IS JESUS REALLY PRESENT IN THE EUCHARIST?

Recent years have seen a growing concern about Catholics’ understanding of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Some surveys show that a number of practicing Catholics are not clear about doctrine of real presence. Some think of consecrated bread and wine as only symbols of Jesus’ presence rather than a genuine change of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, (transubstantiation) the long-standing Catholics understanding. The Eucharist is, for Catholics, both a meal and a sacrifice. The Lord gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper because He wanted us to share in the life of the Trinity, the loving communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We became united to God at our Baptism, and receive a further outpouring of the Holy Spirit at our confirmation. In the Eucharist we are nourished spiritually, brought closer to God, again and again. As Jesus says in John’s Gospel: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:56). This meal of fellowship and unity, though, also is understood as a sacrifice. Why is that? Because Jesus died for our sins. Human sin was so great that we could never share fully in the life of God. Jesus came to reunite us. At the Eucharist, we re-present the outpouring of Christ’s life so that our life can be restored. This gift of life is happening in eternity, always. We remember this in a special way when we sing the Holy, Holy, Holy at Mass, recalling the words of Isaiah 6:3, the hymn of the angels before God. We sing our praise before the “lamb of God,” slain to take away the sin of the world, all that separates us from God (see Jn 1:29).

HOW DO WE PREPARE THE UNBAPTIZED FOR THE RECEPTION OF BAPTISM?

Preparation for reception into the Church begins with the inquiry stage, in which the unbaptized person begins to learn about the Catholic faith and begins to decide whether to embrace it. The first formal step to Catholicism begins with the rite of reception into the order of catechumens, in which the unbaptized express their desire and intention to become Christians. “Catechumen” is a term the early Christians used to refer to those preparing to be baptized so as to become Christians. The period of the catechumen varies depending on how much the step of becoming a Christian. However, the catechumenate often lasts at least 3 years. The catechumenate’s purpose is to provide the catechumens with a thorough background in Christian teaching. The catechumenate also is intended to give the catechumens the opportunity to reflect upon and become firm in their desire to become Catholic, and to show that they are ready to take this serious and joyful step (cf. Luke 14:27-33; 2 Pet. 2:20-22). The second formal step is taken with the rite of election, in which the catechumens’ names are written in a book of those who will receive the sacraments of initiation. At the rite of election, the catechumen again expresses the desire and intention to become a Christian, and the Church judges that the catechumen is ready to take this step. Normally, the rite of election occurs on the first Sunday of Lent. After the rite of election, the candidates undergo a period of more intense reflection, purification, and enlightenment, in which they deepen their commitment to repentance and conversion. During this period the catechumens, now known as the elect, participate in several further rituals. The three chief rituals, known as scrutinizes, are normally celebrated at Mass on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent. The scrutinies are rites for self-searching and repentance. They are meant to bring out the qualities of the catechumen’s soul, to heal those that are positive and good. During this period, the catechumens are formally presented with the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, which they will recite on the night they are initiated. The initiation itself usually occurs on the Easter Vigil, the evening before Easter Day. That evening a special Mass is celebrated at which the catechumens are baptized, then given confirmation, and finally receive the holy Eucharist. At this point the catechumens become Catholics and are received into full communion with the Church. Ideally the bishop oversees the Easter Vigil service and confers confirmation upon the catechumens, but often due to large distances or numbers of catechumens a local parish priest will perform the rites. The final state of Christian initiation is known as mystagogy, in which the new Christians are strengthened in the faith by further instruction and become more deeply rooted in the local Catholic community. The period of mystagogy normally lasts throughout the Easter season. For the first year of their life as Christians, those who have been received are known as neophytes or “new Christians.”

WHICH IS CORRECT: SUNDAY OR SABBATH WORSHIP?

The Commandments speak of remembering the Sabbath day and keeping it holy (Gen. 2, 3; Exodus. 20, 8). The Sabbath is Saturday, so why do Catholics worship publicly on the first day of the week, that is, Sunday?”
This is a question normally posed by those – such as the Seventh Day Adventists – who regard Sunday worship as a mark of the Apostate Church of the Beast. Our Lord Jesus Christ declared that He was Lord of the Sabbath and that its observance was at His disposal: St. Matt. 12, 1-8; St Mark 2, 24-26; St. Luke 6, 5; St. John 5, 10-11. As a consequence, the early Church, in order to distinguish itself from the worship of the Synagogue, felt itself free from to depart from Sabbath worship and worship God on an alternate day of the week. This is evident from the words of St. Paul to the Colossians: “Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (2, 16-17). If Christ Himself had the power to “dispose” of the Sabbath, so too His Church which is His Body. The power of the Church to make such a change is specifically found in Our Lord’s words to St. Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (St. Matt.16, 19). From the outset of the Church’s history Christians would replace the Sabbath day with a new day of public worship in commemoration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead – the day of the Lord. This day is Sunday, the first day of the week: “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb” (St. Luke 24, 1-2); “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb” ( St. John 20, 1). The official “birthday” of the Church, Pentecost Sunday, also fell on the first day of the week: Acts 2, 1. The public worship of the Mass was celebrated by the early Christians on Sunday: “On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread…” (Acts 20, 7). Collections in support of the Church were gathered on Sunday: “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that contributions need not be made when I come” (1 Cor. 16, 2). St. John received his Revelation on Sunday: “I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution… was on the island called Patmos…I was in the spirit on the Lord’s Day... “Rev.1, 9-10). It is important to note that in changing the Sabbath law the Church did not make a change in the divine law obliging men to worship God – a law which is irrevocable – but merely a change in the day on which it was to be offered, that is a change in the positive ceremonial law. All positive laws, including those of divine institution, can be altered or revolked according to changes in time, circumstance or place.

WHAT ARE THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AT CONFIRMATION?

At Confirmation, we learn the implications of our new life in the Holy Spirit.
All powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life.
Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. (Rite of Confirmation).
This prayer names the traditional “Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.” The biblical origin of these seven gifts is found in Isaiah (11:1-3) where he is foretelling the qualities of the Messiah.
But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.
(The ancient Greek and Latin translations of this passage read “piety” for “fear of the Lord in line six; this gives us our traditional seven gifts). These seven gifts are the signs that the Messiah will be guided by the Spirit. The relation of these gifts to the sacrament of Confirmation becomes clear when we remember that the word “Messiah” means “anointed.” Jesus was “anointed,” filled with the Holy at his baptism. At Confirmation we are anointed with the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Gospels we see how these seven gifts form Jesus’ personality. They are characteristic of his activity. Consider the wisdom expressed in his parables; his understanding of the poor and the sick; his right judgment when tested by the Pharisees; his courage to continue the journey to Jerusalem where he surmised what fate awaited him; his knowledge of God’s will; his reverence for his heavenly Father; his awe before the wonders of creation the lilies of the field, the birds of the air…The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are the manifestation of the Divine Power active in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

WHY DO WE EVEN NEED THE EUCHARIST?

The Eucharist is, for Catholics both a meal and a sacrifice. The Lord gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper because he wanted us to share in the life of the Trinity, the loving communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We become united to God at our Baptism, and receive a further outpouring of the Holy Spirit at our Confirmation. In the Eucharist we are nourished spiritually, brought closer to God, again and again: “By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist we become united to the person of Christ through his humility,” write the bishops. They remind us of the words of Jesus in John’s Gospel: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:56). This meal of fellowship and unity, though, also is understood as a sacrifice. Why is that? Because Jesus died for our sins. Human sin was so great that we could never share fully in the life of God. Jesus came to reunite us. The Bishop write, “Through his death and resurrection, he conquered sin and death and reconciled us to God. The Eucharist is the memorial of this sacrifice. The Church gathers to remember and to re-present the sacrifice of Christ in which we share through the action of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are joined to Christ’s sacrifice and receive its inexhaustible benefits.” At the Eucharist, we re-present the outpouring of Christ’s life so that our life can be restored. This gift of the life is happening in eternity, always. We remember this in a special way when we sing the Holy, Holy, Holy at Mass, recalling the words of Isaiah 6:3, the hymn of the angels before God. We sing our praise before the “lamb of God,” slain to take away the sin of the world, all that separates us from God (see Jn 1:29).