Dear Class,
“Among the seven sacraments of the Church, the Eucharist has
the highest place.” This statement serves as the introduction to the readings
this week and sets the tone for this grandest of inquiries. In an attempt not
to become mired in the centuries of divergent conceptualizations, let us lean
into the Vatican II constitution which expresses the sacred mystery as, “a
sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in
which Christ is received, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future
glory is given to us” (Chapter II, 47). For me, when I am truly present to even
the smallest degree of this reality, then the illusion, the walls of
separation–created by the policies of men–come crumbling down. The Bad News is
that none of us is worthy; the Good
News is that it is okay! Jesus broke bread with the sinners and Christ
continues to do so today. Vogrimler underscores this as he elucidates, “The
presence of the triune God is a real
presence…this presence of God cannot be comprehended in ideas of space and
time…On the basis of biblical testimonies about God, Christian faith speaks of
God as spirit of pneuma…God’s presence for us is thus a pneumatic presence.” He
goes on to reveal that “It is fundamental to Christian faith, and thus also to
the faithful preconditions for the Eucharist, that God’s presence is only
evident for us through God’s holy pnuema, the divine Spirit. This Spirit is to
be sought…in the innermost depths of our ‘hearts’. There, through the Spirit,
and not through our own effort or achievement, occurs that opening, that
disclosure that we call ‘faith,’ and that indwelling of God is a union or communio that cannot be described
in words” (134, 135).
From the Father, through the Son, through the Holy Spirit, throughout
the Mystical Body of Christ, permeating the miraculously inclusive universe of
a mystery that is beyond time and space.
My sisters in Him, I am prepared to discuss with you any of
the particulars involving the origins and evolutionary historicity of divergent
doctrines concerning the Lord’s Supper, but find myself infinitely more
interested in the sharing of your existential experiences with this ineffable
encounter.
Powerful acknowledgement here of both the depth of this sacrament as well as the historical realities that make it complex. This sacrament is our unity, our nourishment, our life as a Body - yet the Body is fractured, fragmented. What unites us in reality also divides us, based on the different theological understandings and interpretations that have emerged around Eucharist.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your noting of the power of the Spirit. Our readings demonstrate that it is by the power of the Spirit that the presence becomes real and actual. That same Spirit animates, gives life, and empowers encourages us to share it and live it to the fullest. I trust the power of the Spirit to move the Body toward its full unity with God and its members with one another. Blessings, DZSJ
Thank you so much for this...as the presence of Spirit is the most significant aspect of sacramental life, I pray that She continues to lead me through those times when I am drawn away from the core reality that holds love, compassion and unity at the heart of this incarnational walk. I can see this when I feel Grace and when in Grace, the externalities of sanctum officium appear as temptations toward separation. I can only pray that my gaze upon the mysterium tremendum and mysterium fascinosum remain as focused as possible for as long as possible, so that my soul may be full-filled with the gifted calling of mission. He fills us up in His Church, then pours us out upon His Kingdom. Like water, we are One.
ReplyDeleteBlessed to be a Blessing ~ Walter
Walter, I was also drawn to the description of the Eucharist as one of unity and love. The sacrament of the Eucharist helps us to enter more deeply into the person of Jesus. Jesus, as you mentioned, worked throughout his life to break down barriers which could prevent love from occurring. I remembered a conversation with my Dad once where he told me about a church he visited in Texas that had a tapestry hung across the altar that read "This man spent his time among sinners, and he ate with them too." I remember my Dad speaking about how comforting that was to him and how it was a very deep reminder of how we are all one before God, and we all have value and dignity just as we are before God.
ReplyDeleteAlong with this beautiful sacrament of the Eucharist comes our own responsibility as Christians to live out this sacrament of love and unity in our everyday lives. "The Eucharist may not be celebrated in isolation from people's concrete lives" (145). There is a change that occurs in receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist in which we are called to become more Christlike. This is a challenge I pray for each week at mass, how can I make sure to carry the message of the sacrament of unity and love in my everyday life. This is something I am continuing to pray about.
Rose I appreciate how you have brought together the themes of mercy and of the human response in this reflection. God meets us just as we are - this is the movement of mercy. Yet, if the human person responds to this encounter in faith, then he/she can begin to live out the grace of the encounter and live and transformed life toward the reign of God. Important insight here.
DeleteRose this is lovely.Thanks for the tapestry story...that image will remain resonate as in my imagination I stand in front of the altar and witness the texture and lettering and message. Your Dad is one cool cat. I was also moved by your remarks about the change involved in "living out the sacrament," which caused me to read and reread the quotation from pg. 145 multiple times, placing emphasis on a different word each time. Thanks for the unique insights.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to be back at school and feeling well!
ReplyDeleteWalter and Rose... beautiful, beautiful words-
After all of the readings and discussions in this class and Christian Origins, I have recently had a renewed and deeper understanding on the incredible sacrament of the Eucharist, although I will never be able to adequately speak of what it means to me. Vorgrimler states, "The Lord's supper as an assurance of belonging, an experience of security; the Lord's supper as a NEW beginning in the snares of guilt and violence; the Lord's upper as the experience of shared life in the bread broken with one another; the Lord's supper as a meal of hope, a dream" (133). The Lord's supper should be opened beyond the inner circle, offering "an open, public meal of fellowship for peace and God's justice in the world" (135).
When recently participating in the Eucharist at my home church, the sense of THE body, unbaptized and baptized, ALL joining together to participate in a public meal was touching to my spirit in a way like never before. "Jesus among the people," kept resounding in my heart. He was and is among the people of all kinds, backgrounds, belief systems, etc. He is LOVE and UNITY. He continually amazes me...
Paul reminds us in scripture that it is impossible to celebrate the Eucharist in the community if divisions exist. We must be united together in spirit and bonded together in love. When we truly unite and bond together in love... Walter, this is where I feel God is truly present and there is the real presence of Jesus!
I too, Rose, pray and will continue to pray to always carry the message of unity and love wherever I go and whomever I encounter.
Hi Carly, welcome back!
DeleteYou bring us to a rich but challenging point about the Eucharist - it is the sacrament of unity in the love of Christ. Can those who are not in unity otherwise authentically celebrate Eucharist together?
You might recall that sacraments effect the grace they signify. This means that as a sacrament of unity, the Eucharist effects unity in the Body. At the same time, if there isn't a fundamentally unity there in the first place, the symbol cannot signifying something that is not there.
This is a tough question to grapple with - how to heal our divisions, and how the Eucharist fits into the process of healing toward wholeness.
Blessings,DZSJ
Walter, thanks for the introduction, like you I took a liking to the opening section of Sacrosanctum Concilium Chapter II 47 that you included in your post which illuminates all that the Eucharist is for us – “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity” among so many other things. The Eucharist really does capture so many essential elements of the faith, community, mission, and promise. Exploring the theology on the Eucharist offers a chance for me to tune into all of the meaningful aspects this sacrament provides. One of ideas I enjoyed reading about comes from Cyprian of Carthage, who shared his thoughts on the water and wine which is mixed together during the liturgy of the Eucharist as celebrated in mass. He explained that the water is mingled with the wine, holding great significance as the water representing the people and the wine representing Christ's blood mingle together (Johnson, 191). This is similar for the bread, which is a mixture of flour and grains and water to make one bread. Thus this mixture cannot be separated and Eucharist is composed of two things, earthly and heavenly (Johnson, 192). This brought to mind our discussion in class last week, in which we shared our thoughts, ideas, and experiences of water with each other. One of the properties of water was its ability to be a solvent, absorbing of other substances. It gladdens me to think of the water accepting into itself the divine presence and sacrifice of God and Christ. Connecting these images with Cyprian’s insight provides consolation and appreciation for participating in the sacrament.
ReplyDeleteIn reading Johnson, I noticed the development of Eucharistic prayers over time and in different regions are strikingly similar to the ones I hear at mass. The consistency and familiarity of the mass is something I have come to appreciate in my travels and moves around the country. It also offers a chance to settle into the language and I somehow find a way to hear something old in new ways. I feel blessed as I contemplate the idea that throughout the world I have the ability to share in the Eucharist and understand what is happening at the altar when the priest is consecrating the hosts regardless of which mass I attend. It makes sense that with the history Johnson exposed that church as institution provides the necessary structure and theology to truly make the Eucharist universal.