As
the Easter celebration come to a close, the liturgy adds two special feast
days, Corpus Christi and the feast of the Sacred Heart. The last chapters of
the gospels give the accounts of Jesus resurrection and the disciples encounter
with the risen Lord. In Matthew we read: “And
when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted.” Mtt. 28.17
Luke
tells it this way;
As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them. But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Lk. 24.36
The
key here is REAL. “…See my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see;” St. Paul tells us that if
Christ is not raised, our faith is useless. This is the real truth upon which
the very existence of church stands. The feast of Corpus Christi focuses on
this essential truth; Jesus is really and truly present in his Church for all
ages.
There were three main
characteristics that made up the first encounters with the risen Lord, and
these continue to be with us today. They are:
·
THE GATHERING IN CHRIST’S REAL PRESENCE
·
THE REVELATION OF GOD’S PLAN
· THE COMMISSIONING OF
THE CHURCH
“When
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in their midst. Mtt.
18:20. Jesus is gathering and forming his church around his real presence. He remains
with them to lead and guide them in every age to come. The principle
sign/sacrament of that “gathering in his presence”, is the liturgy of the
Eucharist. Only Jesus himself can cause such a profound personal faith to arise in another.
It is essential that we “encounter the risen Christ”.
(The two disciples on the road to Emmaus) returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. Lk. 24:33
The
SECOND ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC of the Easter encounters is the instruction.
Jesus teaches the disciples the meaning of his resurrection; for them and for
the whole world. He guides them through the scriptures, showing how he is the
fulfillment of all that has been promised, and how he has been sent to lead
them into the fullness of all truth.
Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, Lk. 24.46
Now
with their hearts refreshed by this "communion" in Jesus presence and enlightened
by his instruction, the THIRD ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC follows; the commissioning
of the Church to go out into the whole world and proclaim this good news of
salvation. “Go and announce the gospel of the Lord!” With these words the Mass
ends and the work of evangelization begins.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Eucharist to the very existence of the Church. Clearly, as the gathering at the Eucharist declines so does the very existence of the church decline with it.
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Voices is a resource for personal prayer and devotion from a Catholic perspective - especially for those beginning the practice of meditative prayer.
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Saturday 28 May 2016
Corpus Christi
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