05.25.08
Posted in Eucharistic Adoration, The Church Speaks For Christ at 10:30 am by Brian Schuettler
John 6: 51-53
I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.
| The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” |
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So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; |
25 May 2008
The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) (A)
Fr Denis Geraghty reflects on changes in Eucharistic piety in recent decades.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the reformed liturgy has led to a remarkable shift in Eucharistic piety. Before the liturgical changes, Eucharistic piety fastened mainly onto ‘the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist’. Piety consisted largely in visits to the blessed sacrament, benediction, processions, and the ‘holy hour’, where (to quote from a prayer) Jesus is ‘awaiting, calling and welcoming those who come to visit thee’.
Since the Council, other elements have come to the fore. Most especially, there has evolved a deeper sense of Eucharistic piety that relates the Eucharist to the Mass, and a deeper understanding of the Mass in relation to the Church as the mystical Body of Christ, with the Eucharist as the source of its unity.
The Eucharist, we now understand, creates the Church; the Church does not create the Eucharist. So the real presence is the sacrament of the unity of the Church and of the presence of the risen and glorified Jesus in our midst, in our world.
The feast of Corpus Christi reminds us that the Eucharist cannot be separated from the Mass, so that Eucharistic piety outside Mass — that is, visits, processions and the holy hour — become preparations for receiving the body of Christ as a sign of our unity with one another and of the unity of the Church.
This does not undermine the real presence, of course, but enlarges and deepens our understanding of it. When we reflect on the feast of the Body of Christ we reflect on his sacramental bodily presence. But we should reflect as well on the Church as the Body of Christ in which we are enlivened with the one Spirit. When we come to Mass we do not come as a group of individuals, as we might be if we attend a meeting. We come together as a body in worship to listen to the word of God and to receive spiritual nourishment.
This means that what is happening at Mass is that the body of Christ on the altar gives new life and strengthens the body of Christ — us — gathered as the Church. At the altar, Christ is not only on the altar. He is there with the priest acting not only in the person of Christ but in the person of the Church leading the people.
But there is a further dimension to this feast: the risen and glorified Christ sacramentally present in the Eucharist then points to the future. St Thomas Aquinas reminds us of this future dimension in which the relationship of the Mass to the Passion of Christ is remembered. ‘O sacred Banquet, in which the Passion is remembered, the mind is filled with grace and the pledge of future glory is given to us’.
We are experiencing a future in which the whole of creation is to be transformed. The feast of Corpus Christi is, of course, related to the institution of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday, but, celebrated as it is after Easter, it is related also to the Paschal mystery as a dying and rising with Christ.
The feast has been transferred from a mid-week Thursday to a Sunday. There are many who regret this liturgical change. But, if — as the bishops suggest — the feast was not being properly observed, then there is perhaps something to be said for transferring it to a Sunday when there is a larger assembly of the people of God present at the liturgy.
fr. Denis Geraghty lives at St Dominic’s Priory, London, having retired as spiritual director at Allen Hall, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Westminster.
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03.21.08
Posted in Eucharistic Adoration at 5:40 am by Brian Schuettler
Isaiah 52: 13 - 15
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| 13 |
Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. |
| 14 |
As many were astonished at him — his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men — |
| 15 |
so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand.
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Isaiah 53: 1 - 12
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| 1 |
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? |
| 2 |
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. |
| 3 |
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. |
| 4 |
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. |
| 5 |
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. |
| 6 |
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. |
| 7 |
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. |
| 8 |
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? |
| 9 |
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. |
| 10 |
Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; |
| 11 |
he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities. |
| 12 |
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. |
Psalms 31: 2, 6, 12 - 13, 15 - 17, 25
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| 2 |
Incline thy ear to me, rescue me speedily! Be thou a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! |
| 6 |
Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in the LORD. |
| 12 |
I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. |
| 13 |
Yea, I hear the whispering of many — terror on every side! — as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. |
| 15 |
My times are in thy hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors! |
| 16 |
Let thy face shine on thy servant; save me in thy steadfast love! |
| 17 |
Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call on thee; let the wicked be put to shame, let them go dumbfounded to Sheol. |
Hebrews 4: 14 - 16
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| 14 |
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. |
| 15 |
For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. |
| 16 |
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. |
Hebrews 5: 7 - 9
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| 7 |
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. |
| 8 |
Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; |
| 9 |
and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, |
John 18: 1 - 40
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| 1 |
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. |
| 2 |
Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples. |
| 3 |
So Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. |
| 4 |
Then Jesus, knowing all that was to befall him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” |
| 5 |
They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. |
| 6 |
When he said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. |
| 7 |
Again he asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” |
| 8 |
Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he; so, if you seek me, let these men go.” |
| 9 |
This was to fulfil the word which he had spoken, “Of those whom thou gavest me I lost not one.” |
| 10 |
Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. |
| 11 |
Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?” |
| 12 |
So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him. |
| 13 |
First they led him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Ca’iaphas, who was high priest that year. |
| 14 |
It was Ca’iaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. |
| 15 |
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. As this disciple was known to the high priest, he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus, |
| 16 |
while Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in. |
| 17 |
The maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are not you also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not.” |
| 18 |
Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. |
| 19 |
The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. |
| 20 |
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly. |
| 21 |
Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said.” |
| 22 |
When he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” |
| 23 |
Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” |
| 24 |
Annas then sent him bound to Ca’iaphas the high priest. |
| 25 |
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Are not you also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” |
John 18: 1 - 40
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| 26 |
One of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” |
| 27 |
Peter again denied it; and at once the cock crowed. |
| 28 |
Then they led Jesus from the house of Ca’iaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover. |
| 29 |
So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” |
| 30 |
They answered him, “If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over.” |
| 31 |
Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.” |
| 32 |
This was to fulfil the word which Jesus had spoken to show by what death he was to die. |
| 33 |
Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” |
| 34 |
Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” |
| 35 |
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” |
| 36 |
Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” |
| 37 |
Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” |
| 38 |
Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again, and told them, “I find no crime in him. |
| 39 |
But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?” |
| 40 |
They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barab’bas!” Now Barab’bas was a robber. |
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10.13.07
Posted in Eucharistic Adoration at 5:11 pm by Brian Schuettler
In that document Pope Benedict sets out clearly and forcefully the relationship between the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy and our adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after that celebration. His message is so important that I am going to quote it in full:
One of the most moving moments of the Synod came when we gathered in Saint Peter’s Basilica, together with a great number of the faithful, for Eucharistic adoration. In this act of prayer, and not just in words, the assembly of Bishops wanted to point out the intrinsic relationship between Eucharistic celebration and Eucharistic adoration.
A growing appreciation of this significant aspect of the Church’s faith has been an important part of our experience in the years following the liturgical renewal desired by the Second Vatican Council. During the early phases of the reform, the inherent relationship between Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was not always perceived with sufficient clarity.
For example, an objection that was widespread at the time argued that the Eucharistic bread was given to us not to be looked at, but to be eaten. In the light of the Church’s experience of prayer, however, this was seen to be a false dichotomy.
As Saint Augustine put it: “nemo autem illam carnem manducat, nisi prius adoraverit; peccemus non adorando — no one eats that flesh without first adoring it; we should sin were we not to adore it.”
In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church’s supreme act of adoration.
Receiving the Eucharist means adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly liturgy.
The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself.
Indeed, “only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one another.”
Importance of Sunday Mass
An ardent love for and worship of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament is a powerful call to all Catholics, especially those who absent themselves from Sunday Mass, to recognize in the Mass the real presence of Christ actually offering in our midst at the Sacred Liturgy the loving gift of himself in his Body and Blood — made first of all to his Heavenly Father in the Eucharistic Prayer and then to us in Holy Communion.
To miss Sunday Mass — unless, of course one is prevented for a serious reason — is to miss the opportunity to meet Christ when and where and how he wants us to meet him.
And it is a missed opportunity to receive from him the power we need and only he can give us to live out our baptismal mission of spreading his love in this world. No committed follower of Christ would think of disappointing him in that way, any more than a spouse or lover would “diss” his or her beloved for something that might mistakenly be thought “more important.”
For a believer, nothing is more important than Christ; he is for us life itself.
The Second Vatican Council, the watershed event for the Church in our age, called for a renewal in the life of the Church. Without a renewal of Eucharistic life this impulse will have been stunted, if not stillborn.
http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/66487
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