Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation—SacramentumCaritatis of the Holy Father Benedict XVI
To have a holistic understanding of the document SacramentumCaritatis of the Holy Father Benedict XVI it is good to tour its three parts: the first part consists of the Eucharist as a mystery to be believed; the second part, the Eucharist as a mystery to be celebrated and the last part, the Eucharist to be lived.
The first part, the Eucharist as a mystery discussed the Church’s Eucharistic faith which is rooted in the Blessed Trinity. The Eucharist who is Jesus Himself is given by the Father and made present by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Bread of Life, the Eucharist, that came from God, the Father in heaven and this Eucharist who is Jesus as the true sacrificial lamb is a free gift from the Trinity. “The Church receives, celebrates and adores this gift in faithful obedience. The "mystery of faith" is thus a mystery of Trinitarian love, a mystery in which we are called by grace to participate. We too should therefore exclaim with Saint Augustine: ‘If you see love, you see the Trinity.’”
Further, Jesus had spoken of the "new and eternal covenant" in the shedding of his blood. Jesus being recognized by John the Baptist as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29).Where it is very noticeable that this same statement, “Lamb” is always mentioned in the context of the Mass. This leads us to reflect on the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper and the great act of the Holy Spirit to make the Supper of the Lord always present in our celebration of the Mass.
The first part also elaborated the Eucharist being the source of other sacraments. The second part, the Eucharist as a mystery to be celebrated.The second part dwells on the active appreciation in the beautiful liturgy. This discusses the structure of the Eucharistic celebration, its celebrants and the people of God. It also emphasizes the importance of the adoration to the Blessed Sacrament.
The third part, the Eucharist, a mystery to be lived encourages us to live a Christian life faithful in meeting our Lord Jesus Christ every Sunday in the Mass. From the Church where we meet Jesus Christ, we are encouraged to proclaim what we have encountered—the words of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ whom we have received in the Eucharist.
====
The Eucharistic and Eschatological Part of the Document:
The document SacramentumCaritatis (no. 30-31) specifically mentions the ‘Eucharist and Eschatology.’ The document states that the Eucharist is a gift to men and women, being pilgrims, on their journey. The document tells us that in our journey, we need to move towards the right direction which is going to Jesus Christ Himself as being our goal. The Lord makes himself present to us in a special way in the Eucharistic celebration. According to the document, “Even though we remain "aliens and exiles" in this world (1 Pet 2:11), through faith we already share in the fullness of risen life.” Further, “the Eucharistic banquet, by disclosing its powerful eschatological dimension, comes to the aid of our freedom as we continue our journey.”
The document reflects on the Eschatological banquet where by Jesus’ self-gift, he objectively inaugurated the eschatological age. One of the signs, as I understood, is the gathering of the scattered people of God. This is clearly manifested in his intention to gather together the community of the covenant, in order to bring to fulfillment the promises made by God to the fathers of old. This started in his earthly ministry, in the calling of the Twelve, which is to be understood in relation to the twelve tribes of Israel, and in the command he gave them at the Last Supper. “To celebrate his memorial, Jesus showed that he wished to transfer to the entire community which he had founded the task of being, within history, the sign and instrument of the eschatological gathering that had its origin in Him.”
The document affirms that every Eucharistic celebration sacramentally accomplishes the eschatological gathering of the People of God. The Eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the prophets and described in the New Testament as "the marriage-feast of the Lamb" which is referred in Revelation 19:7-9, to be celebrated in the joy of the communion of saints.
The document also mentioned our dead brethren who went ahead of us. The Eucharistic celebration, in which we proclaim that Christ has died and risen, and will come again, is a pledge of the future glory in which our bodies too will be glorified. In the celebration of the memorial of our salvation our hope in the resurrection of the body and in the possibility of meeting once again, face to face, those who have gone before us marked with the sign of strengthen faith. Pope Benedict XVI stressed the importance of prayers for the dead, especially the offering of Mass for them, “so that, once purified, they can come to the beatific vision of God.” This is a rediscovery of the eschatological dimension inherent in the Eucharist, celebrated and adored, that will help sustain us on our journey and comfort us in the hope of glory.
Following the section that deals the eschatological dimension of the Eucharist is the treatment with Mary being the innagurator of Church’s participation in the sacrifice of the redeemer. According to the document, “She is the Immaculata, who receives God's gift unconditionally and is thus associated with his work of salvation. Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church, is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift that Jesus makes of himself in the Eucharist.”
The document reflects on the Eschatological banquet where by Jesus’ self-gift, he objectively inaugurated the eschatological age. One of the signs, as I understood, is the gathering of the scattered people of God. This is clearly manifested in his intention to gather together the community of the covenant, in order to bring to fulfillment the promises made by God to the fathers of old. This started in his earthly ministry, in the calling of the Twelve, which is to be understood in relation to the twelve tribes of Israel, and in the command he gave them at the Last Supper. “To celebrate his memorial, Jesus showed that he wished to transfer to the entire community which he had founded the task of being, within history, the sign and instrument of the eschatological gathering that had its origin in Him.”
The document affirms that every Eucharistic celebration sacramentally accomplishes the eschatological gathering of the People of God. The Eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the prophets and described in the New Testament as "the marriage-feast of the Lamb" which is referred in Revelation 19:7-9, to be celebrated in the joy of the communion of saints.
The document also mentioned our dead brethren who went ahead of us. The Eucharistic celebration, in which we proclaim that Christ has died and risen, and will come again, is a pledge of the future glory in which our bodies too will be glorified. In the celebration of the memorial of our salvation our hope in the resurrection of the body and in the possibility of meeting once again, face to face, those who have gone before us marked with the sign of strengthen faith. Pope Benedict XVI stressed the importance of prayers for the dead, especially the offering of Mass for them, “so that, once purified, they can come to the beatific vision of God.” This is a rediscovery of the eschatological dimension inherent in the Eucharist, celebrated and adored, that will help sustain us on our journey and comfort us in the hope of glory.
Following the section that deals the eschatological dimension of the Eucharist is the treatment with Mary being the innagurator of Church’s participation in the sacrifice of the redeemer. According to the document, “She is the Immaculata, who receives God's gift unconditionally and is thus associated with his work of salvation. Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church, is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift that Jesus makes of himself in the Eucharist.”
No comments:
Post a Comment