Corpus Christi

INDEX to Study of the Eucharist

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Something About the Author
Sequence for Corpus Christi

01. Greatest of the Sacraments
02. A Rose By Any Other Name
03. Internal & External Participation
04. On the Road to Emmaus
05. Rhythm to Prayer
06. Origin of the Two Main Parts
07. Need to Know the Scriptures
08. A Word to Lectors
09. Christ's Presences
10. More About Christ's Presence in the Assembly
11. Prayer & the Trinity
12. Collecting the Prayers
13. Structure of the Opening Prayer
14. Mass Readings Challenge & Comfort
15. Link Between the Testaments
16. Nurtured by the Readings
17. Preparation for the Eucharist
18. The Table of the Word
19. Summation of Christ's Truth
20. The Offertory Gift
21. The Symbolism of Bread
22. Gifts for Transformation
23. Holiness as Sharing God's Life
24. The Meaning of Sacrifice
25. Passing Over Death
26. A Changed People
27. Two Presences in the Eucharist
28. Presence as a Person
29. Present Through His Action
30. The Church at Mass
31. Something About the "How" of It
32. An Inner Emptiness
33. The Gift & the Giver
34. The Sun Always Shines Somewhere
35. Meaning in the Actions
36. The Lord's Prayer & Peace
37. A Sign of Unity
38. A Functional Sacrament
39. The Holy Spirit in Us
40. Life After Death
41. Preparation for Communion
42. How Do We Receive Communion?
43. Reflection After Communion
44. A Catholic Sacrament

Study Questions

Study Questions

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01. What is a sacrament?

02. What is the matter for the sacrament of Baptism?

03. What is the matter for the sacrament of Confirmation?

04. What is the matter for the Eucharist?

05. How is it that the saving activity of Christ touches us in the Mass?

06. What are some of the various names used for the Eucharist? Explain.

07. What does the word "Eucharist" mean?

08. What is the origin of the word "Liturgy"?

09. What is the most indispensable part of the Mass ritual?

10. What are the two forms of participation in the Eucharist?

11. Review Luke 24:13-35 and discuss how one might use it as a catechesis for the Mass.

12. What do we mean by there being a "rhythm" to prayer?

13. What are the origins of the two main parts of the Mass?

14. Why do we need to know the Scriptures?

15. Discuss the various presences of Christ in the liturgy.

16. What stands in the way of recognizing Christ's presence?

17. To whom is the opening prayer addressed? Explain.

18. What does the priest "collect" in the opening prayer?

19. What is the structure of the Liturgy of the Word?

20. Repetition of the psalm verse serves what purpose?

21. The priest or deacon at the pulpit makes the sign of the cross upon what? Explain.

22. How many annual cycles are there for weekday readings? For Sunday readings?

23. What is another word for the lectern, denoting where the Gospel is proclaimed? Discuss how it is like a table.

24. What are the origins of our Creed professed at Mass?

25. What is the essential gift offered (with Christ) at Mass?

26. Discuss the symbolism of bread.

27. What is expressed in the offering of bread and wine? What do we hope will happen to us?

28. Discuss the Holy, Holy, Holy (Sanctus) in terms of God's otherness.

29. Not counting reconciliation and children's prayers, how many regular canons are there for the Mass? Explain.

30. Explain the words "sacrifice" and "atonement".

31. Discuss the root in Passion, Paschal, and Passover.

32. How are we a changed people by Christ's redemptive grace and calling?

33. What are the two ways in which Jesus is present in the Eucharist?

34. How did Jesus' fellow Jews respond to his Eucharistic teaching?

35. Discuss how Jesus instituted the Eucharist at a Passover Meal. What does anamnesis mean?

36. What did Jesus mean by giving his body and blood?

37. Discuss St. Paul's understanding of the Eucharist.

38. What is the significance of Justin Martyr's account of the Eucharist?

39. Did Vatican II reaffirm the Sunday Eucharist? Explain.

40. Discuss the significance of Christ's willingness to offer himself.

41. What is the relationship and difference between the Mass and Calvary?

42. Using the mnemonic ACTS, what are the prayer elements of the Mass offering?

43. Discuss the role of the Church at Mass and her union with Christ.

44. Taken from Aristotelian categories, what do we call the change in the Eucharistic elements and what does it mean?

45. What should be our disposition to one another at the Eucharist?

46. Is Christ sacrificed over and over again in the Mass? Explain.

47. Is Christ dissected upon our altars, so that we might each have a piece?

48. What is Christ's condition in the consecrated species, dead flesh and blood or risen Lord?

49. What are some of the things that "shalom" means?

50. What does it mean to call communion a functional sacrament?

51. How does the epiclesis function in the Mass? How does the one invoked by the epiclesis also touch us?

52. Is holy communion linked in any way to life after death? Explain.

53. How do we prepare for the Eucharist and holy communion?

54. How do we receive holy communion?

55. What is the significance of the "Amen" at the reception of communion?

56. What should we do after holy communion?

57. What does it mean to call communion a Catholic sacrament?

44. A Catholic Sacrament

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We withhold communion from non-Catholics, not only because we are told to refrain, but, because communion is a sign of unity. Receiving communion signifies an acceptance of what the Church believes and preaches. It is a sign that we are in union with the whole Church. To receive as a non-believer, is to be in contradiction to what one believes. We say, "Amen," to the whole Christ, both to his head and to his members. We are saying, "I belong." Several years ago, at an anniversary Mass, a young priest was counting numbers to receive communion. When he came to a Lutheran associate, he included him as well. In response, the man said, "I am not receiving." He knew better than the priest that there was a difference; otherwise, he would not remain a Lutheran. He did not believe all that his Catholic friends held as true. The Eucharist is not meant to be an extension of kindness! You cannot express the sign of unity if you are not united.

43. Reflection After Communion

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After communion, be quiet. Recollect God's words to you, "Know that I am God." Pray in silence. The priest will often sit and give you time for this. You might be able to fulfill something of this commitment while others receive, depending upon the music. Some days you may be as dry as dust spiritually after communion. But, instead of looking in terms of what is in it for yourself, give God what is his due. God will appreciate your thankfulness when you pray during such times. This is real love. His presence does not depend on your feelings. Especially during the "dark nights of the soul," the Lord is making us grow and is purifying us, calling us to be saints. God has come to us. How grateful we are!

42. How Do We Receive Communion?

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Let us look at the mechanics of communion. How do we receive? Until recently, the only way people received was on the tongue. The words pronounced by the priest have been altered to a form familiar in the early Church. The priest says, "The body of Christ," to which the communicant responds, "Amen." Today, there is also an option for communion in the hand. The priest puts the host in your left hand, made into a throne, and you step aside, pick up the host and communicate. The manner in which we receive has nothing to do with whether or not we are a so-called religious conservative or liberal. Both forms can be beautiful. (Although our concern for reverence must be guarded regarding communion in the hand lest some sort of impropriety is committed.) On some occasions you can also receive from the chalice. Again, we need to remember that the whole Christ is received under either species. It only seems more complete regarding the sign value.

When you receive the host, try to make it easy for the priest to put it on your tongue or in your hand. Some people barely open their mouths. I recall one lady we nicknamed, "The Snapper," because she almost bit the fingers of the minister distributing communion. Do not pick the host out of the priest's hands. Do not put your hands together (side by side) as you would in making a shadow of a bird. This is often a quick giveaway that one has been receiving in a Protestant church. Do not slurp Jesus out of your hands. It is not dignified. Keep your hands clean and uncluttered. If you are holding a child, receive on the tongue and never reach out with one hand. Make a throne of your right hand for your left, one on top of the other. Do not say, "Thank you Father." Just say, "Amen," when the host is placed in your palm. It means, "Truly," or "Surely," or "I believe." It is a faith affirmation. Then step aside, pick up the host with your right hand and receive it, and then cross yourself. Be one of the crowd. Do not walk back to the pew with it! The current custom of standing and processing, instead of kneeling (also a legitimate option), signifies ourselves as a pilgrim people. If one does not kneel, some act of reverence should precede the reception of communion, like a genuflection or a bow. No one is worthy. You are in God's house. It is okay to stand. When back in the pew, the communicant should make a personal thanksgiving. There is also no prohibition about staying after Mass to say some personal prayers; indeed, it could be a wonderful witness for those who race for the door after communion. Please, do not treat the Mass like a fast food stop.

41. Preparation for Communion

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How do we prepare for receiving Christ in holy communion? Returning to the theme of participation, there must be external and internal preparation. Having lived out our Christian discipleship outside the church doors, we must see our weekly involvement in the Mass as the highlight of our life. Indeed, some people who regularly attend daily Mass no longer live from day to day but from Eucharist to Eucharist. The Christian life disposes us to enter into the action of the Mass. Obviously, we need to come in a state of grace (from the Latin word, "gratia"). We are called to share in God's life, sanctifying grace. He has destined us to partake of it. If we approach communion to nurture God's life, then this life must already envelop us. If lost, Confession and a heartfelt act of contrition can restore it. Serious sin is no insignificant matter. It involves turning our wills against God. In such a condition, it would make no sense to receive communion. Our receptivity or capacity to make use of it would be inoperative. You do not give food to the dead.

External preparation is essentially the hour of fasting before communion. It is more of a psychological matter than anything else. More than just penance, the fast reminds us that communion is different from ordinary food. Just a few decades ago, people fasted from midnight on. However, because of the change in people's work hours and lifestyle, the Church mitigated it. After all, receiving communion was more important than fasting.

40. Life After Death

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When we die, our bodies undergo decay. However, we believe that one day, through the power of God, we will be raised to resemble the body of the Risen Christ. The seeds for this are in communion. We are promised: "Indeed, this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day" (see John 6:37-40). We put on immortality. We are to prepare for that day, when as whole reconstituted persons, we will come into Christ's heavenly presence.

39. The Holy Spirit in Us

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In Baptism we were made temples of the Holy Spirit and in Confirmation we were given a more full sharing in this Spirit. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit and in Confirmation we were given a more full sharing in this Spirit. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit (invoked at the EPICLESIS) that the change of the gifts into Christ's very self was made possible (at the consecration). To assist the functional quality of communion, we would do well to invoke the Holy Spirit interiorly in preparation. Many people find it efficacious to read along the priest's private prayers at the altar. Before the Ecce Agnus Dei, he has the option of two quite good ones. My favorite is the first: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, by the will of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit your death brought life to the world. By your holy body and blood free me from my sins, and from every evil. Keep me faithful to your teaching, and never let me be parted from you." Before communicating holy communion to himself, the priest prays, "May the body [or the blood] of Christ bring me to everlasting life." This life will be made possible if we are appropriate houses for God. If the light of God's Spirit has been darkened in our souls, the effects of the Eucharist can be diminished or even reversed. The priest's second preparation prayer hints at that: "Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and body."

When you realize that Jesus Christ, the God-Man, comes through holy communion, does this give you any insight into your dignity? I hope so. Christ promises that he will find us with the Holy Spirit. We are, as the Pauline terminology reminds us, TEMPLES OF GOD. God lives within us. This divine presence is fostered by holy communion. Strictly speaking, the Eucharistic presence that we receive in communion only lasts about 15 minutes; but, the presence of the Holy Spirit, forming us into new Christs, remains until we commit a mortal sin, telling God that we do not want him anymore. Communion increases that presence of the Spirit within us.

We can relate to the Father as Creator. We see his beauty in the things he has made. The Son we can understand to some extent because he put on our human nature. However, the Holy Spirit has chosen us as a sign. Depending upon how we act, it might be the poorest sign of all. It behooves us to keep this presence first given in Baptism. It is a sign of unity, healing, and charity. It is a sign of the power of God, living and acting in us.

38. A Functional Sacrament

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After the fracturing, the priest holds the elements up and invites those properly disposed to come forward for communion. The loss of the family meal makes it more difficult to appreciate what is going on here. First, God is telling us that this is the closest of unions possible. It is done not that we might change him into us, but that he might change us into him. It is a sign of unity, charity, forgiveness, and the Church. Inspired by the Book of Revelation, the priest prays, "Happy are those who are called to his supper." The poor need this meal for nourishment. In the early Church, this would have been both on a spiritual and on a physical level. It is a cause for rejoicing. Today, we often communicate dysfunctionally. We frequently do not sit down to talk and to support one another at meals. Nevertheless, this is representative of the ideal and virtues being expressed by communion with the Lord. Communion takes away the slight or venial sins that separate us. The priest prays, "Let it not bring me condemnation, but health in mind and body." The Lord who is present in this sacrament can bring well-being to us. In sites of pilgrimage like Fatima and Lourdes, it is interesting that most healings take place during processions of the Blessed Sacrament. We ask for healing, both spiritual and physical. We cannot be Christians without Christ. This sounds obvious, but a great many people live otherwise. They starve themselves from the Eucharist and they supplant their own whimsical opinions for the Word of God. This food, the bread of life and the cup of salvation, is to nourish and aid us. Jesus beseeches us: "Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light" (see Matthew 11:25-30. Communion is our response to this offer. In times of need, sadness, joy, and ordinary living, we are called to him. Communion is a FUNCTIONAL sacrament. At the Last Supper, the Lord put a towel around his waist and washed the feet of the apostles. What he was trying to say was that this sacrament was for your service to other people. Through his strength and grace, we might come to others. It enables us to do what the Lord did in his earthly life.

37. A Sign of Unity

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Years ago, when Archbishop Borders was installed in Baltimore, pieces of the Eucharistic bread were sent back to individual parishes. This was to illustrate that all those in the Archdiocese of Baltimore were one. Just as many grains go to make one bread, so are we one in Christ. Again, this is so even though the natural sign in the breaking is one of disunity. Though we are many, we still all eat of the same food.

36. The Lord's Prayer & Peace

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The first prayer of the communion rite is the Our Father. We can see in this prayer the same rhythm as we have seen in the rest of the liturgy. We perceive all the motions in the praise of God. Then we ask God for thinks. This serves a purpose similar to grace before meals. It is a prayer always in the plural. We pray as a family, not just as individuals. Subsequently, the priest prays a prayer for peace. He exhorts the people to share the customary sign of peace. It is interesting that the Jewish word for peace, "shalom," is virtually untranslatable. It means hospitality, well-wishing, health, etc. Shaking a person's hand, he or she also stands vicariously for all people, especially if there is someone we have hurt. This further disposes us to Christ. Immediately after that, the priest breaks the consecrated bread. It has a reverse meaning from the natural; instead of signifying division, it denotes unity. The priest takes one particle of the host to drop into the chalice. There is a reuniting, by sign value only, of the two elements.

35. Meaning in the Actions

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In all this there is constant preparation. The priest lifts the elements and says, "Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, forever and ever." What is going on? Even in the days when Mass was in Latin, you could tell something of what was going on by looking at the actions. The priest lifts the elements at the preparatory (offertory), the consecration, the doxology (just mentioned), and just prior to communion. These gestures speak to us. In the words quoted, we pray "through," "with," and "in" Christ. Because he is a human being, he can pray through his human nature. However, there is only one person in Christ. He is God. This is the mystery of the Incarnation.

34. The Sun Always Shines Somewhere

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Even at night, the sun always shines somewhere. We seek out the sun. No longer by sight, but by faith, we seek out that one act of Christ that remains sufficient unto itself. Astronomers tell us, that in some cases, the light from various stars has traveled for millions of years to reach us. This being true, cannot the radiance from the star of Bethlehem illumine our souls? Similarly, we look upon the flame of a candle. From moment to moment the fire renews itself, and yet, it is the same flame. The light of Christ that was set ablaze two thousand years ago still burns as brightly. The Mass is not just a mental recollection of Calvary. It is here that our crucified and risen Lord is truly made present. Spiritually, which denotes invisibly but not in terms of pretense, the PARTICULAR and UNREPEATABLE past event of Calvary is MADE PRESENT or accessible to us as we COMMEMORATE it in sacred SYMBOLS. Time and space have no power to hold him or his action. We need to apply this action to ourselves. We are with Mary and John at the Cross. What our bodily eyes fail to see, we view with eyes of faith.

Because Jesus has made a perfect and acceptable sacrifice to the Father, despite our sinfulness, the offerings we make are no longer unacceptable. Offered with Christ's sacrifice, our offering of ourselves is received by God. Yes, our offering is imperfect. However, linked to Christ, our meagerness is over-shadowed by his greatness. Our imperfection is cloaked by his perfection.

We are not just putting in time. Christ is acting upon the altar as he did at Calvary and at the Last Supper. We see all the elements of those historical scenes. That is one of the secrets of the Mass. It is a sacrifice, a becoming one with Christ, sharing his disposition. Externally, it looks like the sign of death is present, the [sacramental] separation of the body and blood. Divide us in such a way and we are dead. However, we have to look closer. What is it saying to us? Later, in the commingling of a piece of the host into the consecrated cup, it will signify the resurrection. Wherever one element is, so is the other. No matter whether we receive the sign which immediately calls to mind the body or that which signifies the blood, we receive the whole Christ. Sometimes we might receive both the host and the cup, a more perfect sign for sure, but for many reasons not always done. Those allergic to bread, remember its accidents remain the same, might have to receive only from the cup. A similar exclusion is faced by alcoholics in regard to the chalice. Again, no matter which you receive, you receive the complete Christ. For sure he is the victim of the sacrifice, but he is alive and complete. Living in this mysterious fashion, he cannot be dissected upon the altar.

33. The Gift & the Giver

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Later Judaism only allowed cultic sacrifice in the Temple of Jerusalem. Like our tabernacles, it was believed to be God's earthly dwelling. However, the prophets had challenged them by arguing that God neither needed nor wanted material things. After all, as Creator, he was already their rightful owner. GOD was interested NOT SO MUCH in GIFTS as in the GIVER.

In relation to this, we could cite the passage where we are told, "Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). In other words, the gift does not cover-up our rifts with one another. In another place, it is said, "holocausts and burnt offerings you want not" (see Psalm 51:18-19). God wants us to offer ourselves up with Christ, motivated by a contrite and humbled spirit. These Scriptural warnings were in reaction to those who put on a false facade, simply going through the motions, offering merely external participation. By coming into the world as one of us, Christ makes real sacrifice possible.

In days of old, although God was interested in receiving the giver, it was the one thing that people were incapable of offering. To the degree that it was attempted, their sacrifices were marred by sin and thus were unworthy of God. The divine offering had to be perfect. Many of the Jewish priests recognized this dilemma. Echoing the tradition found in Psalm 40:7-9, 1 Samuel 15:22, Isaiah 1:10-20, Micah 6:6-8, and elsewhere, Paul writes: "Every priest stands ministering day by day, and offering again and again those same sacrifices which can never take away sins" (Hebrews 10:11). Humanity was in a hole of its own making, out of which, none could climb.

This tragic failure is ended by the sacrifice of Christ. The author of Hebrews continues: "But this one [Christ] offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Sharing our nature, he can render the offering himself. Being divine, his offering is without blemish. His sacrifice does indeed take away the heavy yoke of sin and tears down the wall between God and man. There is a sense in which the perfect sacrifice did not begin upon Calvary, but in the manger of Bethlehem. Throughout the Lord's whole life it continued in every joy and sorrow. Sin could have no part of him and he followed his Father's will in perfect obedience. On the Cross, his offering is finally finished. "It is consummated" (John 19:30). All that he is, his being and entire life, is given back to the Father. This has an effect upon us. "For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated" (Hebrews 10:14). In other words, we are sanctified. "Where there is forgiveness of these [sins], there is no longer offering for sin" (Hebrews 10:18). This last sentence seems to contradict the practice of the Mass repeated daily. If Christ's sacrifice was singular and once-and-for-all, how is the Mass a sacrifice? What is the relationship between the Mass and Calvary? In a cursory fashion, these introductory remarks about the Mass have already intersected the answer to these questions. Jesus himself at the Last Supper used sacrificial or cultic language that points to his death on Calvary. We and those before us have been faithful to this ritual which Jesus commanded to be performed in his memory. In obedience to that command, Christ, as I have explained, is made present here with us. Jesus' sacrifice, strictly speaking, is not repeated, but is extended and made present. Of course, there are ways in which we might legitimately use the word "repetition" in this context. What must be maintained is that we do not kill Christ again and again.

32. An Inner Emptiness

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I do not want to departmentalize the Eucharist. All of its various elements interact. The best preparation is giving ourselves, after emptying ourselves of selfishness, so that there is room in our hearts to receive the Lord. From the very beginning of human existence, people have sought a cure or remedy for the inner emptiness that afflicted them. They did this by seeking fellowship with God. Frequently, this takes the shape of offering God an acceptable sacrifice. It is sometimes to atone for sin. It is also offered in gratitude for what God has done. It might even be rendered to heighten the worshipers's prayer for future requests. As in the Christian context, it may take the form of a religious meal in which communion with God is pursued.

31. Something About the "How" of It

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As I said before, no one really understands all the "hows" of the Eucharist. Using Aristotelian (Greek) categories, we can take a stab at it by considering things in terms of SUBSTANCE (the underlining reality) and ACCIDENTS (that which is non-essential, the appearances). Looking at the gifts, we use a special bread. But, there are all sorts of bread. What is breadness? In the Mass, bread and wine through TRANSUBSTANTIATION (changing of substance) become the living body and blood of Christ. But, the accidents remain the same. Even the priest does not so much handle Christ as he does the accidents. We believe because of the presence, not so much the other way around. What we need to remember is that something changes and something else does not. When we break the consecrated break the consecrated bread, the sacrament is fractured, but we do not hurt Christ.

30. The Church at Mass

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The Church is not just the Pope. She is also the Church in Heaven TRIUMPHANT, where live the saints named and unnamed on our canonical lists. We remember them especially on All Saints Day. There is also the Church SUFFERING or in PURGATION. These are those who have not utterly breached themselves from God, but who still need to be perfected. We remember them especially on All Souls Day and the month of November. Then there is the Church MILITANT. That is us. We are fighting to get where the saints are. We surround the central act of worship with the whole Church. The first canon of the Mass mentions some of these saints by name. We do not pray alone. We invoke the saints.

In the line up, we remember the living first, like the Pope, the bishop, and the laity. After the consecration, we pray for the dead, those who are dependent upon us, especially for unfulfilled penances. But keep in mind the question, particularly against anti-Catholic apologists: who is the head of the Church? It is none other than Jesus Christ. It is not the Pope. He is the visible teaching authority. Christ is the head and we are his members. Joined to the Lord, we offer Christ to the Father.

29. Present Through His Action

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Christ is really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist. Further, the activity of Christ is made present. It is heavenly bread given and a blood poured out. We are not sharing a corpse. It is Christ living and doing what he did at Calvary, surrendering himself to the Father. The secret of our Lord's Passion is not the pain, but his WILLINGNESS. Jesus even says, "This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father" (John 10:17-18). He lays it down freely. His choice makes it valuable. In 70 AD with the fall of the Temple, people are crucified in droves everywhere. Despite this tragedy, it is still only the death of Jesus that we commemorate as making a difference. Calvary is made present to us. Sometimes we speak of the Mass as the UNBLOODY sacrifice. It is a poor choice of words. What it tries to convey is that Jesus could only suffer and die once. He is now beyond time and space. Calvary is made here so that we can be there. It makes it possible for us to apply to ourselves what Christ did on Calvary. We need to become holy, that OTHERNESS which participates in God. Consequently, we come back to the source and summit of every grace, the Crucifixion of Christ.

The priest says, "Let us proclaim the mystery of faith." Following the summons, we might respond with one of several acclamations; each of these brings out what has just taken place, Christ offering himself to the Father once again. "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." It stresses the three comings of Christ. The others also make mention of these saving mysteries. We are set free by Christ's Cross and Resurrection. It is a PROCLAMATION of our faith, not something to be whispered or neglected.

What is Christ doing on the altar after the consecration? He is giving himself to the Father. We can use the word ACTS as a mnemonic device to recall some elements of this offering. "A" is for ADORE. Christ is praying, "Father of my people (he is the head), I adore you, I acknowledge you as God, you hold the world in the palm of your hand, your will be done." We enter into his disposition and attitudes. Why is our offering suddenly better? We are entering into his prayer to the Father, the perfect prayer of God's "beloved Son" at Calvary. He is not in pain any more. But, he was willing to suffer pain so that he might pass over into a new life. "C" is for CONTRITION. "Father, these are my people. They are trying to amend their lives. They regret the wrongs they have done." [Satisfaction or Propitiation might be more descriptive of this element.] "T" is for THANKSGIVING, not one time a year in November, but always. St. Paul says, ". . . give thanks to God unceasingly, that in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness. It is the only way to be happy. God has been so good to us. He has given us both spiritual graces and material things. Do we thank him or take him for granted? We thank him perfectly in the Mass. "S" is for SUPPLICATION. That is a big word meaning to ask. We ask God for forgiveness, health, peace, etc. We do this in imitation of Christ who is doing all these things upon our altars.

28. Presence As a Person

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The Eucharist is defined as the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ, under the appearances of bread and wine. All these aspects are drawn out because historically someone questioned this or that element. The definition arose because of conflict and questioning. At its heart, it means that Christmas is forever. The Lord is still human and sits at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us. Only human beings (within the visible creation) can pray. Therefore, Christ can pray. But, because of his divinity, it takes on additional value. This is the profound significance of Christmas, the real reason why we sing Joy to the World. You cannot create this joy with simple repetition, singing hymns, or giving gifts; this is all an expression of a deeper reality. Things will never be the same again because of this child. God has been born as a man through the Virgin Mary. He becomes present in the Mass. He is the risen Christ, present through the Blessed Sacrament.

Why do we believe this? Let me first allay your fears and stress that there is no one who understands how this happens. This is true no matter whether you are a theologian, saint, or pope. There is a difference here between "how" and "what." We are discussing what we believe. We find it reasonable to hold this perspective. About a year before the Last Supper, Christ says: "I myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to me shall ever be hungry, no one who believes in me shall ever thirst" (John 6:35). He goes on to explain that they should eat this bread. The first reaction of the Jews is that they start to murmur. Thy understand him, and they do not like it. If you tell the kids to do something and they do not want to, they start murmuring. If your boss asks you to do something you would rather not do, you might begin to murmur. If it had merely been a symbolic presence, there would be no reason for grumbling. An example is the flag that stands for our country. There would be no problem with that kind of representation. Such symbols can be established from almost anything as long as it evokes the pertinent meaning. But, Jesus meant something more. He goes on to tell them: "Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven for a man to eat and never die. I myself am the living bread come down from heaven" (John 6:49-51). Now, they begin to quarrel among themselves. How can this be? The only basis for dispute is for some to take him for his word and for others to complain that he cannot mean it. How can he do that?

Jesus says over and over again, "The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him" (John 6:56). That provokes an objection from the people closest to him, his disciples. "From this time on, many of his disciples broke away and would not remain in his company any longer. Jesus then said to the Twelve, 'Do you want to leave me too?' Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that you are God's holy one'" (John 6:66-69). Peter does not understand it. However, this does not mean that he fails to accept it. He receives it on the ground that Jesus says it.

Most of us have reactions similar to those in the Gospel. Jesus did not want to leave us in doubt as to what he wanted. Despite how t seems, it is not cannibalism. In our culture we have the expression of a parent for offspring, "I love you so much, I could just eat you up!" These words reflect the intensity and intimacy of our love for the Lord.

The Last Supper is really a Passover Meal. It has bread (unleavened) on the table and wine (their staple drink). It was always initiated with the father of the family addressing the others. The youngest child would ask, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Then would come the explanation. At the Last Supper, we enter into Christ's story. It is the repetition and RE-PRESENTATION of his story that makes present the Passion of Christ. From the early Church to today, we have believed that Christ is made present. The Jews did it in memory of their flight out of Egypt. This is not nostalgia; but a belief that the same God who delivered them then is present now in their midst. Instituting the Eucharist, Jesus says, "Do this in memory of me." This living memory is understood in the Church by the name ANAMNESIS. He takes bread and he takes wine. Suddenly, at the Last Supper, he changes the rubrics. "This is my body. Take and eat. This is my blood. Take and drink." What did he mean? He means what he says!

"This is my blood of the NEW and ETERNAL COVENANT." A covenant is an agreement, as in marriage. When the Jews made a covenant with God, they always sealed it with blood. It would make no sense to make it with fake blood. This provides a small but important insight. Jesus is talking about real blood! Jesus really means it. His is the blood of the new covenant. He is the new Lamb of sacrifice.

Jesus is not dialoguing about the body as a torso. For the ancient Jews, this meant one's WHOLE SELF or the ENTIRE PERSON. In other words, Jesus is saying, "It is I." As for the blood, it is a sign of life. Combine the two, and he is saying, "It is I and I am alive." This is what we mean at Mass.

St. Paul was having some trouble with converts. He tells them: "I received from the Lord what I handed on to you, namely, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes!" (1 Cor. 11:23-26). St. Paul, writing from 56 AD, is giving us the formula of the Mass as he had received it. However, if so very much of our faith was intact from the beginning, problems existed, too. A common meal used to be celebrated before the Eucharist. Many would run in for food, and because of selfishness, poor people would sometimes not get anything to eat. Critical of this situation and other laxities, St. Paul writes, "This means that whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27). Well, you cannot sin against the body and blood of Christ unless it is really present. "A man should examine himself first; only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. He who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks a judgment on himself" (1 Cor. 11:28-29).

Figures like Justin Martyr (died 165 AD) in the early Church would essentially echo this message. His description of the celebration of the Eucharist is not only one of the first, but probably one of the most detailed accounts: "On the day of the week which is called Sunday, all, whether they live in town or in country, gather in the same place. Then the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read for as long as time allows, after which the one presiding speaks, exhorts us to live by those noble teachings [homily]. Then we rise and pray together [prayer of the faithful]. When the prayer is finished, bread and wine and water are brought forward [offertory]. Then the priest prays and gives thanks as well as he can. All the people reply with the acclamation Amen." Justin explicitly declares that at the Eucharistic celebration, the bread and wine shared by the entire assembly are truly the body and blood of the incarnate God. The deacons took portions to those who could not be present so that they, too, could share in the community's life. Sunday is the first day of the week and commemorates both the first day of creation and the day that Christ rose from the dead. We see from St. Justin's account that as early as the second century the format of the Eucharist, as we know it, was already established and was celebrated on Sunday, the "Day of the Lord."

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council have reiterated the importance and centrality of Sunday worship: "By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ's resurrection, the church celebrates the paschal mystery every eighth day [an ancient term for Sunday as outside ordinary time]; with good reason this then bears the name of the Lord's Day or Sunday. For on this day the faithful are bound to come together into one place so that by hearing the word of God and taking part in the Eucharist they may call to mind the passion, the resurrection and the glorification of the Lord Jesus. . . . Hence the Lord's Day is the original feast day" (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 106).

27. Two Presences in the Eucharist

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Returning to the subject of presences in the Eucharist, there are two I want to emphasize. First, Jesus is present as a PERSON. Second, the Eucharist is the ACTUALIZATION of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Years ago, there used to be a television show called, You Are There, which after a puff of smoke put you in a place like Alexandria with ancient Greeks walking around. By "actualization," I mean there is here. Christ is present in his very self and in his actions.

26. A Changed People

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Our redemption is not just a fact of history that we happen to know about and the pagans do not. There is more to believing in redemption than just going about with a sigh of relief that the gates of heaven are open and that things will be different for us when we die. Redemption makes things different right now. Our Lord's death did not merely open up paradise or change the Father's attitude toward us. Christ died so that we might change interiorly, in the very core and reality of our being.

When people talk about getting in touch with themselves, or when they admit anxiety about their self-identity, they are speaking on a purely natural level. If we really got in touch with ourselves after baptism, we would realize what God has made of us and what he has called us to be. Why does God love us? It is because he sees in us the very life of his Son graced. That is what makes us most attractive to God. Christ died that we might be changed.

We celebrate what we are, what we have become by the grace of Christ, and who we have been called to be as living members on earth of his Mystical Body. First, we recognize who and what we are. Second, from this flows the conduct we usually associate with being good or holy. On Calvary, it was not just our sins which were washed, we died in Christ so that we might rise in him and live on an entirely new level of human existence. Because we are redeemed, we are now called and able to think as people have never thought before, to evaluate things in this world in a way that overturns all previous standards of judgment. Without that, it is crazy on a natural plain to do things like forgiving your enemies. We are called to rise above the worldly and this will sometimes entail pain. We and our ways are profoundly altered. It is made possible for us to act in ways that are far beyond what we usually understand as morality. If morality is only custom, then there would be nothing stopping us from creating new ones, justifying the evil we are doing. Does this make any sense? No. The thoughts and ways of God are beyond the thoughts and ways of men. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). The Mass helps us to put on the mind of Christ.

All the distance between God and man has been overcome by the redemption that is ours through Jesus Christ. Because we have died with him, we have risen in him-- ready to lead a new life. And this life, which we call the life of grace, is to share in Christ's life. In other words, we are to partake of his thinking, choosing, appreciating, knowing, loving, suffering, and rejoicing here on earth, now and until he comes again. On that final day, we will share fully in his life and joy forever in heaven.

If Christians really expressed themselves, knowingly and consciously, through gestures of the Mass, then every Mass would be a profound act of total commitment to God to live in an entirely new way. Imagine what it would be, if every person at Mass deeply and consciously expressed the sincere offering of the whole self to God for transformation, with the bread and wine, into a perfectly responsive member of the Body of Christ. Conjecture what it would be if every such person brought this awareness and receptivity to their dying and rising with Christ in order to live a new kind of life (otherness), a life according to the attitudes (mind) and values (heart) of Christ himself. This is a tall order, and means "Going out on the limb." Yet Christ comes to assist us in making that commitment. That is the essence of redemption.

25. Passing Over Death

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There are three words that we use, all having the same root: Passion, Paschal, and Passover. Despite how commercialism has effected the celebration of our feasts, Easter is our most important one. The significance of Christmas is that Christ received his body from Mary. Without a body he could not conquer death from our side of the equation. His death (suffering his Passion) was not for the sake of dying, but that he might rise again. The other two words are similar. He passed over death into life. This reality is made present and effective in the liturgy.

24. The Meaning of Sacrifice

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When we talk about sacrifice, we usually mean giving up something. But, it means much more. It comes from two Latin words, "sacrum" and "facere," which means "to make (oneself) holy." Again, looking to the liturgical season of Lent, we do not give up things simply for the sake of giving them up. It means that in the achieving of OTHERNESS there is sometimes a bit of penance or pain connected with it. It is the ends or the goal which we often forget. As we remove the barnacles, we become something else. Thus, the sacrifice of the Mass does not merely mean killing or giving up something, it means that we are becoming more [different] than what we were.

Take the word ATONEMENT for instance. It usually brings to mind images of someone flogging himself. That might be connected with it (punishment), if it does not get in the way of our becoming something else. But the purpose of at/one/ment is literally to "become one" with God. Sometimes we have to escape the negative images. We have to die to ourselves to make a good sacrifice. We do this by such things as sharing, swallowing our pride, and giving up a little of our time. This is not always pleasant. The purpose is not to get a nice feeling, it is to become other, to become like Christ.

23. Holiness As Sharing God's Life

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The words, "Holy, Holy, Holy," are the key to understanding this transformation. We are to become holy. There are a lot of misconceptions about this word. It does not mean weird or odd, but OTHER. God is utterly other and transcends us. God has no beginning and will have no end. He is different. There is no limit to his power, beauty, or knowledge. He is not like us. He is incomprehensible. By common expressions like, "the man upstairs likes me," we give the false impression that God is only one step ahead of us. This is not what or who God is. Nevertheless, this completely other tries to communicate himself to us through the Word.

The Jews did not have any superlative word as in the English, holiest, so they said the same word three times for emphasis. That is why we do the same at Mass. What we are trying to do is to become other. We listen to what God expects of us. He confronts us. He tells us that we are not everything we are suppose to be. Sometimes he comforts us when we are down on ourselves. He wants us to fulfill our calling as children of God. The greatest moment in our lives was at our baptism. We moved from being simply creatures, no matter how beautiful or intelligent, to being children of God, the Father. An infinite gap was traversed between being a creature and then having God's life infused into us. We live out our baptism. If we forfeit this sanctifying grace, the Sacrament of Confession can restore it. The Eucharist (on a regular basis) will help us to become other, to share in God's life.

The setting for what we shall discuss next is called the CANON. Today, they are numbered. The first is called the Roman Canon, and until a few decades ago, the only Eucharistic canon used in the West for hundreds of years. The second is the shortest and for that reason most familiar to those who attend weekday Mass. The third gets large use these days on Sunday. The fourth summarizes the history of salvation. Although their number gives us a little variety, they all have the same basic parts.

22. Gifts for Transformation

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In preparation for the Eucharist, God speaks to us from the Living Word, "not from a distance," (as a popular Bette Midler song suggests) or from back in history. We speak to God. He speaks to us. We give something to God. We receive something from God. He both speaks to us privately and as a community in the sacrifice of the Mass. There is a pattern and interchange between God and ourselves in the liturgy.

By giving the gifts of bread and wine, we are expressing ourselves. The production of the gifts contain all the aspects of our lives: our emotions, work, disappointments, joy, and so forth. The purpose of this giving, as was the purpose of listening to the Word of God, is that we be transformed or changed, living out our baptism which was the initial conversion in us.

21. The Symbolism of Bread

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At the Last Supper, Christ took bread. What went into this gift? It took work. To get bread you have to PLANT, if you plant you need to PLOW, if you plow you need HOPE. Later, you have the HARVEST and that brings JOY. How often have we brought this understanding of bread to the Eucharist? Do we see ourselves in it? After harvesting, there is the WINNOWING in which the wheat grains are thrown into the air. The uneatable part called chaff is blown away. That which falls at their feet, the heavier part, is separated out as good. The Holy Spirit will also separate us from our sins and give the good portion to the Lord. Returning to the stages in bread-making, that which is left is taken to the baker who uses yeast to raise the bread. Of course, at the Last Supper, they used (unleavened) pita bread. In the offertory, we are giving something of ourselves. In the 1960's there was the common expression of calling money BREAD. It was still understood as the subsidence of life. We do not barter much anymore. That is why the collection is taken up at the offertory of the liturgy. It represents the gift of the community. Symbolized in the bread, sacrificed in all our donations for the basket, we are all on the offertory plate. We are saying, "Take me Lord." After this bread is offered, it shall become something better. Wine is even more delicate to make, because of the weather. And yet, this labor also comes to fruition. Wheat must be ground and grapes crushed, signs that we must die to self, especially in regard to sin. Put in another way, it means contrition. We are sorry for our sins and turn to God. The law of nature and of supernature apply here. The Lord says, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (John 12:24). In order to rise again with our Lord, sharing his life, we must die to self. This is a common theme for us. This bread we offer will become the living presence of Christ. The preparation looks like destruction, but it is not. Similarly, baptism looks like drowning, dying. In the ancient ritual, the newly initiated would be dressed in white robes. They would have come to an awareness of a beckoning new identity, a reality that was sometimes counter-cultural. At Mass we live out our baptism. Sometimes this is difficult to do. At the offertory we might unfortunately say to God, "Take everything else, but this is mine." We hold grudges and fail to trust God's guidance. And yet, this surrender must be expressed, not only in baptism but in our lives, in the liturgy, and in the Church's year. The liturgical year attempts to unpack this truth as well. Lent is forty days to live out our baptism in a special way. We do penance, not to make ourselves suffer, but that we might rise with Jesus at Easter. It is upon this latter feast that the Church places pre-eminent emphasis, giving it fifty days. To make our choice for the Lord more honest and lasting, we do penance and die to self, sharing in Christ's life of grace.

20. The Offertory Gift

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Let us now look closer at the Table of the Eucharist and of the Offertory. Many people only go to Mass to get something out of it. Nevertheless, the most essential reason is for people to come to give. Why do we use bread and wine? The answer is simple, it is because Jesus used them at the Last Supper.

What is a gift? Usually the really important gifts we offer are intangible. However, we might use tangible things to express them. Flowers given to the sick express affection. However, such things can also be mighty poor gifts if we put little of ourselves into them. Yet, if your child made a Valentine for you with his crayons that looked like a heart in need of a bypass, you would be very much moved. The child is honestly and sincerely expressing himself. It has a deeper meaning than the world's greatest material treasures.

We have to be careful that we truly express ourselves. The words of the psalmist become not only ours, but Christ's: "Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, 'Behold I come; in the written scroll it is prescribed for me. To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart'" (Psalm 40:7-9). Behold I come. The Lord fitted a body to himself and came. This is Jesus. Sometimes the Old Testament sacrifices became "pro forma"; they were following the ritual, but not giving themselves. This danger also exists for us. Expressed through visible gifts, the invisible and ever-faithful Christ gives himself.

19. Summation of Christ's Truth

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The Creed is a summation of Christ's truth given to us. It was composed at Nicea (325 AD) in the early days of the Church. {Actually, it underwent some development from Nicea to its promulgation again at the council of Constantinople in 381 AD.} In the face of controversy and dissent, it clarified the orthodox interpretation of the biblical witness.

18. The Table of the Word

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Sometimes the lectern (or ambo since the Gospel is proclaimed there as well) is called the Table of the Word and the altar is called the Table of the Eucharist. Nourishment comes off a table. This is its purpose. Similar to a passage in Ezekiel, we read in Revelation 10:8-11: "Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, 'Go, take the open scroll from the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.' I went up to the angel and said to him, 'Give me the little scroll.' He said to me, 'Here, take it and eat it! It will be sour in your stomach, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.' I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. In my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey, but when I swallowed it my stomach turned sour. Then someone said to me, 'You must prophesy again for many peoples and nations, languages and kings.'" In other words, the Word of God nourishes us. It is sweet to comfort and sour to challenge.

17. Preparation for the Eucharist

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Generally, the first reading (Old Testament) and the Gospel will have the same theme. It is either the fulfillment of it or the original meaning is made more concise. There are two readings and a Gospel on Sunday. Given the variety of two cycles (alternating annually), daily Mass has only one reading, not two. Sundays possess three cycles of readings, labeled (A), (B), and (C). This is to insure as broad an exposure to the Scriptures as possible. Indeed, the Sunday lectionary of readings exposes the churchgoer to more than seven thousand verses of the bible. When there is a procession down the church aisle, the book (Lectionary) is sometimes carried over the reader's head. This does not mean that the lector is an exhibitionist, rather it is to stress the Word of God. The Liturgy of the Word is not filler until we reach the Eucharist. It prepares us for the Eucharist and in return the Eucharist will give the readings more meaning. This makes it crucial that we come on time. I cannot stress this enough. It is especially telling in regard to our priorities if in contrast we would never be tardy for a sporting event or a concert.

16. Nurtured By the Readings

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Encapsulating the readings, the lector introduces it and concludes with the assertion, "The Word of the Lord." People respond, "Thanks be to God." As if we did not know, the lector is making it explicit that the Lord is the one speaking to us. The priest or deacon also introduces the Gospel and finishes with the statement of fact: "The Gospel of the Lord." Having heard the Good News, the people respond, "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ." Again, there is no doubt left in either statement who the principal speaker is during the proclamation. To further elevate the Gospel, candles and incense may accompany it. We recall the sentiment, "May our prayers ascend to God as the smoke of the incense, with pleasing fragrance." Did you ever have times when you went to your grandmother's house as she prepared the meal? Coming inside, you would notice how the food smells good, then you would notice that it looks good, and finally, having been drawn to it, you would realize that it tastes good. The Gospel is also good. Like the Eucharist, it is also the food of life. The priest (or deacon) will make the sign of the cross upon the book. Next, he will make the same gesture with his thumb upon his forehead, his lips, and his heart. It is by the proclamation of the Good News that we desire TO KNOW, TO PROFESS, and TO LOVE the Lord who comes to us in faith.

15. Link Between the Testaments

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We use the Old Testament because it is linked to the New Testament and makes it clearer to understand. There are all sorts of parallels. For example, the mention of clouds in the Scriptures are not weather reports. What is meant is the presence of God. A cloud is described in the episode of the Transfiguration of Jesus. A cloud leads the Jews across the desert. Another example would be the trumpet. It is a sign of God's voice speaking. He will have our attention, it pierces us. Still another feature that runs through both the Old and the New Testaments is the matter of ascending a mountain. Moses went up a mountain to get the ten commandments at Sinai. Jesus climbs a mountain and offers his followers the beatitudes. The mountain expresses the meaning that God is in a higher, different life than where we ordinarily exist. Between the two readings at Mass there is a responsorial psalm. It is a repetitious prayer. This is not necessarily bad. Like breathing, it is a good thing to do over and over again. The preference in the liturgy is that it be sung. Outside of the Mass, during the civil rights days, many Christians sang the refrain, "We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome some day." Our repeating it gave the words greater emphasis and meaning. Continuing on, the Gospel is distinguished from the other readings. We stand to show our respect to the life of Jesus.

14. Mass Readings Challenge & Comfort

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We first allow God to speak to us. We get a passage at Mass from the Old and New Testaments and from the Gospels. In between the first two readings there is a responsorial psalm. Before the Gospel there is a verse, sandwiched most of the year between alleluias.

When telling the parable of a man who was beaten by robbers and avoided by all save one stranger, Jesus hits his listeners between the eyes with the mention that this man was a Samaritan. When he healed ten lepers, only one returned to show gratitude, again he was a Samaritan, a people that Pharisees and orthodox Jews often despised. Such passages illustrate the challenge of the Scriptures. (Many of us have taken comfort from them, too.)

13. Structure of the Opening Prayer

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Generally, the structure of the Mass prayer begins with a salutation. When you say, "Father," he is listening to you. With God, there is always a willing audience. There is also thanks, commonly for some past gift or action. After thanking him, it is customary to ask God for something. Then it ends, "Through Jesus Christ our Lord . . . ." He is the one through whom our prayer receives its efficacy.

On Sundays and upon other festive occasions, the Gloria is also sung or recited. It follows a Trinitarian format as well. We open ourselves up for the Liturgy of the Word. It requires both remote preparation (on our own) and immediate (as a community) to be well disposed for the readings.

12. Collecting the Prayers

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Do you remember that passage in the Old Testament, when Moses prays with his hands raised? While he prayed, the battle went well for his people. However, when his arms grew heavy, the battle worsened. In desperation, he had two attendants hold his arms up while he prayed. The priest prays with arms raised, too. He collects us and our prayers or individual intentions and gives it all to the Father. After the expression, "Let us pray," there is a moment of silence. It is here that these needs are pondered in our hearts.

11. Prayer & the Trinity

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Prayer, especially public, is usually addressed to the Father, but we do so because we are one with the Son and are moved by the Holy Spirit. God not only hears your prayer, he starts it. "In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings" (Romans 8:26). Notice how the opening prayer ends, "Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever." It is a Trinitarian formula. The Lord is still praying with us. As the head of our body, he remains with us always. If we are praying with the Son of God, how can our prayer not be acceptable? The Father always hears his children.

10. More About Christ's Presence in the Assembly

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Continuing this investigation into how Christ is present, it is of interest to note that several times in the Mass, even from the very first, the priest recognizes Christ's presence in the assembly. He says, "The Lord be with you." Christ identifies himself with his people. When Saul of Tarsus was blinded upon the road, our Lord said to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" By oppressing the family of Christ, Jesus himself was being assaulted. This shows something of the intimacy of Christ's oneness with his people. This revelation called Saul to conversion, symbolized by his new name, Paul. It should also call us to transformation. We respond to the priest, "And also with you." The expression is mutual.

The primary thing that stands in the way of recognizing this presence is selfishness. It deafens us to God's voice in prayer and in scripture. We ask the Lord to forgive us and to give us his mercy. Mercy here means divine aid, the graces to live this life. We realize that we have not lived up to the ideal. Sometimes, as a substitute for the usual penitential rite, the priest will sprinkle the people with water. He will also ask us to re-express our baptismal sentiments, rejecting sin and professing our faith, accepting God. Finally, he says, "Let us pray." The community prayer depends in large part upon the quality of our private prayer.

9. Christ's Presences

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In CPR you can literally breathe life into a person. Christ breathes his life, his very PRESENCE into the inspired Word of God. At one time the Scriptures were even reserved in churches to reinforce this point. While not denying the EUCHARISTIC PRESENCE, that of the WORD compliments and leads to it. Initially, God is PRESENT to us, his members. Christ has promised that whenever two or more are gathered in his name, he is there. The priest, not only our presider but the celebrant at the liturgy, though knowing his many faults, has Christ living in him. The ordained man's very body, as an intimate sign of his identity, resonates in perfect harmony with the person of the God-Man. Christ is the only High Priest of the Christian dispensation. Those ordained share or participate in the priesthood by acting in the PERSON OF CHRIST at the altar. Accidental things like beards in the East and the vestments worn throughout Christendom are to enhance the priest's role as a living icon for the Lord. Through his functions with and on the behalf of the assembly, Christ is alive calling us together and explaining the Scriptures. When all have left the church building, the reserved host maintains Christ's ABIDING PRESENCE.

8. A Word to Lectors

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As a brief aside, there is the unfortunate tendency among lectors nationwide to add more words to the introductory and closing statements around liturgical readings. The true emphasis is inadvertently diminished. Attention is redirected, even if unintentionally, upon themselves or the congregation. Pope John Paul II cautioned a group of lectors regarding this, warning that they were at the service of the Word. Your whole bearing, he relates, should say, "[This is] the Word of the Lord," and not, "I am the Lord of the Word." The deification of the assembly is implied with the addition of such a phrase as, "My brothers and sisters, . . ." over and against God's presence in the proclamation. Even more peculiar is the lifting of the lectionary with the concluding acclamation. It damages the higher honor and significance given the Gospel and may even mislead people into placing importance in the physical book instead of upon the living Word that is heard and which plants a transformative message in the listener.

7. Need to Know the Scriptures

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There can be all sorts of reasons that the Liturgy of the Word fails to move or to change us. Perhaps, through daydreaming we are inattentive? Perhaps we miss it by coming late to Mass? Perhaps the lector is poor or the microphones failing? One of the most common reasons is because we did not familiarize ourselves with the readings. There is no rule against looking over Mass readings from the bible at home. The Lord was infleshed in the Word of God long before he was in the womb of Mary. That is why the lector announces, "The Word of the Lord," after a reading. Following the Gospel, the people respond, "Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ." If a newcomer were with you in church, he might ask, "To whom are you talking?" We believe that Christ speaks to us through the Scriptures.

6. Origin of the Two Main Parts

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The two main sections of the Mass trace their roots to the Scriptures. In St. Luke's Gospel 4:14-22, after preaching and teaching, our Lord decided to go back home to Galilee. Entering the synagogue, he reads the Scriptures and explains them. Those in attendance listen and respond. It is just as in our Liturgy of the Word. It is interesting that some people say that you do not have to go to church, and yet our Lord was in the custom of attending the synagogue every week.

The Passover meal, with slight changes in it, gives us the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Further, the Hebrews sacrificed animals and grain to God, in rituals conducted at the Temple. The lamb of the Pasch is viewed in terms of sacrifice; Jesus makes himself the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Both the Liturgy of the Word and of the Eucharist are meant to transform us. Further, the Scriptures confront and comfort us. In the story of the Good Shepherd, God tells us that he values us as individuals, that we are not lost in the herd. But, he also challenges us as in the story of the publican and the pharisee. The former is confronted by his faults and he recognizes his sinfulness. We really have to think about this passage because most of us come out of church thanking God that we were not like the self-righteous pharisee. Can we be so sure?

5. Rhythm to Prayer

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There is a certain rhythm to prayer. Prayer is an interchange, a conversation, a two-way street between you and God. The story is sometimes told of a woman praying, "Our Father, who art in heaven," being suddenly interrupted by the Almighty's voice, saying, "Yes, . . ." She immediately retorts, "Don't bother me, I'm talking to God." Does that tell us anything about our prayers? Do we really believe God is listening? Once in a while, he responds. Maybe not as an audible voice, but he has his ways of communicating with us. We forget that this is an interchange between us. This is basic to our understanding of the Scriptures and of the Eucharist. It is what all prayer is about. We speak to God. He listens to us. God speaks to us. We listen to him. In the Eucharist, we give to God and he receives from us. Then, God gives something most wonderful and we receive from him. Here is this interchange once more.

4. On the Road to Emmaus

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You may want to turn to Luke 24:13-35 in your bibles. To protect myself, no Scripture scholar of whom I am aware would say that the story of the appearance of Christ to the two men on the road to Emmaus is a description of the Mass. However, if we look at it, we might get a better understanding of the order of the Mass. Taking a mild liberty with it, we see the following elements:

1. They were PROCESSING to their destination. [We are a pilgrim people.] (Entrance Rite)

2. Jesus comes and explains the SCRIPTURES to them. (Liturgy of the Word)

3. Then they came to the place where they were headed, and Jesus was moving on. The men asked Jesus to stay with them. Sharing a meal, we find the code word for the Eucharist, "THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD." Notice the words he used:

he TOOK BREAD and GAVE THANKS (Eucharist),
he BROKE IT, and
GAVE IT TO THEM (Communion). They recognized him in the breaking of the bread. What did they do afterwards?
They went out on their MISSION to spread the Word. They went to the apostles to announce that Jesus was risen. (Dismissal)

Can you see the broad outline to what we call the Mass today? We are all processing to our final destiny. We proclaim the Scriptures in the Liturgy of the Word. We participate in the breaking of the bread and then go about our mission as disciples. A priest friend of mine has joked that the only similarity between the people of the Gospel and the people of the Church today is that "they got up immediately and left." If you watch your fellow Catholics, you will observe that many come late and leave early. It is unfortunate. The final words of the Mass send us upon a mission; it is not simply a dismissal. Go tell the Good News! Go tell what you have learned!

There is a reciprocal action going on here. In the bible passage I cited, Jesus explained the Scriptures to the travelers on the road and in turn they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. "Didn't our hearts burn within us as he explained the Scriptures?" So too must our hearts burn with yearning. This is all by way of introducing the Mass so that you will not simply look upon it as a lot of individual parts. There is a whole here. The Scriptures prepare us for the Eucharist. In return, the Eucharist helps us to see Christ in the Scriptures and to better know his message for us. Before the bread and wine is transformed into Christ, the Scriptures are to configure us in such a way that we might be fitting vessels for the bread of life.

3. Internal & External Participation

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As with the other sacraments, there are certain gestures, words, and things used at the sacrifice of the Mass which while helping to bring out the meaning are not utterly at its core. Obviously, the words of Jesus in the consecration that makes him and his sacrifice present are indispensable. Holy communion, while often minimized in the past, is also integral to the divine service. An important theme that emerges in the Eucharist is participation.

A few years ago, the bishop in Arlington, Virginia composed a letter about the Eucharist for his people. In it he distinguished between external and internal participation. This is meaningful because if we do not have internal participation, then all we are doing is moving furniture around the Church and singing songs. There is a danger of emptying our symbols if we do not know what lies beneath them. The external cannot stand by itself.

2. A Rose By Any Other Name

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Many different names are used for the EUCHARIST. Some call it the BLESSED SACRAMENT. Why? Because, filled with awe, we believe that Christ is made present in his humanity and divinity, under the appearance of bread and wine. It is called the REAL PRESENCE. Why? Not to deny Christ's presence in the other sacraments, it is to emphasize our belief against those who challenge it. Sometimes it is partially referred to as COMMUNION, but there is more to the Eucharist than that. The word EUCHARIST can refer both to the consecrated species and to the liturgical action. It is from the Greek and means "giving thanks." What did our Lord do at the Last Supper, even in the midst of trial and anticipation of his death? He gave thanks to his Father. Thanksgiving is a form of prayer that embraces all other kinds. What does our Lord do when he becomes present upon the altar? He gives thanks to his Father just as he did at the LAST SUPPER. Thus, it might also be called the LORD's SUPPER. Sometimes this celebration is called the MASS, a word derived from the dismissal, "Ite, missa est." More than a neat closure to the liturgy, it is a sending forth. The great mystery of SACRIFICE that we commemorate and celebrate, is to have a continuing meaning for us as we head out into the world. It might also be called the LITURGY. Derived from the Greek, it originally referred to a "state affair" or an endeavor by all the people, as opposed to an individual effort. Every Mass is the work of the entire Church. It is our official act of WORSHIP. Another word, and you will not hear it too often, is VIATICUM. It is from the Latin, "via te cum." Given to those who are desperately ill, the Christ whom they receive in holy communion with be with them (you) along the way. It is an allusion that the person who receives Christ while sick will see shortly, as Saint Paul tells us, Christ face to face.

1. Greatest of the Sacraments

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The Mass is the greatest of the seven sacraments of the Church. What are the sacraments? They are human signs, made up of words and sensible materials, through and in which God acts to convey his presence and saving activity. Sacraments are divine bestowals of salvation, of God's very self, and of his life, which we call grace.

WATER is used in Baptism. We are washed clean of our sins; and becoming members of Christ's Mystical Body, the Church, we are transformed into living temples of the Holy Spirit.

CHRISM OIL is used in Confirmation, sealing us as more full sharers in God's Spirit, empowered to spread the Good News.

OIL is used in Anointing the Sick, and it becomes a spiritual balm for healing and liberation from eternal death.

VOWS between spouses constitute the Marital Covenant bonding persons, allowing each to see Christ in the beloved.

LAYING ON OF HANDS signals the ordination to Holy Orders, identifying the minister with the person of Christ in a most unique way directed toward cultic service.

WORDS OF ABSOLUTION signify the forgiveness of Christ in Confession.

WORDS OF CONSECRATION make present the saving sacrifice of Christ wherein the elements of bread and wine become the risen Body and Blood of Christ, the food of eternal life.

These seven "mysteries," as they were so termed in the early Church, are only such because the Church is the great sacrament of encounter between ourselves and the Lord. Where is Christ? He is where the Church is.

The Mass is the sacrament par excellence because of the way that Christ and his activity are made present. It does not coincide with the usual manner people approach one another. He is not anyone's "beer drinking buddy"; he is the Almighty who seeks to live in human hearts. The saving activity of Christ is not locked into past history. Through the Mass, the saving events of Christ are made present to us right now. What Christ did then, he does today. This is not the Casa Blanca, "Do it again, Sam" kind of repetition, but one of continuous pattern. He prolongs the effects or consequences of his acts for all time and for all people. The saving actions of the living Christ (his suffering, death, and resurrection) are no longer restricted by time and space. In its various rituals and prayers, but especially in the words of consecration, we arrive at Calvary and participate in the Last Supper.

Sequence for Corpus Christi

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The beautiful sequence that follows teaches us the deep significance of the Blessed Sacrament. Read this prose translation slowly. Pause to meditate on its meaning. Make it a true prayer.

The Sequence

Zion, praise your Savior. Praise your Savior. Praise your leader and shepherd in hymns and canticles. Praise him as much as you can, for he is beyond all praising and you will never be able to praise him as he merits.

But today a theme worthy of particular praise is put before us -- the living and life-giving bread that, without any doubt, was given to the Twelve at table during the holy supper.

Therefore let our praise be full and resounding and our soul's rejoicing full of delight and beauty, for this is the festival day to commemorate the first institution of this table.

At this table of the new King, the new law's new Pasch puts an end to the old Pasch. The new displaces the old, the reality the shadow and light the darkness. Christ wanted what he did at the supper to be repeated in his memory.

And so we, in accordance with his holy directions, consecrate bread and wine to be salvation's Victim. Christ's followers know by faith that bread is changed into his flesh and wine into his blood.

Man cannot understand this, cannot perceive it; but a lively faith affirms that the change, which is outside the natural course of things, takes place. Under the different species, which are now signs only and not their own reality, there lie hid wonderful realities. His body is our food, his blood our drink.

And yet Christ remains entire under each species. The communicant receives the complete Christ -- uncut, unbroken and undivided. Whether one receive or a thousand, the one receives as much as the thousand. Nor is Christ diminished by being received.

The good and the wicked alike receive him, but with the unlike destiny of life or death. To the wicked it is death, but life to the good. See how different is the result, though each receives the same.

Last of all, if the sacrament is broken, have no doubt. Remember there is as much in a fragment as in an unbroken host. There is no division of the reality, but only a breaking of the sign; nor does the breaking diminish the condition or size of the One hidden under the sign.

Behold, the bread of angels is become the pilgrim's food; truly it is bread for the sons, and is not to be cast to dogs. It was prefigured in type when Isaac was brought as an offering, when a lamb was appointed for the Pasch and when manna was given to the Jews of old.

Jesus, good shepherd and true bread, have mercy on us; feed us and guard us. Grant that we find happiness in the land of the living. You know all things, can do all things, and feed us here on earth. Make us your guests in heaven, co-heirs with you and companions of heaven's citizens. Amen. Alleluia.

Something About the Author

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The Meaning of the Mass & the Eucharist

Msgr. William J. Awalt was the pastor of St. Ann's Church in NW Washington, DC for just over 30 years, retiring in the year 2000. His pastorate was marked by a deep devotion to the Eucharistic Liturgy and a never-ending preoccupation with preaching, teaching and defending the Catholic faith. This page represents the merging of his two favorite endeavors. As part of a larger adult catechetical program, Msgr. Awalt gave three talks on the Eucharist and Mass. Although Fr. Joseph Jenkins has taken some editorial liberties in the translation of these talks to the medium of the written word and the Internet, they are still essentially his work.