ROBERT BARRON’S THE

Session 6: The Real Presence Creates

Through the prayers of the baptized members of the assembly and the we quickly approach the most intensely sacred moment of the mass, the moment of , when Christ is made present to us in his Flesh and Blood under the appearance of bread and . The Priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine, with the words of the (part of the Eucharistic Prayer): “Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your sprint upon them…”

The Reality of Christ within the Eucharist can be difficult to comprehend -- that the Son of God willingly endured a horrible death in order to share his Body with his people so that they might rise into eternity with him. Many of Jesus’ followers, those who travelled with him, knew him and saw his workings and heard his teachings, had a very hard time with this. Jesus said “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” Christ’s early followers were not the only ones who had difficulty accepting this. How can we believe that bread and wine can become anything else, much less God’s own Flesh and Blood?

Perhaps it goes back to the notion of sacrifice and gifts -- the measure in which we give them and God’s “good measure” of return – all of which is aligned with the notion of consent. When we say “yes” to God, we give consent to the very notion of faith and as we live the life of faith, we grow in it, thanks to the Lord, who gifts us with ever more faith. Consent is necessary for the gift of faith and is in fact, a sacrificial action. The little surrendering we make, over and over again, to believe rather than doubt enables the willful suspension of disbelief so that we may move forward in faith, even when it’s hard. From the simple to the most difficult novena, our prayers necessarily contain our consent for God’s action in our lives, and the measure of that consent within prayer impacts the measure by which God responds. We bless God by offering up a sacrifice of consent to God. God takes our sacrifice, makes it better, and returns our offering to us in “good measure.”

During the Eucharistic Prayer the priest’s narration of the moves from a third person retelling to a First Person proclamation when the celebrant, acting in persona Christi, intones Christ’s own words. The specific action of the priest, working within the prayerful formulas of the liturgy and speaking in his capacity as an apostolically-ordained “stand-in” for Christ, brings the power of Christ himself into the words, and brings God’s own creative power of consent – the almighty “Let it be” – into the moment. When it is Christ speaking the words through the priest called to represent him in persona Christi capitis, then the words become the Reality. When Christ’s representative speaks the words, “This is my Body…. This is my Blood” we may trust in it.

The Consecration – the climactic moment of the Mass – enables us to offer Christ himself to the Father. The offerings/gifts of bread & wine are transfigured into the Body and Blood of Jesus, which means the sacrifice becomes unsurpassable. It becomes a real ‘re-presentation’ of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary.

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After the celebrant elevates both Body and Blood so that we may see and adore, he genuflects in adoration before them both and solemnly declares, “.” When we reply with this acclamation, the Divine Word becomes present to us is a moment of supreme mystery and we declare and give witness to the encounter of the risen Christ on Easter Sunday.

During the First Epiclesis (invoking the Holy Spirit) the priest called down the Holy Spirit and asked that our gifts be made holy before the Lord. Now we arrive at the Second Epiclesis, and once again the priest will call down the Holy Spirit to conform us to the Consecrated Elements. Depending on which Eucharistic Prayer is being said, this 2nd Epiclesis continues in the form of intercessory prayer made in union with the Real Presence. It is at this point that we are praying specifically for our pope and our bishop, for people around the world, etc. Within these intercessions, specific names are mentioned as we ask to be “made worthy” to share in the eternal joy of heaven with all who have gone before us.

The Eucharistic Prayer concludes with the Great in which the celebrant prays or sings, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever.” While pronouncing these words, the priest has once more raised the Eucharistic elements, Body and Blood, as one last gesture of offering to heaven. This moment solemnly ties together the entire “mystery of faith,” by summarizing it in a phrase of pure and simple praise.

As Jesus taught us, we pray the “Our Father” (Lord’s Prayer) together and in one voice. We pray it when Jesus is truly and substantially Present among us in the Consecrated Elements. During this prayer we get to ask for our “daily bread.” Our request for bread echoes the pleas of the children of Israel who received manna from heaven, which they would every day.

The Rite of Peace comes after the “Our Father” when the priest recalls Christ’s words, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” This brings to mind the great “Shalom” with which the Resurrected Christ greeted the apostles. The assembly then prays or sings “The Lamb of God” based on John the Baptis t’s salutation upon seeing Jesus walk toward him.

We kneel as the priest breaks the , elevates it with the containing the and says “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.” We respond by making one final request of Christ Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed ” — these words recall the faith of the Roman centurion in the of Matthew when he asked Jesus to heal his servant.

With the reception of Holy Communion, we have reached the fullest expression of our worship by receiving Christ into our own bodies. This is followed by time to sit and be present with the Presence within us. We finish the Mass with a final prayer acknowledging all that has been done for us and expressing gratitude for the liturgy and the action of God. Everything has been said; a sacrifice has been made; a meal has been eaten.

Nourished into new life through receiving Christ Jesus, we go to let the life of Christ within us out in order to renew the face of the earth — one encounter at a time.

FOCUS QUESTIONS: • Whose words does the priest say during the Consecration and when were they first spoken? Why do those words effect change in the bread and wine? • How is Christ present in the Mass? Where is he most fully and substantially present?

• How are you affected by receiving the Body of Christ at Holy Communion? How does it affect you and your life?