Day 182: The Signs of Bread and Wine

The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the announcement of the Passion scandalized them: "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division. "Will you also go away?": The Lord's question echoes through the ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has "the words of eternal life" and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself. CCC 1336

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the mystery of the institution of the Eucharist by Christ. Bread and wine are the elements or signs used, which are significant in Scripture. We see one of the first typologies for Christ and the Eucharist in Melchizedek and his offering of bread and wine in Gen 14:18-20. As the Catechism Compendium notes:

The Eucharist was foreshadowed in the Old Covenant above all in the annual Passover meal celebrated every year by the Jews with unleavened bread to commemorate their hasty, liberating departure from Egypt. Jesus foretold it in his teaching and he instituted it when he celebrated the Last Supper with his apostles in a Passover meal. The Church, faithful to the command of her Lord, “Do this in memory of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24), has always celebrated the Eucharist, especially on Sunday, the day of the Resurrection of Jesus. (#276)

As the dialogue in John 6:25-71 shows, unfortunately, the Eucharist is a stumbling block for some just as the Risen Christ can be (1 Cor 1:23). Yet it is a sacrament of love, one from Him to spiritually nourish and sustain us, a gift of eternal life (Jn 6:51). The Catechism Companion, Vol II notes:

The Eucharist is a profound gift of love from the Lord. The Eucharist fulfills the Jewish Passover, establishing the New Covenant in Jesus' blood. Every celebration of the Eucharist looks forward to heaven, allowing us to taste the love God has for us. God's love extends to each of us, regardless of weaknesses or failures. Attending Mass reminds us of his overwhelming love for us. (p. 128) 

In the Eucharist, we truly receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, which is why we are warned never to receive this precious gift in an "unworthy manner" (1 Cor 11:27).

 

Day 181: The Sacrament of the Eucharist

The inexhaustible richness of this sacrament is expressed in the different names we give it. Each name evokes certain aspects of it. It is called: Eucharist, because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. The Greek words eucharistein and eulogein recall the Jewish blessings that proclaim - especially during a meal - God's works: creation, redemption, and sanctification. CCC 1328

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the various names given to this sacrament. The Catechism Compendium summarizes the different names used:

The unfathomable richness of this sacrament is expressed in different names which evoke its various aspects. The most common names are: the Eucharist, Holy Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharistic Celebration, the Memorial of the passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord, the Holy Sacrifice, the Holy and Divine Liturgy, the Sacred Mysteries, the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and Holy Communion. (#275)

The Catechism Companion, Vol II is similar in what it gives, but I do like this part:

The name "Holy Mass" signifies that we are sent out to carry the grace of the Eucharist into the world. We get filled with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And then we are sent out to bring that Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity and to bring the Holy Spirit to the world. (p. 126)  

This artwork by [Caravaggio] shows the supper at Emmaus. After two of his disciples speak with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they at last recognize the Lord "in the breaking of the bread," one of the names of the Holy Eucharist (Luke 24:35; see CCC 1329). (p. 127)

Day 180: The Source and Summit

The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist. CCC 1322

In today's reading, the Catechism gives an intro of sorts to the Eucharist, which it calls "the source and summit of the Christian life" (CCC 1324). Indeed, it goes further in stating that "the other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it." Needless to say, that means the Eucharist could rightly be called the chief of the sacraments. The Catechism Compendium summarizes this section on the Eucharist:

The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus which he instituted to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until his return in glory. Thus he entrusted to his Church this memorial of his death and Resurrection. It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. (#271)

I do like how the Catechism Companion, Vol II puts it:

We say that "the Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian life'" because it is the source of all grace, coming from the great sacrifice of the Son to the Father, and the ultimate goal for us all. The Eucharist is not only a work of Christ, it is Christ. (p. 124)

The first Eucharist, depicted by Juan de Juanes in The Last Supper, c. 1562

This image depicts our Lord's institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, the night before his death. He gave us this sacrament "to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again" (CCC 1323). (p. 125)

Day 179: Summary of Confirmation

Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds. CCC 1316

In today's reading, the Catechism gives an "In Brief" on what has been covered the past few days about Confirmation. As I don't have anything further to add, I'll leave that here and recommend one read the section for themselves. However, I do like how the Catechism Companion, Vol II remarks on this:

There is no person for whom Christ did not shed his blood, so he wants the whole world to know the Gospel and be Catholic... God gives us the sacrament of Confirmation to bring us close to him and to his Church and also to send us out to evangelize with the Church, pointing to Christ in all we say and do. (p. 122)

Day 178: Who Receives Confirmation?

Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time," for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete. CCC 1306

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses who may receive Confirmation and who is the minister for this sacrament. Any baptized person may receive Confirmation once, as long as they are in a state of grace. As for the minister of this sacrament, the Catechism Compendium summarizes this part:

The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop. In this way, the link between the confirmed and the Church in her apostolic dimension is made manifest. When a priest confers this sacrament, as ordinarily happens in the East and in special cases in the West, the link with the bishop and with the Church is expressed by the priest who is the collaborator of the bishop and by the Sacred Chrism, consecrated by the bishop himself. (#270)

If there is a danger of impending death, any priest can give a candidate Confirmation.

I like what the Catechism Companion, Vol II says on this:

Confirmation is first and foremost God's confirmation of his choice of us. It is his gift of the Spirit, deepening the grace given to us in Baptism. Both Baptism and Confirmation are given only once because God seals us with the gift of the Holy Spirit - and he does not take back this gift. (p. 121)

Day 177: The Celebration of Confirmation

Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the "character," which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness. CCC 1304

In today's reading, the Catechism finishes discussing the celebration of and goes into the effects of Confirmation. For the former, the consecration of the sacred chrism by the bishop and laying on of hands over the confirmands. For the latter, the Catechism Compendium summarizes the effects of this sacrament:

The effect of Confirmation is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit like that of Pentecost. This outpouring impresses on the soul an indelible character and produces a growth in the grace of Baptism. It roots the recipient more deeply in divine sonship, binds him more firmly to Christ and to the Church, and reinvigorates the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his soul. It gives a special strength to witness to the Christian faith. (#268)

I still prefer how the East gives this sacrament soon after baptism, but that's something above my pay grade, as the saying goes. The Catechism Companion, Vol II has a good reminder for all of us:

The gifts given to us through these sacraments, in their goodness, demand that we either use them or be rightfully ashamed for not doing so. (p. 118)

The Seven Sacraments Altarpiece, by Rogier van der Weyden, depicting a Latin Church bishop administering confirmation in the 14th century

Confirmation requires anointing with chrism on the forehead, as well as words that indicate that the person has been sealed with the Holy Spirit (see CCC 1300). (p. 119)

Day 176: Traditions and Signs of Confirmation

In the first centuries Confirmation generally comprised one single celebration with Baptism, forming with it a "double sacrament," according to the expression of St. Cyprian. Among other reasons, the multiplication of infant baptisms all through the year, the increase of rural parishes, and the growth of dioceses often prevented the bishop from being present at all baptismal celebrations. In the West the desire to reserve the completion of Baptism to the bishop caused the temporal separation of the two sacraments. the East has kept them united, so that Confirmation is conferred by the priest who baptizes. But he can do so only with the "myron" consecrated by a bishop. CCC 1290

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the traditions and symbols that have become attached to Confirmation in both the East and West of the Church. The Catechism Compendium summarizes part of this:

The essential rite of Confirmation is the anointing with Sacred Chrism (oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop), which is done by the laying on of the hand of the minister who pronounces the sacramental words proper to the rite. In the West this anointing is done on the forehead of the baptized with the words, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”. In the Eastern Churches of the Byzantine rite, this anointing is also done on other parts of the body with the words, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”. (#267)

The Catechism explains the differences between East and West on the anointing of sacred chrism, more of a difference in emphasis:

The practice of the Eastern Churches gives greater emphasis to the unity of Christian initiation. That of the Latin Church more clearly expresses the communion of the new Christian with the bishop as guarantor and servant of the unity, catholicity, and apostolicity of his Church, and hence the connection with the apostolic origins of Christ's Church. CCC 1292

The differences in emphasis shouldn't be an issue. Yet, I still think that the Eastern practice of receiving Confirmation right after Baptism, as was practiced in the West too for about 1,200 years, is something that should be restored.

I do like these comments about Confirmation found in the Catechism Companion, Vol II:

Jesus' mission was to bring hope to a world in darkness and grace to a world that did not know grace. He brought the mercy of God to a people that needed it and the truth to those who were ignorant of it. Being sealed by the Holy Spirit shows that we are entirely Christ's... If we have been baptized and confirmed, none of us belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to God completely. (p. 116)