Celebrating 100 over years in Irondequoit
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Cycle B
- B220: What is the "link" between the Incarnation and the Eucharist?
- Good and wicked alike receive Him, but...
- Q376: What is this unpleasantness of "sprinkling blood" on the Israelites all about in the First Reading (Exodus 24:3-8)?
- Q532: What is the "link" between the Incarnation and the Holy Eucharist?
B220: What is the "link" between the Incarnation and the Eucharist?
Did you ever notice how the "heavy duty" articles of faith (i.e., Most Holy Trinity; Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) are placed immediately after Pentecost Sunday? This placement reminds a thoughtful Catholic that it is only by the grace of God and the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, who guides His Church into all truth, that we are enabled to believe in these divine "mysteries."
The "link" you speak of is the self-revelation of God. In the Incarnation, God assumed our human nature and became man, accomplishing our salvation in that same human nature (CCC #461). This is what makes us "Christian," the sign of our faith; we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and became incarnate for us.
In the Eucharist, God becomes present to us in a very special way - his "real presence," not just a symbolic presence. We believe that Jesus is "wholly and entirely present" in the element of consecrated bread, and also in the element of consecrated wine. This dogma of faith has been reaffirmed many times, including the Council of Trent in the 16th century.
In the Incarnation, God came to share our life. In the Eucharist, we share in the life of God. As our bishops teach us, the Eucharist is the "source and summit of the whole Christian life." God remains present to His Church in this unique way - a visible presence (Incarnation) has been exchanged for a sacramental presence (Eucharist). You cannot be a true Catholic without believing unconditionally in the real presence of Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Pray to the Holy Spirit to strengthen your faith in this essential and foundational belief!
Know Your Catechism! Do you faithfully observe the Church's law regarding fasting before receiving Holy Communion (one hour without food or drink, other than water and medicine)? Why does the Church have this law? What does dressing properly for Mass have to do with this Sacrament (CCC #1387)? If you are having difficulty with understanding this Sacrament of Eucharist, please discuss it with a deacon or priest of your choice.
Good and wicked alike receive Him, but...
Today, the feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) honors Jesus' great gift of Himself in Holy Communion. He who receives communion in sin will increase in sin, for he has mocked Christ's gift of Himself. St. Paul constantly warns us against unworthy communion: "A man should examine himself first; only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup."
St. Cyprian, the great third-century bishop of Carthage repeated Paul's warning, on the basis of his own experience. In the year 250, the Roman emperor Decius, commanded that all citizens, Christians included, offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, and then receive "communion" by eating the sacrificed meat and drinking the sacrificed wine. Frightened by the threat of death, hundreds of Christians hastened to commit the prescribed idolatry. Then, with equal haste, they tried to get back into the good graces of the Church. St. Cyprian tells us that one of those Christians who had received the idolatrous communion dared to mingle with the Christian faithful on the following Sunday and held out his hands to receive the body of Christ. But it didn't work. "He could not eat or handle the holy of the Lord," says Cyprian, "but found in his hands when opened that he had a cinder."
God seldom shows his displeasure with an unworthy communicant in such a startling manner. He leaves it to the conscience of each guilty one to reproach himself for insulting the King of Love. But in the feast day Mass of Corpus Christi the Church cautions us against this sacrilege in the profound poem of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Lauda Sion Salvatorem: "The good and wicked alike receive, but with the unlike destiny of life or death. To the wicked it is death, but life to the good. See how different is the result, though each receives the same." (Sequence of today's Mass).
-Father Robert F. McNamara
Q376: What is this unpleasantness of "sprinkling blood" on the Israelites all about in the First Reading (Exodus 24:3-8)?
Historians tell us that in an earlier age before Israel became a nation, men would create a special bond, becoming "blood brothers," and the bond was ratified by drinking each other's blood. Later on, substitutes for this "bonding ritual" were created, such as eating a sacrificial meal or sprinkling the blood of a sacrificed animal on the parties to the ritual. In our recent history we see traces of other substitutes, such as in the frontier days of cowboys and Indians (two men would make an incision on their arms, then clasp them together, becoming "blood brothers").
In effect, we are talking about creating a "community of life," whether of individuals or a nation. The Mosaic Covenant was the creation of a new community of life, a bond between the Israelites and the Life-Giver, Yahweh. This bonding ritual was ratified by sprinkling the blood of sacrificed animals on the people. Our ancestors understood this ritual, which was a part of their culture, so it would not have been an unpleasant experience for them.
But Jesus gave us a New Covenant at the Last Supper (Mark 14:22-24). This ritual also created a "community of life" and it was ratified when Jesus sacrificed his own body and shed his own blood for our redemption. Those who believe in the Real Presence recognize and understand by faith that in this new way, Jesus is giving us new life. It looks like bread and wine to our senses, but it is Truly the precious body and blood of Jesus Christ in sacramental form.
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! Every Sunday we are invited to renew our bonding ritual, the New Covenant, by receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus and uniting ourselves to him at this sacrificial meal (CCC #1331). By celebrating this Eucharist, we give thanks to God for his works of creation, redemption, and sanctification (CCC #1328).
Q532: What is the "link" between the Incarnation and the Holy Eucharist?
Did you ever notice how the "heavy duty" articles of faith (i.e., Most Holy Trinity; Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ) are placed immediately after Pentecost Sunday? This placement reminds a thoughtful Catholic that it is only by the grace of God and the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, who guides His Church into all truth, that we are enabled to believe in these divine "mysteries." The "link" you speak of is the self-revelation of God. In the Incarnation, God assumed our human nature and became man, accomplishing our salvation in that same human nature (CCC #461). This is what makes us "Christian," the sign of our faith; we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and became incarnate for us. In the Eucharist, God becomes present to us in a very special way – his "real presence," not just a symbolic presence. We believe that Jesus is "wholly and entirely present" in the element of consecrated bread, and also in the element of consecrated wine. This dogma of faith has been reaffirmed many times over the centuries, including the Council of Trent in the 16th century. In the Incarnation, God came to share our life. In the Eucharist, we share in the life of God. As our bishops teach us, the Eucharist is the "source and summit of the whole Christian life." God remains present to His Church in this unique way – a visible presence (Incarnation) has been exchanged for a sacramental presence (Eucharist). You cannot be a true Catholic without believing unconditionally in the real presence of Jesus in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Faith always precedes understanding. Pray to the Holy Spirit to strengthen your faith in this essential and foundational belief!
Know Your Catechism! Do you faithfully observe the Church's teaching fasting before receiving Holy Communion (one hour without food or drink, other than water and medicine)? Why does the Church have this law? What does dressing properly for Mass have to do with this Sacrament (CCC #1387)? If you are having difficulty with understanding this most holy Sacrament of Eucharist, please discuss it with a deacon or priest of your choice.
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