The Holy Eucharist St. Marys, 8 February 2017

Sacraments “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” CCC 1131

What is the Eucharist? “The source and summit of all Christian life”: Lumen Gentium 11 “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself” CCC 1324 ”In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: ‘our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking’” CCC 1327, quoting St. Irenaeus c. 175

Why Is the Eucharist So Important? The Catholic and Orthodox Churches believe that the elements (bread and wine) become the body and blood of Jesus Christ This is not symbolic or figurative: The Church has always believed in the ”real presence” – that the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus is truly, really and substantially contained in the Eucharist (CCC 1374)

Flannery O’Conner on the Eucharist "Well, toward morning the conversation turned on the Eucharist, which I, being the Catholic, was obviously supposed to defend. [Mary McCarthy] said when she was a child and received the Host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the 'most portable' person of the Trinity; now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one. I then said, in a very shaky voice, 'Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it.' That was all the defense I was capable of but I realize now that this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable."

How Does Christ Become Present? The Church teaches that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood by a miracle called transubstantiation The outward appearance (or accidents) of the bread and wine remain the same, but the true nature (or substance) changes (CCC 1376) After transubstantiation, Jesus’ body and blood are contained in both Eucharistic species

Wait, What? You are not alone. St Thomas Aquinas wrote that the sacrament cannot be apprehended by the senses, but only by faith, which relies of divine authority. Thomas a Kempis warned against “curious and useless searching into this most profound sacrament. He who is a scrutineer of majesty will be overwhelmed by its glory.” The Church teaches that this miracle is a mystery.

So Why Do We Believe In the Real Presence?

The Institution Narrative Matthew 26:26-35; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 14:19-20

The Bread of Life John 6:22-59

Is Jesus Speaking Metaphorically? No! Watch what happens: The crowd asks for the bread from heaven (v. 34) Jesus proclaims himself to be the bread of life, come down from heaven (v. 35-38) The crowd begins to grumble about this (v. 41-42) Jesus makes some extraordinary remarks (v. 43-47) then repeats his claim (v. 48) Then Jesus says: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone 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” (v. 51) The crowd understands him literally and begin to argue (v. 52)

Jesus is Not Speaking Metaphorically What does Jesus do? He does not say that he was speaking metaphorically, or using a figure of speech Jesus “doubles down” on his extraordinary claim: “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; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (v. 53-54) Many of his disciples left because they could not accept what Jesus was saying (v. 60; 66)

The Apostolic and Sub-Apostolic Church 1 Cor 10:16 - “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” 1 Cor 11:23-27 – see especially v. 27, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord” Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement, Tertullian, Cyprian, etc. etc. all professed the Real Presence (see handout)

Jesus Present in Three Ways Priest, acting in persona Christi Eucharistic species The people (the Body of Christ) Thus, St. Augustine declared, “Behold what you are. Become what you receive.”

How the Sacrament is Celebrated Form is the words of consecration; i.e., “This is my body…” Matter is unleavened wheat bread and grape wine Consecration must be performed by a priest Both bread and wine are required, but it is sufficient to receive only one species

Three Aspects of the Mass “We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given to us: the gifts of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present. We must therefore consider the Eucharist as: Thanksgiving and praise to the Father; The sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body; The presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.” (CCC 1357-8)

Effects of Receiving the Eucharist According to the Catechism, the Eucharist has the following effects: It augments our union with Christ It seperates us from sin It preserves us from future mortal sins It makes the Church by unifying the Body It commits us to the poor

Practical Advice Who can receive communion? Baptised Catholic Age of reason Not in a state of mortal sin Fast for one hour before communion Receive communion at least once per year Either bread or wine is sufficient Receive on the hand or tongue Eat the Host immediately

Eucharistic Adoration Because we believe that the Jesus is present in the Eucharist, Catholics have developed the practice of Eucharistic adoration. This contemplation is “a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus” (CCC 2715). St. John Vianney once found an old man in his church, staring at the tabernacle. He asked the man what he was doing, and the man replied, “I look at him, and he looks at me.” Pope Benedict taught that one could receive grace through Eucharistic adoration.

Questions?