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He or It?
Amazing what a chance conversation can start off. This is one for the Catholics, because only Catholics believe in transubstantiation, that is, according to our teaching -
. . by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood.
So the bread and the wine are not symbols of body and blood, they are not aids to our imagination. They actually are the body and blood of Christ. And for all the scientific arguments and theological reasoning about substance and accident, it really comes down to a matter of faith. It is the Real Presence, Jesus is there and he can be there in every piece of bread and every teaspoon of wine because of the Divine Power of God, who, being God, can do anything.
So Catholics, first question, do you believe it?
And that question is left with you because the next question deals with the Body of Christ that is not taken at Mass, is kept in the Tabernacle and referred to as the Blessed Sacrament.
Next question - Is the Blessed Sacrament a Him or an It?
It is due to the fact that churches have the Blessed Sacrament in these, usually, ornate boxes that everyone becomes very solemn around that part of the church. And so back to the first question - if you don't believe in the Real Presence then why keep a bowl of bread in a posh box? But if you believe that the Blessed Sacrament is the Real Presence of Jesus, then the Blessed Sacrament is a Him. And if a Him, why confine Him and why all the solemnity. piety and ritual? Which becomes more important - the Real Presence or the theatre around him? Jesus certainly didn't go for that sort of thing. He never wanted to be worshipped or put on a pedestal when he was alive back then. Why do we think he wants it now? I'm not saying don't take care of him, but don't use all that ritual and solemnity to confine God to a place that you can visit on Sundays.
And a thing that I do find strange; many churches who have to be 'dual purpose' find a way of screening the Tabernacle off for social events. Do they not think that Jesus can see what they are up to? I suppose it is out of respect and I am being flippant but this sectioning off of God from our lives is such a delusion.
Jesus is a Servant King (he'll be washing feet on Thursday) a brother and a friend. He never stayed in the temple, why would he want to be kept in a box? He tells us that he is with us always, I assume that, like God the Father, that means everywhere, all the time. An uncomfortable thought for a lot of us I suppose. It may be handy for our lifestyle to keep God in containment but is it not far better to have him walking our life's road shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand and carrying us when need be..
Palm Sunday's reading which includes the Last Supper, contains a very simple, very heartfelt sharing of Jesus's self with the disciples. A way for him to be with us after he has returned to the Father. It is our faith, but it should be a belief that give us courage, confidence and delight and not a code of conduct or another barrier to make sure we keep our distance. Jesus never asked for worship but for love, and he loves us. And love brings down barriers.
Servant King
In the Great Hall stands the Throne
Empty and expectant.
For theChrist is not here.
He does not sit in majesty,
He does not sit in judgement
He does not sit in power.
He does not sit at all.
The Servant King is about his people.
The poor, the lonely, the weak,
The unwanted and unloved
Are the courtiers of his kingdom.
His boots are worn from the road,
His robes stained with the grime of toil.
His hands laboured raw,
Gifting healing and love.
A shepherd’s staff his sceptre
So he gathers them in
And brings them
To the Greatest of Halls
Where a seat of honour awaits
and Lazarus is poor no longer.
wordinthehand2007
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My comment was too long, and it cut me off. Lots of comments to answer in this post, I guess. :-) Just wanted to add that you might read the CCC on this topic; a few good sections to start with are: 1374, 1378-1381, and 2096.
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.
--St. Thomas Aquinas
God bless,
--Amy (aka Rose)
http://journals.aol.com/catholicrose/thegarden -
Certainly, Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist. Like the ark of the covenant, it is purified to be as worthy of Him as possible within our limited human means. If, as we should, we truly believe that the Eucharist is Jesus, then we SHOULD be reverent when we are in His presence--it's a way of showing respect. We have Masses where we are jubilant (rather than solemn), as well, but it is still done with reverence and respect for God.
You are surely not suggesting that we treat Jesus as a servant? He IS our king, and as such, deserves the best that we can offer. And because we do love Him, we should offer Him our very best, don't you agree? (Certainly, not everyone does what they are supposed to do, but what does that have to do with what is expected of US? It does not change our responsibility for our own actions.)
I'm not sure you are correct that "He never wanted to be worshipped...when he was alive back then." He did not ever deny anyone who worshipped Him; He did not tell them not to do so, nor turn them away. He also made it clear that God is to be worshipped. Is Jesus not God?
And who can "confine God to a place that you can visit on Sundays"? We don't confine Him or "section Him off" in any way; those churches who cover the tabernacle likely do it out of respect, since those events are often not intended as worship. Still, I hope we know better than to think we're hidden from God's eyes just because a cloth is put over the tabernacle. ;-) When we consume Him, we DO "have him walking our life's road" with us, in a very personal way.
Lastly, you should know that we are not limited to visiting Him only on Sundays (except in a few cases where a priest is not readily available to take care of the Eucharist properly). In my case, there is Mass available in at least three locations nearby, at least once EVERY SINGLE DAY.
HTH!
God b -
I totally believe in the True Presence! Not only is he truly there, but the bread and wine are no longer bread and wine. It just looks like it. In every molecule, it is Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. It is the glorified Jesus. If He were not hidden under the forms of bread and wine, we would die upon sight of His majesty!
We keep Jesus in the Tabernacle out of reverence. He is locked away so no one can desecrate what is TRULY HIM! But, note the tabernacle is always in the sight of the congregation. He is there. Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity...HE IS GOD! To deny worshipping Jesus in the sacrament, is to deny God praise and glory. Jesus is always there for you in the Sacrament whenever you need Him. Many Churches have a 24 hour adoration chapel...a host is placed in a monstrance for adoration.
Those Churches that screen off the tabernacle are doing it out of respect, but they probably shouldn't be having their social event in the Sanctuary.
God is a Servant King, humbling Himself to the form of bread and wine, so He can be with us in physically and tangibly. How glorious is the Blessed Sacrament!!
Kellen
http://journals.aol.com/IrishEyes1929/FaithinRomanCatholici sm -
Okay, it's me Krissy, finishing the second half of my comment!
Now let's answer the most important question of all that you asked: Why keep Jesus in a "posh box"? My answer to that is, oh my! Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is a risen King! And he died for our sins. We should have extreme gratitude toward Him. He should be in a place of honor. He should be adored. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have familiarity with Him, b/c we should. He isn't far removed. As a matter of fact, Jesus in the Tabernacle draws us ever closer to Him. Have you ever gone into a church and just sat and prayed? Yes, of course you can pray anywhere. The Lord is everywhere. But seeing the tabernacle reminds us that the Lord is there in a special way. So we quiet ourselves before Him, and we talk to Him, and listen to what He has to say to us. Be open to hear from Him! Also, the Church teaches that there is special grace talking to the Lord before the Blessed Sacrament. If you don't believe me, pray once a week before the Lord, or if possible, daily!
To further research the Blessed Sacrament (The Eucharist) please go here:
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/pea/element.htm
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/eucharist.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05573a.htm
Hope this helped, krissy :)
http://journals.aol.com/fisherkristina/SometimesIThink
22/03/08 16:47
http://journals.aol.com/valph