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.

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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.

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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.  

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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.