My Reflections of the Eucharist - Okure Charles 11081

My Reflections of the Eucharist       Okure Charles 11081 T Adogo The Blessed Trinity

Title: The Blessed Trinity and the Eucharist

The blessed trinity and the Eucharist. Part one is the sacrament of charity, post-synod Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritats of Holy Father Benedict XVI.

The first element of Eucharistic faith is the mystery of God himself, Trinitarian love.  The Eucharist is both a worship and celebration. It is a worship directed towards God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.  This is the Trinitarian dimension of the Eucharist. It is a worship of God who “so loved the world that he sent his only son, that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life.”  It is also directed in the Holy Spirit to the incarnate so who at the institution said “this is for my body given up for you…this is my blood shed for you.”  And in the proclamation of faith we recount this saying “we proclaim your death and Lord Jesus”. The Eucharist is the source of life of every Christian as Christ said, “unless you eat my body and drink my blood, you will have no life within you.”  In the Eucharist we worship Christ who in the communion entrusts himself to each one of us, to our hearts, our consciousness, our lips and our mouths, in the form of food.  The Eucharist as a communion has three aspects: it is a union with Christ in his unique priesthood, union the supernatural life and union in faith and charity.  The Eucharist is a celebration of love for unconditional love for man, whom he made “in his image and likeness” he died on the cross, before which he established the Eucharist as the sacramental sign of the paschal mystery.  In the Eucharist we recount the love of the father and adore the son in the blessed Sacrament.  We adore Christ who in humility did not count to his equality with God but emptied himself taking the form of a slave to die a shameful death of the cross.  Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist we reciprocate the love that the father has “lavished on us” in the sons The Eucharist signified charity, which is at the base of Christ’s suffering.  Being the other Christ is signifies the charity we owe each other as a sign of our acceptance of Christ’s charity.  

The Eucharist sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  Catechism of Catholic Church, Article three No. 1323

The Eucharist which is the sacrament of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, is a mystery and is at the centre of our Christian life.  The Eucharist is one event with the Paschal mystery.  As a mystery, its fullness can never be understood, especially by those who have not yet got the gift of the faith.  And as a sacrament, it is an external or outward sign and activity which has deep spiritual and interior meaning. As a continuation of the paschal mystery. He one singled act of sacrifice and thanksgiving to God, it is celebrated in obedience to the command of Christ who instituted it on the night before he suffered and said “do this in memory of me,” when we celebrate oblation.  A sacrament of love 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.The Eucharist is the raison d’etre of the sacrament of the priesthood whose office it is to continue to offer to God this sacrifice of Christ the eternal high priest. Christ is both the priest and oblation offered.  In the church Christ continues to offer sacrifice to the father.  In the mass Christ eternalizes his own sacrificial attitude through the community’s actions and words.  the mass is an anamnesis. It is a conjoined sacrifice of Christ and his church. Finally, Jesus Christ at the last supper, on the night he was betrayed, our savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross through out 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 paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

Title: The Eucharist Reality of the Body and Blood OkureCharles 11081T.

By Robert The Eucharist the theological historical commission for the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 chapter four. Through the reality of the body and blood of Christ, a body and blood offered are food and drink, the Eucharist presents itself as a mystery transcending all sensory evidence. The proposition of the presence of Christ’s body and blood, where those who share in the celebration can see only the bread and wine, can be accepted only through an allegiance of faith. The Gospel accounts, we could have thought that Jesus used the term ‘’ body’’ and not ‘’ flesh.’’ Indeed these accounts report the formula, ‘’this is my body.’’ What we have, however, is a Greek translation and the problem is to know what Aramaic term was used by Jesus.  John’s Gospel confirms this use of the term flesh in a Eucharistic context. Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  The Eucharist is also real food as well as the real body and blood of Christ.  It is transforming, nourishing, nurturing, and has a healing effect n all those who devoutly and devotedly receives it. it is transforming and nourishing because as we receive Christ, he also received us, and we become one body and one spirit with him and with one another.  Through the material means the believers participate in the heavenly reality and enter into communion with the risen Christ. When we faithfully participate in this sacrament we encounter the living Christ in the person renewing our lives.  When we receive the body and blood of Christ he becomes for us food for eternal life.  The Eucharist is a banquet in which one shares by receiving the body and blood of Christ in order to manifest, above all else, fraternal communion.  As the water and the wine mingle to form the blood of Christ, so do we all who receive it mingle to form the mystical body of Christ. The Eucharist is the centre of the unity and community of Christianity.  As the bread and wine are changed to the body and blood of Christ, so are we changed and transformed into the living presence of Christ on earth. The Eucharist is at the centre of the process of the church’s growth.  When the faithful approach the sacred banquet during the celebration of the Eucharist, they receive Christ who in ever present is sacred species of bread in return.  This becomes a fraternal unity between the members of the church and with Christ who is the head of the church. 

OKURE 11081T

The Lord’s day Apostole letter dies Domini of the Holy Father Paul II.

The Eucharistic Assembly Heart of Sunday. The day of resurrection, Sunday is not only the remembrance of a past event. It is a celebration of the living presence of the risen Lord In the midst of his own people. The Eucharist is not only a particularly intense expression of reality of the church’s life but also in a sense its fountain head. The Sunday Eucharist is no different from the Eucharist celebrated on other day’s, nor can it be separated from liturgical and sacramental life as a whole. By its very nature, the Eucharist is an epiphany of the church, and this is most powerfully expressed when the diocesan community gallery in prayer with its pastor. The church appears with special clarity when the holy people of God all of them are actively and fully sharing in the same liturgical celebrations especially when it is the same Eucharist sharing one prayer at once altar, at which the Bishop is presiding, surrounded by his presbyters and his ministers. Therefore the dies domini is also the dies Ecclesiate. This is why on the pastoral level the community aspect of the Sunday celebration should be particularly stress. The Sunday assembly is the privileged place of unity. It is the setting for the celebration of the sacramantium initials which profoundly mainly the church as people gathered by and in the unity of the father, of the son and of the Holy Spirit. However as the church journeys through time, the reference to Christ resurrection and the weekly recurrence of this solemn memorial help to remind us of the pilgrim and eschatological character of the people of God. Sunday is not only the day of faith, but is also the day of Christian hope. The risen Lord is encountered in the sun day assembly at the two fold table of the word and of the bread of life. In considering the Sunday Eucharist more than thirty year after the council, we need to assess how well the word of God is being proclaimed and how effectively the people of God have grown in knowledge and love of sacred scripture.

OKURE CHARLES 1108T

Encylical letter Ecclesiade Eucharist of pope John Paul II. Chapter six: At the school of Mary, woman of the Eucharist.

The blessed Virgin Mary as our teacher in contemplating Christ’s face, and among the mysteries of light I included the institution of the Eucharist. Mary can guide us toward this most Holy sacrament, because she herself has a profound relationship with it. The account of the institution of the Eucharist on the night of the Holy Thursday makes no mention of Mary. Yet we know that she present among the Apostles who prayed “with one accord” (cf. Act 1:14) in the first community which gathered after the Ascension in expectation of Pentecost.

Mary is a woman of the Eucharist in her whole life. The church looks to Mary as a model, is also called to imitate her in her relationship with this most holy mystery. The Eucharist is a mystery of faith which so greatly transcends our understanding as to call for sheer abandonment to the word of God, so there can be no one like Mary to act as our support and guide in acquiring this disposition. Furthermore Mary lived her Eucharistic faith even before the institution of the Eucharist, by the very fact that she offered her virginal womb for the incarnation of God’s word.

The Eucharist, while commemorating the passion and resurrection, is also in continuity with the incarnation. At the Annunciation Mary conceived the son of God in the physical reality of his body and blood, thus anticipating within herself what to some degree happens sacramentally in every believer who receive under the signs of bread and wine, the Lord’s body and blood. However Mary throughout her life at Christ’s side and not only on calvary, made her own the sacrificial dimension of the Eucharist. Do this in remembrance of me. ( Lk 22:19 ) in the memorial of calvary all that Christ accomplished by his passion and his death is present. In the Eucharist the Church is completely united to Christ and his sacrifice and makes her own the spirit of Mary. This truth can be understood more deeply by re-reading the magnificat in a Eucharistic key.

Andrew Ngosa -11030

What we celebrate at the Altar

a reflection on Part II of Sacramentum Caritatis.

The Eucharist is the mystery of faith and the summit of the liturgical action. The liturgy, on the other hand, is the radiant expression of the paschal mystery, in which Christ draws us to communion with himself. The beauty of the liturgy is in Christ himself, who is the bread we see on the altar and the wine which is contained in the chalice.

It is also important to note that the Eucharist is celebrated in symbols which help to foster the sense of the sacred. Attentiveness is called to the various kinds of language that the liturgy employs; words and music, gestures and silence, movements, the liturgical colours of the vestments. The celebration should be aided by works of art, and the most important element of sacred art is Church Architecture. Moreover, the purpose of painting and sculpture is to enhance devotion and the spirit of the liturgy. Everything related to the Eucharist should be marked by beauty.

Another factor in the liturgy is music, which is to be executed in correspondence with the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical season. The whole liturgy is one, from the liturgy of the word to the liturgy of the Eucharist, including the rites of introduction and conclusion. The Pope writes that the liturgy of the word should always be carefully prepared and celebrated, because knowledge and study of the word of God enables us to better appreciate, celebrate and live the Eucharist.

In the presentation of gifts, we bring to the altar all the pains and sufferings of the world, in the bread and wine, in the certainty that everything has value in God’s eyes, to be transformed and presented to the father. The Eucharistic prayer is the centre and summit of the entire celebration. Here the church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands may be consecrated, to become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, for the salvation of all who partake of it.

The Eucharist is also the sacrament of peace. Through this sacrament the church prays insistently for the gift of peace and unity for herself and the whole human family. Therefore, the expression of the sign of peace becomes relevant especially if it is not exaggerated to cause distraction within the liturgy. Another moment of the celebration is the distribution of the Eucharist. Every effort should be made to ensure that this simple act preserves its importance as a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus in the sacrament.

Finally, the dismissal by the deacon or the priest at the end of the mass, should be understood as is the starting point. It expresses the missionary nature of the church, to go out and witness to the world.

The Patristic Fathers and the Eucharist

from “Eucharistic Theology” by Joseph Powers.

The Eucharist is a mystery placed by God into the visible continuity of human history. From the origins of the church, the Eucharist has been celebrated in varied ways and in our day it continues to be celebrated in varied forms. There has been a diverse understanding of the Eucharist producing diversity on liturgical attitudes. The example is the presence of the epiklesis in the liturgies of the eastern rites and its absence in the western rites. The theology of Eucharist was shaped in the first six centuries.

The celebration of the Eucharist was moved to the Basilica in a more official character. The priest also whose function was not originally to preside at the celebration of the Eucharist, but to be in the priest’s choir, the presbyterium, began to be ordained for the purpose of celebrating the Eucharist on behalf of the bishop as the church grew in numbers. Constant in all this was the aspect of the Eucharistic celebration as the communitarian experience. Thus, the Eucharist was presented as the image and source of the unity of the Christian community and the entire church. This was especially stressed and emphasised by Ignatius of Antioch.

During the time of the fathers, the emphasis about the Eucharist was not so much about the fact of the real presence itself, or the change of bread and wine. However, it was about “the meaning of the real presence of Christ: the nourishment of the church and the Christian in time of persecution”. Cyril of Jerusalem explained to the neophytes about the meaning of communion. He said that the Christian become one with Christ upon reception of the body and blood of Christ. The Christian therefore “become really a bearer of Christ because his body is one and his one blood flows through all”. Ambrose emphasized the reality of the presence of Christ in the context of his description of the splendor of the ceremonies of baptism and the Eucharist.

Furthermore, St. Augustine’s theology of the Eucharist established something meaningful about the real presence of the body and blood of Christ. He stated this presence quite clearly, both directly and by implication. In this way, the fathers answered the question of how bread and wine are changed simply that, this change is brought about by the power of God.

****

The Eucharist we believe in; according to the first part of Sacramentum Caritatis.

The Eucharist as a mystery of faith is the sum and summary of our faith (CCC 1327). The church’s faith is nourished and grows in the grace filled encounter with the risen Lord at the table of the Eucharist. Our Eucharistic faith has, as its element, the mystery of God himself. It is through the Trinitarian love that we receive Christ for our salvation (Jn. 3:16-17). In the Eucharist, Jesus gives himself to us totally, and reveals the ultimate origin of this love, the eternal father. Thus, God’s whole life encounters us and is sacramentally shared with us. We therefore acclaim with Pope Benedict XVI that the mystery of faith is thus a mystery of Trinitarian love, a mystery in which we are called by grace to participate. Through the paschal mystery Jesus accomplished his mission of saving the world. In instituting the Eucharist, Jesus spoke of the new and eternal covenant, in the shading of his blood. This ultimate purpose of Jesus’ mission was clear from the very beginning. He is the true paschal lamb who freely gave himself up to bring about a new and eternal covenant.

The institution of the Eucharist at the last supper took place within a ritual meal commemorating the foundational event of the people of Israel. The ritual meal was a remembrance of their ancient liberation which was made to be understood in the context of a more profound, radical, universal and definitive salvation. In instituting the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus anticipates and makes present the sacrifice of the cross and the victory of the resurrection. The Holy Spirit is fully present throughout the life of the incarnate word. Thus, it is through the working of this same spirit that Christ himself continues to be present and to be active in his church.

The Eucharist is at the base of the church, and is Christ who gives himself to us and continually builds us up as his body. The Eucharist is the unity of the faithful within the ecclesial communion. This leads to the understanding of the inseparability of Christ and the church. The oneness and indivisibility of the Eucharistic body of the Lord implies the oneness of his mystical body, which is the one and indivisible church.

The Sacred Communion

The following article is a synthesis of chapter two of Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia. In this chapter of the encyclical, the Second Vatican Council establishes that the church grows as often as the Eucharist is celebrated on the altar. Christ as the head of the church offered his body and his blood to his disciples at the last supper to involve them in the sacrifice of the cross. Consequently, the actions and words of Jesus laid to the foundation of the new messianic community, the people of the new covenant. In this community, it is baptism that brings about incorporation into Christ and then is consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic sacrifice. Therefore, as we receive Christ, Christ too receives each one of us and enters into friendship with us. It is through this union that the people of the new covenant become the sacrament for humanity, continuing the mission of redemption of Christ. Moreover, the Eucharistic communion confirms the church in her unity as the body of Christ. The bread we break is one and so is the church. The unifying power of the Eucharist counters the seed of disunity of our daily experience and creates the human community.

This communion cannot only be restricted to within mass but also outside mass. This may be extended to the private adoration of the Lord, sometimes with others, recognizing the presence of Christ in the Eucharistic bread exposed for worship. The idea is that the Eucharistic adoration is a sign of gratitude, an expression of love and acknowledgement of the Lord’s presence.

Pastors are therefore encouraged especially by personal witness, the practice of Eucharistic adoration. Apart from the magisterium, this practice is supported by the example of many saints. St Alphonsus Ligouri for instance acclaimed adoration of the Eucharist as the greatest devotion after the sacraments. Moreover, St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon, of Belgium, from her early youth, had a great veneration for the Blessed Sacrament, and always longed for a special feast in its honour. The Eucharist is a priceless treasure by which a Christian community disposed to it can develop this Eucharistic worship which prolongs and increases the fruits of our communion in the body and blood of Christ.

****

The Last Supper in the Life of the Church (reflection from article 3 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church about the Eucharist)

The church faithfully continues to use the species of bread and wine according to the Lord’s command. Through the invocation of the Holy Spirit these species turn into the body and blood of Christ. Therefore, in the offertory, the church acknowledges the creator’s gifts of bread and wine, as the work of human hands and fruits of the earth. This action prefigured by the gesture of the king-priest Melchizedek who offered bread and wine to the patriarch Abraham.

Apart from being offered as the first fruits, bread and wine also signified something new and important in the life of the Israelites. The unleavened bread Israel ate during the haste departure of Egypt, and continues to eat every year as a ritual meal for the celebration of the Passover feast. The manna in the desert was also an indication of Israel’s reliance on the word of God.

The bread and wine is given a new meaning in Jesus, when Jesus multiplied and fed the multitude through his disciples, and when he turned water into wine at Cana. This turns out that the Lord has the words of eternal life and to receive the Eucharist in faith is to receive Jesus himself. Jesus loved his disciples that when his time on earth came to an end, he gave them a pledge of his love. This pledge was to never depart from them, and to make them sharers of his Passover. Therefore, he instituted the Eucharist to be celebrated as a memorial of his passion, death and resurrection until he comes.

Jesus timed his last meal with his disciples with the Passover meal to give the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning, which is to be seen in the light of the new Passover meal, the Eucharist. And so, while Jesus is physically away from the church, he continues to be present with us through the celebration of the Eucharist. Jesus’ command “do this in memory of me” invites the church to celebrate his life, death and resurrection, and of his intercession in the presence of the father.

It is on the first day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead, that the early Christians met to break the bread, and that until today the Church and the people of God continues meet to celebrate the Eucharist. The Eucharistic celebration hints at the final Passover of the church in the glory of the kingdom of God.

My Reflectionms - Julie Tabaosares Alimeos r: 11136T

Eucharist as Communion

A Holy and Living Sacrifice:

The Eucharist in Christian Perspective by: Ernest Falardeau

We believe and profess our faith in the Triune God which is in the Christian doctrine. Christians are communion with Christ and through him we are in communion with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Each person in the Trinity is distinct and yet divine in nature.

Christ’s coming, of his sacrifice and of the Eucharist is to share the life of the Father. The bread of life gives us a deeper share in the life of Christ, as Christ shares the life of the Father, so shall we if we have faith and share the Eucharist. The life of Jesus is shared through baptism, and it is nourished through the Eucharist. Communion is at the heart of Eucharistic mystery. In first Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 develop the image of the body of Christ of which Christians are members: you are the body of Christ the unity and diversity in the body of Christ building up the Church with different gifts and ministries of each Christian member. The Eucharist is a constant reminder of the self-giving of Jesus Christ. It is a call for our self-giving to others too. We are the body of Christ therefore, we are the extension in time and history of what Jesus was at the beginning, the revelation of God’s self-giving. He gave his life as a proof that “greater love than this no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (Jn 15:13).  To celebrate the Eucharist is to renew our covenant with God that we will live the Christ-life. The Eucharistic sacrifice is both recalling and a celebration of life as self-giving.” It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Greater love than this, no one has, that one lay down one’s life for the life of one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).

Therefore, Jesus in the Eucharist offers himself as a sacrifice for the sake of all and for the forgiveness of our sins.  The Eucharist unites us in the prayer of Jesus for the unity of all who believe in him. It unites us in his eternal offering to the Father for the salvation of all.

Eucharist as the Source of Christian Life

Encyclical Letter “Ecclesia de Eucharistia on the Eucharist:

Life of theChurch,

John Paul emphatically declares, Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, for the most holy Eucharist contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth; Christ himself, our Passover and living bread. In this sense the sacrament of matrimony and family is centered around and strengthened by the celebration of the Eucharist. Hence, we should approach the Eucharist with amazement and wonder. John Paul wants all the faithful to worship and promote devotion to the mystery of the Eucharist. Since the glorified Christ is present in the Eucharist in its fullest sense, it is worthy of receiving thanks and worship. The Pope reminds us Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and in contemplation. That is full of faith, ready to make reparation for the severe faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease, our dignity and decorum as regards the sacrament of the Eucharist is a proof of our faith in land love for Christ who is present in the consecrated forms of bread and wine.

In the pilgrim journey of the Church towards heavenly Jerusalem the Eucharist stands as her confident hope. The Lord remains with us in the Eucharistic form of bread and wine to enable us to shine with hope in the world. This eschatological orientation of the Eucharist unites its participants to the heavenly liturgy and to the saints and angels in heaven. The pope elucidates the relationship between heavenly and earthly liturgy in this way; the Eucharist is truly a glimpse of heaven appearing on earth. It is a glorious ray of the heavenly Jerusalem which pierces the clouds of our history and lights up our journey. This attempt of the pope to relate the sacrament of the Eucharist to the eternal liturgy is very much conducive to the Oriental Eucharistic celebration.

The Priesthood of the People of God

Life as Eucharist by Norman Pittenger

A priest is one who does thus mediate God and his people. Jesus Christ can be and representative of God to man and man to God. The priesthood of Christ is effectually present in the priesthood attribute to the Church. It is the body of the living Christ. Christ is the head and we are his body. The priesthood of Christ is wiling to share with his body is his own priesthood. The royal priesthood of Christ according to Peter is the priesthood as the king. His kingship is not after the fashion of earthly rulers but a suffering kingship when he was crowned with thorns and hanging on the cross. The kingship of Christ is found in perfect service. As St Augustine said, “to serve is to reign’ therefore the priesthood of Christ shared in the royal priesthood which is also the priesthood of service.

The priesthood of Christ shared to the Church, the member of his body who participates in the ongoing life of the true body of Christ. The priesthood of the laity, which is the priesthood of all believers, is also known as the common priesthood. Now that the priesthood belong to each of us we participate in the body of Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Now in the Eucharist, that the priestly work of Christ is remembered and continued, although that act of worship is set in the context of a wider mediatorial life and work in the world… the theology of the Eucharist helps us to understand what the doctrine of atonement intends. The Eucharist God and man are brought into union one with another, for it is in that Eucharistic rite that Calvary is remembered or re-presented in a humanly performed the action, and God and man are made one in the person of Christ himself who comes to dwell in his people. Thus we both enter into and plead before God the Father the already accomplished union of the God-head and manhood, as at the holy table we offer “this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving” and receive into ourselves the life of the risen Lord.

Sacramentum Caritatis

The Eucharist, a Mystery to be Believed

The first part of the exhortation focus on the theological aspects of the sacrament of the Eucharist and its celebration, draws our attention not so much on the Eucharist as species, but more on the person with whom we enter into a relationship by means of Eucharist. For Benedict XVI ‘in the Eucharist Jesus does not give us a ‘thing’, but himself’ (#7), and this gift is part of the divine plan of God who is trinity, so that we might experience the love of God through our sharing in Christ’s  body and blood: the love of God for us manifest on the cross which becomes a supreme act of love and deliverance of humankind from evil’ (#10). Eucharist both makes this act of love present and also rejoices in that love. Furthermore, the celebration of the Eucharist is far more than a ritualised drama of remembrance, but the encounter of good conquering evil through Christ’s definitive act of self-emptying love.

In this section, since the focus is how the Eucharist draws us into a relationship with the person of the risen Christ, Benedict avoids any need to reconsider doctrines about the change of bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood. From the western theology about the Eucharist with the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, give emphasis on the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Sacrament, particularly to the role of the Spirit in the transformation of the bread and wine. For him, the development of the liturgy has been thanks to the Spirit who played ‘the decisive role’ (#12), and whose presence is to be found in all aspects of the sacramental life of the Church particularly in its liturgical celebrations.

The relationship of love with Christ that is found in Eucharist is also to be seen in the Church that the Eucharist fosters. Because the celebration of Eucharist is so important to the very nature and activity of the Church, that the centre of the Church is the presence of love. Without this relationship the Church suffers; with it, there is possibility of true unity and ecclesial communion. Therefore, for whatever the particular differences that exists between ecclesial groups, for Benedict the presence of the love of Christ at the very heart the Church makes our dialogue with other groups essential. Our celebration of the Eucharist cannot be truly an act of love if we use it to emphasize our separatedness or distinctiveness. If it is not fundamentally an act of love then it has no place within the activities of the body of Christ.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist

The Eucharist by Johannes H. Emminghaus

Liturgy of the Eucharist is the heart of the celebration of Mass. The great meal instituted by Christ and his command to repeat what he had done the actions with the bread and the cup (Lk 22:19; 1Cor 11:24) and these were to be repeated in his memory. Christ’s action is a thanksgiving to God and also for this meal. His words declare on these elements of meal to be himself, his body and his blood. The memorial action which Christ orders the Church to repeat is the thanksgiving that turns the bread and wine into his body and blood by the power of the spirit, as well as the reception of these gifts. This is what Christ left us a special kind of meal with full of meaning and done in a very simple way. These gifts convey Christ as one sacrificed; through his body and blood to be given and poured out for many for the salvation of souls and for the forgiveness of our sins. 

The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church as what Jesus’ sacrifice did on the cross but a participation in Christ’s sacrifice: “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom 12:1). This cultic sacrifice of praise which Christ offers and to which the concrete community unites in each Mass is the summit and source of the Christian life of faith, hope and love. In this way, Christians is clearly to be aware that the liturgy is but one of the three self-actuations of the Church, and that it must be integrated with proclamation and service.

Therefore, Eucharist is essentially both meal and the sacrifice of Christ made present: that in form is a thanksgiving prayer over the elements of food for eating. And this is an imitation of Christ’s action who took bread and wine, gave thanks over them, and gave himself in them to those at table. At the last supper Christ instituted the sacrifice and paschal meal by means of which his sacrifice of the cross is made constantly present in the Church, whenever a priest representing Christ the Lord, does what the Lord himself did and gave his disciples to do in his memory. And so, the Church has made the entire celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy consist of the following parts which correspond to the words and action of Christ.

·         At the preparation of the gifts, bread, wine, and water are brought to the altar: that is, the elements which Christ took in his hands;

·         In the Eucharistic prayer thanks are offered to God for the entire work of salvation, and the gifts offered become the body and blood of Christ;

·         The unity of the faithful is manifested by the breaking of the one bread, and in Communion of the faithful receive the body and blood of the Lord just as the apostles did from the hand of Christ himself (GI, no. 48).

References:

Benedict XVI (2007) Post- Synodal Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis on the Sacrament

                                    of Charity, Nairobi: Paulines.

Emminghaus, J.H., The Eucharist (Essence, Form, Celebration), Collegeville Minnesota,

 1988

Falardeau, E., A Holy and Living Sacrifice: The Eucharist in Christian Perspective,

                                    Collegeville, Minnesota, 1996.

John Paul II (2003) Encyclical Letter “Ecclesia de Eucharistia on the Eucharist: Life of                                          theChurch, Nairobi: Paulines.

Pittenger, N., Life as Eucharist, Michigan, 1972

Reflections - ISAYA NCHIMBI ID NO=11130T

ISAYA NCHIMBI.  ID NO:11130T

THE SACRAMENT OF REDEMPTION. ‘Holy communion’

In the Eucharist lie the strength and the grace to live faithful lives. The faithful who receive the Eucharist are freed from their daily faults and reserved from eternal damnation.  The Eucharist is only received in the active participation during the Holy mass. The penitential act therefore prepares the faithful to celebrate this sacred mystery. As such, the temptation to replace the penitential act for the sacrament of penance is altogether discouraged. The church encourages the faithful to frequent the sacrament of penance before or after the Holy mass. Ultimately, self examination is essential so that no one receives Holy Communion in a grave state of sin. Holy Communion however, is administered only to conscious Catholics primarily when the holy mass is attended by people from other denominations.

As regards the reception of the Holy Eucharist, the priest and the concelebrants receive first at the altar; and they receive the hosts consecrated during that particular Holy Mass. This follows from the norms prescribed in the liturgical books. Notably, when the priest or the deacon hands the host or the chalice to the concelebrants, he does not pronounce the words, “the body of Christ, or the blood of Christ”. It is definitely not advisable that the blood of Christ be poured from one chalice to another. There is need of awareness of the congregation before the consubstantiation. Those ready to partake in the Holy Communion are allowed to receive in species, the body and the blood of Christ. The blood is received either directly from the chalice, or by means of a tube. One can receive more than once in a day, so long as he or she participates in the Holy Mass.

The faithful can receive the Holy Communion either when standing or kneeling. In both cases, the communicant has a choice to receive either on the tongue or in the hand. This depends on the decision of the diocesan bishop. Even so, the minister present should make sure that the communicant has consumed the Holy Communion for it risks of profanation. Similarly, the minister should take note that no fragments of the host falls on the ground.

Conclusively, any baptized catholic who is not prevented by any law receives admittance to Holy Communion. This includes children who have attained the age of reason and have been essentially catechized. Reverence to the Sacred species is encouraged such that, one who takes the consecrated species perhaps for sacrilegious purposes, deserves excommunication from the church or may be given another penalty.

****

ISAYA NCHIMBI.  ID NO:11130T

THE EUCHARIST LIFE OF THE CHURCH. ‘Eucharist builds the church’

The Eucharist is at the centre of the growth of the church.  Whenever the Holy mass is celebrated on the alter, the church receives sanctifying grace to fully share in the Eucharistic bread, hence her growth is enhanced. Certainly, all the faithful are unified to become one body in Christ.  Factually, the apostles laid the basis or the foundation of the Eucharistic celebration when they gave a positive response of Jesus to gather in the upper room for the celebration of the last supper (Mt 14:17).  Christ mysteriously involved them in the sacrifice which was later completed on Calvary. He offered them his body and blood as food for the journey. In a way, the Apostles then became the seeds of the new Israel. Analogically, the actions and words of Jesus during the last supper formed the basis of the people of the new covenant. The response of the apostles was a sacramental union with Christ. As a consequence, all that the church gets involved in is built upon the sacramental union with Christ, the son of God.

In baptism, we not only receive Christ, but he also receives us. He becomes our friend.  Eucharistic communion brings about an intimate relationship with Christ. In this way, as people of the new covenant, the faithful become sacrament for humanity; role models for the salvation of all. Indubitably, the church promulgates the mission of Christ; that is to reach out to everyone.  The church draws her spiritual power to carry out the mission from the Eucharist. In this point of view, it is deduced that the Eucharist is the source of the communion of mankind for it is the summit for all evangelization in the Trinitarian presence.

The communion with Christ substantiates the church in her unity as the body of Christ.  This implies active participation in the celebration of the Eucharist. We become the one body of Christ when we partake in the body and blood of Christ. Our union with Christ is the gift and grace which makes it possible for us to be incorporated into unity of the body, the church. The church, receives her fortification through the sanctifying grace to the faithful through the Holy Spirit. In this way, the faithful fraternal, human community experience is reinforced.

Sin deteriorates our union with Christ. However, it is significant if we take time with Christ outside the Eucharistic celebration. To be personal witnesses to the heartfelt love of Christ, we need to spend time in silent adoration and say the prayer of adoration; among other sacrifices we ought to make to draw strength and grace for the mission; for the Eucharist is the wellspring of grace; and other spiritual treasures.

 ****

ISAYA NCHIMBI.  ID NO:11130T

THE LORD’S DAY. “The Eucharistic life Assembly: Heart of Sunday”

The Easter events connote Christ’s continual presence in the church among the faithful. This is evidenced in His words “I will be with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).   On the Lord’s Day the baptized Christians gather as one family or community to celebrate the presence of the risen Christ. This makes the Sunday Eucharist the assembly where all the reality of the life of the church is expresses and expressed. There is the communal breaking and sharing of the bread. As such, it is an obligation to for everyone to attend the Sunday mass for those who have received the grace of baptism are not saved as individuals alone, but as members of the Mystical body, having become part of the people of God. Sunday Eucharist remains special because it is celebrated on the day Christ conquered mortality. As a result, everyone actively participates in the holy mass through various responsible roles.

Apparently, the Sunday assembly profoundly reinforces unity and brotherhood in the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The relationship between the pastor or the bishop and the entire community is inherent in the community itself. It is for this reason that small gatherings for masses on Sundays are discouraged. The unity of the church is greatly fortified when even children are included so that they too participate in the Sunday Eucharist. It is the ardent duty of the parents to give the initial catechesis to their children. As a pilgrim people, the Christian community looks forward with faith and hope for the coming of Christ. This eschatological fact of the “new heavens and new earth” (Rev 21:2) surpasses the sorrows.  The faithful are hence committed to an inner renewal of baptismal promises through the recitation of the creed, and by their way of living which should portray their communion with Christ.

In the Sunday Eucharist, as in weekday masses, the liturgy of the word prepares the community to join with thanksgiving the Eucharistic table where the faithful remember the paschal Mystery of the body of Christ. In consequence, the minister, guided by the Holy Spirit ought to prepare the reflection on the sacred text. This makes the preaching, the listening, and the singing purport a spirit of prayer and docility.

Thus Eucharist assembly very important in Sunday, as it is the custom of all Christian in the world. Priests play a great role to make Sunday as a big celebration of the Eucharist.  

*****

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH-‘THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST’(article3).

ISAYA NCHIMBI.    ID NO-11130T

Eucharist as one of the three sacraments of initiation. Jesus was betrayed at the last supper and was when he instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ. He instituted it as the sacrament of love which signifies unity, charity. The Christian source and climax of the church life is from Eucharist. The Christian life building through the Eucharist has carried the spiritual goodness of the church. The unity between the people of God and divine life originated from the sacrament of Eucharist. The liturgical celebration links with the heavenly liturgy and makes the direct inheritance of the eternal life.

Sacrament has been described to have called with many names according to the various roles or aspects of it. Some time it has been called, Eucharist due to its role of giving thanks to God. Called the Lords Supper comes from the day when Jesus took supper with his disciples towards his passion time. Called the breaking of the bread, the act which gave meaning in remembering of Jesus after resurrection because before he suffered, Jesus used to break bread at table meal in various occasion. Called the Eucharist assembly, because of the gathering of the faithful for Eucharistic worship. Called the memorial, due to the Jesus suffering, death and resurrection. Called the Holy Communion, comes from the union of Christians with Christ by Eucharist as body and blood. Called Holy Mass, comes from the mission of the faithful in liturgical celebration as the way of salvation and fulfilling the will of God.

The institution of the Eucharist from the sense of the love of God to humanity makes meaning from the aspect of the economy of salvation. In the liturgy, the core of the Eucharistic celebration come from the bread and wine as the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Passover time was the real time of Jesus to reveal what he said to his disciples about his life as the sacrifice, he was the Lamb of God. In the last supper Jesus commanded his disciples to do all he did for his commemoration. Mass has became the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist in all ages as was described by Justin the Martyr in his time. Justin explained the liturgical celebration structures by comparing with Jesus movements with his disciples after being risen and explaining the scripture to them, breaking of bread, sharing of bread.

So Eucharist as the Christ sacrifice to humanity has to be seen as the memorial events, praise giving and thanks giving to God who loved the world hence gave His only son for salvation sake.

ISAYA NCHIMBI.     ID NO=11130T .                     ( PART3)

SACRAMENT OF CHARITY. THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE LIVED.

The Eucharistic as the form of Christian life takes part in the truth and love that came into existence through Jesus Christ. The Christian becomes incorporated with Christ through eating and drinking his body and blood. St Augustine explained the body of Christ as the food of the soul and as the eternal logos with the mysterious nature from God. The life of the church makes meaning with the sense of the Eucharistic body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The worship of Eucharist has great effects to Christianity for it transforms all aspects of human life. Christians have called to worship God through their actions of everyday in their life. This makes the new beginning of Christianity way of living. As St Paul says, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God"(1Cor 10:31). According to Ignatius of Antioch, man has been identified as the living and vision of glory of God. Christians accustomed by gathering once in every week of the first day after the Sabbath to celebrate the Eucharist. Christian life has fully developed with the awareness of the liberation from Jesus Christ and offered their life as the offering gift or sacrifice to God. Sunday has became as the consecrated day to God, an obligatory day to be lived accordingly as the Lords day, the day of no any kind of work but meeting for worship and prayers in the church.

The culture of the Eucharistic life in relation to spirituality requires the faithful Christian to have good understanding of the link between their life and Eucharist. The Eucharistic reality has to be integrated in Christian life in ways of thinking and evangelizing. The Eucharist has to be proclaimed  as the mission role of Christianity. This have been done through homilies so as people may encounter Christ. The Eucharistic bread has given to people as a gift of Christ life. "The bread I will give is my fresh, for the life of the world”(Jn6:51).

So Eucharist as the mystery to be lived is what gives meaning to the dimension of human life. Christ connects human life with God as the father through eating his body and drinking his blood.

Reflections on the Eucharist from James Jobish Clement - 11035

The Eucharist: Jesus the True Sacrificial Lamb

( Pope Benedict XVI Sacramentum Caritatis)

presented by: James Jobish Clement  11035

The mission that was entrusted to Him by His Father is completed on the Calvary. Before he was dying, he said ‘it is finished’, through this word Jesus confirms the plan of God is fulfilled. Here Jesus is the new and eternal covenant. Jesus took the form of flesh in order to open a new covenant between God and humanity. Here He is an instrument to draw all people to God. Having given us His blood for sacrifice, he open a new way of salvation. Jesus sacrifice is perfect sacrifice and He did it once and for all. He is the Lamb of God which was ready to be sacrificed. It is this readiness of Jesus that opens the new covenant.

When we look back into the Last Supper, the ritual meal Jesus celebrated with His disciples, the memorial of Israel’s delivery from slavery from Egypt in a way Jesus presented as His readiness to be broken for the slavery of humanity from Satan. During the ritual meal, a lamb has to be sacrificed. Now in this new covenant that was initiated by Jesus, He himself becomes the sacrificial lamb in order to save the humanity from the wrath of God. During this ritual meal, Jesus thanks the Father not only for the past event of redemption, but the present event of redemption through Jesus. At the same to time Jesus reveals himself the true lamb that was planned by His Father.  Here Jesus brigs a radical change to the ancient Hebrew sacrificial meal. This new change is fulfilled in his supreme act in Calvary.

The ritual meal that has repeated every year has got a new dimension by Jesus’ new covenant of blood. Last supper He reminds His disciples to ‘do it as memorial of me’. Here He makes this meal into sacramental and pours the gift of the Spirit to His disciples to continue the mission that He has entrusted by His Father. The Eucharist draws us into Jesus. By partaking the Eucharist celebration one is asked to have a radical change or transformation in order to fully emerge oneself into the mystery of Christ.

The Order of Mass of Paul VI

On April 3, 1969, Pope Paul VI signed the Apostolic Constitution that promulgated the Roman Missal. The plan set forth by the Council’s reform of the Eucharistic Liturgy was brought to completion after the translation of the lectionary into various languages. The goal of this was to bring out active participation of the faithful. The new Missal recognizes the assembly as the primary agent in the celebration. The Council spelled out the duty of the minister as to serve God and the people with dignity and humility. The priest presides over the assembly “in the person of Christ”. Thus the conception of ministries in the Church is one based on function to express in a clearer light the mystery of the Church as the Sacrament of unity. How is this unity celebrated?

Each celebration begins with the Entrance song. It has threefold function: to intensify the unity of the people gathered intended to promote communication through the union of voices; to lead their thoughts to the mystery of the season or feast and enter into the spirit of the celebration; and to accompany the procession. Greeting and response shows the presence of the Lord signified by the minister and the grace that explains the gathering community. The greeting is preceded by the sign of the cross of which people respond “Amen.” Once the congregation has been formed, it then turns to God with a view to acknowledge their sinfulness and preparing themselves to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. On Sundays outside Advent and Lent, the Gloria is sing. Then the collecta is said which alone gives expression to the special character of the celebration. This is succeeded by the Liturgy of the Word which is not a “Fore-Mass” rather an integral part of the celebration. It brings about the presence of the Lord amidst his people since it is Him who speaks to his people. On Sundays and Solemnities two biblical readings are read before the gospel, followed by a responsorial psalm and acclamation. Then a deacon or a priest proclaims the gospel.

The homily forms a bridge between the mystery being celebrated and the lives of the faithful who hear it. The Creed calls to mind our baptism and acceptance of God’s Word as a condition for receiving the sacrament. People then express their priestly function in the intercession offered for whole humanity. The celebration reaches its peak in the liturgy of the Eucharist. Gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar of the Lord. The purpose in this part is to repeat Christ did at the Last Supper. Eucharistic Prayer is said over the gifts accompanied by words of consecration, the anamnesis and the invocation of the fruits of the sacrifice upon the communicants and the intercession. Finally the communion part begins with the prayer of “Our Father”, action of peace and fraction of bread. After the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, the deacon or priest purifies the paten and chalice. The concluding rite is pronounced. It consists of three elements: the celebrant’s greeting, the blessing which can in certain circumstances take a more solemn form, and the dismissal, “Ite missa est.”

[ A.G., MARTIMORT, The Church at Prayer Vol. II., The Celebration of the Eucharist After Vat. II, chap. 1].

The Duties and Ministries in the Mass

This section has much in common to the Sacrosanctum Concilium in that the assembly of believers is being identified by order of duties. The Eucharistic celebration is seen as the action of Christ and his Body, the Church. There must be unity under the leadership of the Bishop who is the shepherd of the flock. Each member has a role to play according to his or her office. Thus the first office to be recognized is that of the Bishop direct in person or through priests who are his helpers. The Bishop presides over the Eucharist and his priests concelebrate to express the mystery of the Church, ‘the sacrament of unity.’ In his absence, the priest take over the duty of presiding over sacraments, serving the God and the people with dignity and humility.

Following the hierarchy, in the absence of the priest, the deacon in virtue of the sacred ordination takes charge of the sacraments authorized to him to administer. But during Mass the deacon is assigned to preach, announcing the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful and serving the priest at the altar and distributing Holy Communion. The faithful too, have the duty in the community: to show charity towards others they should cultivate a spirit of unity. Some may take part in various ministries of the Church. Among these are the ministries of Acolyte and Lector. The role of the acolyte is to serve at the altar and assist the priest and the deacon. On the other hand, the lector is instituted to proclaim the readings from the Sacred Scriptures with the exception of the gospel. In the absence of these instituted ministries, laypersons may take up the task to serve and read during celebration.

In the Church no one claims to be of no role. Being in the Church choir is another great responsibility. The music must be prepared in such a manner that it edify and enhance people to pray. Others are trained as ushers, sacristan, commentators and facilitators of collections. Even children perform dances and leading the procession in the liturgy. What is emphasized is the harmony during celebrations. Each one should know what his or her role is in the Church. Being the Body of Christ, roles are shared in accordance to various offices. Therefore, active participation and collaborative ministry is the goal. There are many ministries in the Church of which one person cannot manage unless others join hands together.

[General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Chap. III., no. 91-111.]

 

John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 17^th April 2003.

Chapter Two: The Eucharist Builds the Church

The Second Vatican Council in this chapter recognized and affirmed that we cannot think of the growth of the Church outside the Eucharistic celebration. Christ’s redemptive work is experienced in the daily sacrificial Mass which is the life-giving and agent of the Church’s growth in the world. It is the Eucharistic celebration that unites all members of the body of Christ, the Church. The Council draws this understanding from St Paul in his letters to different churches. The Eucharist has the causal influence from the Church’s origin: the gathering of the apostles with Christ, offering his body and blood as food for the growth of the Church to the present. The words and actions of Jesus are nonetheless basis for the new messianic community, the People of the New Covenant. This is the Sacramental union made to last forever. The Church becomes the sacrament of unity whose life is nourished by the seven sacraments too.

Baptism incorporates us into Christ and continually be rejuvenated by partaking in the Eucharistic sacrifice regularly. It is not only the faithful who receive Christ, but Christ in turn receives us. We become his co-workers in the mission of the Father. Therefore, the recipients of Christ are to be Christ-like in every aspect of life. We become what we eat and proclaim what we believe in, Christ. The new community is called upon to be a “sign and instrument of the salvation won by Christ, the light of the world and salt of the earth” (22). There must be no separation between the mission of Christ and that of the Church since Christ is the source and summit of all evangelization which aims at uniting humankind with the Trinitarian community. St Paul in his letters reiterated that our union with Christ makes it possible for us to share in the unity of his body, the Church. The Holy Spirit reinforces this unity during our baptism.

   Finally, the sharing in the Eucharistic meal is not just any ordinary sharing rather a time to receive superabundant gifts of unity deeply rooted in human heart. The signs of discord caused by sin are countered by the unifying power of the body and blood of Christ. Furthermore, Christians are admonished to worship and adore the Eucharist even outside Mass since it is of immeasurable value in the life of the Church. It is the responsibility of the parish priest to educate the faithful to have devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. They should learn to spend some time before the sacrament in silence conversing with Christ. Thus making contact with the very wellspring of grace. And this is what makes the Eucharist the sacrament that builds up the Church.

 

The Lord`s Pasch

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord`s death until he comes”, (1 Cor.11: 26).

This advised gave Saint Paul to the community of Corinthian. Paul was concerning about their lake of faith and understanding of the Lord`s Meal. Paul reproached them for a lack of mutual love, because they sat down at the table without attending to one another`s needs, or noticing that one remained hungry while another had too much to drink.

Paul reproached the community because of their lack of solidarity. Paul had no hesitation in saying: “for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Cor. 11:29). To eat and to drink in memory of Christ is to live his Pasch. St. Augustine says that when we eat and drink the bread and blood of Christ, it is also necessary to became in some way “the body given and the blood poured”[1].

Following the example of the disciples and the teaching of the Church, we are called to be closed to Jesus will for all humanity, (to save Man by given to all the food of life). Jesus has given his life on the cross freely and out of obedience to God the Father in order to free us from our sins and to give us life everlasting. As St. Augustine says that we need to be the “body of Christ” and been the body of Christ we must imitate him. As we eat his body and drink his blood, we are called to feed others people’s faith in him as given testimony of God`s presence in our lives. Saint Paul in his reproach to the Corinthians he was teaching us to be aware as children of God that what we eat and drink is real the body of Christ and that we must share it with those who are hunger of God.

St. Paul says that our paschal lamb has been sacrificed (1 Cor. 5.7). When Jesus gave himself to his disciples and said to them, “Do this in remembrance of me”, he was already announcing his resurrection. He was given them not only a memory of something that had happened in the past, but the presence of someone who was alive.

Bibliography

PHILIPPÉ, B. – CLAUDE, D., How to Understand The Sacraments. Crossroad    Publishing Company: New

                                                 York 1997.

---

[1] B. Philippé.,- al., How to Understand The Sacraments, 85.