Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 5th Sunday of Easter.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are fourteen (14) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. The following is a reflection on article 1412.
The Catechism draws our attention to three (3) important elements when considering the Holy Eucharist: the matter, the form and the working of the Holy Spirit.
Each of the sacraments have specific matter and form. The essential signs or matter of the Eucharist are bread of wheat and wine from the vine. Throughout Sacred Scripture bread is the primary food (cf. Genesis 3:19). Beaten or bruised, meal, and fine meal are three (3) different sorts of flour mentioned in Sacred Scripture from which bread, the staple of life, is made (cf. Genesis 18:6; Exodus 29:2; Leviticus 2:2, 14,16; 6:15). Wine also is repeatedly mentioned throughout Sacred Scripture, especially as the product of grapes with intoxicating properties (cf. Deuteronomy 12:17; 18:4; Judges 9:13; Hosea 4:11; Acts 11:13). Both the making of bread and of wine require that the grain and the grapes are not only sifted and cleaned but pounded and ground in the process, which aptly mirrors what happened to the Lord on Good Friday when He was bruised for our offenses, crushed for our sins (cf. Isaiah 53:5–6). The beatings of Good Friday with the death of the Lord upon the Cross are likewise seen in the kneading and baking required for the making of bread.
Upon the bread and wine are pronounced the words of consecration spoken by the Lord Jesus at the Las Supper. The words of consecration are “this is My Body given up for you. (…) This is the chalice of My Blood…” (Cf. Matthew 26:17–29; Mark 14:12–25; Luke 22:7–20). While there does exist a Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora attributed to Addai and Mari (of the Chaldean East Syrian Rite) which is said to be valid even though it omits the specific words of consecration, this prayer is NOT found in the Roman Missal of any edition (2000, 1975, 1970., 1962, 1955, 1920, 1884, 1634, 1604, 1570…). The venerable Roman Canon, used in an nearly exclusive manner for more than a millennia includes both the invocation of the Holy Spirit (esp. via the gesture) and the words of consecration as integral parts of the rite.
Even before the consecration of the bread and wine, in order that these simple elements be changed entirely into Christ, a special prayer calling forth the Holy Spirit is made. This invocation of the Holy Spirit is called the epiclesis. All the sacraments include an epiclesis or calling down of the Holy Spirit. The gesture which accompanies the invocation of the Holy Spirit is outstretched hands, which overshadow that upon which the Spirit is called, in the case of the Holy Eucharist, the bread and the wine to be changed into Christ who Himself was conceived by the power of the same Holy Spirit who overshadowed the Blessed Virgin Mary.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr