The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Antiphon: “The Lord fed His people with the finest wheat and honey; their hunger was satisfied (Psalm 80:17)."

Gospel excerpt: “Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever (John 6:57-58).”

Where do we begin on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ? Is there anything we can comprehend about Jesus’ complete gift of Himself to us? Deep, mind-spinning questions often flood our minds when we ponder the Mystery of Christ’s Body and Blood even momentarily. We get ‘stuck’ on questions such as “How can this be (remember somebody else asking this question)?” How can can I comprehend and explain transubstantiation? If this is true, why do so few participate in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist? Since the Holy Eucharist is a mystery and therefore I will never understand completely, why waste time talking and reading about this?

The questions are not necessarily bad or wrong, just misdirected. Theological questions are good provided they keep us responding to the Living, Loving God with lives that give evidence of charity and service. The difficulty is that many of our questions want ‘to figure things out’ and once we ‘think’ we have figured things out, we stop searching for meaning because we think we have mastered the mystery of the unknown.

Interestingly enough, Church’s rich heritage of liturgical music offers us an answer from the experience of worship and devotion. Our repertoire of sacred chant and music stirs the mind and heart, creating an environment ready to receive and to cooperate with the abundance of life and love the Holy Spirit showers upon us daily. Take, for example, the hymn Ave verum corpus. Even though historians debate the author, (some say Saint Thomas Aquinas, others Pope Innocent III, IV or perhaps even V), the text offers some very concrete reflections appropriate for today’s Solemnity.

“Ave, verum corpus natum de Maria Virgine,” - Hail, true body born of the Virgin Mary: Jesus is a real Person, period. He is not a myth. He is not a fictitious person of an imaginary story. Even before pondering His Presence in the Most Holy Eucharist, we have to ask ourselves, ‘do I (and we as a community of faith) believe that Jesus Christ is a real Person Who once lived among us at a particular time and in a particular place?’ Do I believe this Person preached and lived a new way of life called the Kingdom of God that called one to daily conversion and belief?

“Vere passum immolatum in Cruce pro homine,” - Who truly suffered, sacrificed on the Cross for man: Jesus’ message of Kingdom living cost Him His human life as an innocent victim. His life among us was eminently self-less. Do I (and we as a community of faith) live sacrificially or is life on my terms? Do I project and live an attitude of entitlement? Do I charitably serve the needs of others as Jesus did in His ministry?

“Cujus latus perforatum unda fluxit et sanguine,” - Whose pierced side overflowed with water and blood: Even in death, Jesus gives life and blesses us with His Presence: water (the Gift of Baptism) and blood (the Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist). Do I recognize and reverence His Presence in the people around me?

“Esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine.” - Be for us a foretaste in the test of death: Jesus teaches with His life that there is more to life than what we see around us. The goodness of life in the here-and-now is temporary. We live fully in the present knowing that our lives are being drawn to an eternity of life and love. Hence, do I live with a view towards the eternity of life with Father, Son and Holy Spirit – OR – do “I want it all, and I want it now?” Do I assist others in helping them to live Jesus’ life?

In the end, this Solemn Day reminds us that the Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist is not a thing to be figured out, but a Person Who calls us as His Body to be in communion with Him as we joyfully, charitably and selflessly serve Him in one another.

Alternative Opening Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ,
we worship You living among us
in the Sacrament of Your Body and Blood.
May we offer to our Father in Heaven
a solemn pledge of undivided love.
May we offer to our brothers and sisters
a life poured out in service of that kingdom
where You live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Amen.

Sorry for the silence ... Roman Missal Changes in the meantime

I lost access to the blog during account transitioning and thankfully worked things out and will gradually fill in the back posts. In the meantime, enjoy this informative and well done video on the upcoming revisions to various texts used in the Celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist.

New Roman Missal for Youth Ministers - Word for Word by Life Teen from Life Teen on Vimeo.

The Most Holy Trinity

Antiphon: Blessed be God the Father and His only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit: for He has shown that He loves us.

Scripture excerpt: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes (πιστεύων, pisteuon) in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes (πιστεύων) in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe (μὴ πιστεύων) has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (John 3:16-18).”

What comes to mind when you hear, "Holy Trinity"? For a sizable number of Christians, the word mystery is synonymous with Holy Trinity. Mystery is an excellent word in the theological vocabulary and certainly a necessary word when speaking about the Most Holy Trinity. The difficulty is how we in western culture understand the word mystery. Mystery is often regarded as “unknowable” or “can't be figured out.” Further complication arises with these (and others) descriptions of mystery because the pragmatic and utilitarian approach of western culture then says in the face of mystery, why bother? If I am not going to be able to figure out the Holy Trinity, I won't waste time. I'll simply take ‘it’ on faith and believe, even though I feel some emptiness with this approach to faith living. Is believing just about accepting and mindlessness?

Andrei Rublev's icon of the Holy Trinity in Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Along with ‘taking the Holy Trinity on faith,’ Christians often try to engage theological algebra: how can 3 be 1, how can 1 be 3? We attempt an explanation with Saint Patrick's shamrock, or water (ice, liquid, steam) or a candle (wax, wick, flame). Early Christianity had its struggles with articulating an acceptable expression of the Incomprehensible. In fourth-century Constantinople, Saint Gregory of Nyssa quipped, "The whole city is full of it, the squares, the marketplaces, the crossroads, the alleyways; rag dealers, money-changers, food-sellers, they are all busy arguing. If you ask someone to give you change, he philosophizes about the Begotten and the Unbegotten; if you inquire about the price of a loaf, you are told by way of reply that the Father is greater and the Son inferior; if you ask, “Is my bath ready?” the attendant answers that the Son was made out of nothing."

With all of these thoughts swirling about, what guidance does the Word of God offer us this Sunday? The Gospel proclamation is a mere 2 verses, popular verses whose citation is often found on placards at sporting events. In these 2 verses, the verb (well, OK a participle) πιστεύω (pisteuo) is used in some form 3 times. πιστεύω is properly translated "to believe," yet even with this information the question arises: what does it mean to believe? For many, believing - like faith - is often relegated and limited to mere mental activity or mental assent that involves all of 2 nanoseconds. While believing and faith do have transcendent realities associate with each, the fact that a human believes or that a human professes faith means, by definition, that such an action is an act of the whole person: soul AND body.

This point is intensified when looking at the meaning of πιστεύω in the biblical era. πιστεύω expressed a claim that one made on another for direction in life. When I or we believed in another, I or we gave over control of the journey's direction to the person leading the expedition. Naturally, one would have known something about the leading before embarking on the trip, but the full knowledge of who this person is comes only as the journey unfolds and one experiences the skill, the knowledge, the resources to bring a journey to its proper completion. No wonder πιστεύω practically became a synonym for trust.

Consequently, on this solemn festival of the Most Holy Trinity we celebrate the Spirit's gift to all of πιστεύω. Such permits us to commit the entirety of our lives to the Person Jesus as the Leader of life's journey. Following Him involves more than knowledge and mental assent; it requires a change of heart visible in the way each thinks, speaks and acts. Following him requires docility and humility of spirit that utters with each step of the journey, “not my will, but Your Will be done.”

Alternative Opening Prayer:
God, we praise You:
Father all-powerful, Christ Lord and Savior,
Spirit of love.
You reveal Yourself in the depths of
our being,
drawing us to share in Your life and Your love.
One God, Three Persons,
be near to the people formed in Your image,
close to the world Your love brings to life.
We ask you this, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one God, true and living, for ever and ever.
Amen.