Wednesday, June 27, 2007
The practice of Eucharistic Adoration
(From Sacramentum Caritatis by H.H. Pope Benedict XVI)
With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily recommend to the Church's pastors and to the People of God the practice of Eucharistic Adoration, both individually and in community. (194) Great benefit would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the importance of this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience the liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to set aside specific churches or oratories for perpetual adoration. I also recommend that, in their catechetical training, and especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and helped to cultivate a sense of awe before his presence in the Eucharist.
Here I would like to express appreciation and support for all those Institutes of Consecrated Life whose members dedicate a significant amount of time to eucharistic adoration. In this way they give us an example of lives shaped by the Lord's real presence. I would also like to encourage those associations of the faithful and confraternities specifically devoted to eucharistic adoration; they serve as a leaven of contemplation for the whole Church and a summons to individuals and communities to place Christ at the centre of their lives.
Forms of eucharistic devotion
68. The personal relationship which the individual believer establishes with Jesus present in the Eucharist constantly points beyond itself to the whole communion of the Church and nourishes a fuller sense of membership in the Body of Christ. For this reason, besides encouraging individual believers to make time for personal prayer before the Sacrament of the Altar, I feel obliged to urge parishes and other church groups to set aside times for collective adoration. Naturally, already existing forms of eucharistic piety retain their full value. I am thinking, for example, of processions with the Blessed Sacrament, especially the traditional procession on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Forty Hours devotion, local, national and international Eucharistic Congresses, and other similar initiatives. If suitably updated and adapted to local circumstances, these forms of devotion are still worthy of being practised today. (195
Labels: Adoration, Adoration/Holy Hour, Altar, Catechesis, Catholic Belief, Corpus Christi, Devotion/Devotionals, Eucharist, Holy Father, Sacramentum Caritatis
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Reflections: Feast of Corpus Christi
Some of my reflections:
- There is no point for Jesus to come, suffer, die and rise if the Eucharist is just a piece of bread.
- We are the body and blood of Christ whether we know it or not.
- The priest is asked to sanctify the gifts of bread and wine to make it acceptable to become the body and blood of Christ.
- The priest's action of sanctifying isn't only for the gifts but for us also; so that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit to become one body in Christ.
- It does not make sense for us to honor the Body of Christ if we do not see the Christ in one another.
- We can be transformed into the Body of Christ; put on the service garments of Christ.
- We do not need to worry about provision if we function truly as part of the Body of Christ. God will provide if our intentions are true for the cause of the Gospel
- We attend Mass each week because we want to become more like Christ; conformed to His precepts, etc...
Labels: Corpus Christi, Eucharist, Reflections, Thoughts
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Photos: Corpus Christi Mass 2007
Happy Feast Day!
My sister took these photos with her Nokia mobile from the pew while I served the Mass at Saint Joseph's Church. Enjoy!
My sister took these photos with her Nokia mobile from the pew while I served the Mass at Saint Joseph's Church. Enjoy!
Was the Crucifer for Corpus Christi Mass today; taken before the procession.
My brother servers preparing the incense before the procession.
Rector, Rev. Fr. Michael Teo with the monstrance; the monstrance's about 8-9 decades old.
The canopy was held by 6 Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.
Benediction; apologies for the blurred snapshot.Labels: Altar Serving, Benediction, Corpus Christi, Eucharist, Liturgy, Photos, Processions
Saturday, June 9, 2007
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” John 6: 53-55 This Sunday, Catholics celebrate Corpus Christi or the Body Christ. On this day we celebrate the one, true, and eternal gift of Christ to man- His Most precious Body.
"Man should tremble, the earth should quake, all Heaven should be deeply moved when the Son of God appears on the Altar in the hands of the priest," says St. Francis of Assisi. How many times do we take the Eucharist for granted by making unworthy communions? How many times have we forgotten Christ's presence in the Tabernacle by not genuflecting, not refraining from dressing inappropriately, etc...? "Yesterday," says St. Gemma Galgani, "on approaching the Most Blessed Sacrament, I felt myself burning and I had to withdraw. I am astounded that so many who receive Jesus are not reduced to ashes." Thus we must remember that we cannot presume to come to the Lord's table to receive Him... it is only by His grace that we are able to gather together to share in the Sacred Meal.
Jesus shows His greatest love by allowing His sacrifice to be perpetuated daily throughout all the Altars in the world. Just imagine, the Son of the Most High God is made present- in flesh- each day, at any given moment throughout the world! This great love was what made St. Padre Pio proclaim, "It would be easier for the world to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." St. John Vianney tells of the marvelous love of Jesus in the Eucharist: "The man who receives Holy Communion loses himself in God like a drop of water in the ocean; it is impossible to seperate them anymore... In these vast depths of love, there's enough to lose yourself for all eternity."
There are three elements to the instituition of this feast: - Instituted on account of the greatness of the divine mystery;
- the unbelief of those who denied the truth of this mystery;
- and the revelation made to some pious persons
Pope Urban IV, who established this feast explains, "although we daily, in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass; renew the memory of this holy Sacrament, we believe that we must, besides, solemnly commemorate it every year, to put the unbelievers to shame; and because vie have been informed that God has revealed to some pious persons that this festival should be celebrated in the whole Church, we direct that on the first Thursday after the octave of Pentecost the faithful shall assemble in church, join with the priests in singing the word of God."
The above mentioned revelations were made by our Lord to a nun at Liege, named Sr. Juliana, and to her devout friends Eve and Isabella.
Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine explains that the grand processions held on Corpus Christi "as a public profession of our holy faith that Christ is really, truly and substantially present in this Blessed Sacrament; for a public reparation of all the injuries, irreverence, and offences, which have been and are committed by impious men against Christ in this Blessed Sacrament; for the solemn veneration and adoration due to the Son of God in this Sacrament; in thanksgiving for its institution; and for all the graces and advantages received therefrom; and finally, to draw down the divine blessing upon the people and the country."
There are 'two liftings' in this world, one was the lifting of the wood of the cross where Jesus showed the depth of His love for us, the other lifting in in the monstrance, we we show the depth of our love for Jesus. St. Alphonsus Liguori teaches us that "of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us."
Never be ashamed to kneel intimatley before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to offer Him praise and thanksgiving and "remember that he has been waiting for you for twenty centuries" (St. Josemaria Escriva). For each time you humble yourself to adore God under the appearance of bread, the head of satan will be crushed!
Never forget that Jesus loves you! The Divine Lover of souls "would rise again to be our perpetual Host of propitiation, the Host of our Communion, the Host of our Adoration," (St. Peter Julian Eymard) so that we may be brought to His feet.
In Corpus et Sanguinis Christi,
J-PDM
Corpus Christi 2007
Acknowledgements/References:
1962 Roman Missal by Angelus Press
Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's Church Year
Quotes from Children of Mary
A Solemn Reflection on the Body and Blood of Christ:
Labels: Catholic Belief, Corpus Christi, Eucharist, Liturgy
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