Posted on 04/04/2015 1:59:27 PM PDT by Steelfish
The Resurrection & The Eucharist by Fr. Rodney Kissinger S.J. (Former Missouri Synod Lutheran) http://www.frksj.org/homily_ressurection_and_the_eucharist.htm There is an important connection between the Resurrection and the Eucharist. The Eucharist IS the Risen Jesus.
Therefore, the Eucharist makes the Resurrection present and active in our lives and enables us to experience the joy and the power of the Resurrection. The Resurrection is the reason for the observance of Sunday instead of the Sabbath. According to the Gospel it was early in the morning on the first day of the week that the Risen Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.
It was also on the evening of that first day of the week that the Risen Jesus appeared to the Apostles when Thomas was not present. Then a week later, on the first day of the week, he appeared again when Thomas was present.
So the Apostles began to celebrate the first day of the week, Sunday, as the beginning of the re-creation of the world just as they had celebrated the Sabbath as the end of the creation of the world. Originally the Liturgical Year was simply fifty-two Sundays, fifty-two celebrations of the Eucharist, fifty-two celebrations of the Resurrection. Today the Eucharist is still the principal way of celebrating the Resurrection and proclaiming the Mystery of Faith: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”
As we have seen the joy and the power of the Resurrection is not found in the empty tomb or in the witness of some one else it is found only in a personal encounter with the Risen Jesus. The Eucharist, the Risen Jesus, gives us an opportunity for this personal encounter. Will all who receive the Eucharist have a personal encounter with the Risen Jesus? Yes they will. Unfortunately, not all will recognize the Risen Jesus. Mary Magdalene had a personal encounter with the Risen Jesus but did not recognize him. She thought it was the gardener. It was not until she recognized Jesus that she experienced the joy and the power of the Resurrection. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had a personal encounter with the Risen Jesus and thought that it was a stranger. It was not until they recognized him in the “breaking of the bread” that they experienced the joy and the power of the Resurrection.
The Eucharist is also a pledge of our own resurrection. “I am the living bread come down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Eucharist tells us that in death life is changed not ended. It is not so much life after death but life through death. Death is the door to life. This takes away the fear of death and gives us consolation at the death of a loved one.
The Eucharist also continues the two fold effect of the Resurrection which is to confirm the faith of the Apostles and to create the Christian Community. These are two sides of the same coin. To believe is to belong. Community was an integral part of the life of the first Christians. They were of one mind and one heart. When the Apostles asked the Lord to teach them how to pray, he taught them the “OUR Father.” In the Creed we say, “WE believe.” It is a personal commitment made in the community of believers.
The Eucharist also confirms the faith of the recipient and is the principle of unity and community. Without the Christian Community we lose our roots and our identity and our ability to survive in our culture which is diametrically opposed to Christ.
Through the Eucharist the Risen Jesus continues his two fold mission of proclaiming the Good News and healing the sick. Every celebration of the Eucharist proclaims the Good News and heals the sick. The Liturgy of the Word proclaims the Good News and the Liturgy of the Eucharist heals the sick. If people were healed simply by touching the hem of His garment how much more healing must come from receiving His Body and Blood?
How ridiculous it is then when people ask, “Do I have an obligation to go to Mass on Sunday?” If obligation is going to determine whether or not you go to Mass forget the obligation. You have a greater problem than that. Your problem is faith, you don’t believe. You don’t believe that the Eucharist IS the Risen Christ.
You just don’t realize the connection between the Resurrection and the Eucharist. In just a few moments we will receive the Eucharist and once again have an opportunity for a personal encounter with the Risen Jesus.
Let us ask for the faith to recognize him in the “breaking of the bread” so that we are able to say with Thomas, “My Lord and my God,” and in so doing experience the joy and the power of the Resurrection.
Quite right! In fact, it can condemn you: for if you receive not discerning the Body, you become guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ (Body and Blood, again) and you incur your own condemnation. Nevertheless, partaking devoutly of the Body and Blood of Christ is one of the means of salvation:
And we have another change in catholic belief. You stated earlier, and I believe all catholics believe this, that the Eucharist saves. Now it's taking it devoutly.
I presume by that you mean you have faith in Christ....which has already saved you before you have the Lord's Supper....else you wouldn't be taking part in the remembrance of what Christ did on the Cross for us.
•There was Communion/Eucharist as one of the means of salvation. from post 82
Assembling the Bible was not rocket science. It would have happened sometime by someone.
It’s hardly anything worth taking credit for.
Scripture was Scripture before the Bible was assembled and the RCC can take NO credit for giving us Scripture without taking from God the credit and glory due HIM and Him alone for it.
One more thing: does the gospel save?
The risen Savior lives in the hearts of those who put their trust in Him, not in a wheat wafer confected at the hands of men.
He promised that where two or three are gathered in His name, that He would be there in their midst.
One doesn’t need to go anywhere to meet with their Savior and the Creator of the universe who is omnipresent. If it’s on the beach, so be it.
I’ve had far more meaningful meetings with God on the beach than I have ever had inside a church building, including and especially, the cold, impersonal, formalism of Catholicism.
Interestingly, Jesus met with His followers many a time on the beach.
Odd that you should criticize people for going there to meet Him.
It’s a good thing the Catholic church doesn’t have any homosexual priests living in sin leading its congregations.
Oh, wait a minute.......
What a hoot!!!
Talk about literalists. Catholics are the epitome of literalists when it comes to John 6 which Jesus Himself said was SPIRITUAL truth, not literal truth.
And then you condemn Bible literalism.
You're condemning your own church in that.
Three days and no reply.
Imagine that....
That looks like that would be a *yes*.....
The Catholic church is not even consistent within itself as far as doctrine and teaching.
It’s change plenty over the last 2,000 years to no Catholic is in any legitimate position to criticize other churches for not being consistent with each other part of which reason is that they never claimed to be consistent with each other as Catholicism claims to be.
The Catholic church did NOT give us the Bible.
God gave it to us.
Yea...I just recently read another Bishop recently got sacked...well at least he’s not head of his church any more. Arrested remains to be seen as we know. We’ll see how Francis carries these out.
Of all the beliefs that are spewed here, it is still amazing to me that THIS one is dared. Imagine God’s surprise when He finds out that He didn’t give us His Word, but that the RCC did. THAT should make Him thankful. What would He do without them///
None of that can be found in the book of Acts, the historical record of the early church.
What we find in Acts, is this......
Acts 2:42-47 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
As I said, Baptism and the Eucharist are two of the means of salvation provided for us by Christ. If you know that, and yet you refuse them, that would be a serious sin. There are more. The Catholic Church agrees with Scripture that there are various channels by which Our Lord conveys to us the fullness of redemption. As Scripture says, we are saved:
No Sacrament conveys grace to a mortally sinful, denying, resisting, grace-rejecting soul. A person who receives the Eucharist without faith, hope and love, just piles yet another sacrilege on his sin-burdened soul. A person who goes through the motions of Confession in a gravely unrepentant spirit also incurs sacrilege, not grace and forgiveness. A person who participates in Matrimony without sincerely understanding and meaning the vows, is not even validly married, and commits sacrilege. A soul in mortal sin cannot receive grace. The only hope there, would be repentance and perfect contrition.
When asked "Are you saved?" the best answer is "I was saved; I am being saved; and I hope that in the end I will be saved." It's not a one-shot deal. God has 10,000 ways: He is a genius at Salvation, an absolute genius; and His ways are above our ways as the heavens are above the earth, and His thoughts above our thoughts.
There is only one means of salvation. That is through faith in Christ. There is no other way.
If salvation could be attained in any other way, Christ died for NOTHING.
Actually, in passages of Scripture that the Catholic church has not formally interpreted, Catholics are free to interpret them how they wish.
So we have been assured many times by Catholics on this board.
Yeah. It’s interesting how Catholics and Catholicism are constantly putting God in a position of being indebted to either them or Mary.
S’truth...
Give them a break. They just want their goddess to have a throne “slightly higher” than God’s. If that doesn’t work out they want to build a tower that reaches Heaven.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Did that slip your mind or did you figure it wouldn't line up with your list???
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