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 dont believe. You dont believe that the Eucharist IS the Risen Christ.
You just dont 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.
I finally saw the small print down there; with the numbers written out instead of being Arabic.
Or...
No, I worship and venerate the God whose word's they are.
Ha! Ya just can't make this stuff up!!
Concur
Thanks to you both; Is it not amazing and profound, that a Catholic brother or sister, even a lapsed or rebellious one, would still have the imprint and concern to warn another pilgrim in the mountain passes from the slippery precipice lest he stray and fall ?
And those supposed "church fathers" certainly have their disciples here on FR.
I sense these Novenas are beginning to bear fruit.
Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Now please show an infallible source that proves that what the Catholic Church teaches as "tradition" is exactly what the apostles taught.
Prayers to Mary from http://www.marypages.com/PrayerstoMary.htm
Morning Consecration to Mary
My Queen, My Mother, I offer
myself entirely to thee.
And to show my devotion to thee,
I offer thee this day, my eyes,
my ears, my mouth, my heart,
my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard
me as thy property and possession.
Amen.
My Queen, my Mother, I give myself entirely to thee, and to show my devotion to thee, I consecrate to thee this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore good Mother as I am thine own, keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession.
Amen.
Secondary ey?
And by the same logic used to make the Mass ongoing sin offering, "the same sacrifice with that of the cross" "the most powerful atonement for your sins" "no less truly today than occurred on the cross," (sources ) then one could hold that Christ is forever being born, and is and will be forever coming again.
Which makes a mockery of or as meaningless all the events in Scripture.
directs traffic in Springfield, Illinois, all with equal ease. :) Praise His mighty name! So be it
Indeed. Yet in RC theology, the mere fact that God could do something is reason for them to assert as doctrine things which Scripture nowhere says He did.
-— Now please show an infallible source that proves that what the Catholic Church teaches as “tradition” is exactly what the apostles taught. -—
The Church is “the pillar and foundation of truth,” protecting Apostolic Tradition, as handed down “by word of mouth or by letter.”
“if he won’t listen to the church, treat him as a pagan or tax collector.” —Jesus
Of course, this argument rests on the inerrancy of Scripture, which would have to have come from an infallible church.
Church infallibility can be proven with moral certainty by simply treating the New Testament as a historical document, so the argument is not circular.
Google “Jimmy Akin spiral argument” for the details
Not being able to show that what the Catholic Church teaches is what the apostles taught is "listening to one truth"? Catholics can't prove that what they teach is what the apostles taught. The "one truth" is what the apostles taught NOT what the Catholics teach.
Obedience is required.
Has anyone said otherwise??
Believing in anything/anyone other than Jesus does not save you.
The Bible is clear on this.
Creeds mean nothing to Him. We do not see Paul, Peter, James, etc teaching the new believers the "apostles creed".
Faith does. Check out Hebrews 11 and you'll get the idea.
Perhaps not, but then again perhaps so. Arianism is still around us in the JWs and we've got at least one Arian on the RF, although I can't remember who he is... he doesn't run around shouting "OH look I'm an Arian booga-booga-booga" but he's an Arian.
Did Athanasius defend his Christology from Scripture alone?
BTW, check out boatbums homepage. You'll find that she's not a he either.
Prots get bent out of shape about this, but it is okay for prots to refer to me as an *it*. Kind of hypocritical of them I would say and not a very good witness to Christ.
John 3:16 is the "once upon a time" (No I am not calling the Bible a fairy tale, follow the analogy). You still need the rest of the story until you get to the "happily ever after" (heaven).
The creed(s) is what leads to that. They are the defense against Arius etal.
Once upon a time.....really?
Creeds mean nothing to God. Faith does.
Guess Abraham comes up short as he had only faith and no creed to go buy. Same with all the others in Hebrews 11.
Never saw where Peter required Cornelius to learn a creed before he was saved. Nor was that what was preached on the day of Pentecost.
>>protecting Apostolic Tradition, as handed down by word of mouth or by letter.<<
You can't prove that what the Catholic Church teaches is exactly what the apostles taught. Show where the apostles taught the assumption of Mary for instance.
I agree completely. I could shout the Nicene Creed from the minarets of the hagia sophia and if I have no faith when the muslims come to lop my head off I'll go to hell. However...
The Creeds help teach us how to interpret Sacred Scripture:
"I believe in One God..." resolves lots of problems people had with understanding the Blessed Trinity. It doesn't answer all the questions and objections that have arisen since but it eliminated what was prevalent at the time.
Infallible source? That would be the Church, because She has authority from God and the power from the Holy Spirit to settle disputes and establish true doctrines. And the infallible way we know that, is from infallible Holy Scripture.
"You are Peter; and upon this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. - Matt. 16:18
"The Church of the living God, the Pillar and Foundation of the Truth." - 1 Timothy 3:5
"If they refuse to listen even to the Church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector." - Matthew 18:17
"However when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak from Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come." John 16:13
"He that heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth Me, and he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me. -Luke 10:16
I've go a pretty good hunch that these will be ignored, minimized, and explained away by many; but there are, perhaps, lurkers, who can read Scripture with unclouded eyes and get the gist of it: for them I write.
As for you, my dear old CynicalBear, the Lord be with you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.