Tuesday, July 31, 2012
283. What is the meaning of transubstantiation?
(Comp 283) Transubstantiation means the
change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ
and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of his Blood. This change
is brought about in the eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the word of
Christ and by the action of the Holy Spirit. However, the outward
characteristics of bread and wine, that is the “eucharistic species”, remain
unaltered.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1413)
By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body
and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread
and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and
substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity (cf.
Council of Trent: DS 1640; 1651).
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1376)
The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because
Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under
the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God,
and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread
and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into
the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the
wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has
fittingly and properly called transubstantiation" (Council of Trent
(1551): DS 1642; cf. Mt 26:26 ff.; Mk 14:22 ff.; Lk 22:19 ff.; 1 Cor 11:24 ff).
On
reflection
(CCC 1418)
Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, he is to be
honored with the worship of adoration. "To visit the Blessed Sacrament is…
a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward
Christ our Lord" (Paul VI, MF 66).
Monday, July 30, 2012
282. How is Christ present in the Eucharist?
282. How is Christ present in the Eucharist?
(Comp 282) Jesus Christ is present in
the Eucharist in a unique and incomparable way. He is present in a true, real
and substantial way, with his Body and his Blood, with his Soul and his
Divinity. In the Eucharist, therefore, there is present in a sacramental way,
that is, under the Eucharistic species of bread and wine, Christ whole and
entire, God and Man.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1413)
By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body
and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread
and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and
substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity (cf.
Council of Trent: DS 1640; 1651).
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1373)
"Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the
right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us," is present in many ways
to his Church (Rom 8:34; cf. LG 48): in his word, in his Church's prayer,
"where two or three are gathered in my name" (Mt 18:20), in the poor,
the sick, and the imprisoned (Cf. Mt
25:31-46), in the sacraments of which he is the author, in the sacrifice of the
Mass, and in the person of the minister. But "he is present… most especially in the Eucharistic species"
(SC 7). (CCC 1374) The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species
is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the
perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments
tend" (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh
III, 73, 3c). In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and
blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and,
therefore, the whole Christ is truly,
really, and substantially contained" (Council of Trent (1551): DS
1651). "This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to
exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but
because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ,
God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present" (Paul VI, MF
39).
On
reflection
(CCC 1375)
It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood that
Christ becomes present in this sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed
the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action
of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom
declares: It is not man that causes the things offered to become the Body and
Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself. The priest,
in the role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are
God's. This is my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered (St.
John Chrysostom, prod. Jud. 1:6: PG
49, 380). And St. Ambrose says about this conversion: Be convinced that this is
not what nature has formed, but what the blessing has consecrated. The power of
the blessing prevails over that of nature, because by the blessing nature
itself is changed.... Could not Christ's word, which can make from nothing what
did not exist, change existing things into what they were not before? It is no
less a feat to give things their original nature than to change their nature
(St. Ambrose, De myst. 9, 50; 52: PL
16, 405-407).
(Next
question: What is the meaning of transubstantiation?)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
281. In what way does the Church participate in the eucharistic sacrifice? (part 2 continuation)
281. In what way does the Church participate in the eucharistic sacrifice? (part 2 continuation)
(Comp 281 repetition) In the Eucharist
the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body.
The lives of the faithful, their praise, their suffering, their prayers, their
work, are united to those of Christ. In as much as it is a sacrifice, the
Eucharist is likewise offered for all the faithful, living and dead, in
reparation for the sins of all and to obtain spiritual and temporal benefits
from God. The Church in heaven is also united to the offering of Christ.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1414)
As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the
living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1371)
The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who "have died in Christ but are not yet
wholly purified" (Council of Trent (1562): DS 1743), so that they may be
able to enter into the light and peace of Christ: Put this body anywhere! Don't
trouble yourselves about it! I simply ask you to remember me at the Lord's
altar wherever you are (St. Monica, before her death, to her sons, St.
Augustine and his brother; Conf. 9,
11, 27: PL 32, 775). Then, we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers and
bishops who have fallen asleep, and in general for all who have fallen asleep
before us, in the belief that it is a great benefit to the souls on whose
behalf the supplication is offered, while the holy and tremendous Victim is
present…. By offering to God our supplications for those who have fallen
asleep, if they have sinned, we… offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all,
and so render favorable, for them and for us, the God who loves man (St. Cyril
of Jerusalem, Catech. myst. 5, 9. 10:
PG 33, 1116-1117).
On
reflection
(CCC 1370)
To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth,
but also those already in the glory of
heaven. In communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all
the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist the
Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the
offering and intercession of Christ. (CCC 1372) St. Augustine admirably summed
up this doctrine that moves us to an ever more complete participation in our
Redeemer's sacrifice which we celebrate in the Eucharist: This wholly redeemed
city, the assembly and society of the saints, is offered to God as a universal
sacrifice by the high priest who in the form of a slave went so far as to offer
himself for us in his Passion, to make us the Body of so great a head.... Such
is the sacrifice of Christians: "we who are many are one Body in
Christ" the Church continues to reproduce this sacrifice in the sacrament
of the altar so well-known to believers wherein it is evident to them that in
what she offers she herself is offered (St. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 10, 6: PL 41, 283; cf. Rom 12:5). [END]
(Next question: How is Christ present in the Eucharist?)
Saturday, July 28, 2012
281. In what way does the Church participate in the eucharistic sacrifice? (part 1)
281. In what way does the Church participate in the eucharistic sacrifice? (part 1)
(Comp 281) In the Eucharist the
sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The
lives of the faithful, their praise, their suffering, their prayers, their
work, are united to those of Christ. In as much as it is a sacrifice, the
Eucharist is likewise offered for all the faithful, living and dead, in
reparation for the sins of all and to obtain spiritual and temporal benefits
from God. The Church in heaven is also united to the offering of Christ.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1414)
As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the
living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God.
1414
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1368) The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the
Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering
of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire. She unites
herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist the
sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The
lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united
with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value.
Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible for all generations
of Christians to be united with his offering. In the catacombs the Church is
often represented as a woman in prayer, arms outstretched in the praying
position. Like Christ who stretched out his arms on the cross, through him,
with him, and in him, she offers herself and intercedes for all men.
On
reflection
(CCC 1369) The whole Church is united with the offering
and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of Peter in the
Church, the Pope is associated with
every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant
of the unity of the universal Church. The bishop
of the place is always responsible for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop's name is
mentioned to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of
his presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons.
The community intercedes also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer
the Eucharistic sacrifice: Let only that Eucharist be regarded as legitimate,
which is celebrated under [the presidency of] the bishop or him to whom he has
entrusted it (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad
Smyrn. 8:1; SCh 10, 138). Through the ministry of priests the spiritual
sacrifice of the faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice of Christ
the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is offered through the priests' hands
in the name of the whole Church in an unbloody and sacramental manner until the
Lord himself comes (PO 2 § 4). [IT CONTINUES]
(The question: “In what way does the Church participate in the eucharistic sacrifice?” continues)
Friday, July 27, 2012
280. In what way is the Eucharist a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ? (part 2 continuation)
280. In what way is the Eucharist a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ? (part 2 continuation)
(Comp 280 repetition) The Eucharist is a
memorial in the sense that it makes present and actual the sacrifice which
Christ offered to the Father on the cross, once and for all on behalf of
mankind. The sacrificial character of the Holy Eucharist is manifested in the
very words of institution, “This is my Body which is given for you” and “This
cup is the New Covenant in my Blood that will be shed for you” (Luke 22:19-20).
The sacrifice of the cross and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one and the
same sacrifice. The priest and the victim are the same; only the manner of
offering is different: in a bloody manner on the cross, in an unbloody manner
in the Eucharist.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1362)
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the
sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church
which is his Body. In all the Eucharistic Prayers we find after the words of
institution a prayer called the anamnesis
or memorial.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1365)
Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a
sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very
words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and
"This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my
blood" (Lk 22:19-20). In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which
he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for
many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28). (CCC 1367) The sacrifice of
Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the
same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on
the cross; only the manner of offering is different." "And since in
this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who
offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained
and is offered in an unbloody manner… this sacrifice is truly
propitiatory" (Council of Trent (1562): DS 1743; cf. Heb 9:14, 27).
On
reflection
(CCC 613)
Christ's death is both the Paschal
sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through
"the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29; cf.
8:34-36; 1 Cor 5:7; 1 Pt 1:19), and the sacrifice
of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by
reconciling him to God through the "blood of the covenant, which was
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28; cf. Ex 24:8;
Lev 16:15-16; 1 Cor 11:25). (CCC 1366) The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice
because it re-presents (makes
present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies
its fruit: [Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to
God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an
everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his
death, at the Last Supper "on the night when he was betrayed," [he
wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the
nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish
once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until
the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of
the sins we daily commit (Council of Trent (1562): DS 1740; cf. 1 Cor 11:23;
Heb 7:24, 27). [END]
(Next question: In what way does the Church participate in the eucharistic sacrifice?)
Thursday, July 26, 2012
280. In what way is the Eucharist a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ? (part 1)
280. In what way is the Eucharist a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ? (part 1)
(Comp
280) The Eucharist is a memorial in the sense that it makes present and actual
the sacrifice which Christ offered to the Father on the cross, once and for all
on behalf of mankind. The sacrificial character of the Holy Eucharist is
manifested in the very words of institution, “This is my Body which is given
for you” and “This cup is the New Covenant in my Blood that will be shed for
you” (Luke 22:19-20). The sacrifice of the cross and the sacrifice of the
Eucharist are one and the same sacrifice. The priest and the victim are the
same; only the manner of offering is different: in a bloody manner on the
cross, in an unbloody manner in the Eucharist.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1362)
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the
sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church
which is his Body. In all the Eucharistic Prayers we find after the words of
institution a prayer called the anamnesis
or memorial.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1103) Anamnesis. The liturgical celebration
always refers to God's saving interventions in history. "The economy of
Revelation is realized by deeds and words which are intrinsically bound up with
each other.... [T]he words for their part proclaim the works and bring to light
the mystery they contain" (DV 2). In the Liturgy of the Word the Holy
Spirit "recalls" to the assembly all that Christ has done for us. In
keeping with the nature of liturgical actions and the ritual traditions of the
churches, the celebration "makes a remembrance" of the marvelous
works of God in an anamnesis which may be more or less developed. The Holy
Spirit who thus awakens the memory of the Church then inspires thanksgiving and
praise (doxology). (CCC 1363) In the
sense of Sacred Scripture the memorial
is not merely the recollection of past events but the proclamation of the
mighty works wrought by God for men (Cf. Ex 13:3). In the liturgical
celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real.
This is how Israel understands its liberation from Egypt: every time Passover
is celebrated, the Exodus events are made present to the memory of believers so
that they may conform their lives to them.
On
reflection
(CCC 1985)
The New Law is a law of love, a law of grace, a law of freedom. (CCC 1364) In
the New Testament, the memorial takes on new meaning. When the Church
celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made
present: the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever
present (Cf. Heb 7:25-27). "As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by
which 'Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed' is celebrated on the altar, the
work of our redemption is carried out" (LG 3; cf. 1 Cor 5:7). [IT
CONTINUES]
(The question: “In what way is the Eucharist a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ?“ continues)
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
279. What are the essential and necessary elements for celebrating the Eucharist?
279. What are the essential and necessary elements for celebrating the Eucharist?
(Comp
279) The essential elements are wheat bread and grape wine.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1412)
The essential signs of the Eucharistic sacrament are wheat bread and grape
wine, on which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest
pronounces the words of consecration spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper:
"This is my body which will be given up for you.... This is the cup of my
blood...."
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1334)
In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in sacrifice among the first
fruits of the earth as a sign of grateful acknowledgment to the Creator. But
they also received a new significance in the context of the Exodus: the
unleavened bread that Israel eats every year at Passover commemorates the haste
of the departure that liberated them from Egypt; the remembrance of the manna
in the desert will always recall to Israel that it lives by the bread of the
Word of God (Cf. Deut 8:3); their daily bread is the fruit of the promised
land, the pledge of God's faithfulness to his promises. The "cup of
blessing" (1 Cor 10:16) at the end of the Jewish Passover meal adds to the
festive joy of wine an eschatological dimension: the messianic expectation of
the rebuilding of Jerusalem. When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he gave a new
and definitive meaning to the blessing of the bread and the cup.
On
reflection
(CCC 1406)
Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one
eats of this bread, he will live for ever;… he who eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life and… abides in
me, and I in him" Jn 6:51, 54, 56). (CCC 1335) The miracles of the
multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and
distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure
the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist (Cf. Mt 14:13-21;
15:32-39). The sign of water turned into wine at Cana already announces the
Hour of Jesus' glorification. It makes manifest the fulfillment of the wedding
feast in the Father's kingdom, where the faithful will drink the new wine that
has become the Blood of Christ (Cf. Jn 2:11; Mk 14:25).
(Next question: In what way is the Eucharist a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ?)
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