Episode 11: Confirmation & the Eucharist
An opening mediation
“Well, if the Eucharist is just a symbol, then to hell with it. ”
“In an everchanging world, the Holy Eucharist is a constant reminder of the great reality of God’s changeless love. ”
The Source and Summit
The word Eurcharist in Greek means Thanksgiving. The Eucharist itself is the source and summit of Christian life. The Mass itself is meant draw people in from daily life during the Introductory Rites, up to the summit with the Eucharistic Prayer, and bring them back down to daily life, strengthened with grace with the Concluding Rites. Therefore, liturgy is not an escape from life, but a mechanism for us to bring our life into the Lord.
The Convocation is call people into the House of the Lord, or into the mass. Then our lives are nourished by the word of life, which is Scripture. The most fruitful activity of the human person is the ability to receive God. The most receptive posture for man is silence. Thus, silence is inserted into the Proclaiming of the Word so that man has time to contemplate the things he has heard.
The mass developed into its present form around 165 A.D, with St. Justin and the First Apology on Prayers over the Bread and Wine.
The Eucharist Prayer's oldest sources may be all the way back to 216 with Hipploytus and is the Basis for Eucharistic Prayer II, though this has been contested recently in some of the scholarly literature, which suggests that Eucharistic Prayer II may be of more Eastern origin.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER II
The Eucharistic Prayer starts with the Introductory Rites:
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right and just.
It is truly right and just, our duty and salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Father most holy, through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, your Word through whom you made all things, whom you sent as our Savior and Redeemer, incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin. Fulfilling your will and gaining for you a holy people, he stretched out his hands as he endured his Passion, so as to break the bonds of death and manifest the resurrection. And so, with the Angels and all the Saints
we declare your glory, as with one voice we acclaim:
Here a hymn is said or sung, that we sing with the whole church:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Here there is a transition:
The Priest, with hands extended, says:
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.
The 1st epeclisis calls down the Holy Spirit to transform our simple offering:
He joins his hands and, holding them extended over the offerings, says:
Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
He joins his hands and makes the Sign of the Cross once over the bread and the chalice together, saying:
so that they may become for us the Body and + Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Next we have the Institution Narrative, which is a retelling of the Last Supper
He joins his hands.
In the formulas that follow, the words of the Lord should be pronounced clearly and distinctly, as the nature of these words requires.
At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion,
He takes the bread and, holding it slightly raised above the altar, continues:
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
He bows slightly.
TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT,
FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.
He shows the consecrated host to the people, places it again on the paten, and genuflects in adoration.
After this, he continues:
In a similar way, when supper was ended,
He takes the chalice and, holding it slightly raised above the altar, continues:
he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his disciples, saying:
He bows slightly.
TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.
He shows the chalice to the people, places it on the corporal, and genuflects in adoration.
Then comes the Memorial Acclimation that reminds us of the promise of redemption from the resurrection to come.
Then he says:
The mystery of faith.
And the people continue, acclaiming:
We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
Or:
When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
Or:
Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection
you have set us free.
Next comes the 2nd epeclisis that states we are transformed into what we receive in the Eucharist! We are the Body of Christ.
Then the Priest, with hands extended, says:
Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world,
and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Francis our Pope and N. our Bishop, [and his assistant Bishops]
and all the clergy.
The commemoration of the newly baptized is inserted in this way:, after the words and all the clergy, the following is added:
Remember also, Lord, the newly baptized who, through Baptism (and Confirmation), have today been joined to your family,
that they may follow Christ, your Son, with a generous heart and a willing spirit. Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy: welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, her Spouse with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you
He joins his hands.
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
Finally there is the Doxology (a final statement of praise)
He takes the chalice and the paten with the host and, raising both, he says:
Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours,
for ever and ever.
The people acclaim: Amen.
The Eucharistic Prayer is followed by the Lord's Prayer, in which we ask for what we really need to live as Christ.
Weekly
Prayer
Intentions
To be prayed daily
Pause for some silence
Pause for some silence
The Sign of the Cross
Start by touching your right hand to your forehead, then your stomach, followed by your left and right shoulders while saying "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen"
The Divine Praises
Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name. Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. Blessed be the Name of Jesus. Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart. Blessed be His Most Precious Blood. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy. Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption. Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints. Amen
Specific intentions:
Lord, help me to receive your presence in my life, with humility and devotion.
Lord, grant me the strength to live out my faith boldly.
Lord, anoint my life with grace and virtue.
Personal intentions:
Please add your own intentions here.
Our Father:
Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Glory Be:
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end, Amen.
Weekly
Journal
Prompt
Weekly Readings
As each of the sacraments represent a different stage of life, Confirmation represents a Christians entrance into spiritual adulthood. Confirmation is different for an adult going through RCIA, as it represents a choosing of the Catholic faith after so much life experience. How has your understanding of God changed over time? What impact do you anticipate the extra sacramental grace having on your faith journey? Take a few minutes to write down your thoughts on these personal reflections.
Click on the Link to download each of the articles for further reading this week.
Confirmation
Why is this the sacrament of the Holy Spirit? Click here to download
Eucharist
Are Catholics Cannibals? Click here to download
The Importance of the Mass
Why do we have to go to every week? Click here to download
Weekly Activity:
Adoration
This week your task is to spend some quiet time with the Lord.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is an opportunity for Catholics to spend time in the real presence of Christ. Since the consecrated host is left in the tabernacle after mass, Catholics can always be near the real presence of Christ. Special times for Adoration are even set aside where the Blessed Sacrament is put out for direct viewing, so the faithful can be even more directly in his presence. Adoration in our local community occurs Tuesdays from 9-10 pm, Fridays from 11:30-12 noon in the Marquand Transept. At St. Paul's, Adoration is from 9 am - 5pm on Friday's and for 24 hours from Thursday morning to Friday morning on the first Thursday of the month.
So your task for this week is as follows:
Plan to spend 30 mins with our Lord this week at Adoration. This is best done in a single block.
When you first arrive, genuflect at the Blessed Sacrament before taking your seat.
Make sure to greet Jesus with praise, whether of your own heart, from a scripture passage, or short prayer. See the opening prayer below if you need a little inspiration.
Spend some time in Prayer, to give you a guide, the following is called the five fingered prayer by Pope Francis: The thumb is the finger closest to you, so start by praying for those who are closest to you. They are the persons easiest to remember. To pray for our dear ones is a "sweet obligation".
The next finger is the index. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you. They need support and wisdom to show direction to others. Always keep them in your prayers.
The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us our our leaders, our government officials and those in authority. They need God's guidance.
The fourth finger is the ring finger. This may surprise you but it is our weakest finger. It should remind us to pray for the weakest, the sick, and those plagued by problems. They need your prayers.
Finally, we come to the pinkie finger, the smallest of all, which should remind you to pray for yourself. When you are done praying for the other four groups, you will be able to see your own needs in the proper perspective allowing you to pray for your own needs with a better perspective.
Spend the rest of your time in silence with the Lord. Not every visit to the Blessed Sacrament will be equal. Sometimes the words don't come as easily. Be patient. Jesus always appreciates the visit, regardless of the quality of the conversation.
Say goodbye to Jesus, make plans to visit again, and say a pray of thanks for the opportunity to go back out into the world strengthened by the time spent with Jesus.
Enjoy your time with Christ.