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III. The Effects of Confirmation
§1302
It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of
Confirmation is the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the
apostles on the day of Pentecost.
§1303
From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal
grace:
- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry,
«Abba! Father!»;115
- it unites us more firmly to Christ;
- it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
- it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;116
- it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the
faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of
Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:117
Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts.118
§1304
Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too
imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the «character»,
which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his
Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness.119
§1305
This «character» perfects the common priesthood of the faithful,
received in Baptism, and «the confirmed person receives the power to
profess faith in Christ publicly and as it were officially (quasi ex officio).» 120
IV. Who can Receive This Sacrament?
§1306
Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of
Confirmation.121 Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a
unity, it follows that «the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament
at the appropriate time,» 122 for without Confirmation and
Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation
remains incomplete.
§1307
The
Latin tradition gives «the age of discretion» as the reference point
for receiving Confirmation. But in danger of death children should be confirmed
even if they have not yet attained the age of discretion.123
§1308
Although Confirmation is sometimes called the «sacrament of Christian
maturity,» we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural
growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited
election and does not need «ratification» to become effective. St.
Thomas reminds us of this:
Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: «For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years. «Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.124
§1309
Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more
intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit -
his actions, his gifts, and his biddings - in order to be more capable of
assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end
catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the
Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community.
the latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of
confirmands.125
§1310
To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace. One should receive the
sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the strength and graces of
the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act.126
§1311
Candidates for Confirmation, as for Baptism, fittingly seek the spiritual help
of a sponsor. To emphasize the unity of the two sacraments, it is appropriate
that this be one of the baptismal godparents.127
V. The Minister of Confirmation
§1312
The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop.128 In the East,
ordinarily the priest who baptizes also immediately confers Confirmation in one
and the same celebration. But he does so with sacred chrism consecrated by the
patriarch or the bishop, thus expressing the apostolic unity of the Church
whose bonds are strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation. In the Latin
Church, the same discipline applies to the Baptism of adults or to the
reception into full communion with the Church of a person baptized in another
Christian community that does not have valid Confirmation.129
§1313
In the Latin Rite, the ordinary minister of Confirmation is the
bishop.130 Although the bishop may for grave reasons concede to priests
the faculty of administering Confirmation,131 it is appropriate from
the very meaning of the sacrament that he should confer it himself, mindful
that the celebration of Confirmation has been temporally separated from Baptism
for this reason. Bishops are the successors of the apostles. They have received
the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. the administration of this
sacrament by them demonstrates clearly that its effect is to unite those who
receive it more closely to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her
mission of bearing witness to Christ.
§1314
If a Christian is in danger of death, any priest should give him
Confirmation.132 Indeed the Church desires that none of her children,
even the youngest, should depart this world without having been perfected by
the Holy Spirit with the gift of Christ's fullness.
IN BRIEF
§1315
«Now when the
apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they
sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might
receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had
only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on
them and they received the Holy Spirit» (⇒ Acts
8:14-17).
§1316
Confirmation perfects
Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to
root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into
Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her
mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied
by deeds.
§1317
Confirmation, like
Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's
soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one's life.
§1318
In the East this sacrament
is administered immediately after Baptism and is followed by participation in
the Eucharist; this tradition highlights the unity of the three sacraments of
Christian initiation. In the Latin Church this sacrament is administered when
the age of reason has been reached, and its celebration is ordinarily reserved
to the bishop, thus signifying that this sacrament strengthens the ecclesial
bond.
§1319
A candidate for
Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in
the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be
prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the
ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.
§1320
The essential rite of
Confirmation is anointing the forehead of the baptized with sacred chrism (in
the East other sense-organs as well), together with the laying on of the
minister's hand and the words: «Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus
Sancti» (Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.) in the Roman Rite,
or «The seal of the gift that is the Holy Spirit» in the Byzantine
rite.
§1321
When Confirmation is
celebrated separately from Baptism, its connection with Baptism is expressed,
among other ways, by the renewal of baptismal promises. the celebration of
Confirmation during the Eucharist helps underline the unity of the sacraments
of Christian initiation.
THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
§1322
The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised
to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to
Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own
sacrifice by means of the Eucharist.
§1323
«At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted
the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to
perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come
again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his
death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of
charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled
with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'» 133
I. The Eucharist - Source and Summit of Ecclesial Life
§1324
The Eucharist is «the source and summit of the Christian
life.» 134 «The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical
ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are
oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole
spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our
Pasch.» 135
§1325
«The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion
in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is
kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world
in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father
in the Holy Spirit.» 136
§1326
Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the
heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.137
§1327
In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: «Our way of
thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our
way of thinking.» 138
II. What is This Sacrament Called?
§1328
The inexhaustible richness of this sacrament is expressed in the different
names we give it. Each name evokes certain aspects of it. It is called:
Eucharist, because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. the Greek words
eucharistein139 and eulogein140 recall the Jewish blessings
that proclaim - especially during a meal - God's works: creation, redemption,
and sanctification.
§1329
The Lord's Supper, because of its connection with the supper which the Lord
took with his disciples on the eve of his Passion and because it anticipates
the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem.141
The Breaking of Bread, because Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish meat when
as master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread,142 above
all at the Last Supper.143 It is by this action that his disciples will
recognize him after his Resurrection,144 and it is this expression that
the first Christians will use to designate their Eucharistic
assemblies;145 by doing so they signified that all who eat the one
broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him and form but one body in
him.146
The Eucharistic assembly (synaxis), because the Eucharist is celebrated amid
the assembly of the faithful, the visible expression of the Church.147
§1330
The memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection.
The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the
Savior and includes the Church's offering. the terms holy sacrifice of the
Mass, «sacrifice of praise,» spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy
sacrifice are also used,148 since it completes and surpasses all the
sacrifices of the Old Covenant.
The Holy and Divine Liturgy, because the Church's whole liturgy finds its
center and most intense expression in the celebration of this sacrament; in the
same sense we also call its celebration the Sacred Mysteries. We speak of the
Most Blessed Sacrament because it is the Sacrament of sacraments. the
Eucharistic species reserved in the tabernacle are designated by this same
name.
§1331
Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes
us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body.149 We also call
it: the holy things (ta hagia; sancta)150 - the first meaning of the
phrase «communion of saints» in the Apostles' Creed - the bread of
angels, bread from heaven, medicine of immortality,151 viaticum....
§1332
Holy Mass (Missa), because the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is
accomplished concludes with the sending forth (missio) of the faithful, so that
they may fulfill God's will in their daily lives.
III. The Eucharist in the Economy of Salvation
The signs of bread and wine
§1333
At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the
words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and
Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory
and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: «He
took bread....» «He took the cup filled with wine....» the signs
of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood
of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus in the
Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine,152 fruit of
the «work of human hands,» but above all as «fruit of the
earth» and «of the vine» - gifts of the Creator. the Church sees
in the gesture of the king-priest Melchizedek, who «brought out bread and
wine,» a prefiguring of her own offering.153
§1334
In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in sacrifice among the first
fruits of the earth as a sign of grateful acknowledgment to the Creator. But
they also received a new significance in the context of the Exodus: the
unleavened bread that Israel eats every year at Passover commemorates the haste
of the departure that liberated them from Egypt; the remembrance of the manna
in the desert will always recall to Israel that it lives by the bread of the
Word of God;154 their daily bread is the fruit of the promised land,
the pledge of God's faithfulness to his promises.
The «cup of blessing» 155 at the end of the Jewish Passover
meal adds to the festive joy of wine an eschatological dimension: the messianic
expectation of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. When Jesus instituted the
Eucharist, he gave a new and definitive meaning to the blessing of the bread
and the cup.
§1335
The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the
blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the
multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his
Eucharist.156 The sign of water turned into wine at Cana already
announces the Hour of Jesus' glorification. It makes manifest the fulfillment
of the wedding feast in the Father's kingdom, where the faithful will drink the
new wine that has become the Blood of Christ.157
§1336
The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the
announcement of the Passion scandalized them: «This is a hard saying; who
can listen to it?» 158 The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling
blocks. It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of
division. «Will you also go away?":159 The Lord's question
echoes through the ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has
«the words of eternal life» 160 and that to receive in faith
the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself.
The institution of the Eucharist
§1337
The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing
that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the
course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of
love.161 In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never
to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted
the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his
apostles to celebrate it until his return; «thereby he constituted them
priests of the New Testament.» 162
§1338
The three synoptic Gospels and St. Paul have handed on to us the account of the
institution of the Eucharist; St. John, for his part, reports the words of
Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum that prepare for the institution of the
Eucharist: Christ calls himself the bread of life, come down from
heaven.163
§1339
Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum:
giving his disciples his Body and his Blood:
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, «Go and prepare the passover meal for us, that we may eat it....» They went ... and prepared the passover. and when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. and he said to them, «I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.» .... and he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, «This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.» and likewise the cup after supper, saying, «This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.» 164
§1340
By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover
meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus' passing over
to his father by his death and Resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated
in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish
Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory of the
kingdom.
«Do this in memory of me»
§1341
The command of Jesus to repeat his actions and words «until he comes"
does not only ask us to remember Jesus and what he did. It is directed at the
liturgical celebration, by the apostles and their successors, of the memorial
of Christ, of his life, of his death, of his Resurrection, and of his
intercession in the presence of the Father.165
§1342
From the beginning the Church has been faithful to the Lord's command. of the
Church of Jerusalem it is written:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.... Day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts.166
§1343
It was above all on «the first day of the week,» Sunday, the day of
Jesus' resurrection, that the Christians met «to break
bread.» 167 From that time on down to our own day the celebration
of the Eucharist has been continued so that today we encounter it everywhere in
the Church with the same fundamental structure. It remains the center of the
Church's life.
§1344
Thus from celebration to celebration, as they proclaim the Paschal mystery of
Jesus «until he comes,» the pilgrim People of God advances,
«following the narrow way of the cross,» 168 toward the
heavenly banquet, when all the elect will be seated at the table of the
kingdom.
IV. The Liturgical Celebration of the Eucharist
The Mass of all ages
§1345
As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the
basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the
same until our own day for all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote
to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining
what Christians did:
On the day we call the day of
the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.
The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much
as time permits.
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes
and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.
Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for all
others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and
actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.
Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who
presides over the brethren.
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe,
through the name of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian)
that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to
an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'
When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom
we call deacons give to those present the «eucharisted» bread, wine
and water and take them to those who are absent.169
§1346
The liturgy of the Eucharist unfolds according to a fundamental structure which
has been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day. It displays
two great parts that form a fundamental unity:
- the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, with readings, homily and general
intercessions;
- the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine,
the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.
The liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist together form «one
single act of worship»;170 The Eucharistic table set for us is the
table both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord.171
§1347
Is this not the same movement as the Paschal meal of the risen Jesus with his
disciples? Walking with them he explained the Scriptures to them; sitting with
them at table «he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to
them.» 172
The movement of the celebration
§1348
All gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic assembly.
At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is high
priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly over every
Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing him that the bishop or priest
acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides
over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says
the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the
celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings,
those who give communion, and the whole people whose «Amen» manifests
their participation.
§1349
The Liturgy of the Word includes «the writings of the prophets,» that
is, the Old Testament, and «the memoirs of the apostles» (their
letters and the Gospels). After the homily, which is an exhortation to accept
this Word as what it truly is, the Word of God,173 and to put it into
practice, come the intercessions for all men, according to the Apostle's words:
«I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be
made for all men, for kings, and all who are in high
positions.» 174
§1350
The presentation of the offerings (the Offertory). Then, sometimes in procession,
the bread and wine are brought to the altar; they will be offered by the priest
in the name of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become
his body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the Last Supper -
«taking the bread and a cup.» «The Church alone offers this pure
oblation to the Creator, when she offers what comes forth from his creation
with thanksgiving.» 175 The presentation of the offerings at the
altar takes up the gesture of Melchizedek and commits the Creator's gifts into
the hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice, brings to perfection all human
attempts to offer sacrifices.
§1351
From the very beginning Christians have brought, along with the bread and wine
for the Eucharist, gifts to share with those in need. This custom of the
collection, ever appropriate, is inspired by the example of Christ who became
poor to make us rich:176
Those who are well off, and who are also willing, give as each chooses. What is gathered is given to him who presides to assist orphans and widows, those whom illness or any other cause has deprived of resources, prisoners, immigrants and, in a word, all who are in need.177
§1352
The anaphora: with the Eucharistic Prayer - the prayer of thanksgiving and
consecration - we come to the heart and summit of the celebration:
In the preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his works: creation, redemption, and sanctification. the whole community thus joins in the unending praise that the Church in heaven, the angels and all the saints, sing to the thrice-holy God.
§1353
In the
epiclesis, the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit (or the power of
his blessing178) on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may
become the body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in
the Eucharist may be one body and one spirit (some liturgical traditions put
the epiclesis after the anamnesis).
In the institution narrative, the power of the words and the action of Christ,
and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species
of bread and wine Christ's body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross
once for all.
§1354
In the
anamnesis that follows, the Church calls to mind the Passion, resurrection, and
glorious return of Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father the offering of his
Son which reconciles us with him.
In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the Eucharist is celebrated in
communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth, the living and the
dead, and in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan
bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons, and all the bishops of the whole
world together with their Churches.
§1355
In the communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer and the breaking of the bread,
the faithful receive «the bread of heaven» and «the cup of
salvation,» the body and blood of Christ who offered himself «for the
life of the world":179
Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist ("eucharisted,» according to an ancient expression), «we call this food Eucharist, and no one may take part in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught.» 180
V. The Sacramental Sacrifice Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence
§1356
If from the beginning Christians have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form
whose substance has not changed despite the great diversity of times and
liturgies, it is because we know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord
gave on the eve of his Passion: «Do this in remembrance of
me.» 181
§1357
We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his
sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us:
the gifts of his creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy
Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ.
Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.
§1358
We must therefore consider the Eucharist as: - thanksgiving and praise to the
Father;
- the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
- the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.
Thanksgiving and praise to the Father
§1359
The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the
cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation.
In the Eucharistic sacrifice the whole of creation loved by God is presented to
the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ the
Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has
made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.
§1360
The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which
the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he
has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist
means first of all «thanksgiving.»
§1361
The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of praise by which the Church sings the
glory of God in the name of all creation. This sacrifice of praise is possible
only through Christ: he unites the faithful to his person, to his praise, and
to his intercession, so that the sacrifice of praise to the Father is offered
through Christ and with him, to be accepted in him.
The sacrificial memorial of Christ and of his Body, the Church
§1362
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the
sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church
which is his Body. In all the Eucharistic Prayers we find after the words of
institution a prayer called the anamnesis or memorial.
§1363
In the sense of Sacred Scripture the memorial is not merely the recollection of
past events but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for
men.182 In the liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a
certain way present and real. This is how Israel understands its liberation
from Egypt: every time Passover is celebrated, the Exodus events are made
present to the memory of believers so that they may conform their lives to
them.
§1364
In the New Testament, the memorial takes on new meaning. When the Church
celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made
present the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever
present.183 «As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which
'Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed' is celebrated on the altar, the work of
our redemption is carried out.» 184
§1365
Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a
sacrifice. the sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very
words of institution: «This is my body which is given for you» and
«This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my
blood.» 185 In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he
gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he «poured out for many
for the forgiveness of sins.» 186
§1366
The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the
sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its
fruit:
[Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper «on the night when he was betrayed,» [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.187
§1367
The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single
sacrifice: «The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through
the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner
of offering is different.» «In this divine sacrifice which is
celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody
manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody
manner.» 188
§1368
The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. the Church which is the Body
of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is
offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the
Father for all men. In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the
sacrifice of the members of his Body. the lives of the faithful, their praise,
sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his
total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the
altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his
offering.
In the catacombs the Church is often represented as a woman in prayer, arms outstretched in the praying position. Like Christ who stretched out his arms on the cross, through him, with him, and in him, she offers herself and intercedes for all men.
§1369
The whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since
he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every
celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the
unity of the universal Church. the bishop of the place is always responsible
for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop's name is mentioned
to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of his
presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons. the community intercedes also
for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice:
Let only that Eucharist be regarded as legitimate, which is celebrated under [the presidency of] the bishop or him to whom he has entrusted it.189
Through the ministry of priests the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice of Christ the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is offered through the priests' hands in the name of the whole Church in an unbloody and sacramental manner until the Lord himself comes.190
§1370
To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth,
but also those already in the glory of heaven. In communion with and
commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the
Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of
the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ.
§1371
The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who
«have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified,» 191 so
that they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ:
Put this body anywhere! Don't trouble yourselves about it! I simply ask you to remember me at the Lord's altar wherever you are.192
Then, we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers and bishops who have fallen asleep, and in general for all who have fallen asleep before us, in the belief that it is a great benefit to the souls on whose behalf the supplication is offered, while the holy and tremendous Victim is present.... By offering to God our supplications for those who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned, we . . . offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all, and so render favorable, for them and for us, the God who loves man.193
§1372
St. Augustine admirably summed up this doctrine that moves us to an ever more
complete participation in our Redeemer's sacrifice which we celebrate in the
Eucharist:
This wholly redeemed city, the assembly and society of the saints, is offered to God as a universal sacrifice by the high priest who in the form of a slave went so far as to offer himself for us in his Passion, to make us the Body of so great a head.... Such is the sacrifice of Christians: «we who are many are one Body in Christ» the Church continues to reproduce this sacrifice in the sacrament of the altar so well-known to believers wherein it is evident to them that in what she offers she herself is offered.194
The presence of Christ by the power of his word and the Holy Spirit
§1373
«Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the
right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us,» is present in many ways
to his Church:195 in his word, in his Church's prayer, «where two
or three are gathered in my name,» 196 in the poor, the sick, and
the imprisoned,197 in the sacraments of which he is the author, in the
sacrifice of the Mass, and in the person of the minister. But «he is
present . . . most especially in the Eucharistic species.» 198
§1374
The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It
raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as «the perfection of the
spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend.» 199
In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist «the body and blood,
together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore,
the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially
contained.» 200 «This presence is called 'real' - by which is
not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be
'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it
is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly
and entirely present.» 201
§1375
It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood that
Christ becomes present in this sacrament. the Church Fathers strongly affirmed
the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action
of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom
declares:
It is not man that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself. the priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God's. This is my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered.202
and St. Ambrose says about this conversion:
Be convinced that this is not what nature has formed, but what the blessing has consecrated. the power of the blessing prevails over that of nature, because by the blessing nature itself is changed.... Could not Christ's word, which can make from nothing what did not exist, change existing things into what they were not before? It is no less a feat to give things their original nature than to change their nature.203
§1376
The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: «Because
Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under
the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God,
and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread
and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into
the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the
wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has
fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.» 204
§1377
The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and
endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and
entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in
such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.205
§1378
Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in
the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other
ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord.
«The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament
of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside
of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to
the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in procession.» 206
§1379
The
tabernacle was first intended for the reservation of the Eucharist in a worthy
place so that it could be brought to the sick and those absent outside of Mass.
As faith in the real presence of Christ in his Eucharist deepened, the Church
became conscious of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord present under
the Eucharistic species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle should be
located in an especially worthy place in the church and should be constructed
in such a way that it emphasizes and manifests the truth of the real presence
of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
§1380
It is highly fitting that Christ should have wanted to remain present to his
Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to take his departure from
his own in his visible form, he wanted to give us his sacramental presence;
since he was about to offer himself on the cross to save us, he wanted us to
have the memorial of the love with which he loved us «to the end,» 207
even to the giving of his life. In his Eucharistic presence he remains
mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave himself up for
us,208 and he remains under signs that express and communicate this
love:
The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease.209
§1381
«That in this sacrament are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is
something that 'cannot be apprehended by the senses,' says St. Thomas, 'but only
by faith, which relies on divine authority.' For this reason, in a commentary
on Luke 22:19 ('This is my body which is given for you.'), St. Cyril says: 'Do
not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior in
faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie.'» 210
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.211
VI. The Paschal Banquet
§1382
The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in
which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of
communion with the Lord's body and blood. But the celebration of the Eucharistic
sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with
Christ through communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who
has offered himself for us.
§1383
The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the
Eucharist, represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the
sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the
Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly
of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food
from heaven who is giving himself to us. «For what is the altar of Christ
if not the image of the Body of Christ?» 212 asks St. Ambrose. He
says elsewhere, «The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of
Christ is on the altar.» 213 The liturgy expresses this unity of
sacrifice and communion in many prayers. Thus the Roman Church prays in its
anaphora:
We entreat you, almighty God,
that by the hands of your holy Angel
this offering may be borne to your altar in heaven
in the sight of your divine majesty,
so that as we receive in communion at this altar
the most holy Body and Blood of your Son,
we may be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.214
«Take this and eat it, all of you": communion
§1384
The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the
sacrament of the Eucharist: «Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in
you.» 215
§1385
To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so
holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: «Whoever,
therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner
will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine
himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and
drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon
himself.» 216 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the
sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.
§1386
Before so great a sacrament, the faithful can only echo humbly and with ardent
faith the words of the Centurion: «Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub
tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea» ("Lord, I
am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my
soul will be healed.»).217 and in the Divine Liturgy of St. John
Chrysostom the faithful pray in the same spirit:
O Son of God, bring me into communion today with your mystical supper. I shall not tell your enemies the secret, nor kiss you with Judas' kiss. But like the good thief I cry, «Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.»
§1387
To prepare for worthy reception of this sacrament, the faithful should observe
the fast required in their Church.218 Bodily demeanor (gestures,
clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when
Christ becomes our guest.
§1388
It is in keeping with the very meaning of the Eucharist that the faithful, if
they have the required dispositions, receive communion each time they
participate in the Mass.219 As the Second Vatican Council says:
«That more perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful,
after the priest's communion, receive the Lord's Body from the same sacrifice,
is warmly recommended.» 220
§1389
The Church obliges the faithful «to take part in the Divine Liturgy on
Sundays and feast days» and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation,
to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter
season.221 But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive
the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily.
§1390
Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion
under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of
Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has
been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But
«the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since
in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more
clearly.» 222 This is the usual form of receiving communion in the
Eastern rites.
The fruits of Holy Communion
§1391
Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. the principal fruit of receiving
the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed,
the Lord said: «He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and
I in him.» 223 Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic
banquet: «As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,
so he who eats me will live because of me.» 224
On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, «Christ is risen!» Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ.225
§1392
What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully
achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a
flesh «given life and giving life through the Holy
Spirit,» 226 preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received
at Baptism. This growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic
Communion, the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will
be given to us as viaticum.
§1393
Holy Communion separates us from sin. the body of Christ we receive in Holy
Communion is «given up for us,» and the blood we drink «shed for
the many for the forgiveness of sins.» For this reason the Eucharist
cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins
and preserving us from future sins:
For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord's death, we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it, so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.227
§1394
As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our
charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity
wipes away venial sins.228 By giving himself to us Christ revives our
love and enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root
ourselves in him:
Since Christ died for us out of love, when we celebrate the memorial of his death at the moment of sacrifice we ask that love may be granted to us by the coming of the Holy Spirit. We humbly pray that in the strength of this love by which Christ willed to die for us, we, by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, may be able to consider the world as crucified for us, and to be ourselves as crucified to the world.... Having received the gift of love, let us die to sin and live for God.229
§1395
By the same charity that it enkindles in us, the Eucharist preserves us from
future mortal sins. the more we share the life of Christ and progress in his
friendship, the more difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin. the
Eucharist is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins - that is proper to
the sacrament of Reconciliation. the Eucharist is properly the sacrament of
those who are in full communion with the Church.
§1396
The unity of the Mystical Body: the Eucharist makes the Church. Those who
receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ
unites them to all the faithful in one body - the Church. Communion renews,
strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved
by Baptism. In Baptism we have been called to form but one body.230 The
Eucharist fulfills this call: «The cup of blessing which we bless, is it
not a participation in the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not
a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are
many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread:» 231
If you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your sacrament that is placed on the table of the Lord; it is your sacrament that you receive. To that which you are you respond «Amen» ("yes, it is true!») and by responding to it you assent to it. For you hear the words, «the Body of Christ» and respond «Amen.» Be then a member of the Body of Christ that your Amen may be true.232
§1397
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:
You have tasted the Blood of the Lord, yet you do not recognize your brother,.... You dishonor this table when you do not judge worthy of sharing your food someone judged worthy to take part in this meal.... God freed you from all your sins and invited you here, but you have not become more merciful.233
§1398
The Eucharist and the unity of Christians. Before the greatness of this mystery
St. Augustine exclaims, «O sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond
of charity!» 234 The more painful the experience of the divisions
in the Church which break the common participation in the table of the Lord,
the more urgent are our prayers to the Lord that the time of complete unity
among all who believe in him may return.
§1399
The
Eastern churches that are not in full communion with the Catholic Church
celebrate the Eucharist with great love. «These Churches, although
separated from us, yet possess true sacraments, above all - by apostolic
succession - the priesthood and the Eucharist, whereby they are still joined to
us in closest intimacy.» A certain communion in sacris, and so in the
Eucharist, «given suitable circumstances and the approval of Church
authority, is not merely possible but is encouraged.» 235
§1400
Ecclesial
communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic
Church, «have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery
in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy
Orders.» 236 It is for this reason that Eucharistic intercommunion
with these communities is not possible for the Catholic Church. However these
ecclesial communities, «when they commemorate the Lord's death and
resurrection in the Holy Supper . . . profess that it signifies life in communion
with Christ and await his coming in glory.» 237
§1401
When,
in the Ordinary's judgment, a grave necessity arises, Catholic ministers may
give the sacraments of Eucharist, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick to other
Christians not in full communion with the Catholic Church, who ask for them of
their own will, provided they give evidence of holding the Catholic faith
regarding these sacraments and possess the required dispositions.238
Catéchisme de l'Église catholique © Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1992.
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