Christianity is repetitive. Christians have literally been doing the same thing over and over again for 2000 years. In today's Epistle St Paul writes of the mystery which was handed down to him, and which he is himself handing on, namely, how the Lord Jesus had anticipated the shedding of his blood by offering the cup of that blood to his disciples, and had offered his body to them as food.
Calling to mind the long history of Israel we find examples of offering in many places; the offering by the king and priest Melchisedech of bread and wine; the offering of the blood of the Passover lamb which won freedom for the enslaved people of God; the offering of the manna which rained down from heaven into the barren desert. On the evening of the day we have come to call Maundy Thursday Jesus was gathering a history of repetition together and offering a new ritual interpretation of all those events. All the events far back in history, lived and remembered again and again in prayer and sacrifice, these events find their fulfilment in the meal celebrated in the upper room by Jesus and his disciples.
And from that upper room a new repetitiveness streams forth, flowing down the generations of the Church: Do this in memory of me.
Do this over and over again, not as you would a task in the workplace or a mindless chore, not just as a child would repeat a joyful game, but as that which gives meaning and shape to your life: become what you do here.
Throughout the liturgical season of Lent and Easter we celebrated the Lord Jesus crucified, risen, ascended and glorified. And at Pentecost the Easter mystery found its fullness in the confession that the Jesus, who is enthroned at the Father's right side, is with us in the church as we go about fulfilling the mission of the Holy Spirit. The Jesus who passed through death into life is with us: the Lord of all time is truly present in our world and our lives.
In every Mass we encounter this real presence of the Lord.
As those who express our faith through the Catholic understanding of Christianity we believe in the true humanity of Christ – as the Nicene creed says “And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man...” We also believe in his bodily descent to hell – this time the Apostle’s creed teaches us “...Was crucified, dead and buried, he descended into hell...” It did not end there, because we also believe that on the third day he rose; that he appeared to many who believed in him; that after 40 days he ascended to be at the right hand of the Father in heaven and that 10 days after that he sent the Holy Spirit to be with us for the rest of time.
The consequences of Incarnation can be said to be even more radical: Christ makes all his followers members of his Body, the Church, and gives us physical, tangible signs: the sacraments. Take this and eat it, this is my Body; take it and drink it, this is my Blood.
If we believe in something so unimaginable as God himself becoming one of us for our salvation, if we believe something so astonishing that, imperfect as we are, we are made members of that holy Body, the Church, why would we doubt yet another amazing grace which is that through his own promise Christ is really and truly present in the Sacred Species at Mass?
The Body and Blood of Christ in their sacramental, mystical form under the species of bread and wine are left for us so that our lives as members of the Body of Christ, the Church, may be strengthened and nourished. This again is part of the promise of Jesus: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” We find that in St John 6:54. This is the consequence of the Incarnation of Christ: it is an extraordinary level of intimacy with God who not only walked on earth 2,000 years ago and established us as members of his body in the Church but also feeds us with his Body and Blood.
Let us therefore not be embarrassed about the physicality of our Catholic faith, with its sacraments and signs. Our faith has all these elements because our nature is physical as well as spiritual and because God assumed it in the Incarnation. And let us be thankful for the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ that so perfectly corresponds to our needs as it nourishes our hearts and our spirits, and as it feeds and purifies all our senses: touch and vision, smell, taste and hearing, when we reply to the well known words 'The Body of Christ' with our heartfelt 'Amen'.
May God bless you as you receive the sacrament of the altar in response to the invitation of Jesus.
Calling to mind the long history of Israel we find examples of offering in many places; the offering by the king and priest Melchisedech of bread and wine; the offering of the blood of the Passover lamb which won freedom for the enslaved people of God; the offering of the manna which rained down from heaven into the barren desert. On the evening of the day we have come to call Maundy Thursday Jesus was gathering a history of repetition together and offering a new ritual interpretation of all those events. All the events far back in history, lived and remembered again and again in prayer and sacrifice, these events find their fulfilment in the meal celebrated in the upper room by Jesus and his disciples.
And from that upper room a new repetitiveness streams forth, flowing down the generations of the Church: Do this in memory of me.
Do this over and over again, not as you would a task in the workplace or a mindless chore, not just as a child would repeat a joyful game, but as that which gives meaning and shape to your life: become what you do here.
Throughout the liturgical season of Lent and Easter we celebrated the Lord Jesus crucified, risen, ascended and glorified. And at Pentecost the Easter mystery found its fullness in the confession that the Jesus, who is enthroned at the Father's right side, is with us in the church as we go about fulfilling the mission of the Holy Spirit. The Jesus who passed through death into life is with us: the Lord of all time is truly present in our world and our lives.
In every Mass we encounter this real presence of the Lord.
As those who express our faith through the Catholic understanding of Christianity we believe in the true humanity of Christ – as the Nicene creed says “And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man...” We also believe in his bodily descent to hell – this time the Apostle’s creed teaches us “...Was crucified, dead and buried, he descended into hell...” It did not end there, because we also believe that on the third day he rose; that he appeared to many who believed in him; that after 40 days he ascended to be at the right hand of the Father in heaven and that 10 days after that he sent the Holy Spirit to be with us for the rest of time.
The consequences of Incarnation can be said to be even more radical: Christ makes all his followers members of his Body, the Church, and gives us physical, tangible signs: the sacraments. Take this and eat it, this is my Body; take it and drink it, this is my Blood.
If we believe in something so unimaginable as God himself becoming one of us for our salvation, if we believe something so astonishing that, imperfect as we are, we are made members of that holy Body, the Church, why would we doubt yet another amazing grace which is that through his own promise Christ is really and truly present in the Sacred Species at Mass?
The Body and Blood of Christ in their sacramental, mystical form under the species of bread and wine are left for us so that our lives as members of the Body of Christ, the Church, may be strengthened and nourished. This again is part of the promise of Jesus: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” We find that in St John 6:54. This is the consequence of the Incarnation of Christ: it is an extraordinary level of intimacy with God who not only walked on earth 2,000 years ago and established us as members of his body in the Church but also feeds us with his Body and Blood.
Let us therefore not be embarrassed about the physicality of our Catholic faith, with its sacraments and signs. Our faith has all these elements because our nature is physical as well as spiritual and because God assumed it in the Incarnation. And let us be thankful for the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ that so perfectly corresponds to our needs as it nourishes our hearts and our spirits, and as it feeds and purifies all our senses: touch and vision, smell, taste and hearing, when we reply to the well known words 'The Body of Christ' with our heartfelt 'Amen'.
May God bless you as you receive the sacrament of the altar in response to the invitation of Jesus.
