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Catechesis On the

The Rite October 29-30, 2011

Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Dodge City, Kansas

The Lord’s Prayer

he Communion Rite begins with the Lord’s Prayer. As we prepare to T receive the , we offer the prayer that taught his disciples. We find these words in the of Luke (11:2-4) and the Gospel of Matthew (6:9-13).

The text of the Lord’s Prayer remains unchanged. This prayer has nourished the faith of generations of Christians and will continue to do so into the future. Immediately following the Lord’s Prayer, the priest prays that the community may be delivered from every evil as it awaits the coming of Jesus. This prayer has changed slightly in the New Missal:

“Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

No longer will the priest ask that we be protected “from all anxiety” but that “…we may be safe from sin and safe from all distress…” The words “joyful hope” will no longer be in the prayer, but “blessed hope”. Even when we do not feel joyful, we still await the “blessed hope” that is ours in Christ Jesus and will bring to us a joy that we can never know in this life.

Sign of Peace

Before sharing this sacred meal together we offer one another the sign of peace. This reflects the ancient Christian practice to “greet one another with a holy kiss” (see Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12). This is symbolic of the charity and unity that we share as the . Commingling

After breaking the host, the priest places a small piece in the and quietly prays, “May the mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.” In ancient Rome, this ritual was used to express the unity of the Church. The pope would send particles of the consecrated hosts to priests in the city who placed it in their as a sign of their union with the Bishop of Rome.

Agnus Dei

hile the priest breaks the host, the people sing or say the Agnus Dei W (Latin for “”). In this prayer we join the angels and saints in their worship of Jesus as the victorious Lamb that St. John describes in the book of Revelation (5:11-13). We refer to Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” because he is the new Passover lamb who was sacrificed for our sake.

“Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”

This prayer shows again the scriptural nature of all that we do at Mass. The first five words, “Behold the Lamb of God” come from the Gospel of John (1:29). identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God, an image found in Exodus (12:6-7) and Isaiah (53). Like the lamb in Egypt, Jesus will be sacrificed to free his people from slavery, the slavery of sin. The words “supper of the lamb” come from Revelation (19:9) and underscores the fact that the Sacrifice of the Mass is a pledge of future glory.

The response of the people will now be “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” This is inspired by the Roman centurion in Matthew (8:8) and Luke (7:1-10). Jesus comments that he has not found in Israel a faith like that of the centurion even among his fellow Jews. Like the centurion, we recognize our unworthiness to receive the Lord into our souls in Holy Communion. But just as the centurion had faith that Jesus could heal his servant, we have faith that Jesus heals the wounds of sin through the gift of the Eucharist. Receiving the Eucharist

It is critical that we understand what we are receiving and that we receive the Eucharist well disposed. We do not come to receive a symbol; we are receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, his true presence. He is the “Bread of Life”, the “Cup of Eternal Salvation” (John 6:51-58). We come to receive the Lord of life and to be transformed into his image.

Continued… Do we truly want to be transformed? Do we want to love as he loved? Do we want to let go of all prejudice, hatred and greed in our lives?

It is important to remember that we are all nourished with the same “bread of life”, the Body of Christ. It is a contradiction to be nourished with the same spiritual food as another person then to hold in my heart resentments, prejudices or hatreds toward that person. To be in communion with Christ is to be in communion with his whole body.

Have I examined myself to see if I am well disposed to receive the Eucharist? St. Paul reminds us that “…whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord….” he adds that one should “…examine himself first; only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” Otherwise one may very well eat and drink judgment upon oneself. It is for this reason that we abstain from receiving the Eucharist if we are in a state of mortal sin. The Sacrament of Reconciliation re-establishes our life with and in Christ, and allows us to once again receive Christ with pure hearts.

After the reception and distribution of Communion, we are invited to spend a few moments in silent thanksgiving for the gift we have received. It is not appropriate to leave Mass immediately after receiving Communion. If the Eucharist is truly the source and summit of our faith, it is important to take the time to thank and praise God for this sacred gift.

Finally, the priest stands and invites everyone to pray with the words: “Let us pray”. He then prays the Post-Communion Prayer. The Communion Rite ends with this prayer.

Prayerful Reflection

1. What value does the Eucharist have in my life? In what ways can I start to cherish the gift of the Eucharist more fully?

2. Do I truly believe that I am receiving Christ’s Body and Blood?

3. Reflect on these Scripture passages: John 6:52-59, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17