Synod - 06Oct - The Trinitarian, Marian, and Ecclesiological dimension of the Eucharist

Vatican Press Office ^ | October 6, 2005 | Card. Ignace Moussa I DAOUD

[NYer]

- H. Em. Card. Ignace Moussa I DAOUD, Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Chuches (VATICAN CITY)

In this intervention I will focus on the Trinitarian, Marian, and Ecclesiological dimension of the Eucharist, with reference to Nos. 28 and 77 of the Instrumentum Laboris.
But I would like to start, giving honour to the Holy Bishop Ignatius of Antioch, remarkable Eucharistic master, whose name I carry as Patriarch Emeritus, with a quote from his letter to the Ephesians. With joy I have also seen it in the Instrumentum Laboris (n. 23 and note 40). It is brief but very famous: “Every one of you, man by man, in Christian grace, in one faith and one Jesus Christ, who, after the flesh was of David’s race, Son of Man and Son of God, be intimately united in obeying the Bishop and the Presbytery College, breaking one bread, which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote that we should not die but live forever in Jesus Christ” (St. Ignatius Epistle to the Ephesians 20: 2).Of Catholic Eucharistic doctrine I will underline first of all the Trinitarian dimension.

We receive the holy Eucharist from the Heavenly Father who sent his Son; from the Son who was incarnated and offered Himself in sacrifice on the cross; from the Holy spirit who came over Mary and who sanctifies the bread and the wine in the Eucharistic celebration. Without the action of the Most Holy Trinity we would not have the Incarnation, Redemption, Eucharist nor Communion.

Then the Marian Dimension.

We receive the gift of the Eucharist from the hands of Mary also. God has disposed that, thanks to her, the Incarnation, Redemption, the Eucharist and Communion would reach us. Mary was the first to receive in her womb the Body and the Blood of Christ. The Incarnation was the first Communion of history. The first tabernacle was her immaculate heart. Syrian liturgy invokes Mary, who carries in her womb the Baby Jesus, calling her “second heaven”. Before any apostle or priest it is Mary who gives Jesus to the world. Mary and the Eucharist cannot be disassociated.
Finally, the Ecclesiological dimension of the Eucharistic mystery.

Only closely united to Mary can the Church, make the Lord Jesus present through the celebration of the Eucharist, to give Him to all “so they may have life and have it to the full” (cf. Jn 10: 10) We receive the Eucharist from the Church as well. The Eucharist is the heart of the Church, but at the same time it is the Church that celebrates the Eucharist through the Ministers ordained for this. The Eucharistic encounter with the Lord makes fraternal communion grow with those who form part of the Catholic community, gathered around the Successor of Peter and his brothers in the Episcopate, opening horizons of communion as well with the Pastors and faithful of the other Churches and Christian Communities. The Trinitarian, Marian and Ecclesiological dimensions of the Holy Eucharist are so at the heart of the Oriental traditions, that see there the surest way to the unity so longed for with all brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am delighted with and grateful for the participation of the ecumenical delegates in our Synodal journey, and I ask the Lord to fulfill the wish that opens the Instrumentum Laboris “...if the Catholic Church is said to breathe with two lungs—and for this, we render thanks to Divine Providence—she also awaits the blessed day when such spiritual richness can be extended and revived in full, visible union with those Eastern Churches, who, in the absence of full communion, profess in great part the same faith in the mystery of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.” (Preface of the Instrumentum Laboris)”.

[John O]

They lack the profound reflection of countless theologians and simple christians who have reflected on the role Mary played in our Salvation. Indeed, she was the first to carry the "Bread and Wine" of our Salvation. Her womb was the first Tabernacle.

I'll be brief as gamarob1 has already spoken the truth here.

Mary was just an ordinary woman who was chosen to bear the Christ. Any other interpretation contradicts scripture. Mary was a sinner.

Now, Why do you even bother pinging us protestants to these threads if all you are going to do is flame bait? We have better things to do than argue with you about these things. You will not change and neither will we. As I believe that you honor Jesus as your personal savior we'll have plenty of time to sort out this trivia when we get to heaven. Until then drop it. Lets get people saved instead of wasting time on trivia. (How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?)

[gamarob1]

Well said in all points, John O.

Mary needed Jesus' salvation as much as all of us. And you're also right, it's better to preach the gospel than to get wrapped up in this sort of thing

[NYer]

Why do you even bother pinging us protestants

I pinged only you. You were baptized Catholic.

"Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit." Jn 3:5

[NYer]

Mary was a sinner.

"The Most Holy Virgin Mary was, in the first moment of her conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin."  (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854)

Mary's sinlessness is not for her own sake, but for Jesus' sake.  She had to be holy in order to be a worthy vessel for her utterly holy Son.  So this doctrine upholds the holiness and deity of Christ.

Since Jesus Himself preserved her, Mary's sinlessness depends completely upon Him.  He is the Savior of all humanity, Mary included.  By preserving her from all sin, Jesus shows us that He can indeed save "to the uttermost" (Hebrews 7:25).

On the other hand, were Jesus born of a sinner as you claim, that would mean either

a) the Savior could not save His own Mother from contracting sin or
b) He refused to honor His Mother in every way he could.

So Jesus would be either a weak Savior or a trangressor of His own Commandment to "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12). The Immaculate Conception is clearly a belief which exalts Jesus!

[Kolokotronis]

"The difficult situation in which the Eucharist lies, is also a consequence of the lack of theological-dogmatic orientation. What is missing is a link which confers unity to the aspects of the Eucharist: epiclesis, anamnesis, koinonia and prosphora; the real presence, sacrifice and communion; forms of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Word, in the sacramental gifts, in the community and in the priest."

Encouraging words from a Latin Rite hierarch, NYer!

[Kolokotronis]

"A circumlocution is used because there is no superlative in the Greek language."

Where did this idea come from? Greek most certainly does have a superlative form.

[gamarob1]

You're gonna take the word of some pope over the Word of God? There's no point in continuing this discussion...

[John O]

I pinged only you. You were baptized Catholic.

If I was born in a garage would that make me an automobile?

You act as if Roman Catholicism is like islam. Once a moslem always a moslem. Well friend it doesn't work that way. I am no more catholic than I am Jewish and truth be told as a Christian I have a closer connection to being Jewish, grafted in as it were than I do to Catholicism.

Christianity is a voluntary turning of the heart away from sin and toward God. Babies cannot do that.

[John O]

"The Most Holy Virgin Mary was, in the first moment of her conception, by a unique gift of grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin." (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854)

Ro 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (KJV. Emphasis mine)

God trumps pope. Mary was a sinner. If she wasn't then why did Jesus need to come here at all? Mary could have died for our sins if she was perfect. The fact that Jesus came to earth to die tells us that no one else was perfect enough to be that sacrifice

[lightman]

Not all Protestants have ignored the close association of Mary, Jesus, and the Eucharist.

A United Methodist (!) eucharistic canon for Christmas expresses the eastern thought magnificently:

"As your Word became flesh,
born of a woman,
on that night long ago,
so in the night
in which he was betrayed
our Lord Jesus took bread,
and gave thanks,
broke it,
and gave it to his disciples
saying....."

[NYer]

That is quite beautiful; thank you for sharing it.

In the Maronite Catholic Church, as the offerings are carried up, we chant:

Halleluia
I Myself am Bread of Life, the Lord declared
From on high, I came to earth to bring the world,
Life from the Father
Pure word without flesh and like a grain of the finest wheat.
Mary's womb became for me a fertile garden,
Now priests carry me aloft, up to the altars.
Hallelulia. Accept our off'rings.