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, 17th 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.
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