consecrated
of a church or land having been made or declared
sacred of bread and wine declared to be or represent
the body and blood of Christ
they received the host but not the consecrated wine
a Christian burial in consecrated ground
When do the bread and wine become Christ’s Body and Blood?
The question of when the eucharistic gifts
become Christ’s Body and Blood has been debated for centuries.
The question of exactly when the eucharistic gifts become Christ’s Body and Blood has commanded attention and debate for centuries.
From the supper at Emmaus, disciples have cherished the Eucharist as the clearest sign of the Risen Lord’s abiding presence.
Yet, beginning in the Middle Ages, for a thousand years laypeople in the West seldom received Communion, and even then only under the form of bread. For that reason knowing when Christ became present at Mass was a key to spiritual life, since the ordinary way of worship was looking at the consecrated Host raised high over the priest’s head rather than eating it. Medieval scholars-all priests-naturally looked at the
Eucharistic Prayer and the cherished memory of the
words and deeds of Jesus at the Last Supper,
called the “Institution Narrative.”
The winning answer in the debate was keyed to the words of the priest:
“This is my body.” (Hoc est enim corpus meum.)
Today, the answer can be found in the Catechism, but also by observing the liturgy.
The Catechism says that as soon as the Institution Narrative begins,
the Lord is present in the
elements of bread and wine.
That is why the universal law of the church directs the assembly to kneel for this part of the Eucharistic Prayer, even though in the United States we are already kneeling at that point.
The ritual direction in the sacramentary says that after the Insitution Narrative, the “priest holds the consecrated host and shows it to the congregation.”
The postures and gestures and texts of the liturgy are clear that
the transformation is already complete midway through the
Eucharistic Prayer.
The same question never captured the attention of the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox traditions. For them, the critical moment has always been the epiclesis, or the calling down of the Holy Spirit on the gifts of bread and wine and the assembly.
The priest extends his hands over the gifts and
asks the Holy Spirit
to “change them for us
into the Body and Blood of Christ.”
For an Eastern Christian, that’s the critical moment.
There is a deeper, more personal question.
At what point do we become the Body and Blood of Christ?
The bread and wine is not consecrated for its own sake, after all, but for the good of the church and for the world. The question is worth thinking over. Maybe knowing the answer to “when” the bread and wine are transformed will lead to the more critical and personal question as to “why” the Lord comes to us in Holy Communion.
Luke 2: 22
When the days of their purification
according to the law of Moses were
fulfilled,
They brought him up
To Jerusalem,
to present him to the Lord
as it is written in the law of the Lord,
“Every male who opens the womb shall be
called holy to the Lord”
and to offer a sacrifice according to that which
is said in the law of the Lord,
“A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
After Jesus' birth
(Luke 2:1–7),
Mary and Joseph continue to follow the law of Moses.
That includes purification for ceremonial cleanness
(Luke 2:22; Leviticus 12:2).
Presenting Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem
also honors
a command given to Israel at the
exodus from Egypt:
that all firstborn should be consecrated to God
(Exodus 13:1–2).
That reference is especially important, as the Passover lambs described in
Exodus foreshadow the ministry of Christ
as Passover Lamb
for the entire world
(John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Exodus 12:3–10).
Part of the purification
ritual was animal sacrifice.
The intended
offering was a lamb,
but the Law
made exceptions for those who were poor
(Leviticus 12:8).
According to this passage,
Mary and Joseph
offer
two birds,
corresponding
to the offering allowed for poorer people
(Luke 2:24).
and an ox and a ram
for a fellowship offering to sacrifice
before the LORD,
together with a grain offering mixed with oil.
For today
the LORD will appear to you. '
They took the things Moses
commanded to the front of the
Tent of Meeting,
and the entire assembly
came near and stood before the LORD
having been consecrated: such as
a
: inducted into a permanent office with a religious rite
Three hours later she went forth from the abbey, amid the greatest rejoicing, a crowned and consecrated Queen.--Harry Boardman
especially : ordained to the office of bishop
newly consecrated bishops
b
:
made or declared sacred
… a legend which tells of how a one-day supply of consecrated oil which the Maccabees used for the re-dedication of the desecrated Temple lasted for eight days until more could be obtained.--World Religions
This week the Vatican issued a directive not to scatter the ashes of loved ones after cremation … . Remains of loved ones should be spread only in consecratedgraveyards or holy places specifically dedicated to this purpose--Mandy Johnston
especially : devoted irrevocably to the worship of God by a solemn ceremony
a consecrated church
Sister Carol said that throughout her 50 years in consecrated life [life as a religious], she has always tried to minister with joy. --St. John Valley Times (Madawaska, Maine)
c
of Eucharistic bread and wine
: transubstantiated by liturgical rite
the consecrated host
Foremost among them, from the orthodox point of view, was the tradition of the Eucharist, the sacramental bread and wine, each consecratedparticle and drop of which, according to the doctrine of concomitance, contained within it the whole body and blood of Christ …--Mitchell B. Merback
ONE FOR ISRAEL
It’s very unlikely
to see rain over the summer in Israel.
Virtually unheard of.
Prayers for rain begin in earnest at the
Feast of Tabernacles
(Sukkot)
and visitors to Israel will often notice the
signs about the water shortage,
and stressing the importance of water conservation.
Like most things in Israel,
rain and drought are also deeply spiritual subjects,
and God has a lot to say about it all.
And have you ever wondered why God chose that little
piece of real estate rather than say… the South of France?
A stunning part of China?
Or lush Ireland?
Why dusty little Israel?
WHY ISRAEL?
The main natural water source in Israel is
the Sea of Galilee, or the Kinneret,
as they call it here.
Along with water from Mount Hermon, the Kinneret is the
main source of the Jordan River, which
flows into
The Dead Sea.
(‘Kinneret’ means stringed instrument –
the sea is so-called because of its shape resembling
David’s harp).
The only way this natural reservoir can
serve the entire country
is if it is continually replenished… from the sky.
The reason God chose Israel as his own
specifically designated property for his people
was due to this fact.
Israel is by nature utterly dependent
on “the heavens”
in a very real and practical way.
Surrounding Israel are nations
who have their own flowing water sources –
Egypt has the Nile,
and the
Euphrates serves the Mesopotamian basin,
but Israel has no such
permanent and reliable source of water.
Civilizations quickly
sprung up around the rivers that could sustain life,
but God led his people to a land
where they would be
utterly at the mercy of the skies…
and therefore completely
dependent on
the one who can make it rain.
RAIN AS A SIGN OF BLESSING
In times in the Old Testament,
God had his prophets effectively
seal up the heavens
at his bidding, and again they would say
The word,
and
God would send rain.
Drought was a punishment, and rain a blessing.
It was a strong way
of
getting Israel’s attention
Here are a few passages from the Bible which show this very clearly:
“The land you are entering to take over
is not like the
land of Egypt,
from which you have come,
where you planted your seed and irrigated it
by foot as in a
vegetable garden.
But the land you are
crossing the Jordan
to take possession
of is a land of
mountains and valleys
that
drinks rain from heaven.
“It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
So if you faithfully obey
the commands I am giving you today--
to love the LORD your God and to serve him
with all your heart
and with all your soul--
then I will send rain on your land
in its season,
both autumn and spring rains, so that you may
gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.
I will provide grass in the fields
for your cattle,
and you will eat and be satisfied.
Be careful,
or you will be enticed to
turn away
and worship other gods and
bow down to them
Then the LORD’s anger will burn against you,
and he will shut up the heavens
so that it will not rain and the ground
will yield no produce,
and you will soon perish from the good land the
LORD is giving you.״
Deuteronomy 11:10-17
״The LORD will open the heavens, the
storehouse of his bounty,
to
send rain on your land in season
and to
bless all the work of your hands.
You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.״
Deuteronomy 28:12
״Yet he has
not left himself without testimony:
He has shown
kindness
by giving you rain from heaven
and crops in their seasons;
he provides you with
plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Acts 14:17
LOOK UP
John Piper says in his book on fasting,
A Hunger For God;
“The people of God are often called to go without the ordinary means of life.”
Things that come naturally and without thought for most of the world’s population become a matter of trust and dependence,
created to be as such by God.
In stopping the natural things that we take for granted, God causes us to look up to him and to depend upon him to meet our needs.