Dear Parishioners:
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, calls us to renew our Faith in the Eucharist. Every Catholic learns that the Consecration of the Mass changes the bread and wine brought forward into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Savior. The term used to express this change is “transubstantiation,” which is meant to say that only the appearances of bread and wine remain, while the only Substance present is Jesus Christ Himself.
Polls taken from time to time indicate that Catholics can get a bit confused by what others have to say about their own celebrations of what they call “the Lord’s Supper.” For Christians of other denominations (except the Orthodox, who have the same faith as the Catholic Church), the claim is that the bread and wine remain bread and wine and only serve as a symbol. This is the heart of the difference between Catholics and other Christians concerning the Sacraments: the Sacraments create something new, a true sharing in divine life and power for Catholics; for others, they simply point to a reality beyond themselves.
The Eucharist is symbolic and real at the same time: res et sacramentum. In the Eucharist, it is the Lord Jesus Himself, through the action of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the validly ordained priest Who effects His own Gift of Himself. He becomes Food for us. He is present to us, hidden under the forms of bread and wine, in the full reality of His Person, with His divine nature and His risen and ascended glorified Humanity.
The only adequate response to the Gift of the Eucharist is adoration and worship, and to a full commitment of ourselves to live in accord with Jesus’ teachings as they are made known to us through His Church. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi thus calls us to renew our Faith in the Eucharist and to commit ourselves to witness to this wonderful Truth.
What does this mean practically? We must acknowledge Jesus in the Eucharist by our posture and attitude in church. We dress respectfully. We genuflect toward the Tabernacle, when we come into the church. We bow before the Altar. We kneel and remain silent in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament in the Monstrance (on Wednesdays at St. Timothy Church.) We fast for one hour before receiving Holy Communion. We publicly share our Faith in the Real Presence and correct others when they have a mistaken understanding of the Catholic Faith. We commit ourselves to live as Temples of the Holy Spirit and earthen vessels of Heavenly Food.
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine; all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
A Third or Fourth Century prayer to our Eucharistic Lord:
Today we have seen our Lord Jesus Christ on the altar. Today we have gained possessions of the burning coal in whose shadow the cherubim sing. Today we have heard a voice say, sweet and strong: This body burns the thorns of sin. This body gives light to the souls of all believers. This body the woman touched that had the flux of blood, and gone was her bitter anguish... See, children, what a body we have eaten, see what blood we have drunk, what a covenant we have made with our God. O to be proof against shame on the day of requital. We can sufficiently praise the mystery of your grace? We have been enabled to take our share of the gift; may we keep it safe to the end, that so we may come to hear the blessed voice, the sweet, the holy, saying: Come, you that have received a blessing from my Father; take possession of the kingdom that awaits you.
Countdown to our Golden Jubilee: Getting to know Saint Timothy.
We continue our reflections on Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.
First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2:1-4)
St. Paul expresses to Timothy and his community how they (and we) are supposed to relate to the wider culture, even politics. Authority comes from God through a variety of intermediaries. God is the first Authority. Christ and His Church are the source of our knowledge of God’s will. In a pluralistic society, the Church must be a leaven. The primary means of action that the Church always has at her disposal is her life of Prayer. And so, the directive Timothy receives is to pray for all in authority. The reason for the supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings is to create room for a “quiet and tranquil life,” that is, a life lived with the possibility of communicating the Gospel to those who have not yet heard it. God wants all to come to knowledge of the Truth.
For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as ransom for all. This was the testimony at the proper time. For this I was appointed preacher and apostle (I am speaking the truth, I am not lying), teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. (I Timothy 2:5-8)
The heart of the Gospel preached by St. Paul and entrusted to Timothy is the Truth about Jesus Christ: He is the Son of the One and only God, and He is the Mediator between God and the Human Race. Each person has a relationship with God through Christ. Paul knows his own role as Preacher and Apostle, Teacher of the Gentiles. He conforms his own wish with God’s, calling for prayer.
The vision presented by Paul in this section of the First Letter to Timothy suggests that the Church is able to participate in the wider society no matter what the situation may be. Her first unique contribution is her Prayer. The Christian community bears responsibility to pray for the world and especially for all leaders, those who exercise authority. Her purpose for this Prayer is to open up a hearing of the Gospel. Getting caught up in internal controversies would impede her duty in this matter.
At every Mass, we offer petitions and prayers for the nations of the world and their leaders. Catholics are called to be active in the world of politics so as to transform it into a form that promotes the values of the Gospel. Do we have our priorities straight in this regard?
Reflections on the Liturgy: MYSTERY OF FAITH (Currently called the Memorial Acclamation)
Priest: The mystery of faith
People: (A) We proclaim your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
(B) When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord,
until you come again.
(C) Save us, Savior of the world,
for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.
The changes in the response of the People following the Consecration may be experienced as the most dramatic.
Gone is the form “Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.” This option was never present in the Latin text; it was newly created an added when the English version was made. It is rather surprising that it was placed as the first option, so that English speakers often used this form without ever making use of the responses that are from Scripture.
The three options are newly translated in greater fidelity to the Latin text and to the Scriptures that underlie them.
The term Mystery of Faith is found in Scripture: “Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful, not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain, holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. [I Timothy 3:8-9]
The various forms of the acclamation primarily come from one text from St. Paul:
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.” [I Corinthians 11:26]
The expressions used to address the Lord have many parallels in Scripture; a couple of examples will suffice:
And say, "Save us, O God, our savior, gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in praising you." [I Chronicles 16:35]
The prayer was as follows: "Lord, Lord God, creator of all things, awesome and strong, just and merciful, the only king and benefactor, who alone are gracious, just, almighty, and eternal, Israel's savior from all evil, who chose our forefathers and sanctified them: accept this sacrifice on behalf of all your people Israel and guard and sanctify your heritage." [II Maccabees 1:24-26]
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