And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the LORD will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah […]
The Sacrament of Reconciliation — All About Catholicism
Why Anointing of the Sick? By Pat Gouker
Anointing of the Sick remits sins and expunges their remains; it illumines and strengthens the sick person “by exciting in him great confidence in the divine mercy” thus helping him bear “more lightly the miseries and pains of his illness and resist more easily the temptations of the devil;” and, “at times when expedient for the welfare of the soul [God, through this sacrament,] restores bodily health.”[1] Anointing prolongs the sacraments of Baptism and Penance by remedying sin.[2] Further, Anointing completes Penance and becomes the consummation of the whole Christian life, claiming the Christian once more as one belonging to the Triune God and renaming them into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.[3]
In Baptism, the Christian received the Sign of the Cross on the forehead as is done in the Sacrament of Anointing, marking him as one destined for suffering and even death. Indeed, the Christian lives life backwards, going from death unto life.[4] This life to which the Christian travels is a fully resurrected life in the Trinity, a life he was immersed in when he died to sin in the waters of Baptism and was named into that same Trinity for the first time. This “[f]ull resurrection lies for the Christian, as it did for Christ beyond the sufferings of earthly life and beyond the grave. Pain and death, though conquered by Christ, still remain to be overcome by the Christian,”[5] for “the last enemy to be destroyed is death.”[6] The Christian, then, approaches Anointing as “a rehearsal for the final battle of life”[7] wherein he will be crucified with Christ[8], conformed to His sufferings and His Cross, and thus prepared to share in His bodily resurrection, though without neglecting that the battle has already begun.
Anointing promotes the bodily resurrection by enabling “the soul to be free in this life, either through the healing of the body, or else to be eventually free from the body in death, with all the traces of sin blotted out.”[9] In Baptism, the sacrament of Christ claims the body and thus makes it sacred,[10] so God does not abandon the body to suffering without a purpose, in this case, a twofold purpose. Suffering acts in a primary way as a punishment for sin; yet, it also acts as a bitter medicine by which humanity can be cured of the ailments of sin, namely, separation from God and His friendship as well as physical corruptibility.[11] This bitter medicine manifests itself in bodily suffering that becomes for the Christian a dark night of the soul. The Christian, by the Sacraments of Initiation, has entered a Communion with all of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ and, in doing so, connects himself so intimately to the other members that all of them both suffer with the ailing Christian and strengthen him during this dark night. Through this dark night and the illumination brought with Anointing, the Christian comes to see God and enter a union with Him.
Anointing also consummates the Christian life, specifically the sacramental life. In Baptism, the Christian receives his destiny which is to suffer the cross with which God signs him through the hands of the priest, parents, and godparents. Confirmation then calls the Christian to actively pursue and fight this battle with death he became destined for in Baptism and is, through a different anointing and signing with the Cross, strengthened by the Holy Spirit to do so. The Eucharist nourishes the Christian on the journey to this battle and throughout the battle itself just as Penance serves to mend the wounds the Christian receives in this battle. The Christian persists in his battle because he seeks to achieve a matrimonial union with his Divine Spouse. When, on this journey to his destiny, the Christian soldier falters through a great weakness brought on by sickness or old age, Anointing bestows on him “strength of mind”[12] by bringing a “special vigor to the virtue of fortitude”[13] within him.[14]
As Christ was anointed at the beginning of His Passion, so too does Anointing prepare the Christian for his passion and the task of uniting that passion to Christ’s.[15] As the time to take the bitter medicine comes close, the Christian soldier becomes filled with fear and dread, praying that this cup might pass from him.[16] Yet, Anointing strengthens his resolve, enabling him to have courage enough to drink the bitter medicine and for the wound to not reject the medicine, but to accept it and permit it to perform its healing work. He accepts the painful medicine of the Cross; he endures the nails and lance which pierce him and let flow the blood and water of redemptive suffering. He completes the priesthood into which he was baptized, by fully becoming priest in his becoming a victim.[17]
Through all of the suffering, Anointing helps the Christian soldier bear the pain even pain unto death in union with Christ’s Passion. That is, the sacrament “brings reinforcements when the Christian’s own defenders are wavering and when the opportunity to win a great victory may slip from his grasp.”[18] These reinforcements manifest themselves through God’s grace and through the shared strength of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, who are themselves united through grace. Thus, the refortified Christian finds himself able to take up his cross and mount his own personal Calvary of suffering. And, through this suffering which he bears in union with Christ, which becomes his act of worship of God, he also “promotes the worship of God in the Church.”[19] The Christian soldier and the Church of which he is a part travel toward this worship of God as their telos. Thus, Anointing brings about the beginning of the end of the Christian.[20]
These are the windows of Extreme Unction and Holy Orders from the West transept of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. If I attend Mass as the sacristan for a Mass in the Basilica, I am supposed to sit in that transept to be close to the sacristy and I frequently gaze on these windows. There is a beautiful parallel here where you see a young man on the right answer the call to become a priest-victim while on the left, surrounded by family, another person lives out her baptismal priesthood by offering herself as a victim to God for the redemption of her soul and all those of the whole world. You can almost feel the consolation being given to the family and see the strength and courage being imbued into the dying mother.
Victimæ Paschali Laudes, Sequence of Easter
Literal Translation by Michael P. Foley
| Víctimae Pascháli laudes ímmolent Christiáni. Agnus redémit oves: Christus ínnocens Patri reconciliávit peccatóres. Mors et vita duello conflixére mirando: Dux vitae mórtuus regnat vivus. Dic nobis María, quid vidisti in via? “Sepulcrum Christi viventis, et gloriam vidi resurgentis: Angélicos testes, sudarium, et vestes. Surrexit Christus spes mea: praecédet suos in Galilaeam.” Scimus Christum surrexisse a mórtuis vere: Tu nobis, victor Rex, miserére. Amen. Allelúja. | Let Christians sacrifice praise To the Paschal Victim. The Lamb has redeemed the sheep! Christ, who is innocent, has reconciled sinners To the Father. Death and Life clashed In a spectacular battle: The Commander of life, having died, Reigns alive. Tell us, Mary, What did you see on the way? “I saw the tomb of Christ And the glory of His rising, Angelic witnesses, The head napkin, and the linen cloths. Christ my Hope is risen! He will go before His own into Galilee.” We know that Christ is truly risen From the dead: Do Thou, O Christ the Victor, have mercy on us. Amen. Alleluia. |
I selected the sequence of Easter, Victimae Paschali Laudes because of the beautiful lyrics of the great struggle with death, won by Christ for our sake. He is the great victor. Citing Augustine, Michael P. Foley notes that Christ was born “both Victor and Victim, and Victor because Victim” and that he was “both Priest and Sacrifice, and Priest because Sacrifice” (Confessions, 10.43.69). Foley also notes how ending on the note of Victor and Victim brings the ancient sequence back to its beginning. So too us. We become fully priest and sacrifice, victor and victim in Anointing because Christ did so first; He won the victory that we might share in it. I love the Victimae in alternatim as done at Notre Dame de Paris. The voices of the choir are those of us on earth while the strong blasts of the organ are the heavenly multitudes joining us in praise. This rendition ends with the organ and the choir, heaven and earth, praising God together for His great triumph.
[1] These quotations come from the Council of Trent wherein the Council Fathers listed the effects of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, as it was then called. It is perhaps notable that, though the name of the sacrament at that time suggests an anointing which takes place near the moment of death, the description of the effects of the sacrament given by Trent does not insist that this is a “sacrament for those only who are at the point of death.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 73). Rather, the description suggests that this sacrament is one for the sick and thus should be administered “as soon as any one of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age” (Ibid, 73). It must be emphasized that the Second Vatican Council affirms that this sacrament is to be given to those who have fallen ill either through sickness or old age and are now in periculo mortis, that is in danger of death. Thus, death must be a likely terminus of this illness. This means that the sacrament should not be administered, for example, to one stricken with a common head cold that will be overcome naturally with ease. Instead, this sacrament is reserved for those who will persist with their illness until death (unless, of course, God sees fit to restore bodily health for the welfare of the soul or the welfare of the entire Body of Christ.) In other words, there must be an expectation of longsuffering from this illness that, at least seemingly, will not be terminated until death. By this view, the sacrament could be properly administered to those who are afflicted with mental illnesses, those who are diagnosed with diseases that persist for long periods of time, even if treatable, such as cancer, etc. In preparation for a necessary surgery to help resolve an illness a person could also be anointed given that complications could arise in surgery and because there will almost certainly be some form of longsuffering in the recovery from the surgery. In sum, according to both Trent and Vatican II, this sacrament, though a sacrament of the sick and not strictly of the dead or dying, is properly administered when one is afflicted with an illness which puts him in periculo mortis or which will persist until death (barring a miracle.) Council of Trent, sess. 14: Extreme Unction.
[2] The primary effect of Anointing is not the remission of sin, rather, it is a remedy of sin. It can and does remit any sin that a person may have, but it’s primary function regarding sin is to remove the after-effects of that sin. It reorients, as it were, the person towards virtue rather than vice. Fulton Sheen, These Are the Sacraments (New York: Hawthorn Books, 1962), 42.
[3] Anointing completes Penance in so far as it removes the after-effects of sin and even grants a remission of temporal punishment due to sin, if not completely then at least to some effect when it is received in faith. (Sheen, 43-44). Whereas Penance cleanses the person of sin, Anointing cleanses not only sin but even the remains of sins. (Council of Trent, sess. 14: Extreme Unction). And, the sacrament recalls the sick person’s baptism through such means as an Asperges rite at the beginning of its liturgy. Recalling the renaming that takes place in Baptism, Anointing renames a Christian into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit through the final blessing given in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In cases of the dying, this is even more poignant through the commendation prayer “Go forth, Christian soul” wherein a dying Christian is sent forth to his heavenly homeland “in Zion” to live not adjacent to, but together with “Mary the virgin Mother of God, with Joseph, and all the angels and saints,” along with his brothers and sisters in Christ “in the name of God the almighty Father, … in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, … [and] in the name of the Holy Spirit” to thus comprise heaven. (Quotations come from the prayer “Go forth, Christian soul.” The idea of Christian souls comprising Heaven by living together in union with one another and with God and not adjacent to one another comes from the theology stated in the conclusion of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s Eschatology).
[4] Sheen, 41.
[5] Colman E. O’Neill, OP. Meeting Christ in the Sacraments. Edited by Romanus Cessario, OP. (New York: Alba House, 1991), 275.
[6] 1 Cor. 15:26.
[7] It is perhaps necessary to make a note here about the idea of “rehearsal.” Indeed, this phrase certainly suggests that Anointing is focused on or at least geared towards death. As noted in the first endnote, this is not entirely incorrect. “While [A]nointing strengthens the Christian in sickness, its full significance appears only when its role in relation to Christian death is brought to light (O’Neill, 290). This rehearsal, then, can certainly take place well before the moment of death, yet, should never lose sight of the fact that it is preparing the sick Christian for the performance of the great battle against suffering and death, a battle only won by dying and then rising to new life. When the sacrament is administered near the moment of death, it could then be considered a dress rehearsal, as it were. Sheen, 44.
[8] Gal. 2:19.
[9] It is necessary to note that the body must suffer and die as a result of sin since “[t]he body has had a share in the … vices of the soul” The body also shares in the virtues of the soul, however. It is for this reason, therefore, that “it will take on a quality after death corresponding to the quality of the soul” (Sheen, 41). There is an intimate relation between the body and the soul. One affects the other. For just as the body has a share in the virtues and vices, so too does sickness affect the soul. “[N]o person can be sick in body without having his soul disturbed” (Sheen, 40). As such this sacrament works to dispel the distress caused by sickness by bringing about hope. It is also for this reason that, in the pre-Vatican II rite of Anointing, many body parts were anointed, for it is only through the body that sin enters the soul and thus each place through which sin could have entered (eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth/lips, hands, and feet) is in need of purification to remit the sin and strengthening so as not to fall to sin again. (Sheen, 42). It should also be noted that the human form is glorified through Christ’s Ascending in His resurrected body to Heaven. The fact that Christ chose to keep on His resurrected body the marks of His suffering suggests that we too, though our sin is blotted out, will bear the marks of our earthly suffering when we undergo the resurrection of the body, if we merit it. So, though the soul can be free from the body in death, the resurrection of the body will occur and the marks of our own passion will be present, for in our passion, like Christ, do we come into our glory.
[10] O’Neill notes that “one of the most significant aspects of [B]aptism” that is frequently overlooked is the fact that “[t]he sacrament draws us into the sphere of Christ, the sphere of redeemed humanity; and [that] Christ redeemed us body and soul.” This fact emphasizes the great dignity of the body. This dignity of the body is one of the reasons for the existence of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The soul is cared for in Penance, having its sins remitted. While, as is stated above, this is true also of Anointing, the primary focus of Anointing lies with the body. Indeed, while all sacraments are focused on the whole person, body and soul, the sacraments of healing have two primary foci with Penance focusing on the restoration soul and Anointing on the restoration physical body, though not without respect to the soul. O’Neill, 276.
[11] O’Neill makes this distinction between the ways in which suffering functions in the life of the Christian throughout his chapter on Anointing.
[12] This is how St. Thomas Aquinas describes the effect of fortitude. Though, certainly this strengthening of mind can also bring about with it a strengthening of body. ST, II-II, q.123, a.1,
[13] This special vigor comes about through the sacrament by lending to the virtue of fortitude “something of that perfection which belonged to it in the state of original justice or in Christ.” O’Neill, 289.
[14] It should be noted that, as with all sacraments, Anointing is not purely private. Rather, it has a communal/ecclesial aspect in addition to a private aspect. Particularly as regards the strengthening of the Christian soldier is there an ecclesial aspect of this sacrament. Anointing “enables the Christian to incorporate ill-health [and the suffering that goes with] into the life of the Church. For not only does it make suffering meaningful and profitable for the individual; through his acceptance of the pain the Church takes on more vividly the characteristics of Christ and is made more perfect as his sacrament in the world” (O’Neill, 289). Thus the Church lends her strength to her dying member, while at the same time that dying member unites his sufferings with the Passion of Christ, and with all the suffering of the Church’s members, not only for his own redemption the forgiveness of his own sins but also “those of the whole world,” (Divine Mercy Chaplet) trusting in the divine mercy of God to “raise [him] up” (The Rites, Pastoral Care of the Sick, 124). And, if it be for the benefit of the soul and the faith of the Church to “[d]eliver him from all miseries of body and mind; mercifully restore him to perfect health inwardly and outwardly, … [and make him] able to take up his former duties” (Sheen, 43).
[15] Christ’s anointing is recorded in all four of the Gospels. However, here we take interest specifically in the account given in John 12:1-8 since it specifically mentions the time of the anointing as “Six days before the Passover.”
[16] The imagery of Christ’s Agony wherein He too prayed that the cup might pass from Him if it be the Father’s will also harkens to the Church’s current exhortation to allow the dying to receive their Viaticum under both Species. That is, to receive their final Eucharist under both the form of Bread and that of Wine. Though Christ is present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in both Species, the drinking of the cup by the dying Christian soldier recalls and symbolizes Christ’s drinking of the final cup and is a final act of submission to God’s will, a final assent to the passion he is beckoned to, a final commending of his spirit into the hands of his Loving and Merciful Father.
[17] Two notes must be mentioned here. The first is that priesthood has as its compliment, victimhood. Sheen’s theology (founded on traditional Catholic sacramental theology) of the priesthood centers around the priest being a priest-victim, both he who offers and he who is offered, in accordance with Christ’s revision of the Levitical priesthood. In offering his own suffering, in conformity to Christ’s action on the Cross, the Christian soldier thus fulfills his baptismal priesthood by becoming both priest and victim in that he offers himself and his own suffering to God, and finds the strength to do so through this sacrament of Anointing. The second note to be made is that priesthood is the last of the six sacraments in this essay which Anointing fulfills. Though there are, undoubtedly, other ways of imagining how Anointing consummates the whole of the sacramental life of the Christian soldier, this essay has chosen to do so by focusing on how Anointing summarizes and fulfills the purposes of each of the other sacraments. This also emphasizes how Anointing is most greatly understood in the light of death as it encapsulates within itself the full life of the Christian, that is, the full sacramental life of the Christian.
[18] It could be stated also that these reinforcements serve to aid the Christian’s loved ones, as this sacrament has a secondary effect, their consolation as they suffer the loss of one whom they love, and the loved ones themselves can be the reinforcements, strengthening the sick Christian by their prayers and presence. O’Neill, 282.
[19] Ibid, 282
[20] This last phrase is a play on words, though one not without significant meaning. The telos of something is its “end,” or the goal to which it travels or which it seeks to accomplish. Anointing reorients not only the Christian, but, as stated, also the entire Church toward the worship of God. As Ratzinger suggests, there is a Sabbath structure to creation and thus the telos, or end, of all things is resting in God, or the worship of God. Anointing promotes this worship within the Christian and the whole Church through the Christian’s bearing of his passion in union with Christ’s. Thus, in bringing about the ability of this Christian to bear fully his sufferings with Christ’s it begins the Christian’s constant worship of God, his telos, or end. Hence, the sacrament brings about the beginning of the end of the Christian, which is perhaps even more fitting when the Christian’s life is in danger of ending as the sacrament is administered in periculo mortis.
Why Anointing? By Mary Biese
The Anointing of the Sick reinserts the recipient, in his or her isolated state of illness, into the Church’s life via Trinitarian action,[i] and renegotiates the meaning of suffering for the one anointed and for those in his or her ecclesial and broader community.[ii] Through this Sacrament, God provides the strength to bear and provide meaning for one’s suffering and death, as well as gifts of transformation, healing, refreshment, peace, and freedom. The grace of Anointing orients us towards full Eucharistic thanksgiving and mission.
Illness, taken broadly,[iii] is an affliction of body, soul, and/or spirit,[iv] which includes disease, chronic conditions of body and mind,[v] substantive injuries, and old age.[vi] The intervention of sacramental healing aims not to fix or eliminate suffering,[vii] but to assign its sufferer, already a site of Trinitarian grace by means of the sacraments of initiation, new meaning[viii] in the face of his or her illness. The holy water[ix] in the Rite reminds those present of their Baptism[x] and their rebirth in the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, both of which, like Anointing, direct us to the celebration of the Eucharist.[xi] In Anointing, the deeply-healing action of the Holy Spirit[xii] coincides with an encounter with Christ (Himself sent by the Father), [xiii] who confronts, consoles,[xiv] and forgives us.[xv] The minister anoints the recipient’s forehead and hands with the Oil of the Sick, bringing to mind Christ’s entering into our suffering.[xvi]
Anointing reenters us into the Body of Christ in the face of the isolation of illness.[xvii] The Church identifies, accompanies, prays for,[xviii] supports, and honors the ill as they move through this rite.[xix] Christ reintegrates the marginalized into communion, making them into sites of healing, unity, resurrection, and salvation[xx] not just for themselves but for the wider community.[xxi] This sacrament symbolizes and intensifies the vocation of the sick and elderly[xxii] by renegotiating the meaning of suffering in terms of gift, salvation, relationship,[xxiii] and mission.[xxiv] Anointing reestablishes wholeness and transforms misfortune, as well as the potential for and actuality of death.[xxv] The Trinity provides strength[xxvi] and hope[xxvii] in the face of suffering, giving the grace to face suffering and death[xxviii] courageously and in light of the Resurrection.[xxix] The grace of the sacrament provides forgiveness of sins and thereby strengthens the recipient’s resolve to persevere and reestablishes his or her ordering to virtue. Christ does not eliminate suffering and death but rather transforms them,[xxx] by His Incarnational accompaniment[xxxi] and Paschal Mystery, into an integral part of Christian life, itself oriented towards eternal bliss.[xxxii] The sacrament of Anointing does not deny, ignore, or shun human weakness, but rather acknowledges, seizes, offers, and transforms it,[xxxiii] to the point that the sacrament makes the weakened body, mind, and/or soul of the recipient a site for God’s grace to transform the entire world and bring glory to God through our own healing and sanctification.
Through Anointing, Christ refreshes, frees, and enlivens us, orienting us to Eucharistic thanksgiving. The sacrament provides us with rest and stillness,[xxxiv] palpable peace,[xxxv] comfort,[xxxvi] and concrete support.[xxxvii] Anointing points to the Sabbath structure of reality, wherein we receive our creatureliness from God instead of formulating our own order and meaning from our broken selves; through this sacrament, the Trinity releases us from the fears, tensions, sins, and isolation that accompany suffering.[xxxviii] Freed from the power of suffering and sin over us, we give ourselves over to God’s salvific and healing grace, as shown in the ritual stature of the recipient,[xxxix] and allow for proper metanoia to continually[xl] and gradually take place within us and those around us.[xli] Christ, who comes to each person in his or her particularity through this sacrament, renews our faith, hope, trust, and health, ultimately enlivening every aspect of our lives.[xlii] This unquantifiable gift of grace—mediated through the Church, her Sacrament, and her minister[xliii] and not limited to any one type of healing—orients its recipients towards Eucharistic thanksgiving,[xliv] sanctification,[xlv] and mission.[xlvi]
Why Anointing: Accompaniment and Comfort
These two images comprise one moment, in which my siblings and I sang hymns and songs of hope for my grandpa as he laid dying with cancer in hospice care in 2018. The physical instruments of comfort seen here, there for strength and sustenance but not curing (since he was past the point of curing) include the walker/toilet and the table with instruments and cleaning supplies on it. The other instruments of comfort and healing lay in the three Crosses in the room, which signify hope and remind the viewer of the Sacraments of Anointing and of Eucharist that my grandpa received before his death. Featured on the left side is my family (myself, some of my siblings, and my grandma), the baptized community surrounding my grandpa. Our family provided comfort, accompaniment, weekly Eucharist, and (I hope and pray) meaning in his suffering. With the holy words of hymns and the God-given gifts of our voices, we invoked, unconsciously at the time, the power of the Trinity and ministered to the sick.
Why Anointing: “That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the comfort of the Resurrection”
by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Man, how fast his firedint, | his mark on mind, is gone!
Both are in an unfathomable, all is in an enormous dark
Drowned. O pity and indig | nation! Manshape, that shone
Sheer off, disseveral, a star, | death blots black out; nor mark
Is any of him at all so stark
But vastness blurs and time | beats level. Enough! the Resurrection,
A heart’s-clarion! Away grief’s gasping, | joyless days, dejection.
Across my foundering deck shone
A beacon, an eternal beam. | Flesh fade, and mortal trash
Fall to the residuary worm; | world’s wildfire, leave but ash:
In a flash, at a trumpet crash,
I am all at once what Christ is, | since he was what I am, and
This Jack, joke, poor potsherd, | patch, matchwood, immortal diamond,
Is immortal diamond.
This poem, of which the first ten lines are omitted here for space’s sake, embodies the Resurrectional healing of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Here the first five lines and the first half of the sixth all speak to the sufferings of life—life is fleeting, difficult, and filled with darkness. The turn of the poem—“Enough! the Resurrection”—starts the cascade of transformed nature. Christ’s Paschal Mystery heals the heart and drives out grief with “an eternal beam.” Though death still occurs (“Flesh fade… ash”), in an instant (at the turn) the poem cries, “I am all at once what Christ is,” and this brings about the transformation of himself and of the entire order of creation. The line “Across my foundering deck shone” curiously does not rhyme with any proximate lines; perhaps then the juxtaposition of “my foundering deck” and “shone / A beacon, an eternal beam” encapsulates the transformative healing of the Anointing of the Sick.
[i] The prayer of “Thanksgiving over Blessed Oil” in the Rite gives a brief summary of God’s healing in salvation history: God sends the Son for the sake of salvation, the Son humbles Himself and heals us, and the Holy Spirit consoles and strengthens. The Rites of the Catholic Church: the Roman Ritual Revised by Decree of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and Published by Authority of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Study ed. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1990), 823-824.
[ii] The faith of Christians “helps them to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear their pain with greater courage. From Christ’s words they know that sickness has meaning and value for their own salvation and for the salvation of the world.” Rites 778.
[iii] Illness, not limited to physical ailments, can refer to any significant brokenness within a person: “Illness is… concern[ed] with how a given society constructs the experience of disease, sickness, or some other malfunction according to its cultural norms, values, perceptions, and conventions… “Healing”… is an intervention affecting an illness. To heal somebody is to bring personal or social meaning to the misfortune experienced in illness such that the person attains a new or renewed sense of value and purpose in his or her world.” Morrill, Bruce T. Divine Worship and Human Healing : Liturgical Theology at the Margins of Life and Death. (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009), 75.
[iv] In the blessing of oil for this sacrament, the priest prays, “Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul, and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction.” Rites 824.
[v] See Mk 9:14-29, the healing of the boy afflicted with an unclean spirit. The demon had co-opted the child’s whole life through fire and water, using God’s creation to take control of the child and cause disfunction and affliction in several senses. His condition was chronic and only found reprieve through God’s direct intervention and command.
[vi] The Church encourages anyone with any of these ailments to approach the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. This includes the mentally ill and those fighting addiction, as well as those approaching a surgical operation or whose sickness is serious enough that death is a possible result. This was confirmed in the Council of Trent, which broadened the medieval conception of the Sacrament as restricted to those in extremis, i.e. in direct and immediate danger of death. See also Rites 780-781, 792, 814-816.
[vii] The curing or eliminating of affliction can occur as a result of Anointing but does not need to occur. God assigns the Sacrament with a telos of healing, which does not necessarily include such curing.
[viii] The aspects and nuances of meaning will feature in later sections of this paper. Morrill identifies the need for this sacrament in the midst of suffering: “Such genuine human need for courage and strength, hope and companionship, dignity and purpose amid the personal and impersonal forces of illness encompasses the mission of the church’s pastoral-liturgical service to the sick.” Morrill, Divine Worship 152.
[ix] The priest sprinkles the recipient(s) with holy water. The three options provided refer to Psalm 23, God’s refreshment, and baptism (and the paschal mystery), respectively. See Rites 819-820.
[x] And thereby their first entry into the ecclesial community. A reminder of Baptism serves as a reminder of the person’s dying and rising in Christ.
[xi] Especially when this sacrament takes place during Mass or before Viaticum.
[xii] The Holy Spirit “affect[s] ‘not simply bodily healing but a deeper wholeness: strength, forgiveness of sins, vivification, protection of body, mind, and spirit… the entire somatic realm of salvation for a sick person.’” More specifically, the Holy Spirit raises “up the soul by instilling confidence in divine mercy (thereby strengthening against such diabolical temptations as despair), and possibly even curing the body, should that be in the divine plan for the person’s salvation.” Morrill, Divine Worship 151, 145.
[xiii] One must not separate Christ’s mission from that of His Father, Who sent and commissioned Christ and remains present both in Christ and to His Church.
[xiv] In this sacrament one encounters the incarnate person of Christ, “who comes to confront and console us with his revelation of who God is, what God has done, what God desires, and how we are invited into that God’s reign.” Morrill, Divine Worship 62.
[xv] While Christ does forgive one’s sins in this sacrament, the healing effected by the Sacrament of Anointing goes beyond healing sins. It heals afflictions that we don’t necessarily cause; health, of course, seen “as ‘the manner in which we live well despite our inescapable illnesses, disabilities, and trauma.’” Christ’s ministry uniquely emphasized that one should not attribute all (or even most) illness, especially physical illness, to moral failings. Often the sacraments of Anointing and Confession coincide, but they do not have to do so. Christ, in His life and ministry, worked to disassociate the sufferings of poverty, disability, and illness with sin, insofar as the Jewish culture of His day saw sin as the cause of such sufferings. Rites, 819. Morrill, Divine Worship 82, 89-93. See Jn 9:3.
[xvi] The anointing of the hands calls to mind Christ’s glorious wounds, obtained through suffering but transfigured into glory and resurrection. See Mk 6:13.
[xvii] This isolation was particularly prevalent in the time of Christ but continues into modern day. Anointing returns the recipient to communion, reconstituting him or her into the ecclesial way of life, which centers around worship. See Morrill 78-86 149-150, Lk 17:11-19.
[xviii] The Church, as a whole and as represented in those present at the rite of Anointing, “offers prayers for the sick to commend them to God.” Rites 769.
[xix] For example, the Litany in the Rite involves a response from those present. In Mk 9:14-29, the community surrounding the child comes to the fore, especially the child’s father. The healing of Anointing often also extends towards caretakers and family members. Some affliction “can only be driven out by prayer and fasting” (and, implicitly, the direct intervention of God’s redeeming action). See Rites 820 and Morrill, Divine Worship 88.
[xx] See Mk 9:14-29, wherein the father of the boy with the unclean spirit recognizes, through his son’s illness, his need for belief. Likewise, through this event of healing, Christ’s disciples realize their inability to achieve such healing without “fasting and prayer”—without fostering their relationship to and dependence on Christ and His grace.
[xxi] The ill who receive the sacrament serve as reminders of our human frailty and mortality; through the sacrament they further serve as a sign of grace-filled hope and resurrection. Community onlookers participate in the liturgy by prayer and action; God calls each one to see the transformed person as renewed and restored (even if only incrementally). Effects of viewing this sacrament often include peace, joy, renewal, and encouragement—both for the one anointed and for those who witness and participate in the sacrament.
[xxii] The comforting and ecclesial aspects of the laying on of hands and anointing point to this raising-up: “Imposition of hands with its multivalent meanings becomes an appropriate symbol of the vocational aspect of the sick and elderly because rather than treating these people as dependent… it deals with them… as peers who make a contribution to the community in terms of meaning. These liminal people are human acts of faith for the community regarding mortality and human limits. They are credal incarnations of Jesus’ own passage into life.” The sick also serve as “a reminder to others of the essential or higher things. By their witness the sick show that our mortal life must be redeemed through the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.” Empereur, quoted in Morrill, Divine Worship 163. Rites 778.
[xxiii] This sacrament makes most sense in relationship to others. Dealing with the crisis of suffering is not an individual affair, but belongs in the context of “the larger picture of the meaning of the sick person’s life in relation to God, self (one’s bodily and psychological condition, the narrative history of one’s life), friends and family, the church, society, and the natural/cosmic world.” Morrill, Divine Worship 140.
[xxiv] Anointing reaffirms the inherent dignity of the human person as made in God’s Image and Likeness and as a member of His Body, the Church: “The healing Christ’s Spirit mediates through sacramental rites is the affirmation of the sick person’s inestimable value before God and people and the renegotiation of the person’s mission in life.” Morrill, Divine Worship 140.
[xxv] This is what Morrill means by renegotiating meaning. The sacrament addresses “the suffering of individual members… against the horizon of meaning that their crisis or chronic health conditions put in question. Healing [reestablishes] a sense of wholeness within a worldview [and transforms] the experience of misfortune by arriving at renewed or deepened meaning.” Morrill, Divine Worship 159.
[xxvi] The Council of Trent says that “this anointing also raises up and strengthens the soul of the sick person, arousing a great confidence in the divine mercy; thus sustained, the sick person may more easily bear the trials and hardships of sickness, more easily resist the temptations of the devil ‘lying in wait for his heel’ (Genesis 3:15), and sometimes regain bodily health, if this is expedient for the health of the soul.” Quoted in Rites 772.
[xxvii] See the Concluding Rite / final blessing: “May the God of all consolation bless you in every way and grant you hope all the days of your life.” Rites 830.
[xxviii] Note the ecclesial and transformative aspects of this sacrament. “The purpose” of this sacrament “remains,” according to Morrill, “healing as a transformation of people’s experiences of illness, misfortune, and death such that they find renewed meaning (faith, trust) for life and death in the presence of God and within their world.” Divine Worship 94. See also Rites, 780, section 7.
[xxix] The Resurrection “recast[s] the meaning of all life experiences for those who believe.” The recipient is “saved and raised up… terms assuring meaning for their life struggles within the narrative of the crucified and resurrected Christ” Morrill, Divine Worship 94, 147.
[xxx] Healing, then, does not necessitate the absence of suffering, but rather its transfiguration—not its disappearance, but its integration into life with Christ. As Morrill says, “This does not mean that people should or do expect a permanent state of perfect health, which of course is imaginary fantasy, but neither does this exclude compelling moments that touch us to the core with that sense of complete well-being, a consoling integrity of body and spirit experienced among the social body, the assembled community, the communio of the church.” Even Lazarus, whom Christ raised from the dead, still underwent death. Likewise, though we look forward to the Resurrection of the Dead, we too must undergo death. Healing is part of the process of humanity and holiness: “Such spiritual growth is not instant but rather of a part with the entire physical and psychological process of the person’s experience of illness and healing.” Morrill, Divine Worship 149, 170. See also Christ’s movement towards Jerusalem and the Cross as he performs his miracles in Mk 8-10.
[xxxi] Christ accompanied humankind as the healing, Incarnate Word of God and continues to do so in His unified Church: “The Gospel… reveals a God compassionately present in human struggles with alienation, sickness, and death through the specific words and actions Jesus performed among his people. Solidarity in human suffering is the revelation of divine love.” Morrill, Divine Worship 70. See also Is 53:4-5 and Phil 2:6.
[xxxii] For examples of this see the books of Job, Jonah, or any of the prophetic books. Election does not necessitate earthly bliss or an easy life. See also the Passion of Christ in all four gospels, as well as accounts of the lives of the saints.
[xxxiii] Christianity does not assume the perfection of the human body, soul, or mind, but rather its weakness and brokenness in original sin. Christian healing, naturally ecclesial, “comes through a restoration of afflicted persons’ sense of self and world in relation to Christ Jesus and the reign of God he has inaugurated: divine solidarity with human brokenness, God’s glory in human wholeness.” Morrill, Divine Worship 95.
[xxxiv] See Mt 11:30, Ps 46:10, 1 Kings 19.
[xxxv] See Jn 14:27.
[xxxvi] See Jn 14:16.
[xxxvii] The feelings of support and stillness come about through trusting in the rite’s efficacy and through experiencing the physical touch of laying-on of hands and anointing, which echo Christ’s healing actions. The laying-on of hands signifies blessing and invokes the Holy Spirit. Rites 816-817. See Mk 7:34, Mt 8-10, Lk 4:40.
[xxxviii] For this sacrament, relief, strength, and healing for the community are paramount: “efficacy is a matter of overcoming the anomy and chaos wreaked by serious illness, relieving anxiety, and providing strength for the sick, those who care for them, and the wider community of the faithful.” Morrill, Divine Worship 140.
[xxxix] The stature denotes reception (of God’s gift): the person often bows his or her head, opens his or her hands, and in the case of severe sickness often stays laying down. This posture ultimately denotes openness to God’s gift and the return-gift that accompanies it. The return-gift is a trust in and openness to God’s plan and mission for oneself. See note xlvi for the mission-oriented portion of this sacrament’s return-gift.
[xl] The continuation of such suffering, especially in cases of chronic or repeated illness, allows for the repetition of this sacrament. See Rites 774.
[xli] This metanoia is tied with release, with freeing in the fullest sense of the word. This applies both to sin and to suffering, both of which are effects of original sin: “A powerful event of healing causes all to renegotiate their understandings of and relationships among each other and God. The promise of healing, nonetheless, comes through the process of change (metanoia), repentance of and release from habits, decisions, and (in the case of the social and political body) customs and policies that can bind persons chronically to illness.” Morrill, Divine Worship 89.
[xlii] The stories of healing found in the Gospels, on which this Sacrament finds its Scriptural basis, “bring to life for us the bodily and spiritual, interpersonal and social dimensions of healing borne of faith in the resurrected Jesus, the experiential knowledge that God can be trusted.” We participate in this “engrossing performance of faith, of confidence in a restored cosmic order that can engender health of mind, body, and spirit” in the sacrament of Anointing. Morrill, Divine Worship 96, 149.
[xliii] James 5:13-16 speaks to the ecclesial, apostolic, effective, and restorative nature of the sacrament of Anointing. It also emphasizes the power of prayer (enacted by the priest and by those present), the action of the Lord, and the forgiveness of sins as all part of true healing. “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
[xliv] The term “Eucharistic thanksgiving” is technically repetitive but brings forth a few different valences. After Anointing, one should imitate the one thankful leper in Lk 17:11-19. Through this sacrament Christ reinstates the recipient into the Eucharistic community, who partake in Christ’s Body for unity and support. In addition, Anointing often takes place within the context of a Mass or of Viaticum, both of which center on the Eucharist itself.
[xlv] As with all sacraments, Anointing glorifies God “by sanctifying humans.” Morrill, Divine Worship 135.
[xlvi] Like Peter’s mother-in-law, those healed by Christ should feel called to serve Christ and His Church (Lk 4:38-40). Emphasizing the continuous and incremental nature of healing, Morrill states that “Suffering believers are strengthened to persevere in illness and in so doing to contribute to the good of society and the church. They are, moreover, in their very infirmity to function as sacraments (living signs or witnesses) of the Gospel by joining their sufferings to Christ’s ‘for the salvation of the world.’” What the modern mind might term as “incomplete” or “not” healing, therefore, still provides true healing, by a reimagining of meaning via Christ’s Paschal Mystery and the power of redemptive suffering. Morrill, Divine Worship 153. See Rom 8:17, Col 1:24, 2 Tim 2:11-12, and 1 Pet 4:13, referenced in Rites 773.
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- samo lucijaSolemnity of Corpus Christi
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Sunday – 6 June 2021- Bible Readings for Mass: I: Exodus 24: 3-8; Responsorial: psalm 116; II: Hebrews 9: 11-15; Gospel: Mark 14: 12-16, 22-26The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ
The Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration Chapel at St. Peter Church, Cloverdale, California
This Sunday in June is the Solemnity (High Feast) of Corpus Christi, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. It is the celebration throughout the world, in the Catholic Church, of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated bread and wine that becomes the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. It is for many non-Catholics and even some Catholics perhaps the most challenging of the beliefs long cherished in the Church.The specific Feast is traced back to the year 1263 when a priest, en route to Rome, stopped in Bolesna Italy to say Mass. The priest had been struggling with recent doubts about this ancient point of faith as he went into the Church. At the prayer of Consecration, the priest was amazed to see the Host (sacred bread) stained with Blood. He reported this to the Pope and subsequent studies verified it was true flesh and true blood. From that time the specific celebration of the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ has been a part of the liturgy of the Church. The actual belief in the Church in the Real Presence can be traced back to its early beginnings and the Gospel. Numerous other studied and verified Eucharistic miracles have occurred in continuing witness to this beautiful and holy affirmation of the Presence of Christ our Lord.But many more doubts and challenges to this most holy and needed Presence of God have continued as well. And none of this is new. The promises of God regarding the Presence of His Son in the consecrated bread and wine are rooted in the Gospels. The Gospel of St. John, chapter six, shares this grace of Jesus with His followers. He makes very clear that the Bread, the Wine are truly His Body and His Blood as given in the Eucharist at the Last Supper. The other Gospels and St. Paul all affirm this witness with the sharing of the familiar word “This IS my Body…” This holy, sacred and beautiful moment occurs during the Eucharistic Prayer and the moment of consecration (the Epiclesis) in which the priest invokes the Holy Spirit to change the simple bread and wine into the Real and True Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.Consecration of the Bread and Wine
But as it was then so it is now and will be until Christ returns. There are those who doubt this truly occurs. Doubt is often a part of a faith that is seeking and growing. Even among practicing Catholics faith may be distracted and weakened to focus minds and hearts upon matters of lesser significance. Some may simply be unsure of this very ancient teaching of the Church. Others may believe but are more focused, not on Christ being Present, but upon their perceptions of the lack of reverence in others or the unworthiness of others to receive Holy Communion. Some even become very troubled over receiving Holy Communion in the hand instead of in the mouth.With all the great moral and spiritual challenges in our world, there is intense debate, among some, that unless one is in clear agreement and accord with the teachings of the Church one should not be allowed to receive Christ. It is seen as a matter of unworthiness and as a wrong St. Paul taught in his letter to the Corinthians. Indeed we should always seek to be worthy followers of Christ who died and rose for us in redeeming love.But to say one must be in accord with all the teachings of the Church before receiving Holy Communion would first ignore the reality that our faith and understanding is a journey and we are not all in the same place in our seeking and following of God. It would also ignore the reality none of us at Mass is perfect. If we wait until that occurs before we receive Holy Communion it will be a long wait. To require that level of purity and maturity would also deny the lesson of those present with Jesus in the Upper Room when He gave the Eucharist as a sacrament. All the Apostles would flee, except, John the Beloved. Peter, the first Pope, would deny Christ three times. Judas would betray Him. Yet Jesus washed all their feet and shared His Body and Blood with them. It is in His sharing we realize this is a Sacrament of mercy, forgiveness, and healing. It is a Sacrament of God’s peace. For as we all acclaim prior to coming to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world…”The very Real Presence of Jesus does not qualify us to become judges. The Real Presence of Jesus would, instead, enable us, call us, TOGETHER, to be a very diverse group of people made one in Christ. In sharing Holy Communion we share in Holy Common-Union in and becoming the Body Of Christ. We are meant to be a people who would see as God would see, would forgive, as Jesus forgives, would challenge us to grow in the beauty of holiness and to welcome others into His holy, healing, and very Real presence.Share1Comment3Likes
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Esmeralda Rangel
Esmeralda Rangel
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This is the best you have written!! Thank you for sharing Deacon Harry!
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samo lucija
samo lucija
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The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord – Eucharistic Miracle 1996 — Deus Vult
2d agoAt seven o’clock in the evening on August 18, 1996, an Argentinian priest was offering Holy Mass at a Catholic church in Buenos Aires. As he finished distributing Holy Communion, a woman approached to tell him she had found a discarded Sacred Host at the back of the church. When he arrived at the spot indiThe Most Precious Blood of Our Lord – Eucharistic Miracle 1996 — Deus Vult
The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord – Eucharistic Miracle 1996
Jul 1, 2020Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Love
The Holy Eucharist
The Mass
SacrificeAt seven o’clock in the evening on August 18, 1996, an Argentinian priest was offering Holy Mass at a Catholic church in Buenos Aires. As he finished distributing Holy Communion, a woman approached to tell him she had found a discarded Sacred Host at the back of the church. When he arrived at the spot indicated, the priest saw the defiled Sacred Host. Since he was unable to consume it, he put it in a container of water and placed it in the tabernacle. Eight days later upon opening the tabernacle, he saw to his amazement that the Host had turned into a bloody substance.The priest informed his archbishop, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis), who ordered that the Host be photographed. The photos were taken on September 6 and clearly show that the Host, which had become a fragment of bloodied flesh, had grown significantly in size. For several years the Host remained in the tabernacle, and the whole affair was kept a strict secret. When it was discovered three years later that the Host had suffered no visible decomposition, Cardinal Bergoglio decided to have it scientifically analyzed. A portion of the Host was taken to New York, in October of 1999, for a scientific analysis. The forensic team of scientists were unaware of the origins of the sample.The official report read:The analyzed material is a fragment of the heart muscle found in the wall of the left ventricle, close to the valves…The heart muscle is in an inflammatory condition and contains a large number of white blood cells. This indicates that the heart was alive at the time the sample was taken…. What is more, white blood cells had penetrated the very tissue, which further indicated that the heart had been under severe stress, as if the owner had been beaten severely about the chest.Anonymous Priest, “Divine Delayed Absolution”
Not only did the analysis find that fragment came from a living, inflamed, and traumatized heart, but the scientists also discovered that the blood type of the miraculous piece of human flesh was AB — most likely AB-positive. All of the blood relics of our Lord from other Eucharistic miracles share this same blood type, including the shroud of Turin, the Sudarium, and the Eucharistic miracle at Lanciano, just to name a few. AB is the rarest of all blood types; only about 3% of the world’s population have AB-positive and less than 1% have AB-negative.The AB blood type unique because of its universal receptivity. It is the only blood type that can receive blood from anyone. Almost all people are limited in who they can receive blood from, yet the rare blood-type AB is compatible with all other blood-types. The many Eucharistic miracles throughout history all seem to reiterate this profound message. Through the blood shed during His holy passion, Christ can receive anyone into His mystical body. Our Lord is not limited. His Most Precious Blood offers salvation to all, if only we, in turn, give ourselves entirely to Him.Yet there is more. Not only is AB the universal recipient, but this blood type is also the universal plasma donor. It is the only plasma that can be given to anyone. In a real and physical way, Christ not only receives – He gives. Grace flows fourth from his pierced side. When His Most Sacred Heart was pierced by the lance, both Blood and Water flowed from the wound. His Divine Blood and grace flowed forth. Once again, the physical nature of Our Dearest Lord gives us a glimpse into what is going on spiritually. Christ pours out His grace on us with, what might seem, almost wasteful love. Anyone can receive it. Christ offers His salvation to all. Yet even with all the abundance of grace that our Lord pours out on us, it takes a choice, an act of the will, for us to be united to Christ in His Most Precious Blood. We must choose to give ourselves to Him.Christ poured out every drop of His Blood for us so that we might have salvation through Him. He continually extends to us the Blood He shed on Calvary in the Holy Mass. In this mystical re-presentation, this extension of His sacrifice through time, Christ gives us the fullness of His Body and Blood. Through this gift, we are able to both spiritually and physically unite ourselves to His mystical Body and receive the grace we need to continue on the path to heaven. This Eucharistic miracle is yet another proof of how the Blessed Sacrament is indeed the true Body and Blood of our Lord, re-presented through time in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What unfathomable love!Prayer of the Fatima children, taught to them by the angel:“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love you. I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You.”Works Cited“Divine Delayed Absolution,” Homily. Regena Prophetarum, http://www.reginaprophetarum.org, April 9, 2020. http://reginaprophetarum.org/audio/20200409-Divine-Delayed-Absolution.mp3MORE IN DEUS VULT
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6 COMMENTSFollow conversationCrusader4ChristJul 1, 2020Fascinating, thank you so much!Reply4Likes
QuoVadisQuoVadisJul 2, 2020Excellent! Very good summary and concise explanation, such a great message!Reply3Likes
Harris SusanHarris SusanJul 2, 2020Very well written. I did not know that AB plasma was the universal donor for plasma.Reply4Likes
1girl1farm1lifeJul 2, 2020I think it is pretty interesting how Christ’s blood type represents both His all-receiving and all-giving nature. It points to how we have got to be willing not only to give ourselves to Him but also be to receive Him into ourselves to be really one with Him. Thanks so much!Reply2Likes
TeeTeeJul 3, 2020Very nice article about our Lord’s Eucharistic Heart. AB blood type being both universal blood recipient and universal donor of plasma is fascinating to this RN but then, it only makes sense for those who believe! Thank-you.Reply3Likes
samo lucijajust nowHand holding a Host viewed through the Face on Holy Veil of Manoppello in Italy. Photo: Paul Badde/EWTN On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, in 2001, Pope St. John Paul II wrote: The invisible Face of Christ, the son of God, is manifest in His Body an Blood in the simplest and, at the same […]Stay With Us, O Lord! — Illumina Domine Blog – Devotion to The Holy Face
Stay With Us, O Lord!
2d agoCorpus ChristiHand holding a Host viewed through the Face on Holy Veil of Manoppello in Italy. Photo: Paul Badde/EWTN
On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, in 2001, Pope St. John Paul II wrote:The invisible Face of Christ, the son of God, is manifest in His Body an Blood in the simplest and, at the same time, the most exalted way possible in this world.The ecclesial community responds to people in every age who ask perplexed: “We wish to see Jesus” (Jn 12,21), by repeating what the Lord did for the disciples of Emmaus: He broke the bread. In the breaking of the bread, the eyes of those who seek Him with a sincere heart are opened. In the Eucharist, the intuition of the heart recognizes Jesus and His unmistakable love lived “to the end” (Jn 13,1). And in Him, in that gesture, it recognizes the Face of God!— Pope St. John Paul II
In 1997, St. Pope John Paul II asked for an International Congress for studying the Holy Face Medal and Devotion to The Holy Face as a preparation for the Millennium, which he later placed under “The Radiant sign of The Face of Christ.” The front of the medal bears an image of the Holy Face from the Shroud of Turin and an inscription based on Psalm 66:2: “Illumina, Domine, vultum tuum super nos”, “May, O Lord, the light of Thy countenance shine upon us.” The other side of the medal, bears an image of a radiant Sacred Host, representing the Eucharistic Face of Christ, the monogram of the Holy Name (“IHS”), and the inscription “Mane nobiscum, Domine” or “Stay with us, O Lord,” which are the words of the disciples on the road to Emmaus when they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The Holy Face medal is a tangible reminder of the “invisible face of Christ” made manifest in His Most Holy Body and Blood in the Blessed Sacrament.Holy Face Medal design – front and reverse
The medal of the Holy Face of Jesus was made by Bl.Mother Marie Pierina De Micheli, following the request of Jesus and The Blessed Mother. Mother Pierina, with the help of her spiritual Director received the permission of the Curia of Milan, Italy.In 1936, Our Lord told Bl. Mother Pierina, “I will that My Face, which reflects the intimate pains of My Spirit, the suffering and the love of My Heart, be more honoured. He who meditates upon Me, consoles Me. Every time that My Face is contemplated, I will pour My love into the hearts of men and through My Holy Face will be obtained the salvation of many souls.”The Blessed Mother also told Sr. De Micheli, “This medal is a weapon of defense, a shield of courage, a guarantee of love and of mercy that Jesus wishes to give to the world in these times of sexuality and of hatred towards God and His Church. Diabolical snares are laid to tear the faith from the hearts of men, evil is spreading, the true apostles are few, a divine remedy is necessary and this remedy is the Holy Face of Jesus.St. Pope John Paul II “In the Eucharist, the Face of Christ is turned towards us.”
“Your Face, O Lord, I seek” (Ps. 27:8). The ancient longing of the Psalmist could receive no fulfilment greater and more surprising than the contemplation of the Face of Christ. God has truly blessed us in Him and has made “His Face to shine upon us” (Ps 67:1). At the same time, God and man that He is, He reveals to us also the true face of man, “fully revealing man to man himself” (Gaudium e spes, 22).Gazing on the face of Christ, the Bride contemplates her treasure and her joy. ‘Dulcis Iesus memoria, dans vera cordis gaudia‘: how sweet is the memory of Jesus, the source of the heart’s true joy! Heartened by this experience, the Church today sets out once more on her journey, in order to proclaim Christ to the world at the dawn of the Third Millennium: he ‘is the same yesterday and today and forever’” (Heb 13:8).— Pope St. John Paul II
““Illumina, Domine, vultum tuum super nos”, “May, O Lord, the light of Thy countenance shine upon us — “Mane nobiscum, Domine” or “Stay with us, O Lord!” https://www.youtube.com/embed/zIw9HWFQ1I8?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparentAdoro Te Devote by St. Thomas Aquinas“Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory’s sight. Amen.”
–Last Stanza of “Adoro Te Devote”The Virgin of the Host, by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
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1 COMMENTFollow conversationsamo lucijajust nowYour comment is awaiting moderation.Sunday 06th, June 2021 = MK 14:12-16, 22-26Daily Gospel with Reflections 2“CATHOLIC DAILY BIBLE STUDY”The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of ChristLectionary: 168Reading IEx 24:3-8When Moses came to the peopleand related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,they all answered with one voice,”We will do everything that the LORD has told us.”Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,rising early the next day,he erected at the foot of the mountain an altarand twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelitesto offer holocausts and sacrifice young bullsas peace offerings to the LORD,Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;the other half he splashed on the altar.Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.”Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,”This is the blood of the covenantthat the LORD has made with youin accordance with all these words of his.”.Responsorial Psalm116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia.How shall I make a return to the LORDfor all the good he has done for me?The cup of salvation I will take up,and I will call upon the name of the LORD.R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia.Precious in the eyes of the LORDis the death of his faithful ones.I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;you have loosed my bonds.R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia.To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,and I will call upon the name of the LORD.My vows to the LORD I will payin the presence of all his people.R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.or:R. Alleluia..Reading IIHeb 9:11-15Brothers and sisters:When Christ came as high priestof the good things that have come to be,passing through the greater and more perfect tabernaclenot made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,he entered once for all into the sanctuary,not with the blood of goats and calvesbut with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.For if the blood of goats and bullsand the sprinkling of a heifer’s ashescan sanctify those who are defiledso that their flesh is cleansed,how much more will the blood of Christ,who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,cleanse our consciences from dead worksto worship the living God..For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:since a death has taken place for deliverancefrom transgressions under the first covenant,those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance..SequenceLauda SionLaud, O Zion, your salvation,Laud with hymns of exultation,Christ, your king and shepherd true:.Bring him all the praise you know,He is more than you bestow.Never can you reach his due..Special theme for glad thanksgivingIs the quick’ning and the livingBread today before you set:.From his hands of old partaken,As we know, by faith unshaken,Where the Twelve at supper met..Full and clear ring out your chanting,Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,From your heart let praises burst:.For today the feast is holden,When the institution oldenOf that supper was rehearsed..Here the new law’s new oblation,By the new king’s revelation,Ends the form of ancient rite:.Now the new the old effaces,Truth away the shadow chases,Light dispels the gloom of night..What he did at supper seated,Christ ordained to be repeated,His memorial ne’er to cease:.And his rule for guidance taking,Bread and wine we hallow, makingThus our sacrifice of peace..This the truth each Christian learns,Bread into his flesh he turns,To his precious blood the wine:.Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives,But a dauntless faith believes,Resting on a pow’r divine..Here beneath these signs are hiddenPriceless things to sense forbidden;Signs, not things are all we see:.Blood is poured and flesh is broken,Yet in either wondrous tokenChrist entire we know to be..Whoso of this food partakes,Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;Christ is whole to all that taste:.Thousands are, as one, receivers,One, as thousands of believers,Eats of him who cannot waste..Bad and good the feast are sharing,Of what divers dooms preparing,Endless death, or endless life..Life to these, to those damnation,See how like participationIs with unlike issues rife..When the sacrament is broken,Doubt not, but believe ‘tis spoken,That each sever’d outward tokendoth the very whole contain..Nought the precious gift divides,Breaking but the sign betidesJesus still the same abides,still unbroken does remain..The shorter form of the sequence begins here..Lo! the angel’s food is givenTo the pilgrim who has striven;see the children’s bread from heaven,which on dogs may not be spent..Truth the ancient types fulfilling,Isaac bound, a victim willing,Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,manna to the fathers sent..Very bread, good shepherd, tend us,Jesu, of your love befriend us,You refresh us, you defend us,Your eternal goodness send usIn the land of life to see..You who all things can and know,Who on earth such food bestow,Grant us with your saints, though lowest,Where the heav’nly feast you show,Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia..SOURCE: http://www.usccb.org/bible/..The Lord’s Supper“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many”GOSPEL MK 14:12-16, 22-26Alleluia JN 6:51R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the living bread that came down from heaven,says the Lord;whoever eats this bread will live forever.R. Alleluia, alleluia..Mk 14:12-16, 22-2612 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, [Jesus’] disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 13 He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. 14 Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover..22 While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. 25 Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives..REFLECTION..Solemnity of Corpus ChristiThe Most Holy Body and Blood of ChristThursday after Holy Trinity unless otherwise indicated.In the United States, this Feast is transferred to the Sunday after the Most Holy TrinitySolemnityLiturgical Color: White.The gift of all gifts.Standing at the crowded table in the dim candle light of the Upper Room during the Last Supper, Jesus Christ did not hand out Bibles to the Twelve Apostles and solemnly tell them, “Take this, all of you, and read it. This is my book, written for you.” Jesus gives us Himself, not a book. On today’s Feast, we commemorate God’s greatest gift to mankind, the person of Jesus Christ. God gives us His Son, and then Christ gives us Himself, body and blood, soul and divinity, under the accidents of bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist. Gift, gift-giver, and receiver meld into one in this sacrament of sacraments..In the era of the early Church, it was customary for an excess of bread to be consecrated at Mass so that the Eucharist could be carried to the sick who had been unable to attend the Holy Sacrifice. This practice led to the adoption of the pyx as the first sacred vessel for reservation of the Eucharist. Some modern churches pay homage to these Eucharistic origins by hanging an oversized pyx on their wall to use as a tabernacle, imitating the early Church custom. Permanent reservation of the Eucharist led, over the centuries, to enthroning the Lord amidst the greatest splendor in churches. By the early medieval period, the time had long passed when the Eucharist was reserved merely to be brought to the sick. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, street processions, chants, confraternities, songs, flowers, and all the splendid trappings of a feast day covered this dogma in glory by the High Middle Ages, and continue to wrap it in honor today..Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that the most necessary sacrament was Baptism but that the most excellent was the Holy Eucharist. This most excellent sacrament has been, for some, too excellent. In the Gospel of John, when Jesus tells His disciples that they must eat His body and drink His blood, many are incredulous and walk away. But Jesus does not compromise or say He was misunderstood. He lets them keep on walking. This initially hard teaching for the few was destined, over time, to be lovingly welcomed by the many..The Old Covenant of the Old Testament was gory. In a kind of primitive liturgy, Moses had goats and sheep slaughtered on an altar and their blood gathered into buckets. He then splashed this blood over the people, sealing their acceptance of the written law. Flying droplets of animal blood splattered against people’s skin to remind them of their promise to God. No such bloody drama breaks out at Sunday Mass. We each bless our head and torso with holy water and receive a pure white host on the tongue. The New Covenant is based not on the blood of goats, bull calves, or on the ashes of a heifer. It is rooted in the generosity of the Son of God, who “offered himself as the perfect sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit.” Christ’s Covenant with his people is established verbally and liturgically at the Last Supper and physically on the cross the following day. The consecration of the Sacred Species at Mass continues Christ’s physical presence among us, while adoration of the Blessed Sacrament suspends the consecration of the Mass, stretching it out into hours, days, months, and years..We naturally desire to leave a part of ourselves to our loved ones. We send photos, solemnly pass on a cherished memento, or give a baby a family name. Soldiers used to carry a locket holding a few strands of their wife’s or girlfriend’s hair. We need to be close, physically close, to those we love in concrete, tangible ways. Jesus desired the same, and, not being constrained by the limitations of human nature, He did the same, and more. He has left us Himself! That dogma processing down the street is a person! And that dogma behind the golden doors of the parish’s tabernacle is the same person! So bend that body low and set that heart on fire, for the Saving Victim opens wide the gate of heaven to all below. We stand as close to Christ in the Holy Eucharist as the Apostles ever did on Mount Tabor..Lord of the Eucharist, we venerate You with heads bowed, as the old form of worship gives way to the new. With faith providing for what fails the senses, we honor the Begetter and the Begotten, loving back at what loved us first, apprentices in the school of love..SOURCE:https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/corpus-christi-body-and-blood-of-christ-solemnity/..Corpus ChristiSolemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of ChristSunday 06th, June 2021“Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” Mark 14:22a-24.Happy Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, our Lord and God! What a Gift we celebrate today!.The Eucharist is everything. It’s all things, the fullness of life, eternal salvation, mercy, grace, happiness, etc. Why is the Eucharist all this and so much more? Simply put, the Eucharist IS God. Period. Therefore, the Eucharist is all that God is..In his beautiful traditional hymn, “Adoro te Devote,” St. Thomas Aquinas writes, “I devoutly adore You, O hidden Deity, truly hidden beneath these appearances. My whole heart submits to You, and in contemplating You, it surrenders itself completely. Sight, touch, taste are all deceived in their judgment of You, but hearing suffices firmly to believe…” What a glorious statement of faith in this wondrous gift..This statement of faith reveals that when we worship before the Eucharist, we worship God Himself hidden under the appearance of bread and wine. Our senses are deceived. What we see, taste and feel do not reveal the reality before us. The Eucharist is God..Throughout our lives, if we were raised Catholic, we were taught reverence for the Eucharist. But “reverence” is not enough. Most Catholics reverence the Eucharist, meaning, we genuflect, kneel, and treat the Sacred Host with respect. But it’s important to ponder a question in your heart. Do you believe the Eucharist is God Almighty, the Savior of the world, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity? Do you believe deeply enough to have your heart moved with love and profound devotion every time you are before our divine Lord present before us under the veil of the Eucharist? When you kneel do you fall down prostrate in your heart, loving God with your whole being?.Perhaps this sounds like it’s a bit excessive. Perhaps simple reverence and respect is enough for you. But it’s not. Since the Eucharist is God Almighty, we must see Him there with the eyes of faith in our soul. We must profoundly adore Him as the angels do in Heaven. We must cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.” We must be moved to the deepest of worship as we enter into His divine presence..Ponder the depth of your faith in the Eucharist today and strive to renew it, worshiping God as one who believes with your whole being..I devoutly adore You, O hidden Deity, truly hidden beneath these appearances. My whole heart submits to You, and in contemplating You, it surrenders itself completely. Sight, touch, taste are all deceived in their judgment of You, but hearing suffices firmly to believe. Jesus, I trust in You..SOURCE:https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2019/06/22/corpus-christi/..Wonder and Awe Before the EucharistSunday 06th, June 2021While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” Mark 14:22–24.At the holy Mass, as soon as the priest pronounces the words of the consecration, transforming the bread and wine into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord, he genuflects, rises, and then says, “The mystery of faith.” What is “the mystery of faith?” Oftentimes, when we say that something is a mystery, we mean that the conclusion is hidden but that there are certain clues to help solve the mystery. And once the mystery is solved, everything is clear and it is no longer a mystery..“The mystery of faith” is much different. Those words are spoken at Mass immediately after the consecration as a way of drawing the faithful into a holy awe and amazement of what just took place. But this mystery can only produce wonder and awe if the reality of what just took place is understood through the gift of faith. Faith is knowing and believing without perceiving the reality before us with our five senses or through logical deduction. In other words, faith produces true knowledge of a spiritual reality that can only be known, understood and believed through spiritual insight. Therefore, if we attend the Mass and have been gifted with the knowledge of faith, then as soon as the consecration of the bread and wine take place, we will cry out interiorly, “My Lord and my God!” We will know that God the Son is present before us in a veiled way. Our eyes do not perceive, nor do any of our senses reveal to us the great reality before us. We cannot rationally deduce what just took place. Instead, we come to know and believe that the Son of God, the Savior of the World, is now present before us in His fullness, under the veil of mere bread and wine..In addition to the divine presence of our Lord and our God, the entire Mystery of our Redemption is made present. Saint Pope John Paul II tells us that in this moment there is a “oneness in time” that links the Paschal Mystery, that is, the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, to every moment that the Eucharist is celebrated and made present through the words of consecration. And that unity between each Mass and the Paschal Mystery “leads us to profound amazement and gratitude” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, #5). Do you sense and experience this profound amazement and gratitude each time you attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Do you realize as you attend the Mass and as the words of consecration are spoken that the entire Mystery of your redemption is made present before you, hidden from your eyes but visible to your soul by faith? Do you understand that it is God the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity Who descends to us to dwell with us in that moment of time in this glorious Sacrament?.Reflect, today, upon the hidden but real Mystery of Faith. Allow yourself to be drawn into a wonder and awe at what you are privileged to attend. Let your faith in the Most Holy Eucharist grow by being open to a deepening of this gift of faith through spiritual insight and belief. Behold this great Gift of the Eucharist with the eyes of faith, and you will be drawn into the wonder and awe that God wants to bestow upon you..My ever-glorious Eucharistic Lord, I do believe that You are here, made present in our world under the form of bread and wine, every time the Holy Mass is celebrated. Fill me with a deeper faith in this Holy Gift, dear Lord, so that I may be drawn into wonder and awe every time I witness this holy Consecration. Jesus, I trust in You..SOURCE:https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2021/06/05/wonder-and-awe-before-the-eucharist/..Sunday 06th, June 2021THE HEALING COVENANT.Every Holy Thursday, when we commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist, we meditate on the real presence of the Lord in the sacred bread and wine. By using the Gospel of Mark for our reading today, however, the Church intends to also stress that the Eucharist is the sacrifice of the new covenant. It is a memorial of Jesus’ offering of his body and blood on the cross so that our broken relationship with God can be healed. The Gospel narrates: “He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is MY BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, which will be shed for many’ (vv 22-24).”The pact or covenant made by the Lord with Israel in Sinai has been sealed by the blood of sacrificial animals. In our First Reading, some of the blood of young bulls were sprinkled to the people while Moses informed them: “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you” (Ex 24:8). With this covenant the people of Israel became his chosen people: “If you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people… You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Ex 19:5-6).God’s people were not able to keep up with that covenant. Their disobedience brought death and enmity with the God who designed their own salvation and happiness. Now, another covenant has to be made. But still, this covenant was sealed by blood like that of Sinai —but not anymore with the blood of young bulls but by the very blood of God’s beloved Son. As the old covenant of Sinai was sealed by blood (Heb 9:18), so the new covenant is sealed in an incomparably more perfect way by the blood of Jesus on Calvary. That Jesus is the unblemished sacrifice that made possible a new covenant that restores the broken relationship between God and his people is the whole point of the Second Reading.Our Gospel explains this by presenting Jesus’ last Passover meal with his disciples that represent us all. It is a meal that displays a gracious Father who reconciles us all to himself through his Son. It is a meal that signifies the creation of a new spiritual covenant between us and him..SOURCE:“365 Days with the Lord 2021,” ST. PAULS Philippines,708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328..Sunday 03rd, June 2018THE PASSOVER AND THE EUCHARIST.Before Jesus meets his death, he asks his Apostles to prepare the Passover meal. Annually the Jews celebrate the Passover to commemorate their liberation from slavery in Egypt. The men are required to go to Jerusalem. They follow an outline of the celebration. It is called Passover Seder, like the Catholic Order of the Mass..The First Reading describes an Exodus event after the giving of the Ten Commandments. Moses informs the people about the laws from God, and the people express their willingness to obey. They all agree with God by promising to do everything God has said. So then Moses sprinkles the blood of animals on the people to ratify the covenant. That makes them a covenanted people of God..In this context of the celebration of the Passover and the giving of the covenant, Jesus institutes the Eucharist, as described in the Gospel. He takes bread and wine, turning them mysteriously into his body and blood. Jesus replaces the old covenant with the new covenant in his blood, poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus asks to celebrate the Eucharist to keep his memory alive..The Second Reading declares the greater efficacy of the Eucharist: the blood of animals cannot forgive sins; only Jesus’ blood can..We Christians value supremely the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ. It can speak for all that we can say about our faith. The Eucharist relates to our birth, life, journey, sufferings, sins, struggles, death, and salvation. The perennial challenge is to prepare ourselves for participating more meaningfully at each Eucharist…Sunday 07th, JUNE 2015“THIS IS MY BODY… THIS IS MY BLOOD”“This is my body… This is my blood.” These words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper are repeated every time the Eucharist is celebrated. Notice the careful and secret arrangement for the Passover meal recounted in the gospel of Mark. Here is our great heritage from Christ—renewed at every Mass and with special power on this solemnity of Corpus Christi..They lead us in spirit to the upper room, they make us relive the spiritual atmosphere of that night when, celebrating the Passover meal with his followers, the Lord mystically anticipated the sacrifice that was to be consummated the following day on the cross. The institution of the Eucharist thus appears to us as an anticipation and acceptance, on Jesus’ part, of his death..“This is my blood.” Here the reference to the sacrificial language of Israel is clear. Jesus presents himself as the true and definitive sacrifice, in which is fulfilled the expiation of sins which, in the Old Testament rites, was never fully completed..This is followed by two other very important remarks. First, Jesus says that his blood “will be shed for many” with a comprehensible reference to the songs of the Servant of God that are found in the Book of Isaiah (cf chapter 53). Second, with the addition—“blood of the covenant”—Jesus also makes clear that through his death the prophecy of the New Covenant is fulfilled, based on the fidelity and infinite love of the Son made man. It is an alliance that is stronger than all humanity’s sins. The Old Covenant was sealed on Sinai with a sacrificial rite of animals, and the Chosen People, set free from slavery in Egypt, promised to obey all the commandments given to them by the Lord (cf Ex 24:3). In other words, Jesus fulfills at the Last Supper the New Covenant sealed with his own blood…Sunday, 10 June 2012Take it; this is my body… This is my blood. The Passover includes the partaking of unleavened bread and bitter herbs and the drinking of red wine. The celebration commemorates the exodus or liberation of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt. The unleavened bread recalls the manna given and eaten during their sojourn in the desert. The bitter herbs are a remembrance of their hardships and sufferings during their slavery and exile. And red wine is in memory of their crossing of the Red Sea..At the Last Supper, however, Jesus eats the Passover with his disciples in view of his passion, death, and resurrection. The bread is now Jesus’ body broken and given to the disciples and to humankind: “Take it; this is my body.” The red wine is now Jesus’ blood poured out for the redemption of the world: “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.”.We celebrate today the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. At Mass, the bread and wine are substantially changed by the power of the Spirit into the Body and Blood of Christ..When we celebrate the Eucharist, we are encountering and experiencing Jesus himself. “Christ has given us this memorial of his passion to bring us its saving power until the end of time” (Preface, Holy Eucharist II). At the end of the celebration of the Eucharist, we are sent out to bring to others what we have received, to share Jesus with others, to be Jesus to the world around us..“As we eat his body which he gave for us, we grow in strength.As we drink his blood which he poured out for us,we are washed clean” (Preface, Holy Eucharist I)…Sunday, 14 June 2009THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANTThe narrative about the preparations for the Passover and the Lord’s Supper are part of Mark’s passion account, which begins with the conspiracy against Jesus, the anointing at Bethany, and Judas’ plot to betray Jesus (14:1-11). The narrative is divided by Jesus’ prediction of Judas’ betrayal (14:17-21), and it is followed by Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial (14:27-31)..The narrative about the preparations for the Passover comes from the same cycle or type of oral tradition as the narrative of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (11:1-11). Both contain preparation by the disciples, predictions by Jesus, and fulfillments of the predictions. The placement of the narrative about the Lord’s Supper illustrates Mark’s interest in the connection between Passover and the Eucharist..Passover was the annual remembrance and celebration of Israel’s release from Egyptian slavery during the night. It began at sunset after the Passover lambs had been sacrificed in the Temple. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was joined to Passover at an early date to commemorate Israel’s affliction in Egypt and the haste with which the nation left the land of slavery. By remembering the past events of salvation, the people looked forward and hoped for deliverance from the present Roman domination..The early practice of celebrating the Eucharist has been woven into this narrative by Mark. The words of blessing for the bread, “Take it; this is my body” (v 22), and the words of thanks for the cup, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many” (v 24), reflect a liturgical formula of the early Church..The emphasis of this formula is on the absence of Jesus. “Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (v 25). The early Church remembered Jesus by breaking bread and drinking wine; it celebrated his absence, while waiting for his coming in glory..Also, Mark does not understand Jesus’ death as beginning anything new. His blood is that “of the covenant” (v 24); only Luke makes Jesus’ action a “new” covenant. Jesus’ death is a continuance and perfection of the covenant which Moses sealed in blood between the Israelites and God (cf Ex 24:1-8)..Therefore, every time that followers of Jesus gather together to break bread and to drink wine in his memory, they do so like the Israelites of old; that is, they remember his great deeds of the past and they look forward with hope to his coming in glory…*********************.Meditation: Why did Jesus offer himself as “food and drink” to his disciples? Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced earlier at Capernaum – giving his disciples his body and his blood (John 6:51-58). Jesus’ passing over to his Father by his death and resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the Last Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the church in the glory of God’s kingdom..This is the most significant meal of Jesus and the most important occasion of his breaking of bread. In this meal Jesus identifies the bread as his body and the cup as his blood. When the Lord Jesus commands his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he invites us to take his life into the very center of our being (John 6:53). That life which he offers is the very life of God himself. Jesus’ death on the cross, his gift of his body and blood in the Supper, and his promise to dine again with his disciples when the kingdom of God comes in all its fulness are inseparably linked..Jesus instructed his disciples to “do this in remembrance of me”. These words establish every Lord’s Supper or Eucharist as a “remembrance” of Jesus’ atoning death, his resurrection, and his promise to return again. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Our celebration of the Lord’s Supper anticipates the final day when the Lord Jesus will feast anew with his disciples in the heavenly marriage feast of the Lamb and his Bride. Do you know the joy of the drinking Christ’s cup and tasting the bread of his Table in sincerity?.Mark ties the last supper meal with Jesus’ death and the coming of God’s kingdom. Jesus transforms the Passover of the Old Covenant into the meal of the “new covenant in my blood”..In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in a thanksgiving sacrifice as a sign of grateful acknowledgment to the Creator as the giver and sustainer of life. Melchizedek, who was both a priest and king (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 7:1-4), offered a sacrifice of bread and wine. His offering prefigured the offering made by Jesus, our high priest and king (Hebrews 7:26; 9:11; 10:12). The remembrance of the manna in the wilderness recalled to the people of Israel that they live – not by earthly bread alone – but by the bread of the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8:3)..The unleavened bread at Passover and the miraculous manna in the desert are the pledge of God’s faithfulness to his promises. The “cup of blessing” at the end of the Jewish passover meal points to the messianic expectation of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Jesus gave a new and definitive meaning to the blessing of the bread and the cup when he instituted the “Lord’s Supper” or “Eucharist”. He speaks of the presence of his body and blood in this new meal. When at the Last Supper Jesus described his blood “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28), he was explaining his coming crucifixion as a sacrifice for sins. His death on the cross fulfilled the sacrifice of the paschal lamb. That is why John the Baptist called him the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Jesus made himself an offering and sacrifice, a gift that was truly pleasing to the Father. He “offered himself without blemish to God” (Hebrews 9:14) and “gave himself as a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). This meal was a memorial of his death and resurrection..When we receive from the Lord’s table we unite ourselves to Jesus Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood. Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.) calls it the “one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ” (Ad Eph. 20,2). This supernatural food is healing for both body and soul and strength for our journey heavenward. When you approach the Table of the Lord, what do you expect to receive? Healing, pardon, comfort, and rest for your soul? The Lord has much more for us, more than we can ask or imagine. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist is an intimate union with Christ. As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens us in charity and enables us to break with disordered attachments to creatures and to be more firmly rooted in the love of Christ. Do you hunger for the “bread of life”?..”Lord Jesus, you nourish and sustain us with your very own presence and life. You are the “Bread of Life” and the “Cup of Salvation”. May I always hunger for you and be satisfied in you alone.”..Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Your Word will enlighten and save me, by Clement of Alexandria, 150-215 A.D..”The commandment of the Lord shines clearly, enlightening the eyes. Receive Christ, receive power to see, receive your light, that you may plainly recognize both God and man. More delightful than gold and precious stones, more desirable than honey and the honeycomb is the Word that has enlightened us (Psalm 19:10). How could he not be desirable, who illumined minds buried in darkness, and endowed with clear vision ‘the light-bearing eyes’ of the soul? … Sing his praises, then, Lord, and make known to me your Father, who is God. Your Word will save me, your song instruct me. I have gone astray in my search for God; but now that you light my path, Lord, I find God through you, and receive the Father from you, I become co-heir with you, since you were not ashamed to own me as your brother. Let us, then, shake off forgetfulness of truth, shake off the mist of ignorance and darkness that dims our eyes, and contemplate the true God, after first raising this song of praise to him: ‘All hail, O light!’ For upon us buried in darkness, imprisoned in the shadow of death, a heavenly light has shone, a light of a clarity surpassing the sun’s, and of a sweetness exceeding any this earthly life can offer.” (excerpt from EXHORTATION TO THE GREEKS 11..copyright and original source at …https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/.FEEL FREE TO SHAREDon’t let the word of God stop with you.Pass it on! It is a treasure to be shared..NOTE:::The above article is also posted in (our) FACE BOOK Account“Daily Gospel with Reflections 2”https://www.facebook.com/groups/522363768360573/(((Any member can add members)))THANK YOU & GOD BLESS…!!!THANK YOU & GOD BLESS…!!!.58Du och 57 andra13 kommentarer77 delningarGillaKommenteraDela13 kommentarer
Visa tidigare kommentarerAlla kommentarerElizabeth AquinoAmen 1
amen Amen https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4045138805575037&id=100002368738916Wolfgang Hütten7t eSthdejprumonsnoii cc20r1in6med ·Heute beim Erwachen erklang in mir das Lied zur Madonna von Tschenstochau und ich warf heute einen Blick auf die GeschichteAm 26. August 1656 wird die «Schwarze Madonna» von König Johann-Kasimir zur «Königin von Polen» erklärt. Heute noch bekräftigt das gläubige Volk zu Hunderttausenden den Weiheschwur, der damals geleistet wurde. Berühmt ist auch das Bittgebet von König Sobieski vor dem Gnadenbild, bevor er nach Wien zieht und 1683 das Abendland vor dem Islam der Osmanen rettet. Auch P. Maximilian Kolbe, der «Soldat der Makellosen Jungfrau», hat sein Leben der Schwarzen Madonna geweiht.Am 26. August 1656 weihte König Johann Kasimir v. Polen sich und sein Land der Gottesmutter Maria. Seither wird die Weihe bei bedeutenden Anlässe wiederholt. Die Weiheformel lautet:Königin von Polen, ich erneuere die Gelübde unserer Väter und erkenne Dich als unsere Patronin und Königin an. Ich verspreche Dir, alles zu tun, was in meinen Kräften liegt, damit Polen in Wahrheit das Reich Deines Sohnes und Dein Reich sei …»Mit leidenschaftlicher Stimme antwortet das Volk:«Wir schwören es Dir, Maria, Königin von Polen, wir schwören es Dir!» «Wir wollen alles tun, was in unserer Macht liegt, damit Polen in Wahrheit Dein Königreich und das Deines Sohnes sei, ganz Deiner Herrschaft untertan in unserem persönlichen Leben, in Familie, Volk und Gesellschaft.»3 kommentarerToni Antonia WagnerAmen, Amen so Wunderbar lieben Dank für Dein teilen und für Deine tiefen Gebete lieber Wolfgang· Svara · Visa översättning · 3 hSuzana MonikaCassia fistulaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigationJump to search”Canafistula” redirects here. This can also refer to Albizia inundata (Maloxo).Cassia fistulaGolden shower tree.jpgGolden shower tree in bloomScientific classificationeditKingdom: PlantaeClade: TracheophytesClade: AngiospermsClade: EudicotsClade: RosidsOrder: FabalesFamily: FabaceaeGenus: CassiaSpecies: C. fistulaBinomial nameCassia fistulaL.Synonyms[1]Bactyrilobium fistula Willd.Cassia bonplandiana DC.Cassia excelsa KunthCassia fistuloides Collad.Cassia rhombifolia Roxb.Cathartocarpus excelsus G.DonCathartocarpus fistula Pers.Cathartocarpus fistuloides (Collad.) G.DonCathartocarpus rhombifolius G.DonCassia fistula, commonly known as golden shower,[2] purging cassia,[3] Indian laburnum,[4] or pudding-pipe tree,[5] is a flowering plant in the subfamily, Caesalpinioideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It ranges from eastward throughout India to Myanmar and Thailand and south to Sri Lanka and southern Pakistan. It is a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine. It is both the national tree and national flower of Thailand. It is the state flower of Kerala in India. It is the provincial flower of North Central Province in Sri Lanka.[citation needed]Contents1 Description2 Cultivation3 Pollinators and seed dispersal4 Uses4.1 Food4.2 Medical5 Culture6 Gallery7 References8 External linksDescriptionThe golden shower tree is a medium-sized tree, growing to 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall with fast growth. The leaves are deciduous, 15–60 cm (6–24 in) long, and pinnate with three to eight pairs of leaflets, each leaflet 7–21 cm (3–8 in) long and 4–9 cm (1.6–3.5 in) broad. The flowers are produced in pendulous racemes 20–40 cm (8–16 in) long, each flower 4–7 cm (1.6–2.8 in) diameter with five yellow petals of equal size and shape. The fruit is a legume, 30–60 cm (12–24 in) long and 1.5–2.5 cm (0.6–1.0 in) broad, with a pungent odor and containing several seeds. The tree has strong and very durable wood, and has been used to construct “Ehela Kanuwa”, a site at Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka, which is made of C. fistula (ahala, ehela, or aehaela, ඇහැල in Sinhala [6]) heartwood.CultivationC. fistula is widely grown as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas. It blooms in late spring. Flowering is profuse, with trees being covered with yellow flowers, many times with almost no leaf being seen. It grows well in dry climates. Growth for this tree is best in full sun on well-drained soil; it is relatively drought-tolerant and slightly salt-tolerant. It will tolerate light brief frost, but can get damaged if the cold persists. It can be subject to mildew or leaf spot, especially during the second half of the growing season. The tree blooms better with pronounced differences between summer and winter temperatures.[7]Pollinators and seed dispersalVarious species of bees and butterflies are known to be pollinators of C. fistula flowers, especially carpenter bees (Xylocopa sp.).[8] In 1911, Robert Scott Troup conducted an experiment to determine how the seeds of C. fistula are dispersed. He found that golden jackals feed on the fruits and help in seed dispersal.[9]UsesFoodIn India, flowers of the golden shower tree are sometimes eaten by people. The leaves have also been used to supplement the diets of cattle, sheep, and goats fed with low-quality forages.[10]MedicalIn Ayurvedic medicine, the golden shower tree is known as aragvadha, meaning “disease killer”.· Svara · 1 mSuzana MonikaMedicalIn Ayurvedic medicine, the golden shower tree is known as aragvadha, meaning “disease killer”.
https://rastimo-u-vjeri.com/na-zagrebackim-ulicama-preko-2-tisuce-mladih-slavili-boga-sto-su-neke-medije-ignorirali-pogledajte-video/?fbclid=IwAR2Qfhm_6PsH-3pcZ49Ij585wzhhXAQpTB5uglwaNvakHzirwqwiCBydvSo
cated, the priest saw the defiled […]The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord – Eucharistic Miracle 1996 — Deus Vult
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