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Mysterium Fidei by Pope Paul VI
Eucharist
is a Mystery of Faith that has to be approached with humble obedience. The
presence of the true body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist cannot be
detected by our senses but has to be understood through faith. When the church
gathers to celebrate these mysteries, following Christ’s command, ‘do this in
memory of me’, she re-enacts the eternal sacrifice of Christ on the cross. This
therefore, makes mass a sacrifice. Mass should therefore be understood not as a
private affair of the priest but an act of Christ and the church which has to
maintain a public character even if it is celebrated in private.
Christ’s
is present in the church in different ways including; his presence when the
church prays, because he prays for us a high priest, he prays in us a head of
the church and finally all prayers of the church are directed to the father
through him. Christ is also present in the word proclaimed because he is the
word of God and the Gospel is only preached in the name and authority of
Christ. He is also present in the minister of the assembly who acts in persona Christ. Last but not least, Christ is present in a special way in the sacrament
especially the Eucharist. Here, Christ is present in a substantial way in the species
of bread and wine as body and blood.
The
effect of Eucharist is communion or unity with Christ and the church which is
characterized by charity and serving our brothers and sisters through love.
Through eating the body of Christ, we are made into one body of Christ- the
church, with Christ as the head. In the words of St. Paul to Corinthians,
because the body is one, we though many become one body of Christ.
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Stay with us Lord- Mane Nobiscum Domine of Pope John Paul II
Eucharist is the mystery of light
which illuminates our hearts so as to recognize Christ in sacred scriptures
being proclaimed and in the breaking of the bread. Because of this, Vat II emphasizes
the importance of the word in liturgical celebration. In the proclaimed word,
Christ himself speaks to us so that we may recognize him in the breaking of the
bread.
Eucharist is both a meal and a
sacrifice because, apart from reminding us of what happened in the upper room,
it makes present the eternal sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Due to this,
mass has to be understood both as a memorial and an eschatological fullness to
be experienced in the world to come. In fact, it is a foretaste of heaven on
earth. Eucharist is also a mystery of the real presence of Christ par
excellence because, Christ is substantially present in the whole and entire
reality of body and blood. Due to this, Eucharist must be approached in faith
with deep awareness of Christ real present both in mass and in Eucharistic
piety.
Through the Eucharist, Christ finds
a way of being in communion with us just as he was with his two disciples on
the road to Emmaus. This therefore means that Eucharist is a sacrament of unity
par excellence. This unity must exist between Christ and his body- the church,
and also all members of the church. After partaking of it, one is sent on a
mission to witness the risen Lord just like the two. The believer is endowed
with both strength and plan for mission of Christ and the church. The church on
her part becomes more aware of herself as a sign and an instrument of unity
hence becoming an agent of communion, peace and solidarity in the world which
is faced with a lot of divisions. She therefore develops practical ways of
building a more just and fraternal society
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Ecclesia De Eucharistia
The
church is born and sustained by the Eucharist which is Christ’s gift of himself
to all the believers for the purpose of making out of them his own body-the
church. Through baptism, Christians are incorporated into Christ’s Body – the
church. However they are constantly
renewed and made into one through the sharing in Eucharist. In celebrating
Eucharist, the church makes present in reality and in faith-filled remembrance
the Paschal Event. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the sacrifice of
mass should therefore be understood as one single great event.
Through
sharing in the Eucharistic banquet, the faithful are more united to God and to
one other; they become a community gathered around the risen Lord. By partaking
in Christ’s body and blood, the faithful are made into one body of Christ- the
church. “For what is the bread? It is the body of Christ. And what do those who
receive it become? The body of Christ- not many bodies but one body” (23). The
holy Spirit present during the Epiclesis is not only responsible for
transformation of the substance of bread and wine into body and blood of Christ
but she also unites the faithful to Christ and to one another by making of them
spiritual gifts acceptable to the father
It
is therefore important to note that it is the Holy Eucharist which ensures the
building up of any Christian community. In this respect, the sacrament of holy
Orders and the present of a presbyter is of importance if our communities are
to be Eucharistic assemblies. By themselves the laity cannot celebrate
Eucharist because; there exists a close relationship between Eucharist as a
sacrament and ministerial priesthood. It is because of this understanding that
Catholic Church finds herself faced with a lot of challenges especially when
dealing with ecumenical dialogue with the Ecclesial communities, because they
lack sacrament of Holy Orders which hinders them from preserving the
Eucharistic Mystery. Due to this difficulty,
Catholics are encouraged not to receive communion from our separated brothers
and sisters (30) so that there is no ambiguity from what we believe and what we
live. Eucharist cannot be the starting point of communion, it presupposes that
communion already exists (35). In other words, as a body of Christ, we have to
be united both visibly by our way of life and invisibly by the sacraments
especially the Eucharist. Presbyters shares in the ministry of the Bishop who
is the proper minister of the sacraments and the visible principle and foundation
of unity within a particular church. It is therefore a contradiction to
celebrate Eucharist, the sacrament of unity without true communion with the
bishop (39). This therefore means that it is almost impossible to think of
celebrating Eucharist together with our separated brothers and sisters not
until the bonds of unity willed by Christ are re-established through genuine
dialogue and spirit of ecumenism.
****Development of Eucharistic devotions (16th February)
The
celebration of the Eucharist is the centre of the life of the church, for it
brings out a very critical aspect that enhances the unity of the church- the
community gathered around the Risen Lord. This practice has been the Tradition
of the church since her inception, and has resulted to development of what is
now called Eucharistic devotion
due to reservation of the Eucharist.
The
major reason for reserving the consecrated species of bread was due to the fact
that the sick needed to receive Viaticum which is considered food for accompanying
then in their last journey to eternal happiness. Other reasons that resulted to
this reservation include the fact that some Popes in the history of the church
preferred to keep with them the Eucharist while on journey. Also, during the
persecution of the church, Christians took Eucharist to other Christians who
had been imprisoned because of their faith.
As
a result of the growing need to reserve the Eucharist, there was development of
tabernacles so as to ensure safety while reserving the consecrated species of
bread. In most places, tabernacles were first constructed in sacristy but later
they were moved to the sanctuary. By 15th century, many churches had
placed tabernacles beside alter because, alters are the centre of Eucharistic
sacrifice. In some other places, tabernacles were placed in adoration chapels
especially in middle age Basilicas. With this development, there was great
emphasis on reverence, adoration and care for Eucharistic species leading to
growth of piety around Eucharist because of the belief in the real presence of
Christ in the Eucharist.
This
piety and devotion was even more promoted with the practice of elevation of the
consecrated host that developed by 13th century. The faithful were
therefore required to focus on the elevated consecrated host as a sign of
reverence and, awareness of the real presence of Christ in the Consecrated
species of bread and wine. Today, different practices of Eucharistic adoration
and devotion have evolved in the church, among them include; the solemn
procession of Corpus Christi,
exposition and benediction, perpetual adoration, Holy Hour, and silence prayers
before the tabernacle.
I can therefore conclude that the practice of
reserving Eucharist mostly for the sick, led to the development to today’s
Eucharistic piety due to increased awareness of Christ’ real presence in the
Eucharist.
Bibliography
THIBODEAU, R, Eucharistic Devotion: Renewing a Timeless Tradition, Liguori Publication:
Missouri 1987
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Summary
of Sacramentum Caritatis of Pope
Benedict XVI
(16th February)
Eucharist is the self –offering
of Christ. Through the Eucharistic
species of body and blood, we meet the Risen Lord, are made companions with him
on our journey of faith. He therefore becomes for us food of truth to quench
out thirst for knowledge and truth so as to be freed.
It is “a mystery of faith
par-excellence”(6) because, faith and sacraments are essential elements of the life in the church. Through
the kerygma, faith is awakened; however, it is only nourished and sustained
through the encounter of the Lord in the Eucharist. By partaking in the
Eucharist, we become sharers of God’s innermost being- Trinitarian Love, which
is shown to us through Christ’s total life giving. In the Eucharist, Jesus is
the true lamb, who through obedience to the father, offers himself for our sins
so that we may be re-created. In fact by partaking in the Eucharist, “one
becomes what he or she receives”(35).
Through the shading of blood on the cross, Jesus established a new and
everlasting covenant which radically transforms the world. Christ therefore,
becomes a new Sabbath which was offered once and for all for our salvation.
This sacrifice is always re-enacted at every Eucharistic celebration following
Christ’s great command, ‘do this in memory of me.’ During such Liturgical
celebrations, Christ is made present through the power of the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit is therefore responsible for not only Transubstantiation but also
for gathering into one the community of faithful and make of them Spiritual
offering acceptable to the father.
Eucharist is the Sacrament of
communion and unity of the people of God. In fact, it is at the very centre of
the life of the church, and all other sacraments, ministries and apostolates
stems from and are directed towards it. Eucharistic banquet is to be seen as a
real foretaste of the heavenly banquet because it brings into one the whole
community gathered around the table of the lord. The Eucharistic Liturgy is made up of two
important parts: the word and the Eucharist. The whole assembly is required to
fully and actively participate in the whole mass. First, the Risen Lord speaks
to the assembly through the Scriptures and only then, he feeds them by his body
and blood. It should however be noted that in the Catholic Tradition, “the
centre and summit of the entire celebration is the Eucharist”(48). The proper
minister of the Eucharist is the Bishop who is assisted by the presbyters by
the virtue of their ordination.
Only those who are allowed should
partake in the Eucharist even though the church wishes that all shares in this
meal so as to achieve the unity which Christ willed. The ministers are
therefore reminded to always explain the “meaning of sacramental communion”(50)
especially in occasions where mass is
celebrated in great events. It is of great importance to not that
“Eucharistic communion and ecclesial communion are so linked to make it
impossible for non- Catholics to receive the former without enjoying the
latter.”(56). In order to facilitate full participation in mass, it is highly
recommended that the celebrations are done in a particular cultural context
because Jesus through incarnation, showed us that God encounters us in our concrete
human situations emphasizing the importance of inculturation in liturgy. Even
though mass media has made a remarkable influence on evangelization, the
faithful are encouraged to be physically present and participate fully in
Eucharistic assemblies. Watching mass on TVs is highly discouraged unless under
situations such as sickness because “visual image can represent reality, but
they do not actually reproduce it.”(57).
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