220 PREPARATION FOR RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION

YOUCAT Lesson 220

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

220  What sort of preparation do I need in order to be able to receive Holy Eucharist?

Someone who would like to receive Holy Eucharist must be Catholic.  If he has a serious sin on his conscience, he must first make a confession.  Before approaching the altar, one should be reconciled with his neighbors.  [1389, 1417]

Photo: …..Standing behind the altar, lay ministers are about to assist the priest and deacon in distributing  the Holy Eucharist Liturgy at Our Lady Queen of the Universe Catholic Church, Woodruff, WI. .....220

Until a few years ago, the practice was to eat nothing for at least three hours before Mass; that was how people prepared to encounter Christ in Holy Communion.  Today the Church requires at least one hour of fasting.  Another sign of reverence is to wear one’s finest clothing—after all, we have a rendezvous with the Lord of the world.

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”  Matthew 8:8  --  An adaptation of these words that the centurion spoke to Jesus is recited before receiving Holy Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

THE PASCHAL BANQUET

……."Take this and eat it, all of you": communion

……..1389   The Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season.(Orientalium Ecclesiarum 15; Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 920)²²⁴    But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily.  –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….IN BRIEF

…….1417   The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion when they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year. --CCC

219 WE ATTEND MASS ON SUNDAYS AND HOLY DAYS OF OBLIGATION

YOUCAT Lesson 219

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

219  How often must a Catholic Christian participate in the celebration of the Eucharist?

A Catholic Christian is obliged to attend Holy Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation.  Anyone who is really seeking Jesus’ friendship responds as often as possible to Jesus’ personal invitation to the feast.  [1389, 1417]

Photo: …..Holy day Mass attendance at the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, Champion, WI.  The people are participating in the August 15 11:00 a.m. outdoor service commemorating Mary’s Assumption into heaven.  Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay is the celebrant.  The altar is out of view to the right of the photo. …..219

Actually, for a genuine Christian, “Sunday duty” is just as inappropriate an expression as “kiss duty” would be for someone who was truly in love.  No one can have a living relationship with Christ without going to the place where he is waiting for us.  Therefore, from ancient times the celebration of Mass has been the “heart of Sunday” and the most important appointment in the week.

Doxology (Greek doxa=glory): A doxology is the solemn, formulaic laudatory conclusion of a prayer, for instance the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, which reads:  “Through him and with him, and in him, to you, O God almighty Father , in the unity of the Holy Spirit, is all honor and glory, for ever and ever”.  Often doxologies are addressed to the Holy Trinity, for instance, “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end”, the formula that usually concludes a Christian prayer.

THE PASCHAL BANQUET

"Take this and eat it, all of you": communion

…….1388   It is in keeping with the very meaning of the Eucharist that the faithful, if they have the required dispositions, receive communion when they participate in the Mass. As the Second Vatican Council says: "That more perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the priest's communion, receive the Lord's Body from the same sacrifice, is warmly recommended."(Sacrosanctum Concilium 55)^{223 –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition}

IN BRIEF

…….1417   The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion when they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year.

218 TRUTH HIMSELF SPEAKS TRULY OR THERE'S NOTHING TRUE from Adoro te devote (Godhead Here In Hiding hymn)

YOUCAT Lesson 218

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

218  What is the right way to honor the Lord present in the bread and wine?

Because God is truly present in the consecrated species of bread and wine, we must preserve the sacred gifts with the greatest reverence and worship our Lord and Redeemer in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  [1378-1381, 1418]

Photos above: …..At left, a tabernacle in which vessels containing the consecrated Hosts are reserved between Masses in a Catholic Church, and right, The Blessed Sacrament, presented in a monstrance, here being carried by Cardinal Danneels in procession using a humeral veil (golden vestment similar to a cloak) to grasp the display vessel by its stem support. …..218

If there are consecrated hosts left over after the celebration of Holy Eucharist, they are kept in sacred vessels in the tabernacle.  Since the Most Blessed Sacrament is present in them, the tabernacle is one of the most venerable places in every church.  We genuflect before any tabernacle.  Certainly, anyone who is really following Christ will recognize him in the poorest of the poor and serve him in them.  But he will also find time to spend in adoration before the tabernacle and offer his love to our Eucharistic Lord.

Tabernacle (Latin tabernaculum=hut, tent): In a way reminiscent of the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant, the tabernacle developed in the Catholic Church as a prominent, richly ornamented place for preserving the Most Blessed Sacrament (Christ in the form of bread).

Monstrance (Latin monstrare=to show: a sacred object used to display Christ in the form of consecrated bread on special occasions for adoration by the faithful.  In this photo the consecrated host contained within the glass windows of the monstrance is being carried by the priest in procession.

The presence of Christ by the power of his word and the Holy Spirit

…….1378   Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession."(Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei 56)²⁰⁸ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….1379   The tabernacle was first intended for the reservation of the Eucharist in a worthy place so that it could be brought to the sick and those absent outside of Mass. As faith in the real presence of Christ in his Eucharist deepened, the Church became conscious of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord present under the Eucharistic species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle should be located in an especially worthy place in the church and should be constructed in such a way that it emphasizes and manifests the truth of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. --CCC

……..1380   It is highly fitting that Christ should have wanted to remain present to his Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to take his departure from his own in his visible form, he wanted to give us his sacramental presence; since he was about to offer himself on the cross to save us, he wanted us to have the memorial of the love with which he loved us "to the end,"(John 13:1)²⁰⁹  even to the giving of his life. In his Eucharistic presence he remains mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave himself up for us,(compare Galatians 2:2)²¹⁰   and he remains under signs that express and communicate this love:

The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease. (St. John Paul II, Dominicae cenae, 3)²¹¹ –CCC

…….1381   "That in this sacrament are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is something that 'cannot be apprehended by the senses,' says St. Thomas, 'but only by faith, which relies on divine authority.' For this reason, in a commentary on Luke 22:19 ('This is my body which is given for you.'), St. Cyril says: 'Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie.'"(St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theolgia III,75,1; compare Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei 18; St. Cyril of Alexandria, In Luc. 22,19:Patrologia Graeca 72,912; compare Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei 18.)²¹²

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore 
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more, 
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart 
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived; 
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed; 
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do; 
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.(St. Thomas Aquinas (attr.), Adoro te devote; tr. Gerard Manley Hopkins.)²¹³ --CCC

IN BRIEF

…….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, Mysterium Fidei 66). --CCC

217 WORK, SUFFERING, AND JOY UNITE BEFORE CHRIST

YOUCAT Lesson 217

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

217  What happens in the Church when she celebrates the Eucharist?

Every time the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she stands before the source from which she herself constantly springs anew.  By “eating” the Body of Christ, the Church becomes the Body of Christ, which is just another name for the Church.  In the sacrifice of Christ, who gives himself to us, body and soul, there is room for our whole life.  We can unite everything—our work and our sufferings, our joys—with Christ’s sacrifice.  If we offer ourselves in this way, we are transformed: We become pleasing to God and like good, nourishing bread for our fellowmen.  [1368-1372, 1414]

Photo: …..A priest (foreground) and an extraordinary lay minister distribute communion on a military base. …..217

Again and again we grumble about the Church, as though she were just an association of more or less good people.  In reality the Church is what happens daily in a mysterious way at the altar.  God gives himself to each one of us individually, and he wants to transform us through communion with him.  Once we are transformed, we are supposed to transform the world.  Everything else that the Church is besides that is secondary.  126, 171, 208

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the chalice, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.  1 Corinthians 12:26

 "DRAW ALL THE INDULGENCES FROM THE TREASURY OF MY CHURCH..."

“Today bring to me the souls who are detained in purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy.  Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames.  All these souls are greatly loved by  Me.  They are making retribution to My justice.  It is in your power to bring them relief.  Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf.  Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay of their debt to my justice.” –Jesus to Saint Faustina, Diary 848, Chaplet of Divine Mercy 1226.

The sacrificial memorial of Christ and of his Body, the Church

…….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. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edlition

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. –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;Sources Chrẻtiennes 10,138)¹⁹¹ –CCC

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.( Presbyterorum Ordinis 2 § 4)¹⁹² –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

 …….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): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1743)¹⁹³   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:Patrologia Latina 32,775.)¹⁹⁴ –CCC

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:Patrologia Graeca 33,1116-1117)¹⁹⁵ –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:Patrologia Latina 41,283; compare Romans 12:5)¹⁹⁶ –CCC

IN BRIEF

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.—CCC

The lesson seen here is identical to the Facebook lesson but here you may go to hyperlink  source without needing a paper Bible at hand to read the cited Old and New Testament references.

216 CHRIST'S REAL BUT INVISIBLE PRESENCE IN THE EUCHARIST

YOUCAT Lesson 216

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

216  In what way is Christ there when the Eucharist is celebrated?

Christ is mysteriously but really present in the sacrament of the Eucharist.  As often as the Church fulfills Jesus’ command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24), breaks the bread and offers the chalice, the same thing takes place today that happened then: Christ truly gives himself for us, and we truly gain a share in him.  The unique and unrepeatable sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is made present on the altar; the work of our redemption is accomplished.  [1362-1367]

Painting: ….The Crucifixion (1622) by Simon Vouet; Church of Jesus, Genoa. …..216

TRANSSUBSTANTIATION (from Latin trans=through, and substantia=essence, substance): the theological term used to explain theologically how Jesus can be present under the appearance of the gifts of bread and wine in the Eucharist.  Whereas the “substances” (meaning the “essences”) of bread and wine are changed by the working of the Holy Spirit at the words of consecration into the Body and Blood of Christ, their outward “species” or forms remain the same.  Jesus Christ is really but invisibly present in what looks like the bread and wine as long as the appearances of bread and wine are preserved.

The sacrificial memorial of Christ and of his Body, the Church

…….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. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….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. (compare Exodus 13:3)¹⁸⁴    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. –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.(compare Hebrews 7:25-27)¹⁸⁵    "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."(Lumen Gentium 3; compare 1 Corinthians 5:7)¹⁸⁶ –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."(Luke 22:19-20)¹⁸⁷    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."(Matthew 26:28)¹⁸⁸ –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): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1740; compare 1 Corinthians 11:23; Hebrews 7:24, 27)¹⁸⁹ –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) Doctrina de ss. Missae sacrificio, c. 2: Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1743; compare Hebrews 9:14,27)¹⁹⁰ –CCC

 Go to http://roadmapofthecatholicfaith.blogspot.com/ to have the advantage of following the hyperlinks.  The lesson seen here is identical to the Facebook lesson but this blog will allow you read the Bible texts also.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 22, 2017

Painting:.....Fishers of Men by  Adriaen van de Venne (1614) 

.....Jesus said, “Come after me and  I will make you fishers of men.”  

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 22, 2017
Lectionary: 67

The first reading is from the Prophet Isaiah 8:23 to 9:3

First the Lord degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the end he has glorified the seaward road, the land west of the Jordan, the District of the Gentiles.

Anguish has taken wing, dispelled is darkness: for there is no gloom where but now there was distress.  The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.  You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils.  For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

  

Responsorial Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD. 

R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The second reading is from 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.  For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe's people, that there are rivalries among you.  I mean that each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos,"  or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ."  Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?  For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

 Alleluia Matthew 4:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel of St. Matthew 4:12-23

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.  He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.  From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.  He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."  At once they left their nets and followed him.  He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.  They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.  He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.