden therein a foreshadowing of these two parts of the Eucharist: l.) As Jesus walked along, in response to their bewilderment, "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures." Does that not sound like the Liturgy of the Word? 2.) They did not recognize Him as the Lord until he stayed with them once they reached their destination "And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him...He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread." Does this not seem like the Liturgy of the Eucharist?
To this day, the Eucharistic table set for us is the table both of the Word of God and the Body of the Lord.
What we must never forget is that each time we all gather together for the Eucharist, it is Christ Himself "who presides invisibly over every Eucharistic celebration." CCC 1348 The priest represents Christ -- “in persona Christi.” The priest presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offering and says the Eucharistic prayer. But all have active parts to play in every Eucharist. Some of you are readers, Eucharistic ministers, have been in the offertory procession. But each of us is called to participate fully, actively and consciously in the celebration of the Eucharist.
First, what about the Liturgy of the Word? It includes the readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament, the homily, creed and general intercessions. The responsorial is typically from the Book of Psalms -- the psalms that were the prayer book of Jesus Himself. Christ becomes present to us through the Word of Scripture. He challenges us, critics us, consoles us, affirms us, and in general speaks to us the Good News of His life, death and resurrection. In the homily, the priest or deacon exhorts us to accept the Word of God and breaks open the Word for us through the homily. The homily is followed on Sunday by the creed and also by the general intercessions prayed for the needs of the Church, society and all the people.
Second, what is the Liturgy of the Eucharist? It includes the preparation of the bread and wine (the offerings of bread and wine), the Eucharistic prayer and the communion rite (the Lord’s prayer, Lamb of God, the breaking of the host and the reception of holy communion and the closing prayer).
At the heart of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the Eucharistic Prayer (Jesus blessed and gave thanks has several closely connected parts:
“Thanksgiving (expressed especially in the Preface): In this prayer, we thank God the Father, through Christ in the Spirit, for gifts of creation, salvation, and sanctification.
Acclamation: The whole congregation joins with the angels and saints in singing or saying the Sanctus (Holy, Holy).
Epiclesis (Invocation): The Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine offered by human hands into Christ’s Body and Blood.
Institution Narrative and Consecration: The priest proclaims Jesus’ words at the Last Supper over the bread and wine. ‘The power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present, under the species of bread and wine, Christ’s body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross for all’ (CCC, no. 1353).
Anamnesis (The Remembrance): We recall the death and resurrection of Christ and look forward to his glorious return.
Second Epiclesis: The Holy Spirit is invoked upon the gathered community, to bring unity to the worshippers who will receive Holy Communion.
Intercessions: With the whole Communion of Saints and all God’s people on earth, we pray for the needs of all the members of the Church, living and dead.
Doxology and Great Amen: We conclude the Eucharistic Prayer with praise of God the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit. This glorification is confirmed and concluded by the people’s acclamation ‘Amen.’” USCCA 219-220
Last month, I spoke of the "Eucharist as the Source and Summit of our Lives." At some length, I spoke about the real presence of Jesus. I wish today to give you a little quiz especially after you have just heard an explanation of the Eucharistic Prayer and its various parts and the consequences of the words of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is true or false and it has one question. T or F? “Jesus is really, truly, substantially present in the bread and wine." The answer is false. Why? Answer: "Jesus is really, truly, substantially present under the appearance of bread and wine." The substance of bread and wine is completely annihilated; only the "appearance" of bread and wine remain. That's at the heart of the Church's teaching on the real presence and it takes place during the Eucharistic Prayer.
I mentioned that the third part of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the communion rite. It begins with the Our Father. The rite expresses both reconciliation (Kiss of Peace) and oneness and unity which results from each of us receiving the body and blood of Jesus. To receive the body and blood of Jesus is not a private affair. Unity with the Eucharistic Body brings communion (union with) within the Mystical Body. The Eucharist is a sign of Christian unity -- the wafer of bread is one wafer from many grains and the cup of wine is pressed from many grapes. Each is in this way is symbolic of Christ's Mystical Body, one body of many members and of this body we are all an integral part.
Before moving onto Part III of this meditation, I wish to emphasize one very important point which tends to get lost today. The emphasis has been since the Vatican Council on the Eucharist as "meal." It is for sure that. It commemorates, after all, the last supper which was a meal. The Eucharist nourishes us with divine life as every meal nourishes us physically. But importantly, the Eucharist is also a "sacrifice" for it represents in an unbloody manner Christ's sacrifice of love for us on Calvary. "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice. 'The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.' In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner" at each and every Mass. CCC 1367
It is thus both Meal and Sacrifice. The altar, around which we gather, represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the Lord. CC83 "The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord's body and blood." CCC 1382
III.) The Effects of the Eucharist
Above all, the Eucharist augments our union with Christ and our communion with each other. "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on will have life because of me."" Jn 6:56-57
At Mass, each of us meets Christ in a most special way. In faith, hope and charity, the Christian receives the graces necessary for growth into an ever greater likeness of Christ. Holy Communion preserves, increases and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. Through the graces of the Eucharist, we are enabled to relive the mysteries of Christ's life, death and resurrection in each of our own lives.
The Eucharist also strengthens our bonds of charity, our love especially for the poor. One reason it is so important to recoup the "sacrificial" dimension of the Eucharist is to help us understand the fruits or consequences of the Eucharist. As is true with all sacraments, what it signifies, it is that that it brings about or effectuates. The breaking of the bread and the pouring of wine signify the breaking of Jesus' body for us in "sacrifice" -- all out of love for us. Every time we eat His body and drink His blood at Mass, we become Love -- the Eucharist brings about within us the Love it signifies. This is an important consequence of understanding the Eucharist as sacrifice, a loving sacrifice of the Lord Jesus for each and every one of us, one that moves and transforms us to live lives of charity.
The Eucharist separates us from sin -- cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins -- especially mortal sins.
The Eucharist makes the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist. Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ and through Christ to all the faithful into one body. This body is the Church. "Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism." CCC 1396
The Eucharist is a pledge even now of the glory that is to come. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, the work of our redemption is being carried out. The Eucharist, in the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch, provides "the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ." CCC 1405
In addition, Jesus quenches our hunger as He did for the masses in the first part of John 6 -- the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. That story is the only miracle story common to Mathew, Mark, Luke and John -- for sure an image of the Eucharistic bread "for the Jewish feast of the Passover was near." Even the language in John 6: 11 recalls the institution of the Eucharist " -- "Jesus then took the loaves of bread, gave thanks (eucharistin) and passed them around."
Focus, if you will, on their hunger, on your hunger and Jesus' response in a miraculous and mysterious way to the hunger of the "vast crowd" -- about 5000. Jesus asked "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"
In the Eucharist, Jesus does not have to buy bread. Through the mysterious and sacramental action of the priest, Jesus becomes present on the altar. He addresses, however, the same kind of hunger in us that He did in the masses assembled in John 6 -- a hunger for belonging, a hunger for healing and reconciliation, a hunger for growth in holiness. The Eucharist makes the Church, after all -- makes it possible for us to belong to Jesus, His living body and to each other. The Eucharist heals -- "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." In the Eucharist, we touch our God, we touch Jesus and, like the woman who was healed in the Gospel by her touching the cloak of Jesus, so are we healed. Finally, our hunger for growth in holiness is met by Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Yes, Jesus nourishes us, that deep hunger for God, a deep hunger satisfied by the Eucharist, the bread of life, the source of our life, this sacrament of love.
IV.) Our Preparation for the Eucharist
There seems to be a general feeling that we have lost "the sense of the sacred" today at Mass. One way to recoup that important sense is to prepare worthily for Mass. The new United States Catechism for Adults is clear that we need to prepare to the invitation of Jesus to receive Him in Holy Communion. It states:
“The Church urges us to prepare conscientiously for this moment (reception of Holy Communion). We should be in the state of grace, and if we are conscious of a grave or serious sin, we must receive the Sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion. We are also expected to fast from food or drink for at least one hour prior to the reception of Holy Communion.” USCCA 222
The Catechism of the Catholic Church adds that: “Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest." CCC 1387
St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” (1Cor 11:27) “That means that all must examine their consciences as to their worthiness to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord. This examination includes fidelity to the moral teaching of the Church in personal and public life (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholics in Political Life, 2004)” USCCA 222
"The Church obliges the faithful 'to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days' and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year if possible during the Easter season. But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily." CCC 1389
I wish to make a final word about Eucharistic Adoration outside of Mass as a wonderful means of preparation for Mass and for all the consequences that we pray results from a proper celebration of Mass itself. In his apostolic letter Sacramentum Caritatis, Benedict XVI wrote: “The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself. Indeed, ‘only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another.’”
When Jesus knocks, listen to Him, follow Him to the table at Mass or outside of Mass. In the Eucharist, He is "Ever Ancient and Ever New." He alone provides "medicine for immortality."
AMEN
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