209. The institution of the Eucharist

The institution of the Eucharist

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the catholic Church Lesson 209

Ave Maria series

209  When did Christ institute the Eucharist?

Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist on the evening before his death, “on the night when he was betrayed” (1 Corinthians 11:23),when he gathered the apostles around him in the Upper Room in Jerusalem and celebrated the Last Supper with them.  [1323, 1337-1340]

Communion of the Apostles in the Upper Room, by Fra Angelico with crucifixion inset added by Don L. Bragg. …..209

“How can Jesus distribute his Body and Blood?  By making the bread into his Body and the wine into his Blood, he anticipates his death, he accepts it in his heart, and he transforms it into an action of love. What on the outside is simply brutal violence—the Crucifixion—from within becomes an act of total self-giving love.”  Pope Benedict XVI, August 28, 2008

[1323, 1337-1340]

THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST

1323  "At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'"(Sacrosanctum Concilium 47)¹³⁵–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

The institution of the Eucharist

1337  The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love.(compare John 13:1-17; Jn1: 34-35)¹⁶³   In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; "thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament."(Council of Trent (1562): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1740)¹⁶⁴--CCC

1338  The three synoptic Gospels and St. Paul have handed on to us the account of the institution of the Eucharist; St. John, for his part, reports the words of Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum that prepare for the institution of the Eucharist: Christ calls himself the bread of life, come down from heaven.(compare John 6:35)¹⁶⁵ --CCC

1339  Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum: giving his disciples his Body and his Blood:

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the passover meal for us, that we may eat it. . . ." They went . . . and prepared the passover. And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.". . . . And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood."(Luke 22:17; compare Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)¹⁶⁶ –CCC

1340  By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus' passing over to his father by his death and Resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory of the kingdom. –CCC

Sacrament  Eucharist Communion

208. The Sacrament of the Eucharist

The Sacrament of the Eucharist

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 208

Ave Maria series

208 What is the Holy Eucharist?

 Holy Eucharist is the sacrament in which Jesus Christ gives his Body and Blood—himself—for us, so that we too might give ourselves to him in love and be united with him in Holy Communion.  In this way we are joined with the one Body of Christ, the Church.  [1322, 1324, 1409, 1433]

The Eucharist has been a key theme in the depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art, as in this 16th-century Juan de Juanes painting. …..208

After Baptism and Confirmation, the Eucharist is the third sacrament of initiation of the Catholic Church. The Eucharist is the mysterious center of all these sacraments, because the historic sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is made present during the words of consecration in a hidden, unbloody manner. Thus the celebration of the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium , 11).  Everything aims at this; besides this there is nothing greater that one could attain. When we eat the broken Bread, we unit ourselves with the love of Jesus, who gave his body for us on the wood of the Cross; when we drink from the chalice, we united ourselves with him who even poured out his blood out of love for us.  We did not invent this ritual.  Jesus himself celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and therein anticipated his death; he gave himself to his disciples under the signs of bread and wine and commanded them from then on, even after his death, to celebrate the Eucharist.  “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).

“God would have given us something greater if he had had something greater than himself.”  St. John Vianney (1786-1859, the Cure of Ars)

“The actual effect of the Eucharist is the transformation of man into God.”  St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Eucharist (Greek eucharistia=thanksgiving): Eucharist was at first the name for the prayer of thanksgiving that preceded the transformation of the bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood in the liturgy of the early Church.  Later the term was applied to the whole celebration of the Mass.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.  James 4:8

 [1322, 1324, 1409, 1433]

THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST

1322  The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

THE EUCHARIST - SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF ECCLESIAL LIFE

1324  The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."(Lumen Gentium 11)¹³⁶  "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, our Pasch."(Presbyterorum Ordinis 5)¹³⁷ --CCC

IN BRIEF

1409  The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action. --CCC

1433  Since Easter, the Holy Spirit has proved "the world wrong about sin,"(compare  John 16:8-9)²⁹  i.e., proved that the world has not believed in him whom the Father has sent. But this same Spirit who brings sin to light is also the Consoler who gives the human heart grace for repentance and conversion.(compare John 15:26; Acts of the Apostles 2:36-38; John Paul II, Dominum et Vivificanum 27-48)³⁰–CCC

Sacrament JT  Eucharest Last

207. Ordinarily it is the bishop who confirms the candidate.

Ordinarily it is the bishop who confirms the candidate.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 207

Ave Maria series

207  Who may confirm?

The sacrament of Confirmation is normally administered by the bishop.  For weighty reasons when necessary, the bishop can also delegate a priest to do it.  In danger of death, any priest can administer Confirmation.  [1312-1314]

Bishop William Patrick O’Connor of the Superior Diocese, Wisconsin, confirmed me in the summer of 1942 at age 12.  Did the bishop get it right?  I’ve never turned my back on my Catholic faith.   Bishop O’Connor went on to become the first bishop of the Diocese of Madison. …..207

 

[1312-1314]

THE MINISTER OF CONFIRMATION

1312  The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop.(compare Lumen Gentium 26)¹³⁰

In the East, ordinarily the priest who baptizes also immediately confers Confirmation in one and the same celebration. But he does so with sacred chrism consecrated by the patriarch or the bishop, thus expressing the apostolic unity of the Church whose bonds are strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation. In the Latin Church, the same discipline applies to the Baptism of adults or to the reception into full communion with the Church of a person baptized in another Christian community that does not have valid Confirmation. (compare Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 883 § 2)¹³¹–Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1313  In the Latin Rite, the ordinary minister of Confirmation is the bishop.(compare  Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 882)¹³²  If the need arises, the bishop may grant the faculty of administering Confirmation to priests,(compare Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 884 § 2)¹³³  although it is fitting that he confer it himself, mindful that the celebration of Confirmation has been temporally separated from Baptism for this reason. Bishops are the successors of the apostles. They have received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. The administration of this sacrament by them demonstrates clearly that its effect is to unite those who receive it more closely to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ. –CCC

1314  If a Christian is in danger of death, any priest can give him Confirmation. (compare Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 883 § 3)¹³⁴   Indeed the Church desires that none of her children, even the youngest, should depart this world without having been perfected by the Holy Spirit with the gift of Christ's fullness. –CCC

Bishop William Patrick O’

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 28, 2018

The blind Bartimaeus"Master, I want to see."  Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."  Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 28, 2018
Lectionary: 149

Reading 1.  JERemiah 31:7-9

Thus says the LORD:  Shout with joy for Jacob,exult at the head of the nations;proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people,the remnant of Israel.  Behold, I will bring them backfrom the land of the north;I will gather them from the ends of the world,with the blind and the lame in their midst,the mothers and those with child;they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears,but I will console them and guide them;I will lead them to brooks of water,on a level road, so that none shall stumble. For I am a father to Israel,Ephraim is my first-born.

Responsorial Psalm    PSALM 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Reading 2  HEBREWS 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:  Every high priest is taken from among menand made their representative before God,to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.  He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,for he himself is beset by weaknessand so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himselfas well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himselfbut only when called by God,just as Aaron was. In the same way,it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,but rather the one who said to him:

You are my son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.

Alleluia   Compare 2 TIMOTHY 1:10

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death
and brought life to light through the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel MARK 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,  Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,he began to cry out and say,"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more,"Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."   So they called the blind man, saying to him,"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."  He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sightand followed him on the way.

JT miracle - The

206. The candidate for Confirmation

The candidate for Confirmation

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 206

Ave Maria series

206  Who can be confirmed, and what is required of a candidate for Confirmation?

Any Catholic Christian who has received the sacrament of Baptism and is in the “state of grace” can be admitted to Confirmation.  [1306-1311, 1319]

Father Tomas L. Kelley confirming three person a St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Cross Plains, WI, at the 8:30 a.m. Mass on January 8, 2017. …..206IMG_4160

 To be “in the state of grace” means not to have committed any serious sin (mortal sin).  By a serious sin a person separates himself from God and can be reconciled with God only by making a good confession.  A (young) Christian who is preparing for Confirmation finds himself in one of the important phases of his life.  He will do everything possible to grasp the faith with his heart and his understanding; he will pray alone and with others for the Holy Spirit; he will reconcile himself in every way with himself, with the people around him, and with God. Confession is part of this, since it brings one closer to God even if one has not committed a mortal sin. 316-317

“I am created to do or to be something for which no one else is created: I have a place in God’s counsels, in God’s world, which no one else has.  Whether I be rich or poor, despised or esteemed by man, God knows me and calls me by my name.”  Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

“The most important thing is to begin decisively.”  St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

[1306-1311, 1319]

WHO CAN RECEIVE THIS SACRAMENT?

1306  Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation.(compare Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 889 § 1)¹²³   Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time,"(Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 890)¹²⁴ for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete.  –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1307  For centuries, Latin custom has indicated "the age of discretion" as the reference point for receiving Confirmation. But in danger of death children should be confirmed even if they have not yet attained the age of discretion.(compare Codex Iuris Canonici, cann. 891; 883, 3^o)¹²⁵--CCC

1308  Although Confirmation is sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity," we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need "ratification" to become effective. St. Thomas reminds us of this:

Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: "For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years. "Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.(St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III,72,8, ad 2; compare Wisdom 4:8)¹²⁶--CCC

1309  Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit - his actions, his gifts, and his biddings - in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands.(compare Ordo Confirmationis  Introduction 3)¹²⁷ --CCC

1310  To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace. One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the strength and graces of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act.(compare Acts of the Apostles 1:14)¹²⁸ --CCC

1311  Candidates for Confirmation, as for Baptism, fittingly seek the spiritual help of a sponsor. To emphasize the unity of the two sacraments, it is appropriate that this be one of the baptismal godparents.(compare Ordo Confirmationis Introduction 5; 6; Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 893 §§ 1-2)¹²⁹–CCC

IN BRIEF

1319 A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.–CCC

Sacrament  Confirmation Father Thomas  img_4160

205. To be confirmed means to make a “covenant” with God.

To be confirmed means to make a “covenant” with God.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 205

Ave Maria series

205  What happens in Confirmation?

In Confirmation the soul of a baptized Christian is imprinted with a permanent seal that can be received only once and marks this individual forever as a Christian.  The gift of the Holy Spirit is the strength from above in which this individual puts the grace of his Baptism into practice through his life and acts as a “witness” for Christ. [1302-1305, 1317]

My son, Don C. Bragg, in his turn gives witness for Christ to his son, Stephen, as happens through all generations.…..205

To be confirmed means to make a “covenant” with God.  The confirmand says, “Yes, I believe in you, my God; give me your Holy Spirit, so that I might belong entirely to you and never be separated from you and may witness to you throughout my whole life, body and soul, in my words and deeds, on good days and bad.”  And God says, “Yes, I believe in you, too, my child—and I will give you my Spirit, my very self.  I will belong entirely to you.  I will never separate myself from you, in this life or eternally in the next.  I will be in your body and your soul, in your words and deeds.  Even if you forget me, I will still be there—on good days and bad”.  120

“It is part of your vocation to shout the Gospel from the rooftops, not by your words, but by your life.” Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.  Psalm 51:12

I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.  Deuteronomy 30:19

[1302-1305, 1317]

THE EFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION

1302  It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

1303  From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace: 
- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!";(Romans 8:15)¹¹⁷ 
- it unites us more firmly to Christ; 
- it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us; 
- it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;(compare Lumen Gentium 11)¹¹⁸ 
- it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross(compareCouncil Of Florence (1439): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1319; Lumen Gentium 11; LG 12)¹¹⁹ –CCC

Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts.(St. Ambrose, De myst. 7,42:Patrologia Latina 16,402-403)¹²⁰–CCC

1304  Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the "character," which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness.(compare Council Of Trent (1547): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1609; Luke 24:48-49)¹²¹–CCC

1305  This "character" perfects the common priesthood of the faithful, received in Baptism, and "the confirmed person receives the power to profess faith in Christ publicly and as it were officially (quasi Ex officio)."(St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III,72,5, ad 2)¹²²–CCC

IN BRIEF

1317  Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one's life.–CCC

People  Family Father