Introduction to the Book of Ester[1]
How do you deal with
someone's insidious plot to murder you and everybody like you?
The Book of Esther
provides one possible answer to that question, tough cookie though it is.
Today, that query may not loom quite as large in America, but it definitely
does in many other places throughout the world (the Middle East, Burma, the
Congo—and about a dozen or more other places). It happened to loom really large
in the ancient Middle East too. In Esther's case, though, no one seems to know
if there really was a wicked counselor named Haman who attempted to manipulate
the emperor (probably Xerxes I, though here he's called "Ahasuerus")
into having all the Jews in the Persian Empire murdered during the fifth
century BCE. Nevertheless, you don't have to look too deeply into Jewish
history to find highly similar attempts at genocide and persecution against the
Jews. The story (which was probably written during the third or fourth Century
BCE) may have helped people who were living under later rulers and needed to
reckon with threats from above (regardless of how historically accurate the
story is—or isn't).
Good Girl, Mad World
Esther is one of the first
in a long line of stories about how a good and clever woman helps a powerful,
evil, and monstrous (or maybe just confused) villain switch towards making the
right decisions (in this case, it's King Ahasuerus). In a way, it's a little
like Beauty and the Beast—except the Beast never sat around tacitly
supporting a genocide, Belle never sought vengeance against the people who were
trying to kill her, and Lumiere never walked around weeping and wearing
sack-cloth. But despite all that, Esther's a good example of this type of
story. To give a non-Disney version, you could think of The Arabian Nights,
where the heroine gets her husband to stop murdering his wives every night by
telling him a series of entertaining tales (come to think of it, actually that is
a Disney example, because Aladdin's part of The Arabian Nights).
It's also a bit of an unusual fit. It isn't one of the major books of the
Tanakh or the prophets or anything. It's wedged in with the
"Writings," next to a miscellany of texts, like The Book of Daniel
and The Song of Songs. It's also particularly odd because it doesn't really
mention God, doesn't really fit into that whole spiritual narrative which
occupies the Torah and the Prophets. It's a suspense and adventure story on the
one hand, but it's also a more serious tale about how the Jewish people manage
to preserve themselves and their culture when faced with a threat from hostile
authorities. Additionally, one of Esther's greatest contributions to
culture—the holiday of Purim—is a time for fun and merriment (and also an
opportunity to look for spiritual meanings hidden within the tale).
Why Should I Care?
The Book of Esther has a
James Bond-ish, ticking-time-bomb plot. It's also heavy on action, drama, and Game
of Thrones-style intrigue, while being notably lacking in legal codes,
commandments, theology—all that kind of thing. This is one book of the Bible
you could easily read while marinating in a bubble bath, without feeling
particularly sacrilegious (not that, uh, any of us have done that here at
Shmoop). Our point is that the book is compact and smooth—a straightforward,
streamlined example of an ancient Hebrew short story. We're not suggesting that
whoever wrote the book of Esther was exactly the Alice
Munro of his or
her time, but the author was indeed another master storyteller. A closer
comparison would be a story that's a classic, but more focused on action than
on character. Maybe F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" would work as an example of the
style (if not of the substance).
Darker Dimensions
But Esther is more than an
entertaining yarn. To be sure, it is more of a "tale" than
an epic investigation into the relationship between God and humanity. (In fact,
considering that it doesn't really mention God, it might be the Bible's most
secular book.) Overall, though, it's a story about how a pair of scrappy
underdogs—Esther and Mordecai—face seemingly insurmountable odds and end up
putting it all together in the end. The author suggests that, while living in
exile the Jewish people can—with tough work and intelligence—secure a decent
place for themselves within the kingdoms ruled by Gentile conquerors. (So,
maybe it's more like The Little Giants or The Mighty Ducks
than all that high-art literary Munro and Fitzgerald stuff.) Yet, there are
darker dimensions to the story, going beyond the basic theme of preventing a
genocide. Esther, Mordecai, and their allies seek vengeance against the
supporters of the evil counselor Haman, racking up a considerable death toll,
for one thing. As well, the king Ahasuerus is a bit of a cipher. You can't
really figure out what the dude's psychology is, or what he's "on
about" (to borrow a U.K.-ism). So, that's all disquieting food for
thought. But despite these violent and confusing undertones and the somewhat
confusing, momentary disappearance of God from the Biblical storyline, the
reader will undoubtedly be moved to repeat an immortal line from The Royal
Tennenbaums: "Go, Mordecai!"
Recently
in America a political figure stated that due to the fact that half the country
voted the wrong way there may be a need for re-education camps.
The Beatification of the Ulmas.[2]
The
beatification of nine members of a single family!
Written by: Kelly Dudek, Poland
Józef and Wiktoria were a couple of modest means living in a Polish
village Markowa. Despite his limited formal education, Józef was amazingly
skillful: able farmer and fruit grower, award-winning breeder of bees and
silkworms, bookbinder, constructor of a domestic power station. With a home
library of over 300 books, he read a lot and had a wide range of interests. One
of his passions was photography, an extraordinary thing in his time, even more
so since his first camera was of his own making. Wiktoria received basic
schooling and attended courses at a folk high school. She was a performer at
the village amateur theatre, reportedly cast as Mary in the Nativity play. When
she married Józef, she dedicated herself entirely to family life.
Faith was vital at the Ulma home. A relative recalled that she would see
Józef kneeling at the end of the day, his wife and children joining him to pray
together. In their Bible they underlined the title of the Good Samaritan
parable and wrote on the margin: YES. Like Mary’s fiat, this one word speaks
volumes.
Their story shows how they took to heart Jesus’ answer to the question,
“Who is my neighbor?”
(Lk 10:29.) In 1939, Germany and Russia invaded Poland, having secretly
divided the country between them (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.) Germans made Poland
the center of their “death industry” creating death camps like Auschwitz and
introducing criminal legislation unprecedented in other occupied lands. Nowhere
else was there death penalty for the entire family whose member dared to help a
Jew in any way. The occupants clearly expected opposition since Poles and Jews
had lived on that land together for a thousand years, despite various winds of
history.
In 1942, the Ulmas gave shelter to two Jewish families. German
authorities learned about it and stormed the house at night. In a matter of
moments, all three families were murdered, parents and children alike,
including Wiktoria’s seventh child whose birth had just begun.
God sends us saints when we most need them. The
threefold lesson from the Ulmas comes as family values are attacked, the Gospel
is ridiculed, and the state of historical memory in western Europe provokes a
repetition of war horrors (see Ukraine.) Thankfully, family is still a priority
for many people in Poland including the government, and the Gospel rooted in
Polish hearts inspired many
to shelter millions of Ukrainian refugees recently. But this is far from
enough, so Józef and Wiktoria with their children come to encourage us all by
their heroic example.
Blessed
Ulmas Family, Pray for Us!
OCTOBER 8 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
SAINT BRIDGET OF SWEDEN
Ester, Chapter 1, Verse 8
As a faithful catholic in the modern world, you may
feel shaken with fear at the evils the new world order has taken, and you may
expect to perish yourself but know that we can trust in Divine Mercy.
John Paul II Entrusted the World to Divine Mercy[3]
On
Aug. 17, 2002, twenty years ago today, Pope John Paul II entrusted the world to
Divine Mercy as he consecrated the International Shrine of The Divine Mercy in
Lagiewniki, Poland.
Standing
before the image of Divine Mercy, the Pope said, “I wish solemnly to entrust
the world to Divine Mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of
God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through Saint Faustina, may be made known
to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope.”
He
finished his homily with this prayer:
God, merciful Father,
in your Son, Jesus
Christ, you have revealed your love
and poured it out upon us
in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
We entrust to you today
the destiny of the world and of every man and woman.
Bend down to us sinners,
heal our weakness,
conquer all evil,
and grant that all the
peoples of the earth
may experience your
mercy.
In You, the Triune God,
may they ever find the
source of hope.
Eternal Father,
by the Passion and
Resurrection of your Son,
have mercy on us and upon
the whole world!
The
consecration and entrustment of the world to Divine Mercy represented the
fulfillment of a mission for Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). Faustina, a
poor, young Polish nun experienced visions of Jesus in which he asked her to
make his message of infinite love and mercy known to the world. At the request
of her spiritual director, she made a record of the visions in her diary.
In
his visitations, Jesus asked her to have a painting made portraying him as he
appeared to her. In her diary she recorded the vision:
“Paint
an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust
in You.’ I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then
throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image
will not perish.”
In
another visitation, he asked the nun that she help establish Divine Mercy
Sunday on the first Sunday after Easter, to offer the world salvation.
Faustina
recorded Jesus’ words:
“This Feast emerged from
the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of my
tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it.”
It
was the mission that Pope John Paul II also felt called to help complete.
If
St. Faustina was the initial receptacle for the message of Divine Mercy, her
Polish compatriot saw to it that the requests Jesus made of the nun were
fulfilled, and the devotion spread throughout the world.
As
a young seminarian in Krakow in 1940, Karol Wojtyla first learned of St.
Faustina’s revelations and the message of Divine Mercy. Later as a priest, he
was a frequent visitor to the convent where Faustina lived, stopping by to
pray, and hold retreats. When he became Archbishop of Krakow, he led the effort
to put Faustina’s name before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and
defended her when the validity of her claims was questioned in Rome.
As
pope, he published his second encyclical, Dives in misericordia (Rich
in mercy), on Nov. 30, 1980.
The
following year, while recovering from an assassination attempt, Pope John Paul
II traveled to The Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenza, Italy, where he
revealed that he felt spreading the message of Divine mercy to be his greatest
calling.
”Right
from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter's See in Rome, I considered this
message my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present
situation of man, the Church, and the world. It could be said that precisely
this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God,” he said.
At
the beatification of Saint Faustina on April 18, 1993, the pope spoke of his
delight at witnessing the popularity of the devotion to Divine Mercy.
“Her
mission continues and is yielding astonishing fruit. It is truly marvelous how
her devotion to the merciful Jesus is spreading in our contemporary world and
gaining so many human hearts!” said the pope.
Yet
there was more to be done. On Divine Mercy Sunday, April 30, 2000, Pope John
Paul II canonized Saint Faustina Kowalska, and declared the Second Sunday of
Easter as "Divine Mercy Sunday.”
Twenty
years ago today, when Pope John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy, he
shared his hope that the world would hear the message that God is merciful.
Quoting from Faustina's diary, he said:
“May
this message radiate from this place to our beloved homeland and throughout the
world. May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here there
must go forth ‘the spark which will prepare the world for his final coming (cf.
Diary, 1732)’.”
“This
spark needs to be lighted by the grace of God. This fire of mercy needs to be
passed on to the world. In the mercy of God the world will find peace and
mankind will find happiness! I entrust this task to you, dear Brothers and
Sisters, to the Church in Kraków and Poland, and to all the votaries of Divine
Mercy who will come here from Poland and from throughout the world. May you be
witnesses to mercy!” he said.
Today,
devotion to Divine Mercy is popular among Catholics around the world. Churches
and shrines and religious orders have dedicated themselves to sharing the
message received by St. Faustina and which St. Pope John Paul II considered his
“task before God."
To
learn more about the Divine Mercy devotion, visit the website
for the Divine Mercy shrine in Poland or the National
Divine Mercy Shrine
in Stockton, Massachusetts.
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost[4]
IN the Introit of the Mass God promises to hear the people who observe His law, and to help them in all their tribulations. “I am the salvation of the people, saith the Lord; in whatever tribulation they shall cry to Me, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord forever. Attend, O My people, to My law; incline your ears to the words of My mouth.”
Prayer.
O’almighty and merciful God graciously defend us from all that is hurtful, that, free in mind and body, we may with ready mind perform all that belongs to Thy service.
EPISTLE. Eph. iv. 23-28.
Brethren: Be renewed in the spirit of your mind: and put on the new man, who, according to God, is created in justice, and holiness of truth. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak ye the truth every man with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger. Give not place to the devil. He that stole, let him now steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing, which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.
Explanation.
The epistle of to-day particularly concerns such as live in falsehood, hatred, anger, injustice, impurity, or other sins. Perhaps we have often renewed our spirit at a jubilee, or a mission, or a spiritual retreat; we seemed then to be converted, and to have become new men, but how long did our spiritual renovation last? Alas, how soon were we sinners again! We thought that, after making a general confession, everything was done; instead of zealously using all means to preserve ourselves in this happy state of spiritual renewal, we allowed ourselves once more to resort to bad company and dangerous occasions, and gave ourselves up, as before, to idleness and indulgence. When shall we be lastingly converted?
GOSPEL. Matt. xxii. 2-14.
At that time Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees in parables, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his son. And he sent his servants to call them that were invited to the marriage: and they would not come. Again, he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my beeves (plural form of beef) and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the marriage. But they neglected, and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise. And the rest laid hands on his servants, and, having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. But when the king had heard of it, he was angry, and, sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city. Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready: but they that were invited were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage. And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests. And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he saith to him: Friend, how earnest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment? But he was silent. Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
Remark. ---This parable is, in many respects, the same as that for the Second Sunday after Pentecost and has the same meaning. See, therefore, the explanation of that gospel; in addition to this, consider also the following.
Explanation.
1. In the present parable the king is our heavenly Father, Who has
espoused His only-begotten Son to the Church.
2. The feast is made up of the doctrines of the Gospel, the holy
sacraments, with the other means of salvation, and of eternal joys.
3. The servants sent to invite the guests are the prophets, apostles, and
disciples of Christ.
4. Those invited are the Jews, who, despising the honor intended for
them, put to death the prophets and apostles.
5. In their place others, that is, the heathen, were called from all
quarters of the earth, who, having been in the broad road to destruction, now
occupy the place of the Jews in the marriage-feast of the Church, and will one
day occupy their place in heaven.
6. The wedding garment signifies charity, which shows itself by good works; without this, faith avails nothing. That the man without a wedding garment was silent when questioned by the king shows us that no one will be able to excuse himself before God for not having charity, since everyone may have it if he only asks it from God, and be willing to practice it.
Aspiration.
I thank
Thee, O Jesus, that, through Thy incarnation, passion, and death, Thou hast
gained for me eternal happiness; give me also the wedding garment of charity,
that I may be admitted to the heavenly marriage-feast, and not be cast into the
exterior darkness.
Lessons of
Consolation from the Joys of Heaven[5]
In what
these joys consist, St. Paul himself, though more than once caught up to heaven
and allowed to see and taste them, could not describe. He only says that eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man,
what things God hath prepared for them that love Him. In heaven all beauties,
all delights, all joys, are found in the highest and most perfect degree free
from all evil, free from all anxiety and disgust, and free from all fear of
ever losing them. In a word, in heaven man shall possess God Himself, the
source of all joy and happiness, and shall, with Him, enjoy God s own happiness
for all eternity. We shall be like to Him (i. John iii. 2). Is there need of
anything more to give us the highest conception of heaven? How lovely are Thy
tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of
the Lord, my heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God (Ps. Ixxxiii).
How weary of the world am I when I contemplate heaven!
St. Bridget of Sweden[6]-
St. Bridget received visions
of Christ’s suffering many times throughout her life.
Book 1
The words of our Lord Jesus Christ
to His chosen and dearly beloved bride, Saint Bridget, about the proclamation
of His most holy Incarnation and the rejection, desecration and abandonment of
our faith and baptism, and how He bids His beloved bride and all Christian
people to love Him.
Chapter 1
“I am the Creator of
the heavens and the earth, one in Divinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
I am the one who spoke to the patriarchs and the prophets and the one whom they
awaited. For the sake of their longing and in agreement with my promise, I assumed
flesh without sin and concupiscence, by entering the womb of the Virgin like
the sun shining through the clearest gem. For just as the sun does not damage
the glass by entering it, likewise the virginity of the Virgin was not lost
when I assumed Manhood. I assumed flesh in such a way that I did not have to
forsake my Divinity, and I was no less God - with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, governing and upholding all things - although I was in the womb of the
Virgin in my human nature. Just as brightness is never separated from fire, so
too, my Divinity was never separated from my Humanity, not even in death.
Thereafter I allowed
my pure and sinless body to be wounded from the foot to the head, and to be
crucified for all the sins of mankind. That same body is now offered each day
on the altar so that mankind might love me more and remember my great deeds
more often. But now I am totally forgotten, neglected, despised, and expelled
as a king is from his own kingdom and in whose place the most wicked robber has
been elected and honored.
I have indeed wanted
my kingdom to be within man, and by right I should be King and Lord over him,
for I made him and redeemed him. However, now he has broken and desecrated the
faith which he promised me in his baptism, and he has broken and spurned my
laws and commandments which I prescribed and revealed to him. He loves his own
will and refuses to hear me. In addition, he exalts the most wicked robber, the
devil, above me and has given him his faith. The devil really is a robber,
since he steals for himself, by way of evil temptations, bad councils, and
false promises, the human soul that I redeemed with my blood. But he does not
do this because he is mightier than me; for I am so mighty that I can do all
things with a word, and so just, that even if all the saints asked me, I would
not do the least thing against justice.
But, since man, who
has been given free will, willfully rejects my commandments and obeys the
devil, it is only right that he also experiences his tyranny and malice. This
devil was created good by me, but fell by his own wicked will, and has become,
so to speak, my servant for inflicting vengeance on the workers of evil.
Yet even though I am
now so despised, I am still so merciful that whoever prays for my mercy and
humbles himself in amendment shall be forgiven his sins, and I shall save him
from the evil robber - the devil. But to those who continue despising me, I
shall visit my justice upon them, so that those hearing it will tremble, and
those who feel it will say: “Woe, that we were ever conceived or born! Woe,
that we ever provoked the Lord of majesty to wrath!”
But you, my
daughter, whom I have chosen for myself, and with whom I now speak in spirit:
love me with all your heart - not as you love your son or daughter or parents,
but more than anything in the world - since I, who created you, did not spare
any of my limbs in suffering for your sake! Yet, I love your soul so dearly
that, rather than losing you, I would let myself be crucified again, if it were
possible. Imitate my humility; for I, the King of glory and of angels, was
clothed in ugly, wretched rags and stood naked at the pillar and heard all
kinds of insults and ridicule with my own ears. Always prefer my will before
your own, because my Mother, your Lady, has, from the beginning to the end,
never wanted anything but what I wanted.
If you do this, then
your heart shall be with my heart, and it will be inflamed by my love in the
same way that anything dry becomes rapidly inflamed by fire. Your soul shall be
so inflamed and filled with me, and I will be in you, so that everything
worldly becomes bitter to you and all fleshly lusts like poison. You will rest
in the arms of my Divinity, where no fleshly desires exist, but only spiritual
delight and joy which fill the delighted soul with happiness - inwardly and
outwardly - so that it thinks of nothing and desires nothing but the joy which
it possesses. So love me alone, and you will have all the things you want, and
you will have them in abundance. Is it not written that the oil of the widow
did not decrease until the day the rain was sent to earth by God according to
the words of the prophet? I am the true prophet! If you believe my words and
follow and fulfill them, the oil - joy and jubilation - shall never decrease
for you for all eternity.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ’s words to
his daughter - whom He now had taken as His bride - about the articles of the
true faith, and about what kind of adornments, tokens and desires the bride
must have in order to please the bridegroom.
Our Lady of Good Remedy
Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN
MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN
SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER ONE-THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
Article 3-THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
IV. The Liturgical Celebration of the
Eucharist
The Mass of
all ages
1345 As
early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the
basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the
same until our own day for all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote
to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining
what Christians did:
On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the
city or country gather in the same place.
The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much
as time permits.
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes
and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.
Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for all
others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and
actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.
Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who
presides over the brethren.
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe,
through the name of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian)
that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to
an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'
When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom
we call deacons give to those present the "eucharisted" bread, wine
and water and take them to those who are absent.
1346 The
liturgy of the Eucharist unfolds according to a fundamental structure which has
been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day. It displays two
great parts that form a fundamental unity:
- the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, with readings, homily and general
intercessions;
- the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine,
the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.
The liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist together form "one
single act of worship"; The Eucharistic table set for us is the table
both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord.
1347 Is this
not the same movement as the Paschal meal of the risen Jesus with his
disciples? Walking with them he explained the Scriptures to them; sitting with
them at table "he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to
them."
The movement
of the celebration
1348 All
gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic
assembly. At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist.
He is high priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly
over every Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing him that the bishop
or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis)
presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings,
and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the
celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings,
those who give communion, and the whole people whose "Amen" manifests
their participation.
1349 The
Liturgy of the Word includes "the writings of the prophets," that is,
the Old Testament, and "the memoirs of the apostles" (their letters
and the Gospels). After the homily, which is an exhortation to accept this Word
as what it truly is, the Word of God, and to put it into practice, come
the intercessions for all men, according to the Apostle's words: "I urge
that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all
men, for kings, and all who are in high positions."
1350 The
presentation of the offerings (the Offertory). Then, sometimes in procession,
the bread and wine are brought to the altar; they will be offered by the priest
in the name of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become
his body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the Last Supper -
"taking the bread and a cup." "The Church alone offers this pure
oblation to the Creator, when she offers what comes forth from his creation
with thanksgiving." The presentation of the offerings at the altar
takes up the gesture of Melchizedek and commits the Creator's gifts into the
hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice, brings to perfection all human attempts
to offer sacrifices.
1351 From
the very beginning Christians have brought, along with the bread and wine for
the Eucharist, gifts to share with those in need. This custom of the
collection, ever appropriate, is inspired by the example of Christ who became
poor to make us rich:
Those who
are well off, and who are also willing, give as each chooses. What is gathered
is given to him who presides to assist orphans and widows, those whom illness
or any other cause has deprived of resources, prisoners, immigrants and, in a
word, all who are in need.
1352 The
anaphora: with the Eucharistic Prayer - the prayer of thanksgiving and
consecration - we come to the heart and summit of the celebration:
In the
preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy
Spirit, for all his works: creation, redemption, and sanctification. the whole
community thus joins in the unending praise that the Church in heaven, the
angels and all the saints, sing to the thrice-holy God.
1353 In the
epiclesis, the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit (or the power of
his blessing) on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may become the
body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in the Eucharist
may be one body and one spirit (some liturgical traditions put the epiclesis
after the anamnesis).
In the institution narrative, the power of the words and the action of Christ,
and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species
of bread and wine Christ's body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross
once for all.
1354 In the
anamnesis that follows, the Church calls to mind the Passion, resurrection, and
glorious return of Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father the offering of his
Son which reconciles us with him.
In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the Eucharist is celebrated in
communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth, the living and the
dead, and in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan
bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons, and all the bishops of the whole
world together with their Churches.
1355 In the
communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer and the breaking of the bread, the
faithful receive "the bread of heaven" and "the cup of
salvation," the body and blood of Christ who offered himself "for the
life of the world":
Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist
("eucharisted," according to an ancient expression), "we call
this food Eucharist, and no one may take part in it unless he believes that
what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new
birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught."
Daily
Devotions
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving your day
to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after 6 pm Saturday till Monday. Don’t
forget the internet.
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Today's Fast: Protection
of Traditional Marriages
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: October
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
[3]https://www.ncregister.com/cna/twenty-years-ago-john-paul-ii-entrusted-the-world-to-divine-mercy-with-this-prayer
[4]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[5]Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
[6]http://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Bridget%20(Birgitta)%20of%20Sweden%20-%20Prophecies%20and%20Revelations.html
[7]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-10-08
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