WHAT YOU’RE MISSING AT
MASS
But it’s been there all along!
What is it?
IHS
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It’s a “Christogram”
Symbol for the name of Jesus
Greek (iota, eta, sigma) and are the first three
letters in the name Jesus, ιησυς or capitalized,
ΙΗΣΟΥΣ. Turn the sigma into an “S.”
Probably NOT: Iesous Hominum Salvator = Jesus,
savior of humankind.
What is it?
XP or PX
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It’s a “Christogram”
Symbol for Christ
Greek letters chi (x) and rho (p)
The first letters of the Greek word "XPICTOC"
(pronounced Christos)
Why Doesn’t the
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nd
2
Reading Fit?
Year A, B, C
Year A = Matthew
Year B = Mark & John
Year C = Luke
First reading compliments the Gospel.
Second reading follows its own order, not
dependent on the Gospel.
Consubstantial
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Logos
Arius, 318
Council of Nicea, 325
Homoousius (In Latin, consubstantialis)
Constantinople I, 381
Filioque
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“Proceeds from the Father and the Son”
Orthodox: “Proceeds from the Father through the
Son”
Toledo III 589
Adopted as official doctrine, circa 1000 & added
to the Creed
July 16, 1054: Leo IX’s representative, Humbert,
excommunicates Byzantine Patriarch Cerularius, &
Emperor Michael Constantine & all their followers
Trinitarian Eucharistic Prayers
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Addressed to God as Father.
Epiclesis: Asking the Father to send the Spirit to
make the gifts holy.
Confection of the Eucharist.
Second epiclesis in the anamnesis: Asking the Spirit
to gather into one all of us who receive the
Eucharist.
Four Eucharistic Prayers
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One: The Roman Canon, began to be used
exclusively in the 6th or 7th century.
Two: Comes from an ancient Greek Eucharistic
Prayer formula of Hippolytus, who died in 235.
Source: Archdiocese of New York
Four Eucharistic Prayers
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Three: Largely derived from the Roman Canon with
some elements rearranged and enriched by
formulas drawn from other liturgical traditions.
Includes a prayer formula for commemorating the
saint of the day or the patron saint.
Four: Drawn in large part from the Eastern liturgy
of the Church in Antioch. Tells the story of salvation
history.
Source: Archdiocese of New York
10 Eucharistic Prayers?
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U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops obtained
approval for the use other Eucharistic Prayers
2 for Reconciliation
4 for various circumstances: Unity; Guidance along
the way of salvation; Jesus the way to the Father;
Jesus’s deeds “Open our eyes to the needs of our
brothers.”
The Real Presence
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The dogma arises from Scripture. Jesus said “This is
my Body, this is my Blood.”
In the Gospel of John, Jesus talks about eating his
“flesh” and drinking his “blood” He does not modify
these statements despite objections by the Jewish
authorities who are grossed out.
The Real Presence
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At the Council of Trent in 1551 (The Council ran
from 1545-1563) the Real Presence gets special
emphasis, which is quoted verbatim in the Catechism
of the Catholic Church. Trent uses three words to
describe how Christ is contained in the Eucharist:
“Truly. Really. Substantially.”
The Real Presence
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Truly – It does not point to an outside reality.
Really – It is ontological, and order of being. It is
also objective: It doesn’t depend on the thoughts of
the minister or the communicant. It is God’s action,
not a response to faith. Faith acknowledges the
Presence that is already there. A lack of faith
doesn’t render the Presence unreal.
The Real Presence
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Substantially (Substance) – It is real.
“That which a thing was intended to be.”
Substance is basic reality, what stands under the
appearance. What a thing is in itself. (This is why
the Eucharist can be adored: The basic reality is
Jesus Christ.)
The Real Presence
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Substance cannot be divided. The substance of the
Eucharist becomes the whole of Christ. In Latin, sui
generes, not involving “accident,” they way it
appears.
The Eucharist still has the physical properties of
bread and wine.
It is futile to try to prove or disprove this by
physical experiments.
The Real Presence
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The Real Presence can be misunderstood, either too
carnally or too insubstantially.
It isn’t cannibalism! Don’t be materialistic!
It’s not a natural presence that can get lonely in the
Tabernacle. You can eat ice cream after Communion
and Jesus won’t get cold.
The Eucharist isn’t Jesus in disguise.
The Real Presence
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St. Thomas Aquinas: In Himself, naturally, Jesus of
Nazareth is in heaven.
But in a sacramental mode, Jesus is present in the
Eucharist.
St. Thomas says we don’t see the shape and colors
of the Body of Christ in the Host and Chalice. You
can’t say, “His head is here, His feet are there.”
The Real Presence
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It’s just like my soul isn’t just in my head or just in my
foot. It’s part of my entire being.
This is why you can break a host and still get all of
Jesus. It’s like if you break a mirror, each fragment
will reflect the entire object.
Can we move, eat, drink and have processions with
the Eucharist, since it’s His body? Yes. It is a Real but
sacramental presence – so Jesus is not harmed.
The Real Presence
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It is knowable only to the intellect that accepts the
Word of God in faith.
God chooses to reveal himself to us, to enter into
relationship and to elicit our cooperation. It is God’s
action. Faith is our response. But it is God who takes
the first step.
The Real Presence is a memorial of Christ’s historic
presence on earth and a pledge of His future
return.
Who’s There?
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Christ is present five ways at mass:
1) In the congregation. (When two or three are
gathered in My name, I am in their midst.)
2) In the Word proclaimed.
3) In the person of the priest.
4) In the sacraments. (If there is a marriage or a
baptism or an anointing of the sick.)
5) In the host and chalice
Who’s There?
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Critics use St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas in
arguing which presence is most important.
Pius XII wrote in 1942 about four presences but
said the Eucharist is most important.
Paul VI in a 1965 encyclical added a fifth presence
(the Word proclaimed) but says the primary
presence is the Eucharist. He also calls the Real
Presence in the Eucharist the presence “par
excellence,” over and above the others.
Who’s There?
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Vatican II’s document on the Liturgy uses the Latin word
maximae to describe the presence in the Eucharist.
John Paul II also says the Eucharistic presence takes
precedence.
The indwelling of the Spirit in the community does not
trans-substantiate the people.
Jesus of Nazareth, who lived, died, rose and ascended
is totally present in the Eucharist, not in the other things.
The ecclesial presence is not more important than the
Real Presence.
Who’s There?
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“Personalist” arguments see the importance of
human relationships.
The essence of being personal means relating to
other people.
But under the appearance is the substance of the
person.
Real Presence is necessary in the Eucharist first
before community takes place.
Who’s There?
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Personalists look at the significance of the meal and
say the meal is more important than the Eucharist,
itself. This is where you get the terms
transfinalization and transsignification.
Dulles calls the words “ugly” but goes on to say the
terms are “harmless but deficient” because they
don’t get to what happens to the elements,
themselves.
The Real Presence
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John Paul II says there is a “new reality” in the
sacrament. It isn’t just a sign, but a person that
subsists in its (His) own right.
The Presence still exists even if all the people
vanish. The Presence is objective, not dependent on
the perception of it. (It is still God’s action.)
Eucharistic Adoration
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The Magisterium really likes Eucharistic Adoration,
although it also likes the modern reforms to the
Mass.
To deny adoration denies the Real Presence.
John Paul II really likes devotion outside of Mass.
Adoration gets us to focus on the full meaning of the
Real Presence.
Eucharistic Adoration
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By being born, Jesus gave us Himself as a
companion.
He is an abiding presence as our companion on the
way, allowing us to converse, pour out our problems
and get help.
Adoration is not making a blank of your mind. Allow
the Lord to direct your thoughts.
Bread AND WINE
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The sacrament operated on two levels.
Bread signifies nutrition.
Wine signifies joy of the soul. “Jesus is the joy of
the soul the same way wine gives joy to the
heart.”
The full symbolism isn’t imparted by receiving only
one species. The sacrament should be given under
both species.
Bread AND WINE
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In heaven there is no separation between the Body
and Blood.
The sacrament joins all of us together, unifying us
now as well as unifying us with the whole Church of
all time.