Sacrament of the Eucharist

Possibly the most important idea in theology, is to understand that Jesus was Jewish, and He was raised in Jewish theology and perspective. Memory was very important to the Jewish people, which isn’t to say that they have difficulty remembering their history. They heard God speak to them in two great saving events: the Exodus, and the giving of the covenant at Mount Sinai. Both of these were great saving events for the Jewish people, which for them transcend time and history, because each was a divine act of the saving power of God.

The Jewish people today believe that these events really happened, and if they really happened, how can they personally connect to these events? The answer was and is to gather the people in community, and proclaim what happened, such as when they celebrate the Seder Meal together. God said, “I will be truly present” and you will encounter the original event. The Jewish people believe that they will experience the same saving power of God, even if it looks different for them today. Their saying, “Our ancestors walked through the red sea and our feet are wet” is an example of this idea. It is God, who is divine, who initiated these events.

The English language is a bit weak in understanding this idea of memory. The Hebrew word zikkaron is translated into two separate English words, memorial and remembrance, which miss the importance of this idea. Both of these words seem to suggest thinking about what happened in the past. For the Jewish people, to make memorial is to participate in and encounter the event today, not to think about it as a past event.

Our Eucharist came from a family table with family dynamics; where one presider and the others celebrated the meal, which today is celebrated as a memorial of the Paschal Mystery. This is the full saving event of Jesus Christ’s passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, which might also include his conception and birth. Christ’s Paschal Mystery is what we encounter as the saving event.

This is our saving event which actually happened in history. We as Christians believe that these things really happened. On the night that Jesus introduced the Eucharist to His disciples, He changed everything. He used this idea of memorial, not thinking about it or being nostalgic about it but truly encountering it. The question is how are we going to be transformed by this saving event? The Jewish pattern of memory is the same for us as Christians. The challenge is that it looks different today, because the world around us is different. Nevertheless, we too gather the faithful to proclaim the Word to the community. We encounter, participate in, and proclaim what happened; Jesus’ saving event transcends time and we can be saved and transformed by it.

This is the saving event of our own lives, and the full power of that event is present in our midst. The body and blood of our savior is a true sacrifice, and although it isn't physical because it only happened once, it is nevertheless real. It is the same sacrifice brought to us in sacramental form, to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross as a memorial of his death and resurrection. This is what saves us, and the challenge is that it looks different because it is us encountering it today. Within this sacrament, we truly encounter the saving reality of the original event. Christ is truly in our midst, even though Jesus died 2000 years ago. This event is present, alive, active, healing, and reconciling each of us every week.

Mass is necessary because of this encounter, but every Christian needs a personal relationship with Christ. There are lots of ways to encounter Christ, such as prayer, mission work, community, supporting each other, and scripture, etc. As a Church, we don't always present Jesus well. He said, “This is my body”, my whole self, my entire person. In this broken bread is everything that I am which is for you. “This is the cup of my blood”, the cup of suffering, the cup of my covenant, which is the new and eternal covenant for all. Sealed by my death and poured out for you, so that sins may be forgiven.

Jesus’ question for each of us is “Will you drink this cup”, die with me, and be ready to give up your life for me? Will you gather together as my people, claiming God's word, and “Do this in remembrance of me”? What you are encountering is not the first covenant, but what you are encountering is the eternal covenant; filling you with peace and joy. We need to do a better job of including the people in this celebration, and of expressing the significance and power of who is truly present. Both the body and blood are used because He asked us to. The bread symbolizes the unity that we all share with each other and Christ, and the Blood symbolizes how that unity with Christ and life comes to us; through his death.

In addition to the familiar traditions of the Last Supper found in the three Gospels, John’s Gospel is slightly different. In John, Jesus washes the disciple’s feet, and then says, “As I have done so you must do for each other”. We must be the Eucharist for others, as we go out at the end of mass we go out to wash the feet of those we meet; family, friends, co-workers, and strangers. Eucharist means thanksgiving, and we must be especially thankful for the saving deeds of Jesus Christ, our savior. As lectors, ministers, presiders, and deacons convinced of the teaching, we must be washed and live as it is handed down; we must call this food thanksgiving and be what we have received.

You are a member of the body of Christ and if you are not present you scatter the body. You, owe it to the community as a member of the body of Christ to be present, really present. How you talk, sing, walk, and gesture, etc speaks volumes to those around you, because it’s about the community connection.

Those who are made partners with the paschal mystery will go forward to the hope of the resurrection. All this holds true, not just for Christians only, but for all people whose hearts are active and visible. Christ died for all, and all people are called to the same destiny; to be divine. We Catholics must proclaim with others as partners, the saving justification of Jesus Christ. Catholics see the Eucharist as a celebration of those who already hold an understanding of what it means. It is the saving Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

Transformation

Supposedly, Aristotle coined the phrase "The whole is more than the sum of its parts", but in fact there is no place in Aristotles's Metaphysics where that phrase, or anything similar, can be found. The Gestalt theory of Max Wertheimer maintains that there are experienced objects and relationships that are fundamentally different from the mere collections of sensations, parts, or pieces. What Gestalt theory actually says about relationships is that "The whole is different from the sum of its parts". With that in mind Kurt Koffka wrote that it is more correct to say that "The whole is something else than the sum of it's parts", because summing up is a meaningless procedure, whereas the releationship between the whole and the parts is meaningful. In the natural world, synergistic phenomena are ubiquitous of course, ranging from the synergies of scale in multi-cellular organisms and the many different kinds of synergies produced by socially-organized groups, from honeybee colonies, to wolf packs, to human societies. In the context of organizational behavior, following the view that a cohesive group is more than the sum of its parts, synergy is the ability of a group to out perform even it's best individual member. This has been true from the begining, and the early hominins who became systematic big-game hunters is one primoridal human example.

Recently, I've been thinking about the idea of transformation, which is a bit like synergy. As children our kids were always making something from clay, some of which we have kept to this day, and one of our daughters now teaches three dimensial art. Opening the door of a kiln is a moment of high expectation, anxiety and joy, and I would think a moment of transcendent surprise as well. A potter could describe the general process that results in a small work of functional art. An engineer would deconstruct the chemical interaction of the clay and glaze properties, as they interact with heat and time. A chemist could explain why metalic crystals are formed in the surface of the glassy silica under the condtions of oxidation and reduction in the kiln environment. As you've probably noted, I tend to find the spiritual in just about everything, partly I suppose because I'm usually looking for it, and you would probably agree with me that none of that information, knowledge, or truth really begins to express what one sees when the door of a kiln is opened for the first time.

There is something more at work here, which is a tranformation in the fire that goes beyond mere rationality and logic, although both have directly contributed to the process. All of the activity, sensations, and parts that make up this single piece of pottery, can't explain the transcendant creativity of the fire. Essentially, reducing it to numbers and formula doesn't describe beauty. Our modern minds try to reduce everything to what we can measure, weigh, and reproduce, but as important as the scientific method is there is "something more at work here". This is true of an art process, a relationship, ones sense of self, or our sense of God. Reducing life to the evolution of the chemical and biological interactions of self-conscious beings may be completely accurate, but it doesn't begin to define the moments of our lives. There is "something more at work here". The next time you stand in awe of a sunset, or the giggle of an infant, or the helping hand of a friend, take a breath and suspend the logic that seeks to limit such moments to what you and I can understand.

Sacrament of Confirmation

We began tonight with a short review of the changes in baptism. Both the East and the West began with a converged process of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist (bce), but with the introduction of infant baptism, the West began a long process of separating the sacraments into distinct events. The result was Baptism as an infant, followed by penance and Eucharist at about the age of 10, which in turn was followed by confirmation at about the age of 13 (bec).

In the early Church the goal was the transformation of the disciple into the person of Christ, who in turn becomes poured out and broken for others. Paul’s model of, “No longer I live but Christ in me”, became the adult model and instruction of the catechumen was over a long period of time. It was for them a hearing and a commitment; it wasn’t about knowing the information about Christ or the rules of the church. It was about a personal commitment and relationship with Christ; it was about the Devine Person of Christ in their midst and in their lives.

Very quickly diversity in the ritual began to develop. The model continued to be what happened to Jesus, including immersion in water, recognition of the Holy Spirit, and the voice of God speaking to the believer; to represent the spirit of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the proclamation of the word. Eventually, the sign of the laying on of hands became an anointing with oil, and penance was added to restore baptismal innocence. Still today, the result of giving our lives to Christ is living a life in community in the gospel, affected by the witness of others.

With the publication of the Second Vatican Council documents, the recovery of the catechumenate process was undertaken and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (The RCIA) was published as a guide. This book is for everyone on the planet, and it is intended to provide consistency in the process. In the West, a second model now exists. There is the model for children which begins when they are infants and continues through childhood (bec), and the restored model for adults (bce). This second catechumenate model is a converged process of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, and it returns to the original model (bce), followed by the earliest Christians and still followed by the Eastern rite churches.

Originally baptism was to free one from sin and post baptismal confirmation was a sign of anointing by the Holy Spirit. Confirmation done much later is something else and today it includes two years of instruction, plus a retreat, plus a number of service hours. However, youth ministry and confirmation don't have to be a single process; they can be separated. Following the reasoning that parents don't wait for their children to understand the benefits of food before they feed them, it may be best to give it before they can comprehend it. Many people are requesting and some parishes are even adopting a restored sequence, which makes much more sense pastorally. Although it keeps infant Baptism it moves Confirmation, Penance, and Eucharist to about the second or third grade. Notice how this again restores the original order of the sacraments (bce).

In the “Sacrament on Charity”, Pope Benedict said that Eucharist is the climax of initiation, and our Bishop called for a study on “How we can better prepare our members for the confirmation process”. The result of the study was that Parishes were offered an opportunity to pilot the restored sequence process. Many believe that this process better satisfies Pope Benedicts view, and many are using the restored sequence in their parishes. This is why there seems to be no consistency in the catechumenate process and why there is so much confusion. While many still argue that waiting until later keeps the child "involved", an early Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist process needs to be followed by consistent education and training. A vibrant youth program is very important, so if you've got a teen confirmation program that is working - keep it!

In 1972 the Second Vatican Council began a process of restoring the ancient biblical theology of Baptism as it developed in the fourth and fifth centuries. In 1974 the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults was published in Latin and in 1976 it was published in English. Originally the text was for un-baptized people only, but in 1988 a candidate process was added to respect those who are already baptized in other traditions.

Regardless of the details, the catechumenate and candidate processes are a life-long discipleship. They're intended to be a public process which includes information, formation, and transformation. They're goals should be immersion in the Word, community life, prayer and the paschal mystery, and the mission of the church. The catechumenate and candidate processes for both adults and children are the responsibility of the entire community and they require a team approach that should include everyone as a renewal for the entire parish. Admittedly, it’s a difficult process but we must continue to do it even if we are not doing it well. You should just do it, and do the best that you can!

The Saints - Four Stages of Grace

Trail-Blazers tried to answer the question, "How do we prevail in a world hostile to the Gospel?" It was a period (up to about 699) of expansion. This describes those who were first to spread the faith emboldened by the Holy Spirit. These include the Twelve Apostles, the early martyrs, the apologists, the desert Father and Mothers, and the Ascetics.

Discerning Spirits tried to answer the question, "How do we live the gospel faith fully?" It was a period (about 700 - 1499) of contraction. The withdrawal of Christianity into Europe signaled the need to "get down the business of following Christ". Teachers, mystics and founders of religious orders followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to live out the Christian calling in an organized way. They continued the process of discerning what it means to be a disciple in their respective cultures and geographic areas. During this time the split of the Church into East and West took place.

Reformers tired to answer the question, "What shall we do when there is disagreement?" It was period (about 1500 - 1899) of missionary effort and expansion. It coincides with the growth of the Christian faith outside of Europe because of an historic explosion of travel and exploration. It was the time of Euro-imperialism, the discovery of the Americas and the dawning of a new understanding of the world through scientific progress. It was also a time of questioning of the faith and of demand for reform.

In some instances reform was needed to address corruption and infidelity to the Founder's visions and the gospel of Jesus, and also to respond to social changes and new moral questions. Out of these reforms values were rescued, reaffirmed or articulated in a new way. The following innovations, and others, had their origins in the Christian ethos that was born; religious tolerance, human rights, and the valuation of a universal call to holiness. All of these were important themes in the Second Vatican Council.

Creative Spirits answered the question, "how best can we hope and imagine salvation despite sin in the world?" This is the period (about 1900 onward) in which we are now living. It describes a time marked by rapid social and technological change, world wars and other conflicts, turbulent political strife and social transformation. There is a global spread of Christianity. Missions are going out from almost every country on earth. Visionary men and women have been called by the Spirit to answer the Christian calling in this changing landscape. Peace-makers, visionaries and boundary crossers have arisen, and their creative spirit has enabled the faith to grow. It is also a time during which non-Western religions have become more widely known and practiced across cultures.

Sacrament of Baptism

Tonight our instructor began by saying that she is convinced that Christianity is not that obvious to some people. Christianity is about becoming another Christ for the life of the world. After all Christ, through the Sacraments, transforms us. Not everyone is called, it is not, “and we like Christ and love others, and shall not kill". In dying in Him we come to know Christ personally. Since baptism is often seen as the "forgiveness of original sin", it should be transforming and a little bit terrifying.

One of the biggest gains of Vatican II has been the recovery of the symbol of baptism. From the beginning Christians believed that the Holy Trinity would do anything to bring us to God. Everyone saw the stars, sky, flowers; they saw the beauty around about them and said yes, others continued to say no. So God sent us Jesus who was born in human form, God speaking to us directly saying, "I Love You, I believe in you, I hold you". Some heard and said yes and still others said ... what are you talking about?

Sacrament is God's communication to us, but we must be able to open our hearts to hear. St Augustine counted about 304 sacraments, although through the centuries those have been reduced to seven. Why, seven? Because it is Jesus who is there, God is uniquely active in the sacraments that we celebrate. They are encounters with Christ, through personal faith, in community with others. Transformed in Christ, we are called to go out into the world to serve.

The early church had no priests and no laity. Jesus was the high priest and we were his priestly people. In baptism we became a new creation, in which we received the gift of Holy Spirit. We were born again! The experience of re-birth through water fills us with the Spirit of Jesus Christ and results in our incorporation into the Church as members of the Body of Christ. For the early church the symbol of baptism was a circle, like a mother’s womb. Later, for John, re-birth came through death. Jesus pours out his spirit for us; we are buried with Him and united with Him in death. For John, the symbol of baptism was a rectangle, the shape of a coffin. With Christ within us we become Christ (our goal) and in doing so we become a part of the Trinity. Today we recognize both death and re-birth in baptism. Our old life dies in the water and we are born to our new life in Christ. For us the symbol of baptism is the cross.

These signs need to speak to us! The Eastern rite speaks of the divinization of the members of the Church. This idea of baptism is that we are adopted sons and daughters; God is claiming us as his own. The Son of God who is divine became human that we might become divine. We are already living as the divine adopted sons and daughters of God. We can't simply approach the cross, we must pass through it, choosing to die with Christ that we might become God's children.

John was familiar with the Jewish washing and bathing rituals and he taught that they should be open to everyone. Baptism means "to immerse", and he was baptizing people as an individuals sign of acceptance for the coming of the messiah. Christian baptism is not a continuation of Jewish ritual however, nor does it hold the meaning John gave it; it is nothing less than Jesus' gift of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus was baptized He was revealed as God's Son, and as it was with Jesus the Spirit descends upon us and dwells within us.

As adults proclamation of the word is our faithful response to conversion resulting from our initial desire for repentance. We are baptized into Christ. It's not just informational; it's a re-birth into a new life, with freedom from death and freedom from sin. We are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and receive membership into the community. It's a commitment to a Gospel way of life. As Christianity became tolerated, and then preferred, the catechumenate process began to change. Once Christianity became the official religion, citizenship required a baptismal certificate. Rituals that started out with Biblical roots became more organized and developed. The long period of training, sponsors, prayers, and welcoming, along with the sending out or mission continued to evolve.

In both the East and the West the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist were originally performed at the same time. By the 4th century however, because Christianity was the state religion, everyone was getting baptized and no one was left except babies. Parishes were growing rapidly and were so big that Bishops couldn't be everywhere, and delegation of authority gave rise to infant baptism. The East didn't see this as a problem, since the Bishop had blessed the Chrism Oil, they felt that with "Bishop in a bottle" they could baptize babies without a Bishop present.

The West felt that the Bishop must be present and they decided to wait. However, there was the question of what happens regarding infant mortality, because if baptism "forgives sin" and it's a child how does sin enter the picture? St. Augustine tried to explain this as "original sin" using the story of Adam and Eve as a guide. Unfortunately, parents were being told that their baby wouldn't go to heaven unless it was baptized. Obviously, this was not the teaching of God, so the Church came up with another idea, called Limbo. Of course neither of these is taught today, and we have a different understanding. John Paul II helped us understand sin the way Saint Paul did, " What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate". There is something about the nature of the human heart in that it is broken.

The West moved baptism and Eucharist to childhood, and made confirmation wait until even later. As parishes continued to grow, the interval to confirmation was becoming longer and longer, and finally reached the age of 10 - 13. Once confirmation was separated from baptism and Eucharist, it lost its meaning and eventually parents were not even sure what confirmation was about. They felt that since baptism freed one from sin and prepared them for heaven, then once you were baptized you were "good to go". This disconnect occurred only in the West since the East had maintained the connection between Baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist.

In the West another problem developed. Eventually, because of a deep sense of un-worthiness, people simply stopped coming to Mass. The Bishop had blessed the bread and no one was taking the Body of Christ, so the tabernacle was developed to store it, and at the same time they simply stopped offering the Blood. The un-intended consequence was that infants lost the Eucharist (which was being given to them as a drop of Blood on the tongue). For this reason the West moved Eucharist to childhood, immediately following confirmation (with penance inserted in the middle). Pope Pius X decided that 1st Holy Communion at the age of 10 - 13 was too late so he moved it to the age of reason, with the understanding that the child should understand that it was not ordinary bread and that they should desire it. He left confirmation until later.

So at this point, Baptism was available to infants, penance and Eucharist was made available at the age of reason (~10-11) and confirmation was kept for childhood (~11-13). The hope was to promote reception of the Eucharist by the laity.

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.

 

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.

 

Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come.
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

 

The Lord has promised good to me, his Word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.

 

When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we first begun.

Verse 1-4 John Newton (1725 - 1807), Verse 5 anon, 1790 Columbian Harmony 1829

Welcome Back

Summer has been a blast this year! My wife and I have been able to do a lot of traveling, and spend time with our grand kids. It's been a hectic summer in a lot of ways. We've had too much to do, even though I haven't been going to class and my wife hasn't been busy at Church one or two nights per week. The best part is we've been able to spend lots of time together. But, "that was then, and this is now". The ILM students "well deserved summer break" is over, and the program gets under way again begining next Wednesday evening. Our first Saturday class is the following weekend. Most of the our little ones have been back in school for about a month now, so I can't complain about a mid September start.

I know my posts have been less than inspiring, and although I've managed to fill the space, I think there has been a lack of focus. According to the welcome letter from the ILM staff, this year will be similar to last year, with a paper due at the end of a series of weekly lectures. I'm guessing four papers again this year. We were also asked to sign something new, called a Learning Covenant, which is intended to "clarify the expectations of the ILM staff" regarding student attendance, reading assignments, written assignments, and classroom participation. I think the main problem is that some students have failed to turn in written assignments. Although I tend to talk less and listen more, I do contribute to the class discussions, and all of my assignments were turned in on time too ... so I think I'm safe there.

Trivia Question # 18

During the ILM summer break I'm presenting this Catholic trivia quiz one question at a time, and then giving the answer and asking a new question in the next post.

Last weeks question: There are 33 "Doctors of the Church". Thirty of them are men. Who are the three women?

Answer: Theresa of Avalon, Theresa of the Little Flower, St. Catherine

Question # 18: Pope Pius VI established the first Catholic diocese in the U.S. states on April 6 1789. Name the American city where this diocese was established.

Answer: