Reverence for the Eucharist

"Our hearts need to start burning with a deeper understanding of Who and What this Eucharist is"

I watched a movie about St. Faustina a while ago and there was one scene in which one of her fellow nuns, who was jealous of Sister Faustina, said while passing her in the hallway "Here comes the princess" and St. Faustina replied that she had just received Holy Communion and so she did indeed have royal blood flowing in her.

We seem to have lost the sense of wonder and awe at the reception of the Eucharist. Having had the concept pounded into our heads from infancy we simply take it for granted that This is the Body of Our Lord and do not stop to contemplate what that really means. And because we take it for granted we therefore do not offer Our Lord in the Eucharist the reverence that He deserves.

My dad told me that when he was in Catholic gradeschool his class was taken to Mass one day. There were no seats left so some of the boys had to stand. After Communion the boys were standing when their teacher came over and asked if they had received Communion. The boys replied that they had and the teacher immediately stated "Get on your knees!"

This teacher understood What the Eucharist is and the respect It commands.

Obesity

Back in my day cookie monster ate cookies.



This whole childhood obesity thing has gotten way out of control. You know why Americans are fat? Cuz we're lazy. It's a fact. And because we're lazy we want the government to take care of everything for us. Which is why we don't complain when New York's Nanny Mayor Bloomberg bans trans-fats in restaurants.

It is not up to the mayor to tell his constituents what they can and can't eat. It is the decision of the customer at a restaurant whether or not to care about the nutritional value of his or her food.

The Declaration of Independence states that there are three inalienable rights "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". I happen to find my happiness in a chocolate chip cookie and it is not up to the mayor and certainly not up to Sesame Street to make me eat fruit instead.

The Blessed Sacrament

"We should never sever the connection between recieving the Sacrament and celebrating the sacrifice"

These words are the central message of Bishop Murphy's letter to the priests of the Diocese of Rockville Centre regarding "the proper celebration of the Eucharist and the distribution of Holy Communion".

The Bishop stated that weekday Communion services which take place outside of Mass should no longer be conducted within the diocese. The Bishop has made this decision after careful examination of Church teaching on the subject of the Eucharist. He has made a point to thank the good and holy people who have carried out these services throughout the years.

Many people have been upset about the Bishop's actions in this case. However it is necessary for everyone to be completely informed on this issue before spewing opinions. It is admirable that so many people have such a devotion to the Eucharist and I trust those people will take this as an opportunity to develop an even greater devotion.

The entire Mass is a sacrifice. Sacrifice is what Catholics are called to do every day. For Kellenberg students, since there will no longer be Communion before lunch at school, you could make an extra effort to get to the 7:20 Mass that is held in the school chapel every morning. Obviously this is difficult and you may not be able to do it. But there are other ways to honor Christ. The Bishop has encouraged reading of the Liturgy of the Hours, the "official prayer of the Church". By having to make more of an effort to receive the Eucharist daily we should be able to better appreciate the Sacrament. This whole situation should provide a wonderful opportunity for reflection on the importance of the Eucharist.

I would also humbly ask that before anyone criticizes the Bishop for his actions that they become fully informed on the issue. The Bishop's letter should be read in its entirety and can be found here: http://www.licatholic.org/news/051408/Bishop_Letter_051408.pdf In his letter the Bishop also encourages us to examine The General Instruction on the Roman Missal, Ecclesia de Eucharistia - John Paul II's encyclical on the Eucharist, Redemptionis Sacramentum by the Congregation of Divine Worship, and Sacramentum Caritatis - Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical on the Eucharist. Also helpful is this article from The Long Island Catholic: http://www.licatholic.org/news/051408/Bishop_Issues_Letter051408.html I hope you will all take this opportunity to become more educated about the Eucharist.

More Pope

Speech to the US Bishops
Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


http://www.ewtn.com/USPapalVisit08/words/Bishops.asp

At CUA and the JPII Cultural Center


At the UN


http://wcbstv.com/seenon/pope.benedict.speech.2.703107.html

Arrival at St. Joseph's Seminary


Presentation of Religious Leaders


Kelly Clarkson singing Ave Maria for the Pope


Mass at St. Patrick's


http://www.zenit.org/article-22344?l=english

More of the Mass


At Ground Zero


Mass at Yankee Stadium


http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20080420_yankee-stadium-ny_en.html

VP Cheney Farewell Speech to the Pope


http://www.zenit.org/article-22366?l=english

The Pope's Farewell Speech


http://www.zenit.org/rssenglish-22365

Boarding the Plane

Pope Benedict XVI in the United States

For the benefit of my fellow seniors, who were in Disney when the Pope visited, and for anyone else who was unable to see the coverage, or for anyone who wants to see it again, I am compiling videos of all the Pope's events while he was in the United States. Links for the text of speeches will be underneath the video.

The Pope's Arrival at Andrews Air Force Base


The Pope's Arrival at the White House


President Bush's Welcome Speech to the Pope


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351467,00.html

Pope Benedict's Speech at the White House


http://wcbstv.com/papalvisit/pope.benedict.speech.2.701076.html

The Pope's Homily at Nationals Stadium


The Pope's Address to Catholic Educators at the Catholic University of America

http://www.ewtn.com/uspapalvisit08/words/Educators.asp

More videos to follow.

Where We're Going

Last week I was in Disney World on Senior Trip. On Friday afternoon my friends and I were in Animal Kingdom. As we were attempting to head back to the buses we found ourselves a little lost. On top of the stress of not knowing where we were, everyone was tired, overheated, and our feet hurt. So needless to say no one was in a good mood. Thus began an argument about how we got lost, whose fault it was, and where the heck we were.

I personally didn't care whose fault it was, I just wanted to get on the bus where it was air conditioned and I could sit down and rest my weary feet. So I grumbled at our disgruntled group that "It doesn't matter where we were, it matters where we're going!" And then I got philosophical.

And I was like, isn't that true in life?

No matter where you are in life, whether you're in a good place, a bad place, or you don't quite know where you are, what matters isn't where you were before, or how you got where you are now, that's in the past and can't be changed, what does matter is where you're going from here.

If you're in a good place, go somewhere even better. If you're in a bad place, go somewhere good. If you don't know where you are, figure it out. Then go somewhere good.

The Holy Mass

"And heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord our God the Almighty hath reigned. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath prepared herself. And it is granted to her that she should clothe herself with fine linen, glittering and white. For the fine linen are the justifications of saints. And he said to me: Write: Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb."

This is from the book of Revelation. Most people read this and think that it is referring to the end of the world. But read it more carefully. Do you recognize anything?

Anyone who was commissioned as a Eucharistic Minister at Kellenberg had to memorize the phrase "This is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those who are called to His supper." That sounds remarkably like "Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb."

And if you study Church history and teaching you'll find that the Holy Mass is actually a celebration of Christ's marriage to His bride, the Church.

No marriage is considered valid unless it has been consumated, and the bride and groom have become "two in one flesh". Christ's marriage to the Church must also be consumated. This is done when we, the Church, His bride, consume the Flesh and Blood of the Bridegroom, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Back in the day, in the time of the earlier Church, when a bishop came to celebrate Mass the church building itself would be dressed up like a bride, covered in white cloth, with a crown on top of the building.

Many people in the Church have not taken the time to study the Church's history and teachings and therefore do not truly appreciate what the Mass is.

Every Sunday during Mass we say the Great Amen. You may not have ever heard of this. You may have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. But I swear there really is a part of the Mass where the entire congregation says the word Amen. Amen is the Latin word for "I believe". The entire congregation is proclaiming that they believe that this is the Flesh and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. But you'd never know it. Even the people who are saying this word don't realize they are doing it.

In another chapter of Revelation St. John says: "And all the angels stood round about the throne, and the ancients, and the four living creatures; and they fell down before the throne upon their faces, and adored God, saying: Amen. Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever." This is what St. John was seeing: the Great Amen during the Holy Mass. But we haven't quite lived up to that have we?

It's up to us to bring this vision to life. Not just in the Amen but in every aspect of Mass.

Flip through Revelation sometime. See what other allusions you can find to the Holy Mass.