The living Eucharist

 Yesterday I came across two pieces of information and news that seemingly are unrelated, but to me appeared very VERY much connected.  

One was a letter written by a Bishop in Maharashtra, denouncing the desecration of a school chapel and that the miscreants had taken away the sacred host from the tabernacle.  He therefore appealed to the Catholic faithful to conduct an adoration service in order to restore the blessed Sacrament.  

The other incident that is still unfolding in a nearby state of the country is that of the death/murder of a teenager in Patna.  An 18 year old student was found dead in her hostel. Initially it was declared as suicide and now it is revealed that she was brutally raped and murdered!  

Is not the life of this teenager as sacred and worthy of respect as the Holy Communion?  ("You are the temple of the holy Spirit") I am right now struggling to come to terms with these incidents - more so, with our response to these incidents! I don't know... but I'm feeling very very disturbed and uncomfortable. 

Sacrifice and meal

The other day it was just Fr MT Sebastian and me for Mass.  I forget what the gospel was or the significance of the day.  But what I do remember is the reflection that he shared - not from across the altar, but coming and sitting beside me! 

While that simple gesture of seating himself beside me to speak to me (not preach to me) itself meant a whole lot of what Mass is all about, his casual sharing of what the difference between the Syro-Malabar rite and Latin rite mode of celebrating the Eucharist, was something significant. He said, he was told that among the many aspects that distinguish the modes of celebrating the Mass, the former rite stresses on the aspect of a priest, representing Christ and the faithful, offering a sacrifice to God, on behalf of the people. That's why he is facing the sanctuary, with his back to the people.  He is there on behalf of the people.  

In the Latin rite, the Eucharist is a meal... a shared meal. Hence the priest is forming the circle with the people.  He is sharing the same food, at the same level as the people! 

The Ichthys

 For the early Christians, the cross was not the first choice of representation.  The cross was still too traumatic and tragic.  It was more a sign of oppression and tool of death, rather than salvation.  What was actually and most widely used as a symbol of Christianity was the Ichthys, the fish.  

The catacombs do not have a cross. Instead what is found in them is the image of the fish.  This represented the meal, the gathering for which Christians gathered, especially in hiding in the catacombs and in private homes. It represented the Eucharist!  

Perhaps it is with Helena bringing the cross from Jerusalem, along with the soil, and its exaltation as a basilica, that devotion the Cross gained popularity.  I suppose by then the Romans had given up using that means as a punishment (but not sure of that). And as time progresses, the cross soon replaces the fish as the symbol of Christian faith.  

Would Christianity have a different outlook or identity if we would have persevered or chosen to stick to the fish rather than the cross??  I believe it would have had significant impact on how we perceive ourselves to be!  For one, more Eucharistic, for certain!  

Theology of the Eucharist

Ethiopia suffered a terrible famine during the years 1984 to 1986.  Cardinal Hume of Westminister tells about an incident that happened when he visited Ethiopia in the middle of the famine.  One of the places he visited was a settlement up in the hills where the people were waiting for food which was unlikely to arrive.  He was taken there in a helicopter.  

As he got out of the helicopter a small boy, aged about ten, came up to him and took his hand.  He was wearing nothing but a loincloth round his waist.  The while time the cardinal was there the little child would not let go of his hand.  

As they went around he made two gestures: with one hand he pointed to his mouth, and with the other he took the cardinal's nand and rubbed it on his cheek.  

Later the cardinal said, "Here was an orphan boy who was lost and starving.  Yet by two simple gestures he indicated our two fundamental needs or hungers.  With one gesture he showed me his hunger for food, and with the other his hunger for love." 

"I have never forgotten that incident, and to this day I wonder whether that child is still alive. I remember that as I boarded the helicopter he stood and looked at me reproachfully."

[Source: Found as part of the 'homily' on a piece of photocopied paper! Not sure of the original source! Certainly not mine!]

One loaf, one bread

The celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, is a good occasion to remind ourselves of our wholeness with God.  The Christian idea of faith and fellowship is never solitary.  It seeks and IS communion. 

The description of St Paul of the Eucharist more as a loaf than a single piece of bread is a beautiful analogy.  However, very much forgotten or left out in our exposition of the Eucharist.  The body of Christ is one loaf, one bread.  We are part of that body in as much as each slice of that loaf is still the bread.  But an individual slice is not considered the 'whole' bread.  Neither can we consume the whole loaf all at once.  So even though the bread is consumed or used one slice at a time, it has its relevance and place in the whole loaf.  Apart from the slices, there is no bread.

Foot-washing as part of the Eucharist

The greatest and most surprising discovery/learning of this Holy Week reading was the fact that St John's gospel does not explicitly mention the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper.  The last passover meal of Jesus is spoken of, but not the bread-wine part.  What is mentioned is the foot-washing act.  

This comes to me as a surprise, because the Johannine gospel was used as the cornerstone for our  teaching on the Holy Eucharist during Theology.  (But I don't remember anything else of that course!).  Nonetheless perhaps John stresses the feeding of the 5000 (the only miracle common in all the four gospels) - maybe. 

However, I'd like to think of John stressing the foot-washing as a form of the Eucharist, for the one line appearing in all the four gospels with regard to the Last supper is "Do this in my memory!" Our Christian tradition has restricted the Holy communion only to the baptised, but the foot-washing is certainly the 'catholic' (of the whole world) dimension of our faith!  

Wish we really learn better to see the deep interconnectedness of these two integral elements of the Mass and live it out more practically in our lives outside the 'hour-long Mass'.  

Broken Bread

When a glass or ceramic plate falls to the ground and breaks, it breaks!  There is no pattern or fixed design that it breaks in or into.  It just turns into pieces.  To expect, something to break into symmetric and orderly pieces is irrational.

Whenever we have the community Mass, it is interesting to note how the Eucharistic bread is broken.  Fr John has told me a couple of times (in the context of using small hosts rather than the big one) that he prefers to use the big one and break it, even if that means additional work.  The theology behind it: 'breaking' of the bread. 

He took the bread, broke it, and gave it to His disciples.

So he prefers it to use the big host alone and not big and small hosts, for all partake of the same bread.  And when he breaks the bread, it is hardly in any orderly fashion.  He literally breaks it!!  There are times when I have said to myself, why not break it more 'neatly'?  Today it occurred to me that if broken, then broken!  Not divided equally! 

Most important of all, it occurred to me this morning that rather than 'see' Jesus in the Eucharist, I was looking for symmetry and order of the broken host!  I don't think, I'll stop noticing the odd shapes of the broken host, but I need to start noticing Jesus therin too!  

Sacred and supernatural

According to Prof. Tim Crane, one of the elements that links "religious impulse" and "identification" - the two essential characteristics of religion, according to him overlooked by new atheists - is the sacred.  The notion of sacred forms one of the key elements of the characteristics of religion, any religion.  He said that anything could be sacred... a person, a thing, a text, an object... anything!  But this means that there is a distinction between the sacred and the profane. 

The sacred in so far as it represents the 'transcendence' aspect and is a point of unification among the people who agree upon its being distinct from other things, especially profane things, serves as a connecting factor.  So from what I understand, a thing to be sacred has to fulfill both these criterion: represent transcendence and be a source of unity.  That broadly gives us a vague criterion of judging something as sacred or not.  So there could be something that actually reflects the transcendence but not noticed or accepted by us OR something that is socially projected but not actually sharing in the transcendence aspect of reality.  Neither of these can be called sacred(?)

But there is one thing he mentioned in passing: "...the sacred need not be the supernatural."

That set me thinking. Then I remembered the whole distinction between the sign and the symbol, especially made by Paul Ricoeur.  Am not sure if that fits in with Prof. Tim Crane's understanding of the sacred.  However, I don't think Paul Ricoeur would have serious objections to the sacred not being the supernatural.  In as much as what is considered sacred shares the 'immanent' aspect with us human beings while being the representation of the 'transcendent', that what eludes material quantification, the sacred does not become the supernatural.  And if it does turn supernatural, then it loses its immanent character.  I'm thinking of all that we consider 'sacred' within the Catholic tradition: relics, the altar, consecrated statues, churches... all are basically still natural objects or things.  Even the person of Mother Mary, as long as she was here on earth she was a human being, immanent; but now we treat her as supernatural, but she is no more with us in that immanent form as she once did.  (The only exception I can think of is the Holy Communion. Can it be classified under this: representing the sacred but not the sacred itself?)

On the other hand, there is this dilemma as to whether we need this distinction of sacred and profane at all.  After all, if we are true to our Christian tradition, there is nothing that is 'not sacred'.  Everything, however mundane it appears, is sacred.  So perhaps we can at the most speak of 'degrees of sacredness', in so far as it is ascribed to a thing by us collectively and not merely in itself being a representation of the 'trascendence'.  

Christianity - an earthy living

The scriptures and liturgy of the past few weeks make clear how deep a connection Christianity has with food.  We have Jesus eating the 'last supper' with his apostles, the symbolism of the bread and wine as his body and blood, Jesus asking for and eating fish to quell the apostles fear that he is a ghost, the readings of yesterday and today referring to Jesus as the 'bread of life', the two disciples of Emmaus recognizing Jesus at the 'breaking of the bread'...

Given these records and events, one sees the indepth connection our liturgy, our faith and tradition have with food.  It is interesting to note that the food spoke of or referred to in all these instances is not some rare delicacy but ordinary common meal stuff - bread, wine, fish.  Once again a reiteration that Christianity is not a religion of the hi-fi but the hoi polloi, of the most mundane; it is not a fashion statement or trending fad among the rich, but a very grounded and day-to-day affair. 

Furthermore our tradition and rites all have a very mundane and common day to day connection - something we need to rediscover and live.  Rather than elevate these very rites to the heights and apart from everyday living, we need to guauge the depth of our faith on the basis of our existential living rather than a ceremonial grandeur. 

Chrysostom on the Eucharist and the other

Two significant quotes of John Chrysostom that I heard today:

Would you like to honor the body of Christ you receive in the Eucharist? Do not despise the poor when you see him clothed in rags... He who said 'this is my body', has said also 'You have seen me hungry and you did not give me to eat! Whatever you have refused to do for any of these little ones, you have refused it to me also!

What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger. Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.

Eucharist and ourselves

Fr Hugh offered some reasons why we only have a small piece of bread and only a sip of bread, rather than a whole loaf of bread and a cup full of wine.  He gave two reasons:

1. That we are called to play a small role in the building of the Kingdom of God.  It is not that we are the sole builders or the total responsibility rests on our shoulders.  But in our capacity we do our bit.  The little that we partake of the bread and wine during the Eucharist is a symbol of that 'bit'. 
2. This Eucharistic meal is only a foretaste of the heavenly 'real' banquet awaiting us in heaven. 

Was all the time thinking, what if the Church had adopted the 'open field' Eucharist rather than the 'upper room' Eucharist?  Would these reasons still hold? 

Enlivening liturgy

This morning's talk of Fr Hugh was about making the Eucharistic liturgy meaningful, especially for young people and children, following the example of Don Bosco himself. I was reminded of my days in Shillong, where occasionally I would be invited to animate groups of the YCS or YSM… all school or college going youngsters. The animation would always conclude with the Holy Mass. I remember ensuring that there was always something that the group had to do during Mass, in continuation of the animation and based on the readings of the Mass. It would be some enactment (of either of the readings) or a particular hymn or some action songs, or special intercessions or some small write-up … children always loved it and remembered those activities where they felt that they were part of the liturgy, not mere passive onlookers.

The danger is to swing to either extreme: be rigid about the rubrics or be creative just for the sake of novelty!

Mass cards

During Don Bosco's time, there were prevalent the custom of Mass cards: something boys or people would use to keep track of their participation in Mass, by getting the priest to endorse the card after the Mass. Don Bosco, somehow never introduced those in the oratory or among his boys. He certainly was far ahead of his times, in recognising that Mass is something you attend out of one's own personal desire to meet the Lord rather than fulfill an obligation. As a boy he was eager to participate in Mass, receive communion, even at the expense of foregoing breakfast. He encouraged the boys to Communion, not by routine clockwork but out of a personal experience of the Eucharistic Lord.

The Holy Mass

Reflection for April 30 (Emmaus experience)

Wearied by our daily work, responsibilities, anxieties and tension, the Eucharist offers us an 'Emmaus experience'. In the Eucharist we hear His word and share His Bread. Just like the two disciples who forget all their sorrow and distress, we too are energized when we celebrate the Eucharist, irrespective of our vocation.

Reading and listening to the Gospel and choosing to partake in the Holy Eucharist are ways of saying to the Lord “Stay with us!” The act of sharing our faith with our brethren, like the two disciples, is what builds up the community, where we strengthen one another and build the Kingdom of God. The Mass thus becomes a personal spiritual revitaliser, a fellowship with others and an act of building God's Kingdom. The Mass thereby offers us a holistic revival package: spiritual, psychological, relational (personal and communitarian).

Accompaniment

Reflection for April 19

The 'Emmaus account' has a typically Salesian flavour. It is basically an excellent summary of genuine accompaniment. To be like the risen Lord who walks along with the disciples. Lovingly and patiently accompanying those entrusted to one's care, listening and responding to them in ways and idioms that they understand. At the same time always challenging them to go deeper. Spiritually it is a pilgrimage of which the centre and focal point is the encounter with the Eucharistic Lord, experienced not merely at the altar but on the dusty path, in the open. It is also an experience that becomes the springboard and launching pad for ministry even when it means hitting the road in the dark of the night, for the light is within.

Called to love and serve

Reflection for Maundy Thursday (April 13, 2017)

By washing the feet of his apostles, Jesus offers them one of his last practical lessons in apostleship: service. As this particular act goes hand in hand with the institution of the Eucharist, it also gets endorsed by the command, 'Do this in my memory'. The tradition of washing the feet of 12 persons on this day is more than a dramatization of what Jesus did at the last supper. It is to be a response to the command of humble service.

Priesthood, then is seen not merely as means of sharing love and the sacrament, but that of service too. A priest, by his very consecration, is called to love and serve. He is called to do it with and for a divine purpose, much higher than mere human respect and feelings. Unless this divine dimension is perceived by those whom we serve, we fail in our mission as apostles.

To be true to one's vocation of priesthood is to be true men of prayer and service. These two dimensions are not to be seen as different or one following the other. They are so intertwined that one flows into the other. Jesus, even in his last moments on earth, shows how deeply these two aspects are inter-related while in the Upper room.

Sacred body

Today morning's meditation was on the real presence of the Lord in the Holy Eucharist.  As Fr Samala narrated all the possible miracles of the sacred host transforming in to visible flesh and blood of the Lord, I was wondering to myself: What of the many bodies broken and shattered all for the greed of some?  Surely it would be more painful and hurting the Lord than when we are talking of particles of his sacred host falling to the ground or drops of sacred wine/blood falling on the altar.

How we can be so 'sensitive' to the dust particles of the Host and not to the visible body of a suffering human being...

Truth of the Eucharist

A Protestant Pastor and Catholic Priest were having a casual conversation and the Priest complimented the Pastor for his familiarity with the Bible and the way he cites it in his preaching. The Pastor returned the compliment saying, "I like the way you clear the altar after the Holy Communion... the way you pick up all the particles of the Eucharist and with reverence clean the chalice... as if Jesus was real!"

Mass in the open

Another delinking factor between the Church and ecological concerns is perhaps the Holy Eucharist. Or the very institution of this sacrament or the model adapted by the Church.  I've stated this earlier as well but not this dimension of it.

If only the church had adopted the scene of the feeding of the five thousand as the Eucharist model and not the last supper, we would have had the Eucharistic celebrations out in the open. Not in some well built, brightly lit and highly decorated churches.  The open meadows would have been the places of worship, the altar and the celebration.

The Church would have fought for vacant lands and greenery rather than compound walls.  Instead of competing with neighbouring villages or Parishes in rebuilding 'magnificent' churches, the ecclesial resources could have been invested in preserving the ecological balance of the neighbourhood.

The Holy Eucharist

A Protestant Pastor and a Catholic Priest were engaged in a conversation during which the Priest offered the Pastor a compliment.

I admire the way you break the Word of God and speak so passionately about the Word. 

The Pastor returned the compliment saying

I admire the way you clean up after the Mass... as if the Eucharist is the real body of Jesus Christ. 

(This was narrated by Fr Pandicherry Joseph, recalling one of Fr Loddy Pires' retreat talks, many years ago).