Corups Christi and the meaning of the Eucharist

The Feast of Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ as it is more commonly called today, is celebrated on Sunday, June 14.  Traditionally, this celebration is held on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday; however, in the U.S. as well as some other countries, the feast has been moved to the following Sunday.  This feast day is one that all Catholics should hold dear to their hearts.  It is the day that we celebrate the gift of Jesus truly present in the Eucharist.  As Catholics, this should be the most important part of our faith.  As you have heard me say MANY times in Sunday school, it is the basis and reason for Holy Mass each Sunday and each weekday.  Too many times the Eucharist is focused on as just a part of the Church and it should really be focused on as THE part of the Church.  Because of this loss of focus, I think that the meaning and significance of this truly great gift has been put aside and even lost.  It has just become mixed in with every other teaching.  

I was having a conversation with someone this week concerning receiving communion.  I'm sure we as Catholics all know that only Catholics who are not in a state of mortal sin may receive the Eucharist.  The Catholic Church does not have an "open communion" as some churches do where anyone, including non-baptized persons, can receive communion.  The reason that we do not have an "open communion" is the fact that Catholics believe that the Eucharist is not a symbol of the Lord's Supper but the Eucharist is TRULY the Body & Blood of Jesus Christ.  It is NOT a symbol!!!!!  

Sometimes this is hard for many people to accept, especially Protestant denominations.  Protestants, with the exception of high church Anglicans (sometimes called Anglo-Catholic Anglicans), do not believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist.  (I do want to quickly clarify that the Anglican church is NOT in communion with the Catholic Church even though some believe in transubstantiation.  The reason for this is that Apostolic succession was broken when the King of England appointed his own bishops, but that is a whole other topic!)  Also, for this same reason of theological differences, Catholics are not to receive communion in another church other than a Latin Rite Catholic Church or an Orthodox Church (if no Latin Rite is available) because a Protestant church's communion is not a valid communion.

Here are some other points of note regarding how we as Catholics should show our love for the Eucharist.

• Have you ever noticed how different people enter the pews before Mass and how they leave the pew after Mass?  Some genuflect, some bow, some don't do anything.  After researching this a bit (and also thanks to some great teachers in RCIA at St. Mary's) I learned the proper way(s) to enter the pew in a Catholic Church.  If it is physically possible to do so, one should genuflect TOWARDS the tabernacle before entering and after exiting the pew.  For example, if you enter the nave at St. Mary's and you are sitting next to the center aisle on the right (I'm using where I sit as an example), before entering your pew you would turn slightly to the left toward the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and genuflect.  I'm sure you have seen many people genuflect toward the sanctuary and the altar, right?  The reasoning behind this is that traditionally the tabernacle which houses the Blessed Sacrament was kept in the sanctuary front and center, so it is a common habit for people to continue to genuflect toward the front of the church.  But if you wanted to be completely proper regarding it, you would always genuflect or profoundly bow if genuflection is not possible, toward the tabernacle.  However, I have been in some more "modern" Catholic Churches where the tabernacle is kept a good distance from the altar or in an awkward place (such as when the Blessed Sacrament chapel is off to the side of the narthex). (I'll save my opinion of modern architecture in Catholic Churches for later.)  If you ever find yourself in this situation, it is proper to simply give a profound bow (or bow at the waist) to the altar.  Boy, I didn't mean for that to become that long!
• Now on to reception of the Eucharist.  Traditionally, the faithful received the Eucharist kneeling at the altar rail.  However, after Vatican II when the Novus Ordo Mass was introduced, many churches removed the altar rail because communion was now given with the faithful standing in lines as we do at St. Mary's.  However, it is still allowed to receive the Eucharist while kneeling (you'll see some at St. Mary's do this as well as if you watch Mass on EWTN).  One cannot be refused communion while kneeling either.  Also it is proper to give a sign of reverence before receiving communion.  In most cases this is dictated by the local bishop and is usually either a profound bow or a simple bow of the head/sign of the cross.  If it does not interrupt the flow of the faithful to receive communion, then one may also genuflect.  These signs of reverence were indicated in the document Eucharisticum Mysterium on May 25, 1967 and were also reiterated by Pope John Paul II's ordering the document Inaestimabile Donum on April 3, 1980.  Also there are two acceptable ways to receive communion in the United States.  One is the traditional way of on the tongue and the other is in the hand.  It should be noted that communion on the tongue is the Universal Church's way of receiving the Eucharist and in most countries with the exception of the U.S. and some others, it is still done this way.  The USCCB received permission for the faithful in the U.S. to receive in the hand.  A communicant can also not be refused communion for wanting to receive on the tongue.  Most parishes in the U.S. have pretty much adopted the custom of receiving in the hand, but many, like St. Mary's, have parishioners who receive either way.  Just to give you a real life example, I'll use myself.  When I am traveling, I normally ask or observe what the normal custom of reception of the Eucharist is.  At St. Mary's, I sometimes receive on the tongue and sometimes in the hand.  The first time I received communion on the tongue I was at Assumption Catholic Church in Nashville.  This is a very old, beautiful, and VERY traditional Catholic Church.  After entering the church and saying my prayers, I observed the regular parishoners for a bit.  Most were dressed in their Sunday best (suits and ties for the men and almost all the women wore a dress/skirt).  Many of the women wore chapel veils and mantillas or another type of head covering.  So I knew immediately that this was a very traditional parish.  And I was correct, so I felt that it was better that I receive on the tongue.  And to be quite honest, I was REALLY nervous!!  But it turned out fine and in fact, I prefer receiving on the tongue and most of the time when we are traveling, I do.  If I attend a Mass in the Extraordinary Form (aka the Traditional Latin Mass) I make sure that I remember to wear a head covering, a skirt/dress, and to remember that I will be receiving the Eucharist kneeling at the rail and receiving it on the tongue.  But if you are at a Mass in the Ordinary Form/Novus Ordo (like we have at St. Mary's) then either way that you choose to receive communion, whether it is in the hand or on the tongue, is acceptable.   The only thing you need to remember is that you are to receive with reverence. 

I hope that some of this has helped you, and I'm sorry that this particular post happened to be so long but the Eucharist and reverence for it is something that I'm very passionate about.  And most of you probably have noticed that I tend to lean toward really traditional Catholic views (so I apologize if I step on any toes), but I do try to make sure I get you all the correct information on anything I tell you.  But please feel free to ask me about anything I've mentioned in this particular blog or on any blog.  

So here's my challenge for you this week, think about what the Eucharist means to you.  Do you feel you have enough reverence for Christ's True Body & Blood?  Do you feel you don't?  Either way, why don't we try to spend some more time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament or simply say the following prayer after communion or any time we want to feel closer to Jesus in the Eucharist:

The Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me 

Body of Christ, save me 

Blood of Christ, inebriate me 

Water from Christ's side, wash me 

Passion of Christ, strengthen me 

O good Jesus, hear me 

Within Thy wounds hide me 

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee 

From the malicious enemy defend me 

In the hour of my death call me 

And bid me come unto Thee 

That I may praise Thee with Thy saints 

and with Thy angels 

Forever and ever 

Amen 

The Holy Trinity

One of the most mysterious beliefs of Christians, both Catholic & most Protestant Christians, is the Holy Trinity.  Just what do we mean when we say God exists in three persons as Father, Son, & Holy Spirit?  This mystery has been discussed for 2,000 years and it even attributed to the Eastern Schism where the Eastern and Western Churches separated.  To quote the Catholic Answers article on the Trinity:

"The doctrine of the Trinity is encapsulated in Matthew 28:19, where Jesus instructs the apostles: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' The parallelism of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is not unique to Matthew’s Gospel, but appears elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., 2 Cor. 13:14, Heb. 9:14), as well as in the writings of the earliest Christians, who clearly understood them in the sense that we do today—that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three divine persons who are one divine being (God)."

There are many places in the Scriptures where the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit are mentioned in some way.  But does that help most of us understand it?  Probably not, but I'm sure we all still believe in the Trinity.  We have to remember that believing in a mystery, which is what the Trinity is, does not mean that we are believing in something illogical.  We are just believing in something that there is no possible way to understand completely, in this case it is God.  

Jason Evert, host of several EWTN shows and also a Catholic author, explains how the Trinity can be one God in the following way:  "All persons are beings, but not all beings are persons. For example, you are one being and one person. But a dog is one being and zero persons. With regard to the Trinity, there is one being, which is God, yet there are there Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not illogical. If one were to say that there is one God and three Gods, or one Person and three Persons—that would be illogical. But one Being and three Persons is not a contradiction."

If you're like me, you probably still don't fully understand the Trinity, and that's perfectly ok!  We, as human beings, don't have the full capacity to understand everything God puts before us; however, as Catholic Christians we still believe that there is a Trinity and that it is made up of God as the Father, Jesus as the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

If anyone would like more information on the Trinity and some good Catholic articles discussing the Trinity, here is a link to a search of the Catholic Answers website.  It should give you tons of information regarding the Trinity.

You say ag-nus, I say ah-nyoos...

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J.M.J.

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I'm sure many of you have noticed that we've started using some Latin in Mass lately.  The title of this post is referring to the word agnus in Latin, which means "lamb" in English.  The Agnus Dei or Lamb of God is one of the parts of the Liturgy we have started to say or sing in Latin.  So, I thought I might help some of you out with a little Latin lesson.  After some internet research, I was able to find some charts of how to pronounce the Latin used in the Mass.

Ecclesiastical Latin (or Liturgical Latin) is different from the Latin you might learn in high school; it's basically Latin with an Italian accent (and a few other differences), the way Latin has been pronounced since around the 3rd and 4th centuries. It's actually pretty easy to pronounce as the rules are few and have so much in common with English and modern Italian.  Latin is, after all, where most of our English words came from!  As a general rule, just set your mouth to speak Italian, with the slightly trilled "R," and pronounce every vowel and consant you see the same way an Italian would, with few exceptions. Vowels with acute accent marks are "long vowels."

Vowel Sounds (watch the accents!):

A     like the A in "facility"  

Á     AH, like the A in "father"

E     EH, like the E in "met"  

É     AY like the AY in "may"

I      I like the I in "hit"  

Í      EE, like the I in "machine"

O    O like the O in "loss"           

Ó     O, like the O in "for"

U    U like the U in "put"  

Ú     OO, like the U in "Jude"

Y & Diphthongs 

Y EE, like Y in "family"

Æ EH, like E in "met"

EI AY, like EI in "reign"

ΠEH, like E in "met"

AU AH-oo, almost like OU in "mouse"


The consonants sound the same as in English for the most part, with the following exceptions:
 

Before e, i, ae, oe and y: 

These letters
become soft:

C CH as in "cherry"

CC TCH as in "matching"

SC SH as in "ship"

G G as in "gentle"

More tricks: 

• T + vowel and preceded 
by any letter other than S, T, X TS as in "Betsy"
(ex., "gratia" is pronounced "grah-tsee-ah," but "modestia" is pronounced "moh-des-tee-ah")
  
• TH T as in "thyme"
  
• GN NY as in canyon, or like the Spanish ñ
  
• CH K as in "Christ"
  
• X After an E or followed by a vowel, X sounds like GS, as in "exam";  Followed by a consonant, or at the end of a word, X sounds like KS, as in "tax"
• R very slightly roll the R, touching the tip of your tongue to the top and front of your palate, making almost a slight D sound, like a Scottish R
  
• V V sounds like the English "V", not like "W" as in Classical Latin
  
• H silent except for two words, where it sounds like a guttural, German "CH" or K sound as in "ich" or "key": nihil and mihi
  
• J Y, as in "young" (J is usually replaced with an I, as in "Iesus" for "Jesus")
  
• Z pronounce like "ds"
  
• Double consonants are each pronounced, but it comes off sounding like a single letter that is held just a tad longer, the same way the L's in the word "tailless" are held longer, but each pronounced so quickly they could almost be mistaken for one sound 
  


What Syllable to Accent:

• Two syllables: 
Accent the first syllable


  
• Three or more syllables: 
If the next to the last syllable has a long vowel sound, accent that syllable

If the next to the last syllable has a short vowel sound, accent the syllable before it

Often Mispronounced Words

• magnificat: mah-nyee-fee-caht
• agnus dei: ah-nyoos day-ee
• ecce: etch-ay
• excelsis: eks-chel-sis
• Nihil Obstat: Ni-khil ohb-staht
• Hostia: Oh-stee-uh
• homo: oh-moh
• dignum: di-nyoom
• justum: yoo-stoom

I hope that this may help some of you who were asking about Latin pronunciations.  What helped me learn some Latin was watching EWTN's Masses and the Papal audiences, which both use Latin frequently.  Another way I was able to pick up on some Latin was attending First Saturday Adoration, where many times Father Kirk or Father Anthony would use Latin during Exposition and Benediction.  You can also buy many books on how to speak Latin; it is a truly beautiful language.

Also, I'll include the Sign of the Cross and the Agnus Dei in Latin and English so you can practice

The Sign of the Cross / Signum Crucis
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Lamb of God / Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem.

Catholic apologist Peter Kreeft to speak at Lambuth

I thought you all might be interested in this. Peter Kreeft, a noted Catholic apologist and author, will be speaking at Lambuth University in April. Here is the schedule of events & contact information.

Defending the Faith With Peter Kreeft, Ph.D.

Join us at Lambuth University as Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., offers his arguments for faith. Dr. Kreeft is a noted author, authority on C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, professor of philosophy at Boston College and defender of the Christian faith. Dr. Kreeft is considered one of the foremost Christian Philosophers and has published nearly fifty books. Dr. Kreeft’s visit to Lambuth is sponsored by the Jane Hyde Scott Center for Christian Studies.

Friday, April 17, 5:30 p.m. – Wilder Student Union, special RSVP dinner with Dr. Kreeft. Intimate discussion of "The Culture Wars." Cost for this event is $30. Reply by April 9.

Friday, April 17, 7 p.m. – R. E. Womack Memorial Chapel, keynote lecture: "Why We Should Defend the Faith." Book signing to follow.

Saturday, April 18, 8:30 a.m. – R. E. Womack Memorial Chapel, early session lecture: "Moral Relativism" Coffee and meet and greet beginning at 8 a.m.

Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m. – late session lecture: "A Defense of Christ’s Resurrection"

There will be a question and answer session with Dr. Kreeft between lectures on Saturday. The general public is admitted free to all lectures. For more information or to make reservations, contact Steven Fonville, Chaplain, at 731-425-3340 or fonville@lambuth.edu, or mail checks payable to Lambuth University to: Lambuth University, Office of the Chaplain, Box 954, Jackson, TN 38301.

What about fasting & abstinence?

Catholics today are sometimes confused about what fasting and abstinence are.  So I thought that this would be a good time to sort of define it all!

In the Latin Church, abstinence means refraining from eating the meat from mammals or fowl, and soup or gravy made from them. Fish is allowed, hence Fridays are known as "Fish Fridays." Traditionally, the laws of abstinence apply to all aged 7 and over, but the new Code of Canon Law applies it to all who have completed their 14th year.

Fasting is the taking of only one full meal (which may include meat as long as abstinence is not expected) and two smaller, meatless meals that don't equal the large one meal. No eating between meals is allowed, but water, milk tea, cofee, and juices are OK. Meat is allowed at one meal (assuming abstience isn't also expected on a given day). Traditionally, everyone over 21 years of age and under 59 years of age is bound to observe the law of fast; but the present Code of Canon Law sets the ages of 18 and 59 as the limits.

Days of penance and/or abstinence:  Fridays of the year are traditionaly days of penance & abstinence (see Can. 1251 below), but it is up to the local bishop as to whether or not the faithful of his diocese must abstain from meat. Here in the Diocese of Memphis, we are NOT required to abstain from meat on every Friday of the year, but we ARE required to abstain on the Fridays of Lent:

The following is from the 1983 Code of Canon Law regarding fasting & abstinence as well as the requirements for days of penance.

• Can. 1249 All Christ's faithful are obliged by divine law, each in his or her own way, to do penance. However, so that all may be joined together in a certain common practice of penance, days of penance are prescribed. On these days the faithful are in a special manner to devote themselves to prayer, to engage in works of piety and charity, and to deny themselves, by fulfilling their obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the fast and abstinence which the following canons prescribe.

• Can. 1250 The days and times of penance for the universal Church are each Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

• Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

• Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.
  

I hope these few notes & definitions help anyone who might be confused on the obligations of the faithful in the Church today during Lent.

 

-Kristy

   

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J.M.J.