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DENVER | SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 11

THE THROUGHOUT HISTORY BY VLADIMIR MAURICIO-PEREZ

A recent Pew survey found that two-thirds of Catholics do not believe that is truly present in the Eucharist, but that it is a mere symbol. This serves as a wake-up call for better formation, not assuming that people know the basics of the Catholic faith. To showcase the importance of the Eucharist in the Christian faith through history, we have created a timeline that highlights some of the key moments that prepared the way for the Eucharist in the , its institution in the , and its practice and deeper understanding in subsequent centuries. This timeline contains key words that repeat throughout the Scriptures, such as, lamb, , , , sacrifi ce, off ering, etc. These key words all unite in the Eucharist and bear witness to the fact that literally meant that the bread and wine would become his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. 12 SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC

Old Testament To deliver the Israelites from Egypt, God Foreshadowing commands Moses to tell his people: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male… “ king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a they shall take some of the blood and put of God the Most High. And he blessed [Abram]” (Gen 14:18-19). He is said it on the doorposts… They shall eat the to foreshadow Christ’s priesthood, who also off ered bread and wine: fl esh that nigh” (Ex 12: 5-8). St. Paul writes: “[Melchizedek] is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither “For Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he con- sacrifi ced” (1 Cor 5:7). Jesus is identifi ed tinues a priest forever” (Heb 7:3). St. wrote in the 5th century, with the lamb, and the eating of “Just as Melchizedek had done, the priest of the Most high, when he off ered the lamb with the eating of Jesus’ body, as bread and wine in the prefi guration of him, he [Christ] too would present Jesus says: “For my fl esh is food indeed, it in the truth of his own body and blood (Commentary on Matthew IV). and my blood is indeed” (Jn 6:55).

MELCHIZEDEK PASSOVER LAMB 2. 4.

1. 3. 5. THE TREE OF LIFE ISAAC

After eating the fruit from the forbidden tree, Adam and God tests Abraham by asking In preparation for the Eve are denied the fruit of the Tree of Life. Many him to sacrifi ce his “only-be- Passover, God also com- Fathers saw the Tree of Life as a prefi guration of the Cross, gotten son Isaac” (Gen 22:2s). mands his people to and the fruit of the Tree of Life as a prefi guration of the Isaac asks his father why there eat “unleavened bread” Eucharist, the , which hung from the Cross. is a fi re but no lamb for a burnt (Ex 12:15s), which was Revelation says that God will grant people to eat from the off ering. Abrahams responds: meant to symbolize the Tree of Life (Rev 2:7). Pseudo-Hippolytus writes around the “God will provide himself the hurry with which they were fl ee- 4th century, “So in place of the old tree, [Christ] plants a lamb for a burnt off ering.” Jesus ing Egypt — they did not have time to let it rise. According to new one… For me the cross is the tree of eternal salvation; is the “” (Jn 1:29) Matthew and Mark, Jesus instituted the Eucharist on “the fi rst from it I nourish myself, from it I feed myself” (On the Pasch, off ered in sacrifi ce for men, day of Unleavened Bread” (Mt 26:17; Mk 14:12). In the L-LI). Also, St. Augustine says, “We too are fed from the and a he’s also the “only-be- , the Church still uses unleavened bread for the Eucha- Lord’s Cross… when we eat his body” (On Psalm 100:9). gotten Son” of God (Jn 1:18). rist, and sees the origin of this tradition in the Passover.

New Testament Jesus himself made it clear that he was not speaking metaphorically when he said, “I Institution am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my fl esh” (Jn 6: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” 51). When the Jews take this to be ridiculous in the literal sense — “How can this man (Jn 1:29). John the Baptist refers to Jesus with these words, give us his fl esh to eat?” (6:52) — Jesus reiterates that he’s not speaking metaphori- drawing on the importance of the lamb in the Old Testament. cally: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the fl esh of the Son of man and drink his It is in Jesus’ death and resurrection that these references blood, you have no life in you… For my fl esh is food indeed, and my blood is drink come to fulfi llment, and ultimately in the way he chose to indeed” (6:53-55). And to extinguish any type of confusion, he adds a new word, “he stay “until the end of time,” that is, in the Eucharist. For this who eats [Greek: trogon] me will live because of me” (6:57). In reason, the priest uses John the Baptist’s very words during the Greek, “trogon” means “chew” or “gnaw” and not just “eat.” as he elevates the consecrated Host: “Behold the Lamb Many of his disciples could not accept this clear teaching, of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.” “drew back and no longer walked with him” (6:60,66).

“THE LAMB OF GOD” NO MERE SYMBOLISM 2. 4.

1. 3. MIRACLE OF THE BETHLEHEM LOAVES THE OUR FATHER

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which Jesus himself foreshadowed the Eucharist before insti- In the of Matthew, a unique word in Hebrew means “House of Bread.” tuting it in order to prepare his disciples to receive it. stands out during the Our Father prayer: In the feeding of the fi ve thousand, he performs “Give us this day our daily (Greek: epiou- the same four actions he will use during the sios) bread” (Mt 6:11). is not used : “taking the fi ve loaves and the two anywhere else in the , except in Lk 11:3, fi sh he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and in the same prayer. St. Jerome’s translation of broke, and gave the loves to the disciples, and the Matthew into Latin is more literal and trans- disciples gave them to the crowds” (Mt 14:19). During lates this word as “supersubstantial.” Supersub- the Last Supper, Matthew also writes, “Jesus took the stantial means above all substance or superior to bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the all things. Therefore, many understood the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body’” (26:26). petition for “our supersubstantial bread” to refer to the Eucharist. DENVER CATHOLIC | SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 13

After the Israelites left Egypt, God commands Moses to build a and place the Ark of the Cov- Isaiah 53 is a strong prefi guration of Christ God sent them the manna, or enant in it, so that he may “dwell in their midst” (Ex 25:8). He then com- in the Old Testament. It tells of a man who bread from heaven, in the desert: mands him, “And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before was “affl icted”. “But he was wounded for “I will rain bread from heaven me always” (25:30). Later on, David ate this bread, which was given to our transgressions… like a lamb that is led for you” (Ex 16:4). Jesus is the him by the priest Abimelech: “So the priest gave [David] the holy bread, to the slaughter… although he had done fulfi llment of the manna, as he for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence” (1 Sam 21:6). no violence… he [made] himself an off er- himself states: “Your fathers ate Jesus alludes to this episode and says, “Have you not read what David did, ing for sin.” The servant is compared to a the manna in the wilderness, and when he was hungry… how he entered the house of God and ate the bread lamb and to a sacrifi cial off ering, and by they died… I am the living bread of the Presence… I tell you, something greater than the his righteousness “will make many righ- which came down from heaven; temple is here” (Mt 12:1-8). He who is greater than the teous.” Jesus is, again, the “Lamb of God,” if anyone eats of this bread, he temple became the true bread of the Presence. who, as John says, is the “righteous”, and will live forever” (Jn 6: 49-51). “the expiation for our sins” (1 Jn 2:2).

BREAD OF THE THE SUFFERING MANNA PRESENCE SERVANT 6. 8. 10.

7. 9. SPRINKLING OF BLOOD TODAH OFFERING

After receiving the Law from God, Todah is Hebrew for “thanksgiving.” A todah sacrifi ce “Moses took the blood and threw it was a type of peace off ering that was off ered by upon the people, and said, ‘Behold someone who had received a great ben- the blood of the which the efi t from God. Its elements were meat, Lord has made with you in accordance bread and wine (Lev 7:11-15; Num with all these words’” (Ex 24:8). Jesus 15:8-10). Eucharist comes from the picks up this language and institutes Latin eucharistia, which also means a with his body and “thanksgiving.” In the Eucharistic blood as the new sacrifi ce, during sacrifi ce, the bread and wine become the Last Supper: “This which the body and blood of Jesus. Many schol- is poured out for you is the new cov- ars have considered both the Todah and the enant in my blood” (Lk 22:20). Passover sacrifi ces as foreshadows of the Eucharist.

At the Last Supper, which took part in the context In Acts of the Apostles, the apostles In the Book of Revelation, John shows that the Eucharis- of the Passover, Jesus draws many of the aforemen- and disciples celebrated the Eucharist: tic worship corresponds with and fi nds its fulfi llment in the tioned symbolisms and unites them in the Institution “And they devoted themselves to the heavenly worship, “the supper of the Lamb” (Rev of the Eucharist. Jesus takes the bread, breaks it, apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the 19:19). John provides powerful images that correspond to and says, “This is my body which is given for you” breaking of the bread and the prayers” the Mass, showing that already partake in the (Lk 22:19). He then takes the chalice and says, “This (:42). As previously mentioned, heavenly worship. In Rev 4-5, John describes the Pass- which is poured out for you is the new covenant the “breaking of the bread” referred to over Lamb, the elders — presbyteros, which is the Greek in my blood” (22:20). He then commands them, “Do the Eucharist, as Christ instituted it at word for — the proclamation of God’s revelation, this in remembrance of me.” Scholars have noted the Last Supper. There are many other , songs, angels, prayer, the “Holy, Holy, Holy,” pros- that although the supper was done in the context of examples: “On the fi rst day of the week tration, etc. These elements show that the Mass is not an the Passover, no Passover lamb is ever mentioned: [], when we were gathered invention of the Church, but that it is a gift in which Chris- Jesus, himself is the Passover lamb (1 Cor 5:7). together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7). tians already partake in the perfect heavenly worship.

INSTITUTION OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN REVELATION EUCHARIST COMMUNITIES 6. 8. 10.

7. 9. ROAD TO EMMAUS ST. PAUL

The last chapter of of Luke (24:13-35) gives a brief description of the St. Paul asserts that the Eucharist is truly the Mass that the disciples would partake in, highlighting the two parts of the liturgy: body and , and there are conse- The Liturgy of the Word and then the Liturgy of the Eucharist. As two disciples were quences for those who partake in it unworthily. traveling to Emmaus from Jerusalem on the Sunday after the crucifi xion of Jesus, “The cup of which we bless, is it not a Jesus himself draws near them, though they do not recognize him. First, “beginning participation in the blood of Christ? The bread with Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures which we break, is it not a participation in the the things pertaining to himself” (24:27). When he sat at the table with them, “he body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). He also writes took the bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were to the Corinthians saying, “Whoever, therefore, CONTINUES opened and they recognized him.” They went back to Jerusalem and in amazement eats the bread or the cup of the Lord in ON NEXT PAGE told the disciples “what had happened in the road and how he was known to them in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning » the breaking of the bread” (24:35). The Resurrected Christ is found in the Eucharist. the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor 11:23-29). 14 SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC

CREDITS NEWADVENT.ORG CATHOLIC.COM Church History THEREALPRESENCE.ORG Practice & Understanding THE CROSS AND THE EUCHARIST IN EARLY BY REV. DANIEL CARDÓ Also known as “The Lord’s Teaching COVER PHOTO BY JOSH APPLEGATE , who had Through the Twelve Apostles to the been a of St. John, Nations,” this Early Christian writing “Not as common bread or common drink do said regarding those who held from the fi rst century mentions the we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our “heterodox opinions,” that importance of confessing one’s sins Savior was made incarnate by the word of God “they abstain from the Eucharist before receiving and talks and had both fl esh and blood for our salva- and from prayer, because they explicitly about the Eucharist. “But every tion, so too, as we have been taught, the food do not confess that the Eucharist is Lord’s day [Sunday] gather yourselves together, and break which has been made into the Eucharist by the the fl esh of our Savior Jesus Christ, fl esh bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the which suff ered for our sins and which the transgressions, that your sacrifi ce may be pure” (XIV). “Now change of which our blood and fl esh is nour- Father, in his goodness, raised up again” concerning the Thanksgiving [Eucharist], thus give thanks. First ished… is both the fl esh and the blood of that (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2, 7:1). concerning the cup… And concerning the broken bread…” (IX). incarnated Jesus” (First Apology 66:1–20).

DIDACHE ST. IGNATIUS OF ST. JUSTIN ANTIOCH MARTYR ca. 60-100 ca. 110 A.D. ca. 150 A.D.

“You are accustomed to “Do not, therefore, regard “It is the true of A great debate arose when in the 11th century, Ber- take part in the divine the bread and wine as Christ which was cru- engar of Tours assured that it was not necessary to mysteries, so you know simply that, for they are, cifi ed and buried, this talk about material change in the elements when how, when you have according to the Master’s is then truly the Sac- explaining the real presence of Christ in the Eucha- received the Body of declaration, the body rament of His Body. rist. The Fourth reaffi rmed in 1215 the Lord, you rever- and blood of Christ. Even The Lord Jesus Him- what the Church had believed for centuries by using ently exercise every though the senses sug- self proclaims: “This a fairly-new term: “.” While not care lest a particle of gest to you the other, Is My Body” (On the attached to a specifi c metaphysics, this term was it fall and lest anything let faith make you fi rm” Mysteries 9, 53-54). used to explain that the essence of bread and wine of the consecrated (Catechetical Discourses: became the true Body and Blood of Christ, even if gift perish” ( Mystagogic 4:22:9). the appearances of bread and wine remained intact. on Exodus 13:3).

ORIGEN ST. CYRIL OF ST. AMBROSE JERUSALEM OF MILAN “TRANSUBSTANTIATION” ca. 244 A.D ca. 350 A.D. ca. 387 A.D. 1215

Thomas Aquinas gave In the Early Church, the adoration of the The reaffi rmed that it was not reasonable to say the greatest theologi- Body and Blood of Christ was restricted to that the Real Presence was limited to the moment of reception, as cal explanation of the the Eucharistic celebration and communion, held, but that it remained afterward. The fact that meaning of transub- and Fathers such as Augustine and Ambrose the Presence did not depend on the act of reception was evident stantiation. In addition, encouraged an attitude of adoration during Mass. not only in Tradition, but also in the . Early Christians fre- he was commissioned However, in hopes of repairing for the controversies and blas- quently took the Eucharist to the homebound or on long journeys, to write the for phemies of some against the Eucharist, faithful such as St. or even received the Blessed a couple days after its the Feast of Corpus Juliana of Liege, requested in the 13th century a greater ado- , as is documented in writings of the Church Fathers. Christi. He wrote ration outside of Mass. This request, coupled with the Eucha- Following Jesus’ words in the Gospels, it is evident that the Body such hymns as Pange ristic miracle of Bolsena, Italy, in 1264, led Urban IV to and Blood became so before reception and not because of it. Lingua, Tantum Ergo institute the (“The Body of Christ”). and .

THOMAS AQUINAS FEAST OF THE REAL PRESENCE CORPUS CHRISTI REMAINS

1225-1274 1264 1551

As a practical consequence of would come to The was held to Over 35 years after the Missal was , the practice be known as the “Pope of address the relation between the Church and updated in 1970, following the Second of making frequent visits to the the ” by the modern world. Among the modifi cations Vatican Council, Pope Benedict XVI Blessed Sacrament became more many. Other than restoring established, the Constitution on the allowed priests to celebrate the Tridentine popular. St. Alphonsus of Liguori the practice of Gregorian Liturgy sought to and promote the Mass – often referred to as the Traditional gave a new impulse to this practice Chant, he promoted daily liturgy. Some of these reforms included a – using the 1962 Missal, with through his popular book Visits to communion, assuring that it wider use of the language during a group of faithful “who, of their own the Blessed Sacrament, published is the shortest way to Heaven. the liturgy and a greater participation of the will, asked to be admitted.” The Pope in 1745, which went through 40 edi- He also lowered the age of congregation. It’s implementation has been assured that the “new rite” from 1970 did tions in his lifetime. Some religious from 12 to 7 the subject of much discussion, and for not null the “old rite,” last published in orders also began practicing per- years old, which was consid- many, various changes associated with it 1962. Instead, he said they be seen petual adoration around this time. ered the “age of discretion.” were never intended by the Council Fathers. as a “twofold use” of the same rite.

VISITS TO THE BLESSED VATICAN II’S SUMMORUM POPE PIUS X SACRAMENT LITURGICAL REFORM PONTIFCIUM 1745 1903-1914 1962-1965 2007