THE EUCHARIST IN THE ECONOMY OF
SALVATION
The
Eucharist is one of the three sacraments of Christian initiation. It is
regarded as the one which completes Christian initiation, and the one in which
the candidate participates in the Lord’s own sacrifice. This sacrament was
instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the last supper when he
offered his body and blood, thus prefiguring his death on the Cross. It is
important to note that Jesus was the presider and the sacrifice at the same
time. This further enlightens us on how the Eucharist plays a very fundamental
role in the economy of salvation. The role of the Eucharist in the economy of
salvation can sometimes remain abstract to most of us due to its mystical nature;
however, it requires faith for one to understand the Eucharist in the Economy
of Salvation. Therefore, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n 1333–1344),
gives a thorough magisterial teaching regarding the Eucharist in the Economy of
Salvation. It is from this teaching that this reflection is based.
“When Jesus instituted the Eucharist,
he gave a new and definitive meaning to the blessing of Bread and the cup of Wine”
(n 1334).The Anaphora and the species
of Bread and Wine are at the heart of the Eucharist. These species are so
symbolic that their state from Jesus’ Jewish times is still recommended unless
otherwise. Therefore, the Bread has to be unleavened and the Wine must be from
grapes. This is why some Episcopal Conferences have to approve the species of Bread
and Wine before being used in the Eucharistic celebrations.
When Jesus multiplied the loaves and
gave his disciples to feed the multitude, his action prefigures the
super-abundance of this unique Bread of his Eucharist. Also in his first
miracle at Cana, the turning of water into Wine announces the hour his
glorification, which makes the fulfillment of the wedding feast in the Father’s
Kingdom. Thus, we need also to appreciate that it was out of love that our Lord
instituted the Eucharist. Taking a look at the activity of washing his
apostles’ feast, Jesus was aware that his hour had come. So he instructed them
to be servants of his flock and then he instituted the Eucharist as a memorial
of his death and resurrection and commanded them to do the same, hence making
them priests of the New Testament.
Jesus’ death and resurrection
constitutes the new Passover. The old Jewish Passover was always in memory of their
liberation from Egypt and the manna God gave them while in the desert.
Consequently, “the new Passover is anticipated in the last supper and
celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfils the Jewish Passover and anticipates
the final Passover of the Church in the glory of the Kingdom” (n 1340). Jesus’ words, “Do this is
memory of me”, were neither directed to the apostles nor to their successors,
but to the liturgical celebration, in memorial of his life, death and
resurrection. The Church has for that matter been faithful to this command from
the time of the apostles to this day. As the early Christians met on Sunday,
the day of the Lord’s resurrection, to break the Bread, so is it today when we
converge for the Eucharistic celebration. In addition, it is an obligation of every
Catholic to take active participation in the Eucharistic celebration every
Sunday and other days of obligation because the Eucharist remains the centre of
the Church’s life.
Finally,
as the pilgrim people of God, we continue to proclaim the paschal mystery of
Jesus from time to time during the Eucharistic celebrations until he comes
again, following the cross towards
the heavenly banquet when all the elect will be seated at the table of the
kingdom. We also witness the changing of Bread and Wine into Body and Blood of Christ
respectively during the Anaphora, and we partake of Christ himself who
continues to dwell within us until he comes again.
*****
THE EUCHARIST BUILDS THE CHURCH
If
a parish priest is to talk about what builds the Church, I’m deeply convinced
that most of the faithful in congregation present without exception will think
of money or the physical structures. However, regardless of all the activities
that take place in the Church aiming at her growth, it is very important not to
forget the most essential element of the Church’s growth. It is from this point
of view that after reading Pope John Paul II’s encyclical ‘Ecclesia de Eucharistia’, I reflect on chapter II entitled “The Eucharist
Builds the Church”.
The Magisterium of the Church
teaches that every Catholic is supposed to attend Mass every Sunday and other
days of obligation, such as solemnities. Most faithful are very loyal to this
teaching but without knowledge of why they participate in the Eucharist or the
benefits of participating in the celebrations. Vatican II in Lumen Gentium (LG)
n 3 teaches that the celebration of the Eucharist is at the centre of the Church’s
growth process. As such it is important to note that the Eucharist is the heart
of the Church. For that matter, a causal influence of the Eucharist is present
at the Church’s very origins right from the time of the apostles. It is without
doubt that the Eucharist takes its origins from the last supper event, where
Jesus the founder of the Church, was the main presider. Therefore, the apostles
who were present at that moment, entered into a sacramental communion with
Jesus when he gave them the bread and wine to eat and drink, as his Body and
Blood respectively. Our Lord also ordered them to continue doing that event in
his memory, and he also sent them to preach the good news as the Father had
sent him. This is what is done to this day in the celebration of the Eucharist.
For that matter, through the action of the priest who repeats Jesus’ words of
institution stands as witness to the Church’s loyalty to Jesus’ command – “do this in memory of me”. Therefore, the
last supper laid foundations of the new messianic community, a new people of
God – The Church.
Through baptism, we are incorporated
into Christ and our relationship is strengthened when we share in the Eucharistic
sacrifice, for Christ offers himself to us in the species of bread and wine as
his Body and Blood. Therefore, when we receive the Eucharist, we receive Christ
and he too receives us, hence the Eucharist becomes a sacrament of humanity and
a sign of salvation achieved by Christ. In addition, the celebration of the Eucharist
guarantees the continuity of Christ’s mission through the Church and also
strengthens the communion of mankind with the son in unity the Father and the
Holy Spirit. Furthermore, St Paul in
1Cor10:17, emphasizes the unifying power of the Eucharist. He says; “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many are one body, for we all
partake of the one loaf”. Therefore, our union with Christ is a gift and grace
for each one of us. This gift fulfils our yearning for fraternal unity which is
deeply rooted in our hearts and also elevates our experience of fraternity at
the table of the Lord. This surpasses our simple human experience of sharing
which can sometimes breed disunity.
Finally, the Holy Father
continues to appreciate worship of the Eucharist outside Mass as an act of
inestimable value for the life of the Church. It is important to note that the
more we participate and partake of the Eucharist, the better Christians we become
as a united body of Christ. Therefore, we should not miss out any celebration
of the Eucharist whenever we have time. For indeed the Eucharist builds up the
Church and creates a healthy human community. This is what gives meaning to our
obligation to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist, otherwise, without the Eucharist;
our efforts to build the church would all be in vein and besides, we would not
even need priests.
Lule Dennis Kaddu,
11042T
****
THE
FEAST OF FAITH by Joseph Ratzinger
FORM IN THE EUCHARISTIC
CELEBRATION
In his book On Mass, Romano Guardini pointed out the need for
liturgical reform and concentrated in the essential form or structure of Mass.
In addition, Joseph Pascher also pointed out that people had put so much
attention to the rubrics and neglected the black print. So, it was time to give
equal attention to both. He emphasized that there is far more in the form and structure of the texts and the whole
celebration than in the rubrics.
Initially, the Mass was seen as an
avenue for inner expression of the spiritual reality. This total structure
prompted a reform which gave birth to liturgical scholarship. Therefore,
attempts were made in discovering the structure through the New Testament
account of the celebration in the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus
Himself. It took place on Holy Thursday in the context of the last supper which
Jesus celebrated as a meal. It is from this account that Pascher and Guardini
asserted that the structure of Mass is that of a meal. In addition, the
protagonists of Liturgical reform also applied Jesus’ words, “Do this”,
to the meal structure.
However, it is important to note
that during the reformation, Luther had been condemned by the council of Trent
for emphasizing the meal structure of Mass instead of the sacrificial form. In
regard to this controversy, the liturgists argued that to describe the Mass as
a sacrifice was a dogmatic statement referring to the hidden theological
essence of what takes place in it, and to speak of meal structure was to direct
attention to the visible liturgical per-formance, hence, no contradiction in
the theological content defined by Trent. This still remained unclear and posed
a great challenge in the area of liturgical reform. So, there were attempts to
reconcile the two theories, and the first was by Pascher who spoke of the
sacrificial symbolism being introduced into the meal structure, that is, the
bread and wine indicate the spilling of Jesus’ blood. Another attempt was by
the liturgist J.A Jungmann on the basis of liturgical texts. He shows that the Eucharistia(prayer
of anamnesis) is in the shape of thanksgiving and is more prominent than the
meal aspect. Subsequently, from his point of view, the Eucharistia is
the basic structure of the Mass right from the 1st Century, not the
meal although it has direct quotations from 1Cor. 11:20.
In addition, sacrifice to the
divinity does not take place by transfer of property, but, in the self-offering
of mind and heart expressed in Word. Therefore, the Eucharistic prayer is an
entering-in to the prayer of Jesus Christ himself, thus, “it is the church’s
entering-in to the logos, the Father’s word, into the Logos’ self-surrender to
the Father, which, in the cross, has also become surrender of mankind to him”[1].
For that matter, what we have in Jesus’ sacrifice is death transformed into a
word of acceptance and self-surrender. It is now clear that the basic form or
structure of Mass is Eucharistia not the meal. Therefore Cardinal
Ratzinger in his book, The Feast of Faith, asserts that “the meal
element is not simply excluded, but, its symbolism is subordinated to the word
dimension of Eucharistia as in 1Cor. 11”[2].
Finally, I regard the basic
structure of the Mass as a true sacrifice by Christ as he priest and the victim
of the sacrifice, where he surrenders himself to the Father. Therefore, for the church to take active
participation in dimension of sacrifice, the unifying element is the meal. For
that matter, the sacrifice and the sacred meal belong to the same mystery in
the Mass, which makes the Eucharist a sacramental celebration of Christ’s
paschal mystery that we take part in as Christians for
our sanctification.
Lule Dennis
Kaddu, 11042T
****
THE NATURE OF THE SACRED LITURGY AND ITS
IMPORTANCE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
The
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum
Concilium, was issued on the 4th December, 1963. This is the
main document of Vatican II which deals with matters pertaining to the Sacred Liturgy
of the Church. This reflection covers chapter 1 of the document which deals
with; “The Nature of the Sacred Liturgy and its Importance in the Life of the Church
(n5–n20)”.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was
sent by the Father to redeem mankind, and hence through the incarnation, he
took on human fresh so as to fulfill the will of the Father. He redeemed
mankind through the paschal mystery of his passion, resurrection from the dead
and glorious ascension. Therefore, through Christ’s death on the cross came the
wondrous sacrament of the whole Church. For the continuity of his ministry,
Christ sent the apostles just as he was sent by the Father, filled with the
Holy Spirit to spread the good news of redemption. The command took effect on
the Pentecost day, when all those who received the Word from the apostles were
baptized. This marked the beginning of the Church’s sacramental nature which
fostered communion through the breaking of bread and in prayers (n5-6). To
accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in the Church especially
in the liturgical celebrations, not only in His Word, but also in the person of
the minister and the Eucharistic species. It is important to note that the Liturgy
is rightly seen as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ which
involves the presentation of our sanctification under the guise of signs perceptible
by the senses, and this makes every liturgical celebration a sacred action
surpassing other actions (n7-8).
However, the Church has a special
duty to prepare its members for the sacraments; hence the Liturgy demands faith
and conversion of the believers. In addition, being the summit towards which
the activity of the Church is directed, the Liturgy moves us to be one in
holiness. It is therefore important that the faithful come to it attuned with
proper dispositions so that it can produce its full effects. This indeed calls
for personal prayer, and the council further recommends popular devotions
(n9-13).
The Liturgy is not a personal
celebration, but a communal celebration and as such, it calls for full
participation of all people, both clergy and laity alike. For that matter, it
also calls for proper liturgical training of the clergy. Therefore, the council
made the following suggestions; proper training of professors who teach Liturgy
in seminaries, compulsory study of sacred Liturgy, continuous ongoing formation
for both secular and religious priests, pastors should promote liturgical instruction
of the faithful and also their active participation taking into account their
age, condition, way of life and standard of religious culture. Caution must be
taken in the transmission of sacred rites by radio and television. This
transmission must be done with delicacy and dignity, taking into account the
sacredness of the mysteries (n14-20).
Finally, the Church as the body of
Christ continues to grow in her mode of prayer and worship while reading the
signs of the time. It was very inevitable that the Council fathers under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit had time to reflect on Liturgy. It is important
to appreciate that the Liturgy is what basically brings all of us together as
one family of the faithful united in prayer. The Liturgy is indeed the life of
the Church.
Lule Dennis Kaddu, 11042T
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE
CELEBRATED
The
post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Sacramentum
Caritatis (SC)” of the Holy father Benedict XI was issued on the 22nd
February 2007, the feast of the chair of Peter. It seeks to bring forward the
proposals from the synod Bishops and offer some basic directions aimed at the
renewal and commitment to Eucharistic enthusiasm and fervor in the Church. It is
from the exhortation of the Holy Father that I reflect on the Eucharist as a
mystery to be celebrated.
Since the reforms in the celebration
of the liturgy were introduced by Vatican II, reference to Sacrosactum concillium has always been made in regard to the
Eucharist. There is no doubt that despite the fact that majority of Catholics
especially the lay people attend Mass, the entire Eucharistic celebration still
remains not only a mystery, but a mystery not clearly understood. Therefore, SC 34 clearly shows us that the source
of our faith and Eucharistic liturgy is Christ’s gift of himself in the paschal
mystery which is celebrated in the liturgy. Hence the liturgy is inherently
linked to beauty and is a radiant expression of the paschal mystery in which
Christ draws us to himself and calls us to a communion. Beauty is an essential
element of the liturgical action since it is an attribute to God himself and
his revelation, thus the subject of the liturgy’s intrinsic beauty is Christ
himself, who includes the Church in his work.
It is important to note that the
Eucharistic liturgy is an action of God through the Holy Spirit and its
structure is not something within our power to change (SC 36). Therefore, this calls for its proper participation,
following the liturgical norms, so as to foster the participation of the entire
people of God in the sacred right. As a result, the Church celebrates the
Eucharist in obedience to Christ’s command based on her experience of the risen
Lord. The bishop as the head of the diocese is the celebrant par excellence and
his liturgies should be carried out with complete respect for the ars celebrandi, so as to be an example
to the entire diocese (SC 38).
The respect for the liturgical books
and the richness of signs is very fundamental to understanding of the
Eucharistic celebration, and so the priests and liturgical leaders should be
committed to make known and available the current liturgical texts (SC 40). Attention should be made to
various kinds of languages that the liturgy employs, i.e. words and music,
gestures and silence, movement, liturgical colors of vestments. The Holy Father
recommends the use of Latin especially for large scale celebrations, basically
in the common basic prayers apart from the creed, readings and the homily. For
that reason, all priests ought to have an idea on the celebration of the Eucharist
in Latin and likewise the lay should be given some basic instruction in Latin.
In addition, art is also at the service of the liturgy and everything related
to the liturgy should be marked with beauty. Religious iconography should be
directed to sacramental mystagogy (SC 41).
Each part of the Eucharistic
celebration calls for active participation of the people of God and the priest.
The participation entails an acknowledgement of the distinct hierarchical roles
involved in the celebration. However, active participation is not equivalent to
the exercise of a specific ministry. In order to foster this participation,
provision may be made for a number of adaptations appropriate to different
contexts and cultures, and the Episcopal conferences should strive to maintain
a proper balance between the criteria and directives already issued especially
in regard to the individual parts of the liturgy (SC 54). Clearly, full participation takes place when the faithful
approach the altar in person to receive communion. Care must be taken and
reminders issued especially in big public celebrations which often have non
Catholics, that it’s only those Catholics who are prepared can receive
communion. Special attention should to be given to the sick, prisoners,
immigrants especially from the Eastern Church, and ensure that they participate
in the Eucharist regardless of their conditions. Adoration and Eucharistic devotion
form one unit and the faithful should be enlightened well about their intrinsic
meaning and guided in their devotion to the Eucharist.
Finally, I appreciate the Eucharist
as a mystery to be celebrated and the centre of Christian unity. With its proper
celebration, I believe that many Catholics will be drawn into an intimate
communion with Christ. It is indeed a life giving celebration which also challenges
us to be true witnesses so as to attract others to the Eucharist.
Lule
Dennis Kaddu, 11042T
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