Blogger Priest

Sometimes we receive communion under both species, which is the consecrated bread and wine. Reception under both species does not mean that we receive more than when we receive under one species. The sick person who can only swallow a fragment of the host receives the whole resurrected Christ. The one who only drinks of the consecrated cup receives the whole Christ. While there is a separate consecration and then elevation of the host and chalice, either communion with the consecrated bread only or the consecrated cup only brings us the whole living presence of Christ. We might speak of this as a physical presence, but given that we use sacred signs, we more properly refer to it as a sacramental presence. It is still the REAL Jesus. St. Paul says, “Whether you eat this bread or drink this blood unworthily you are guilty of the body and blood of Christ.” So why did Christ seemingly separate the host from the cup? It was a sign of the manner in which Christ is present and comes to us. Christ could have said simply, “It is I,” or “I am there.” But when the words, body and blood are used, it differentiates that presence from the other modes in which God is present with us. This is the sacramental-physical presence of Christ which is different from his spiritual presence as when we come together for prayer, when Christ is in us by grace, and when Christ is present in the reading of the Scriptures. There is no doubt that when Christ used the words “body and blood” we are talking about the actual substantial presence of Christ. The host is not just a part of Christ. The whole physical presence of Christ comes to us either in the host or in the precious blood, taken together or singly. Also, the two consecrations of the host and wine are signs of Christ’s death. His body seemingly separates from the blood. The blood seemingly separates from the body. A living body has blood and the blood courses its way through a living body. Later in the Mass, when the priest drops a particle of the host into the chalice, he says, “May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.” Seemingly, this looks like a reunion of the body and blood, but it is a sign again of the resurrected Christ. It is the sacramental-physical resurrected Christ we receive in communion.

Editor’s Note: Msgr. Awalt likes to use the word “physical” in reference to the real presence in the sacred species. It is not his desire to circumvent the more inclusive “sacramental” presence. He simply wants to stress the fact that the presence is substantial and genuine. We are not dealing merely with a spiritual or ghostly presence. Language falls short to express the Eucharistic mystery. I have hyphenated the word “sacramental” to his word “physical” to help avoid confusion. A figurative or empty symbolic representation would be no authentic presence at all. A spiritual presence would speak to Christ’s soul and his divinity, but not to the full implications of the bodily resurrection. A mere physical presence might be crudely understood as the presence of a corpse. It has pained me to hear some teach the real presence in such terms, as if the Eucharist is merely our Thanksgiving turkey ready for the carving. Jesus is sacramentally and substantially present. The Eucharist is the risen Lord, whole and complete. He is totally present in every fragment of the host and in every drop of the precious blood. This point is what the late pastor tries vigorously to emphasize.

Filed under: Awalt Papers | Leave a comment »

When a bishop offers Mass, he greets the people with “Peace be with you.” At the sign of peace, the priest acknowledges their unity in Christ by saying, “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” In both cases, the congregants respond, “And with your spirit.” This extension of peace and variations on the dialogue response are frequently used in the liturgy. When congregations are scattered throughout a large church, instead of the handshake, some make the symbolic “V” sign with their fingers. The “V” sign that was so significant in years past is not seen as much today. After the Second World War it signified victory. During the 1960’s it was a secular sign of peace. But in either case, we ought to rediscover what these words and that gesture mean. This is particularly true of that which is commonplace in the liturgy. What finer salutation can the celebrant at Mass make to the congregation than “the Lord be with you.” It is a wakeup call to the indwelling of God in our souls for those in a state of grace. God, who is all powerful, all merciful, and all wise, lives in us. Do we speak to God present there? God is present in us, in our celebrant and in our neighbor. Are we conscious of that in our dealings with each other, or is the ritual so routine or commonplace that it stirs us not at all? This phrase is put into action at the “sign of peace,” when by any decent gesture we may choose (it is not specified), we greet each other. We often see a quick kiss between spouses, a hug or a handshake. We extend to each other God’s peace. It has a deeper meaning than renewing old friendships and just being polite socially. Our appreciation of peace comes from the Hebrew word, “shalom,” as peace is our devout desire and prayer for our co-worshippers. It is not a Dale Carnegie greeting or a “hail fellow” well met— it is deeper than that. Try to think of difficult neighbors as being vicariously present in the person standing next to you. Do we really forgive them? Do we ask to be forgiven, as in “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”? SHALOM means not just the absence of hostility. It means things that cannot be fully expressed in a single word. This peace means forgiveness, joy, comfort, support, tranquility and God’s presence with you. This is a great preparation for communion, which expresses our unity in the Body of Christ. Peace be with all who read this. Let us be cognizant of what we say and why we are saying it.

Filed under: Awalt Papers | 1 Comment »

There is a phrase in the Canon of the Mass upon which we cannot long dwell while saying it but about which we should ponder at times so that it will mean more to us in its usage. “Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church….” We use this phrase in approaching God in the Liturgy. The faith of the Church does not refer to that segment of the faithful who have gone before us. They have lost their faith— they have no need for it as they see God face to face. The souls of Purgatory awaiting the completion of their purification before full union with God also do not need faith as they, too, have seen the Lord. It must then refer to us or at least to those among us who give great examples of the faith in our day to day living. Because of our union with these in Christ, we ask the Lord to look favorable upon us. When using this phrase, I think of the bishops and cardinals who have lost their lives or who are imprisoned for decades in China, Mexico, India, Sudan, etc. and have still held on to the faith. I think of missionaries, men like you and me, who live in strange cultures, eat unfamiliar foods, and work tirelessly for the spread of the Word of God. I met one of our own priests whose mission in Brazil involves paddling up the rivers in search of souls to tell them that God loves them and has sent his son to die for them. He works in the heat; others work in the cold and like St. Paul, in dangers and threats. What faith they have! I recall an article by Fr. Peter Daly in The Catholic Standard where he wrote about the examples of great faith in the ordinary lives of our people. For instance, several young mothers who get their little toddlers up and dressed, bringing them to daily Mass. He tells of the husband who stays routinely at the bedside of his wife of 57 years, holding her hand as she is dying. There is a young man who works in a fast-paced information technology job, who starts the day off with the Liturgy of the Hours (a book he keeps on his desk). Worthy of note is the father of six whom on his way home from work stops by the church to pray for his family. Then there are the adult leaders who give up their Wednesday evenings to work with teenagers, just because they love kids regardless of their baggy pants and pierced body parts. A retired nurse volunteers her time and effort to hospice work for the dying. A young lawyer devotes his lunch hours to teaching illiterate adults to read. The doctor and nurse, a husband and wife team, twice each month cook meals for the area homeless shelter and their three teenage sons help deliver the meals. Important to mention are the young women who volunteer at the neighborhood crisis pregnancy center so as to weekly save lives. Any pastor, and for that matter, any observant person could make a similar list. There is so much goodness and grace. It is truly amazing. “Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church,” and help us to go and do likewise.

Filed under: Awalt Papers | 3 Comments »

Just before the celebrant brings the congregation the Blessed Sacrament at Communion time, he says, “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” The visual appearance of the host hardly looks like a supper, let alone a banquet. If we realize it is Jesus, our Lord, who comes to us under the appearance of bread and wine, we can see how like food to the body, this supernatural food nourishes us in the life of God. “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you do not have life within you.” Really, the invitation to come to his supper refers to the invitation we have for the heavenly life that is described in terms of a banquet. The gift of receiving the Eucharist at Mass is meant to be our nourishment, strength and sustenance on the way to the great banquet that God has prepared for those who love him. It is something similar to the words we use when we give communion to those who are dying. Communion then is called “viaticum.” Via – te – cum, breaking the word into its component parts means “on the way with you.” Christ comes to us on our way to seeing him, as St. Paul says, face to face. Ordinary communion is the way that we pilgrim people walk with Christ on our way. Rather than being distracted by the appearance of the small portion of the consecrated bread and wine, we should think of Christ coming to us as our companion on the journey to the great banquet which is the manner our heavenly existence is described (Book of Revelation 19:9). The revised corrected translation better renders as “blessed” what we previously termed “happy.” While we might not always have a joyful feeling when receiving communion, we are still blessed despite obstacles like physical condition, bad weather, our weariness, etc. Why? We are blessed because faith tells us that Christ is our companion no matter what the circumstances. The word “companion” has in its composition, cum – panis, that is, with bread, the way Christ chooses to walk with us in our ordinary life.

Filed under: Awalt Papers | Leave a comment »

The title used for Christ in the Liturgy is “Lord.” We are so used to using that title that it is almost thought of as his proper name. “Dear Lord,” “my Lord,” etc. occurs in our private prayers as well as in the Liturgy. Lord is not his proper name as much as it is what he is, not who he is. The word “Lord” is not used exclusively with Jesus. The Father is called Lord in the prayers of the Mass. The Holy Spirit is Lord, too. The word means “divine.” Is this just a frivolous distinction? No. His name spoken by the angels is Jesus, the one who saves (Luke 2:21). Christ means the anointed one. One who has a special mission is anointed by God. In the prayers of the Church, it helps to realize when the word Lord is used that this nuance be kept in mind. It helps us to realize what we are doing. Our prayer is directed to God the Father, sometimes referred to as Lord in the Canon of the Mass. So Christ who is man and can pray intercedes for us as the Preface says. He is also Lord, that is, God, and not just a wise man, a prophet, but Lord. In the mystery of the Incarnation, Jesus is both God and man. In fact, it is the only title that Jesus used in speaking of himself, namely, Son of man. Jesus is one person, but two natures. As man, he prays; as God, he takes us to the Father. A favorable hearing is granted to us because Jesus is both God and man, bringing us to the Father. So when we say, “through Jesus Christ, Our Lord,” we realize the great truth that lies behind that title, “Lord.” We are one with him by the working of the Holy Spirit, who moves us to join Jesus and to be led toward the Father. Our reception will be good, because Jesus himself takes it to the Father, and Jesus is Lord.

Filed under: Awalt Papers | Leave a comment »