Growing up Catholic in the 50’s and 60’s, attending church
on Sunday meant “going to mass and receiving Holy Communion.” The focus in my family was receiving
worthily. Every Saturday afternoon my
father brought us to confession so that we would be pure enough to receive the Blessed
Sacrament. I’m sure my father’s
intentions were good, but the focus on my faults and failings skewed my image
of Jesus who came not to denounce sinners but to save them. Instead of approaching the altar with joy in
my heart, I often faced it with dread that I had forgotten to confess some sin and
that my unworthiness would damn me to hell for all eternity.
Now, with the help of people of faith who guided me, and God’s
amazing grace, I approach the Eucharistic celebration with thankfulness, joy, awe,
and a desire for transformation into the heart of Christ. Sacrosanctum Concilium maintains that Jesus instituted the eucharistic sacrifice as “a
sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity” (VCII 135).
In the book “Christian Symbol and Ritual” Cooke and Macy’s explanation
of the commemoration of the last supper of Jesus maintains that “by sharing
this meal, we are pledging ourselves to live as Jesus did…it empowers us to be
the risen Christ for each other and for everyone we meet” (94). They also maintain that even in our diversity
of worship, “All Christians would agree that somehow the risen Christ is
present in the community and in its celebrations” (99).
Johnson’s chapter on the theology of Eucharist was filled
with so many beautiful prayers from the greatest theologians of Christianity,
but the prayer that really spoke to me was from Basil of Caesarea, part of his
prayer reads, “And we, sinners and unworthy and wretched, pray you, our God in
adoration that in the good pleasure of your goodness your Holy Spirit may
descend upon us and upon these gifts that have been set before you, and may
sanctify and make them holy of holies.
Make us all worthy to partake of your holy things for sanctification of
soul and body, that we may become one body and one spirit and may have our
portion with all the saints who have been pleasing to you from eternity” (Sacraments and Worship
206). No, none of us are worthy, but
Christ has made us worthy by his passion and death and has left us the gift of
Eucharist where we can participate as community in giving thanks to our God and
be “nourished at the table of the Lord’s Body” (SC 135).
Like you, Serenity H., I was raised Catholic and we NEVER missed mass. Regardless of where we were on vacation or what we had going on, we went to mass faithfully. While we did not have a tradition of going to confession weekly, mass did feel like an obligation that I was expected to uphold. Even then I always saw communion as important. It wasn’t until recently, in the past five or so years, that I have been able to break out of the feeling of obligation and embrace mass as a gift because of the Eucharistic celebration.
ReplyDeleteJohnson opens his chapter with the words of Thomas Aquinas, “the Eucharist is the summit of the spiritual goal of all the sacraments.” (177) This definitely holds true for me in my own spiritual life and is the most important reason that I have remained Catholic throughout the years. It is an honor to be able to come to the table of the Lord week after week and be renewed in His spirit. Regardless of whether I am moved by the homily, readings, or songs, I can count on the Eucharist, which to me is the real presence of Christ, to sustain me beyond the mass. Cooke and Macy reiterate this when speaking about the Hermeneutic of Experience. “Because humans can be overwhelmed by daily life- because greed , fear, power, poverty and wealth can all erode the commitments to a Christian life- Christians need to be reminded of whom they are called to be” (104). What better way to be reminded than in an intimate communion with the one who saves us from our own faults and “humanness” and is THE example of love. The Eucharist is a quiet sacrament and therefore for me the most personal. I am not proclaiming or professing anything publicly but am receiving Christ into my body where he will reside the quiet of my heart. All that is required of me is to be present to Him in me as we enter back into daily life together. I am not saying that I always do this but it is comforting knowing that this gift is available to me at every mass. Cooke and Macy explained is as “By sharing this meal, we are pledging ourselves to live as Jesus did: to help the helpless. To feed the hungry, to cure the sick – in short to reach out to all in need” (94) The sacrament of Baptism welcomes us into the community as part of the body of Christ but for me the repetition of receiving the Eucharist at mass and at other sacraments is a much more intimate sacrament. At the end of the mass when the Deacon or priest proclaims to “Go and glorify God with your lives” it is because of the Eucharist that I feel that I can do this.
Dear Iamtheclay -
ReplyDeleteThis is comment is one of sincere appreciation as well as invitation. I appreciate how you share about the intimate and profound encounter with Christ that you experience in the Eucharist, and it is truly joyful that your experience of worship has moved toward this and way from a mere sense of obligation. Thank you again for sharing along these lines.
My invitation is in response to your sentence: "The Eucharist is a quiet sacrament and therefore for me the most personal. I am not proclaiming or professing anything publicly but am receiving Christ into my body where he will reside in the quiet of my heart." The words of St. Paul come to mind for me from 1 Corinthians 11:26, which Scripture scholars agree is the oldest account of the institution of the Eucharist we have in the New Testament. (We also read this on Holy Thursday evening) "For as long as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." As personal as the reception of the Eucharist feels, it is also at the same time a public proclamation that the Church is making. It is a both/and that the symbols of bread and wine are able to hold together for us.
As a public proclamation, it is done in words, but also in gesture, action and ritual. It is communicating a complex message of memory and hope, recalling and making us present to the memory of Christ's sacrifice, as we await in hope the fullness of his coming. The proclamation makes us the Church a liminal people, rooted in memory, awaiting in hope, while living, serving, and ministering in the present. Our proclamation is thus this, to remind us of who we are (memory) and where we are called (hope), just as you quote from Cooke and Macy. I do not challenge the personal encounter that you describe, which is beautiful and important. I do invite though a broader, public context for it in this ritual act of proclamation.
Blessings,
DZSJ