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- Why does
Jesus give himself to us as food and drink?
- Why is
the Eucharist not only a meal but also a sacrifice?
- When the
bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, why do they still
look and taste like bread and wine?
- Does the
bread cease to be bread and the wine cease to be wine?
- Is it
fitting that Christ's Body and Blood become present in the Eucharist
under the appearances of bread and wine?
- Are the
consecrated bread and wine "merely symbols"?
- Do the consecrated
bread and wine cease to be the Body and Blood of Christ when the Mass
is over?
- Why are some of the
consecrated hosts reserved after the Mass?
- What are appropriate
signs of reverence with respect to the Body and Blood of Christ?
- If someone without
faith eats and drinks the consecrated bread and wine, does he or she
still receive the Body and Blood of Christ?
- If a believer who
is conscious of having committed a mortal sin eats and drinks the
consecrated bread and wine, does he or she still receive the Body
and Blood of Christ?
- Does one receive the
whole Christ if one receives Holy Communion under a single form?
- Is Christ present
during the celebration of the Eucharist in other ways in addition
to his Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament?
- Why do we speak of
the "Body of Christ" in more than one sense?
- Why do we call the
presence of Christ in the Eucharist a "mystery"?
7. Do the consecrated
bread and wine cease to be the Body and Blood of Christ when the Mass
is over?
No. During the celebration of the Eucharist, the bread and wine become
the Body and Blood of Christ, and this they remain. They cannot turn
back into bread and wine, for they are no longer bread and wine at all.
There is thus no reason for them to change back to their "normal"
state after the special circumstances of the Mass are past. Once the
substance has really changed, the presence of the Body and Blood of
Christ "endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist"
(Catechism, no. 1377). Against those who maintained that the
bread that is consecrated during the Eucharist has no sanctifying power
if it is left over until the next day, St. Cyril of Alexandria replied,
"Christ is not altered, nor is his holy body changed, but the power
of the consecration and his life-giving grace is perpetual in it"
(Letter 83, to Calosyrius, Bishop of Arsinoe [PG 76, 1076]).
The Church teaches that Christ remains present under the appearances
of bread and wine as long as the appearances of bread and wine remain
(cf. Catechism, no. 1377).
8. Why are some of
the consecrated hosts reserved after the Mass?
While it would be possible to eat
all of the bread that is consecrated during the Mass, some is usually
kept in the tabernacle. The Body of Christ under the appearance of bread
that is kept or "reserved" after the Mass is commonly referred
to as the "Blessed Sacrament." There are several pastoral
reasons for reserving the Blessed Sacrament. First of all, it is used
for distribution to the dying (Viaticum), the sick, and those
who legitimately cannot be present for the celebration of the Eucharist.
Secondly, the Body of Christ in the form of bread is to be adored when
it is exposed, as in the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction,
when it is carried in Eucharistic processions, or when it is simply
placed in the tabernacle, before which people pray privately. These
devotions are based on the fact that Christ himself is present under
the appearance of bread. Many holy people well known to American Catholics,
such as St. John Neumann, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Katharine Drexel,
and Blessed Damien of Molokai, practiced great personal devotion to
Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. In the Eastern Catholic Churches,
devotion to the reserved Blessed Sacrament is practiced most directly
at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, offered on weekdays
of Lent.
9. What are appropriate
signs of reverence with respect to the Body and Blood of Christ?
The Body and Blood of Christ present
under the appearances of bread and wine are treated with the greatest
reverence both during and after the celebration of the Eucharist (cf.
Mysterium Fidei, nos. 56-61). For example, the tabernacle in which the
consecrated bread is reserved is placed "in some part of the church
or oratory which is distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated,
and suitable for prayer" (Code of Canon Law, Can. 938, §2). According
to the tradition of the Latin Church, one should genuflect in the presence
of the tabernacle containing the reserved sacrament. In the Eastern
Catholic Churches, the traditional practice is to make the sign of the
cross and to bow profoundly. The liturgical gestures from both traditions
reflect reverence, respect, and adoration. It is appropriate for the
members of the assembly to greet each other in the gathering space of
the church (that is, the vestibule or narthex), but it is not appropriate
to speak in loud or boisterous tones in the body of the church (that
is, the nave) because of the presence of Christ in the tabernacle. Also,
the Church requires everyone to fast before receiving the Body and Blood
of Christ as a sign of reverence and recollection (unless illness prevents
one from doing so). In the Latin Church, one must generally fast for
at least one hour; members of Eastern Catholic Churches must follow
the practice established by their own Church.
10. If someone without
faith eats and drinks the consecrated bread and wine, does he or she
still receive the Body and Blood of Christ?
If "to receive" means
"to consume," the answer is yes, for what the person consumes
is the Body and Blood of Christ. If "to receive" means "to
accept the Body and Blood of Christ knowingly and willingly as what
they are, so as to obtain the spiritual benefit," then the answer
is no. A lack of faith on the part of the person eating and drinking
the Body and Blood of Christ cannot change what these are, but it does
prevent the person from obtaining the spiritual benefit, which is communion
with Christ. Such reception of Christ's Body and Blood would be in vain
and, if done knowingly, would be sacrilegious (1 Cor 11:29). Reception
of the Blessed Sacrament is not an automatic remedy. If we do not desire
communion with Christ, God does not force this upon us. Rather, we must
by faith accept God's offer of communion in Christ and in the Holy Spirit,
and cooperate with God's grace in order to have our hearts and minds
transformed and our faith and love of God increased.
11. If a believer
who is conscious of having committed a mortal sin eats and drinks the
consecrated bread and wine, does he or she still receive the Body and
Blood of Christ?
Yes. The attitude or disposition
of the recipient cannot change what the consecrated bread and wine are.
The question here is thus not primarily about the nature of the Real
Presence, but about how sin affects the relationship between an individual
and the Lord. Before one steps forward to receive the Body and Blood
of Christ in Holy Communion, one needs to be in a right relationship
with the Lord and his Mystical Body, the Church - that is, in a state
of grace, free of all mortal sin. While sin damages, and can even destroy,
that relationship, the sacrament of Penance can restore it. St. Paul
tells us that "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the
Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.
A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the
cup" (1 Cor 11:27-28). Anyone who is conscious of having committed
a mortal sin should be reconciled through the sacrament of Penance before
receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, unless a grave reason exists
for doing so and there is no opportunity for confession. In this case,
the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect
contrition, that is, an act of sorrow for sins that "arises from
a love by which God is loved above all else" (Catechism,
no. 1452). The act of perfect contrition must be accompanied by the
firm intention of making a sacramental confession as soon as possible.
12. Does one receive
the whole Christ if one receives Holy Communion under a single form?
Yes. Christ Jesus, our Lord and
Savior, is wholly present under the appearance either of bread or of
wine in the Eucharist. Furthermore, Christ is wholly present in any
fragment of the consecrated Host or in any drop of the Precious Blood.
Nevertheless, it is especially fitting to receive Christ in both forms
during the celebration of the Eucharist. This allows the Eucharist to
appear more perfectly as a banquet, a banquet that is a foretaste of
the banquet that will be celebrated with Christ at the end of time when
the Kingdom of God is established in its fullness (cf. Eucharisticum
Mysterium, no. 32).
13. Is Christ present
during the celebration of the Eucharist in other ways in addition to
his Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament?
Yes. Christ is present during the
Eucharist in various ways. He is present in the person of the priest
who offers the sacrifice of the Mass. According to the Constitution
on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, Christ is present
in his Word "since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures
are read in the Church." He is also present in the assembled people
as they pray and sing, "for he has promised ‘where two or three
are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them' (Mt
18:20)" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 7). Furthermore, he
is likewise present in other sacraments; for example, "when anybody
baptizes it is really Christ himself who baptizes" (ibid.).
We speak of the presence of Christ under the appearances of bread and
wine as "real" in order to emphasize the special nature of
that presence. What appears to be bread and wine is in its very substance
the Body and Blood of Christ. The entire Christ is present, God and
man, body and blood, soul and divinity. While the other ways in which
Christ is present in the celebration of the Eucharist are certainly
not unreal, this way surpasses the others. "This presence is called
‘real' not to exclude the idea that the others are ‘real' too, but rather
to indicate presence par excellence, because it is substantial and through
it Christ becomes present whole and entire, God and man" (Mysterium
Fidei, no. 39).
14. Why do we speak
of the "Body of Christ" in more than one sense?
First, the Body of Christ refers to the human body of Jesus Christ,
who is the divine Word become man. During the Eucharist, the bread and
wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. As human, Jesus Christ has
a human body, a resurrected and glorified body that in the Eucharist
is offered to us in the form of bread and wine.
Secondly, as St. Paul taught us in his letters, using the analogy of
the human body, the Church is the Body of Christ, in which many members
are united with Christ their head (1 Cor 10:16-17, 12:12-31; Rom 12:4-8).
This reality is frequently referred to as the Mystical Body of Christ.
All those united to Christ, the living and the dead, are joined together
as one Body in Christ. This union is not one that can be seen by human
eyes, for it is a mystical union brought about by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
The Mystical Body of Christ and the eucharistic Body of Christ are inseparably
linked. By Baptism we enter the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church,
and by receiving the eucharistic Body of Christ we are strengthened
and built up into the Mystical Body of Christ. The central act of the
Church is the celebration of the Eucharist; the individual believers
are sustained as members of the Church, members of the Mystical Body
of Christ, through their reception of the Body of Christ in the Eucharist.
Playing on the two meanings of "Body of Christ," St. Augustine
tells those who are to receive the Body of Christ in the Eucharist:
"Be what you see, and receive what you are" (Sermon 272).
In another sermon he says, "If you receive worthily, you are what
you have received" (Sermon 227).
First, the Body of Christ
refers to the human body of Jesus Christ, who is the divine Word become
man. During the Eucharist, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood
of Christ. As human, Jesus Christ has a human body, a resurrected and
glorified body that in the Eucharist is offered to us in the form of
bread and wine.
Secondly, as St. Paul taught us in his letters, using the analogy of
the human body, the Church is the Body of Christ, in which many members
are united with Christ their head (1 Cor 10:16-17, 12:12-31; Rom 12:4-8).
This reality is frequently referred to as the Mystical Body of Christ.
All those united to Christ, the living and the dead, are joined together
as one Body in Christ. This union is not one that can be seen by human
eyes, for it is a mystical union brought about by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
The Mystical Body of Christ and the eucharistic Body of Christ are inseparably
linked. By Baptism we enter the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church,
and by receiving the eucharistic Body of Christ we are strengthened
and built up into the Mystical Body of Christ. The central act of the
Church is the celebration of the Eucharist; the individual believers
are sustained as members of the Church, members of the Mystical Body
of Christ, through their reception of the Body of Christ in the Eucharist.
Playing on the two meanings of "Body of Christ," St. Augustine
tells those who are to receive the Body of Christ in the Eucharist:
"Be what you see, and receive what you are" (Sermon 272).
In another sermon he says, "If you receive worthily, you are what
you have received" (Sermon 227).
The work of the Holy Spirit in the celebration of the Eucharist
is twofold in a way that corresponds to the twofold meaning of "Body
of Christ." On the one hand, it is through the power of the Holy
Spirit that the risen Christ and his act of sacrifice become present.
In the eucharistic prayer, the priest asks the Father to send the Holy
Spirit down upon the gifts of bread and wine to transform them into
the Body and Blood of Christ (a prayer known as the epiclesis
or "invocation upon"). On the other hand, at the same time
the priest also asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit down upon the
whole assembly so that "those who take part in the Eucharist may
be one body and one spirit" (Catechism, no. 1353). It is
through the Holy Spirit that the gift of the eucharistic Body of Christ
comes to us and through the Holy Spirit that we are joined to Christ
and each other as the Mystical Body of Christ.
By this we can see that the celebration of the Eucharist does not just
unite us to God as individuals who are isolated from one another. Rather,
we are united to Christ together with all the other members of the Mystical
Body. The celebration of the Eucharist should thus increase our love
for one another and remind us of our responsibilities toward one another.
Furthermore, as members of the Mystical Body, we have a duty to represent
Christ and to bring Christ to the world. We have a responsibility to
share the Good News of Christ not only by our words but also by how
we live our lives. We also have a responsibility to work against all
the forces in our world that oppose the Gospel, including all forms
of injustice. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us:
"The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the
Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in
the poorest, his brethren" (no. 1397).
15. Why do we call
the presence of Christ in the Eucharist a "mystery"?
The word "mystery" is
commonly used to refer to something that escapes the full comprehension
of the human mind. In the Bible, however, the word has a deeper and
more specific meaning, for it refers to aspects of God's plan of salvation
for humanity, which has already begun but will be completed only with
the end of time. In ancient Israel, through the Holy Spirit God revealed
to the prophets some of the secrets of what he was going to accomplish
for the salvation of his people (cf. Am 3:7; Is 21:28; Dan 2:27-45).
Likewise, through the preaching and teaching of Jesus, the mystery of
"the Kingdom of God" was being revealed to his disciples (Mk
4:11-12). St. Paul explained that the mysteries of God may challenge
our human understanding or may even seem to be foolishness, but their
meaning is revealed to the People of God through Jesus Christ and the
Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 1:18-25, 2:6-10; Rom 16:25-27; Rev 10:7).
The Eucharist is a mystery because it participates in the mystery of
Jesus Christ and God's plan to save humanity through Christ. We should
not be surprised if there are aspects of the Eucharist that are not
easy to understand, for God's plan for the world has repeatedly surpassed
human expectations and human understanding (cf. Jn 6:60-66). For example,
even the disciples did not at first understand that it was necessary
for the Messiah to be put to death and then to rise from the dead (cf.
Mk 8:31-33, 9:31-32, 10:32-34; Mt 16: 21-23, 17:22-23, 20:17-19; Lk
9:22, 9:43-45, 18:31-34). Furthermore, any time that we are speaking
of God we need to keep in mind that our human concepts never entirely
grasp God. We must not try to limit God to our understanding, but allow
our understanding to be stretched beyond its normal limitations by God's
revelation.
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The Real Presence of Jesus Christ
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