Through the valid celebration of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we receive the blessed sacrament — the Eucharist. Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9)!

Holy Mother Church teaches us that:

• The Eucharist is literally Jesus Christ: body and blood, soul and divinity.
• The substance of ordinary wheat bread and grape wine (transubstantiate to) become our Lord. Only the appearance (accidents) remain of bread and wine.
• Each of the holy species, body and blood, are all of Jesus. When we receive either, we receive all of Him.
• When the change (transubstantiation) occurs, it is instantaneous. There is no time when the host is “half” Jesus.
• The presence of Christ endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist.

What is less clear, and as near as I can tell not universally, definitively defined, is the exact moment that transubstantiation occurs. There are opinions offered varying by liturgy, often with compelling reasoning…   but authoritative references in support of those positions are lacking.

In the OF Latin rite, it would seem fairly clear that transubstantiation does not occur before the first epiclesis (sometimes called the pre-consecration epiclesis). This is at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer where the Holy Spirit is invoked (e.g. EP II: “Make holy therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body + and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”)

Likewise, it is fairly clear that transubstantiation has occurred after the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest genuflects, elevates the Eucharist and says “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”

A strong case can be made for consecration occurring at the words of institution (“Take this, all of you, and eat of it. For this is my body which will be given up for you.”) The rubrics call for the priest to genuflect at that point, which may arguably be idolatrous otherwise. This appears to be the most common opinion, including mine, of the moment of consecration.

The second most common opinion for the moment of consecration is at the (first) epiclesis itself. It should be noted that the sanctus bells may be rung then as well as at the words of institution.

Here is where it starts to get interesting. While most of us are Latin rite Catholics, we are not the whole of the Catholic Church. 23 churches are in communion with Rome and the liturgies are not the same. They all follow the same pattern: the liturgy of the word, the liturgy of the Eucharist, the sending. This was seen on the road to Emmaus and was practiced in the early, 1st century Church. However, Eastern rite Catholics have not always had, in all cases, the words of institution and some still do not (or are even removing them to restore earlier practice). This may also be true in some non-Catholic cases where Apostolic succession has been maintained and a valid Eucharist is recognized.

One interesting discussion is in the document Guidelines for Admission to the Eucharist Between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East on the Vatican website. Begin reading at section #3 (The Anaphora of Addai and Mari).

Unlike in the Latin rite, even when the words of institution are spoken, Easter rite Catholics and the Orthodox point to the epiclesis if they have to pick a point where consecration occurs. There is value in NOT trying to pinpoint a specific instant but rather recognizing the whole of the Mass (or Divine Liturgy) as the action by which consecration occurs. Zenit says this well:

Concentration on the moment of consecration tends to privilege above all the aspect of the Real Presence, while taking the entire Eucharistic Prayer into account brings out more fully other aspects such as the Eucharist as memorial of Christ’s sacrifice, his resurrection and ascension, the role of the Holy Spirit, the aspect of mediation, its role in building up the Church, etc. In many ways this is the procedure used by the Holy Father in his recent encyclical “Ecclesia de Eucharistia.”

Note too that it is gravely sinful (Can. 927) for a priest to attempt consecration outside of a Mass, for example through the words of institution alone. Similarly, a priest is not permitted to consecrate additional hosts in the same Mass by repeating a portion of it (which would be a non-Mass within the Mass). The Mass and consecration are an integral whole. Attempts to do otherwise are seriously illicit and possibly invalid.

For most of us, this whole topic is simply one of intellectual curiosity. For clergy, extraordinary ministers and sacristans it may have practical implications. Unusual circumstances (e.g. this) may require a proper understanding of the state of consecration. There are many possible extraordinary circumstances. Conservative assumptions in those cases would be most prudent.

How often do we hear that people are just more highly evolved animals? This is often presented as an indisputable fact in support of other false claims. As animals, our embryos are nothing special. Our rights must also be balanced against those of other animals.

If we were animals, that would make some sense. We are not! While we share some physical characteristics, there remains an immense and uncrossable chasm between us and animals so claims built on our alleged “animal nature” are in fact completely false.

God, the creator of everything, has endowed all living things with a soul. Angels, people, animals and plants. These things all have a nature as God created them and that nature is distinct and never changes. The souls of angels and people are immortal. Those of animals and plants are not. Mortal death does not end the existence of a person’s soul as it does for an animal.

People, not animals, possess reason and self-control. People, not animals, are endowed with an intellectual, rational soul. People are beings who are ends in themselves while animals are beings for the perfection of other beings. People have moral and legal authority of possession and corresponding related duties (i.e. rights). Animals may be possessed by people whereas animals may not possess people nor may people possess people. In possessing animals, we have a moral duty of humane treatment but may otherwise use them for service and food.

Holy Scripture begins by explaining this relationship between people and animals. On the sixth day, God created the animals:

Then God said: Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals, crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened: God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24-25

Then, separate from creating the animals, He create man:

Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.

God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for food. And so it happened.

Genesis 1:26-30

Notice the difference between people and animals: people are (1) created in God’s image and likeness and (2) given dominion over all animals.

The second creation narrative similarly shows people and animals made separately:

then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

and

So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name.

Genesis 2:19

Notice that both people and animals were formed out of the ground, but for people alone God “blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Notice too that in naming the animals, we are given dominion over them.

Secularists are correct in one ironic sense. When we do not recognize human dignity, we can indeed act like animals!

Last Sunday I had the good fortune to hear a friend and neighbor, a Protestant minister, speak on accepting Jesus. He spoke of our Lord’s patience, always waiting for us to let Him in. As an illustration, he showed a picture of one of the stained glass windows in his church. It was inspired by well known paintings depicting Jesus knocking softly at a door, without a latch, locked from the inside. This represents us holding back, sometimes tuning-out the knocking, and not letting Jesus into our hearts.

The speaker used a good scripture reference in support of how our Lord comes to us, softly:

Then the LORD said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD — but the LORD was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake — but the LORD was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire — but the LORD was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound.

When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

1 Kings 19:11-13a

Good stuff, beautifully presented. We cover this reading BTW, on the Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time in cycle A (most recently: August 7, 2011).

My friend went on to note how it is our choice to let Jesus in. So very true. He then used the story of the disciples walking to Emmaus to illustrate the point. As they walked along, he said, Jesus was not yet revealed to them until they came to a fork in the road and invited him in.

I grant that loosely interpreted there is truth in this, and this was offered in support of his topic, but it really misses the point of Emmaus. The story of Emmaus is very important and worth a close look.

The setting is this: it is Easter afternoon, 2 disciples have left Jerusalem headed for Emmaus. They are uncertain about what just happened, but despondent none-the-less that Jesus apparently was not the redeemer they had hoped for. Let’s take a look:

Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.

As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Luke 24:13-35

The disciples do not come to a fork in the road, but as evening approaches they arrive at their destination. Jesus is not revealed to them, but rather gratefully invited to stay as one might invite a rabbi after a day of instruction. It was not until later at the meal where Jesus “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them” that He was revealed. It was then that they responded “at once.”

Jesus was revealed in the Eucharist!

Here is how I would summarize this scripture:

• it is Easter Sunday
• disciples are gathered (2 in this case)
• Jesus is literally present
• the disciples confess their troubles to Christ
• Holy Scripture is proclaimed and interpreted
• Jesus consecrates the Eucharist
• the disciples receive Him
• they immediately depart to share the Good News

Does this remind you of anything? It is the Mass. Every Sunday we return to Easter as we disciples gather to hear the Word of God and receive our Lord. He is literally present and it is He (through His priest) who consecrates the Eucharist we receive. Immediately after that, strengthened and sustained by Him, we are sent to announce the Gospel of the Lord.

That is The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass today, throughout the centuries, in the very early Church and on the road to Emmaus. What a privilege it was for these disciples to meet Jesus in this way! What a privilege it is for us too, every time we participate at Mass.

Recently I described the nature of the Mass thus: it is a respite from the fallen world, a place where heaven and earth touch in the presence of our Lord. It is He, speaking to us from the Last Supper, who consecrates the Blessed Sacrament. We join Him there in the upper room, through His passion all the way to the foot of the cross. His sacrifice is real and present upon the altar now before us. Being consumed by Him worthily, our venial sins are forgiven and we are in communion with with Him, all the angels and saints, and our brothers and sisters present with us, at every Mass ever offered in the past and every Mass ever to be offered in the future. How awesome is that!

On the Sunday after Easter, the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of Divine Mercy. Especially on this day, we remember God’s amazing love for us all and His desire that we all share in His joy. His mercy easily exceeds our sins and is offered to all who ask for it, are merciful to others and trust in Jesus.

Public revelation – binding on all Christians – of God’s Word ended with the death of the Apostles, closing the deposit of faith. Private revelations, which illuminate more fully (but never change) the definitive and binding public ones, continue. Such gifts are for the people who receive them. In rare circumstances, the Magisterium of the Church recognizes private revelations as authentic calls from Christ or His saints to we His people (the Church Militant).

This is one of those cases. The Divine Mercy revelations were received in 1931 by a young Polish nun named Sister Faustina. She was canonized by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 2000. Later that year, Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted as Jesus had asked of her on 14 different occasions.

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

Also revealed to St. Faustina was a prayer known as the Diviner Mercy Chaplet which may be prayed using Rosary beads. Jesus said to her:

“Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy.”

[…]

“When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior.”

The Diviner Mercy Chaplet is prayed as follows:

1. Start with the Sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary and Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father beads, pray as follows:  “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads pray:  “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

Steps 2 and 3 are repeated for all five decades.

4. Conclude with (3 times):  “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

When praying the Rosary, we meditate on the mysteries of Jesus’ life, passion, death and resurrection. Similarly when praying this chaplet, reflect on Jesus’ mercy. Compared to the Rosary, the DM Chaplet can be prayed in about half the time of one set of Rosary mysteries. It is a particularly good devotion (IMHO) on Friday (first Fridays in particular). It is also integral to the Divine Mercy Novena prayed from Good Friday up to Easter Sunday.

Whereas the Rosary can be prayed counting on your fingers, I recommend using actual Rosary beads for the DM Chaplet since the same prayers are prayed on each decade and you otherwise would lose count. Trust me, I tried!

Most days I am working on my computer at 3pm (the Hour of Mercy), so I have set a little alarm that softly chimes one time. I stop whatever I am doing, clear my head and pray a mini-chaplet (as I call it) – each of the DM Chaplet prayers (#2 thru #4 above) once. This takes about 1 minute and is easily integrated into my daily routine.

What I have written here is but a brief introduction to Divine Mercy. Read more about its beauty, depth and history at these online resources:

• Marians of the Immaculate Conception
• Divine Mercy Apostolate
• EWTN

Finally…   Jesus revealed a specific, beautiful image of Himself, with his right hand raised in blessing. His left hand is over His heart, from which a pale ray shines representing the Water of righteousness and a red ray shines representing the Blood which is the life of souls.

“I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature ‘Jesus, I trust in You‘.”

Pride is one of the 7 deadly (capital/cardinal) sins and the sturdy platform upon which the others (wrath, greed, sloth, lust, envy, gluttony) are built. It is therefore considered the most dangerous sin. It is the opposite of the virtue of humility.

So, what is pride? It is self-love that places one above others. It is being really impressed…   with yourself. St. Augustine said “it was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” St. John Climacus said “humility is the only thing that no devil can imitate.” (More Saint quotes: here.)

Pride is the most basic tool of the father of lies (Satan), expertly used to feed and build vanity. When we see ourselves through prideful eyes, we can not fully know our true self, others or God. We compete with God, not loving Him above all else and we can not love our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, pride directly opposes the two greatest commandments.

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:34-40

I have been thinking a lot about pride lately. The more I look at it, the more it looks like an iceberg with just the tip visible. Superficially it seems much more benign than it truly is. It is very insidious in that way.

So, I want to understand it better…   a sort of “know your enemy” thing. Part of my approach is to mentally review my thoughts and interactions to analyze what happened and how to improve. A play-by-play approach. This is a bit like a football team watching films of their last game. Why did I think that? What was my honest purpose in saying such and such? Did I realize that small accomplishment was a grace from God? Was I trying to elevate myself over another – or worse, trying to lower them? This has been helpful and I feel that it can lead to enduring improvement away from this sin (although avoiding it completely seems almost impossible to me).

Another part of my strategy is prayer. I ask the Holy Spirit for help in understanding something then I listen. The response does not come immediately nor all at once, but it comes. For me, the best place is before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. Three things that I have learned about pride so far are:

1. Pride is taking credit for that which is accomplished by God’s grace. Our achievements are through God’s gifts to us. He is the source, not us. We take a dim view of people who steal credit for someone else’s work. How much worse then is it when we steal from God?
2. Pride is a black cloud which smothers the light of God in other people. We are all God’s greatest creation. Pride focuses our attention inward making us act as though God’s greatest creation is ourselves. In essence, we sever ourselves from the Body of Christ and thus can not love our neighbor (seen lesser) as ourselves (seen greater).
3. Pride is putting yourself on a pedestal, from which you will surely fall. It is inevitable – and even positive. In the past I viewed such falls as embarrassments which is defined as “the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public.” I have come to view these humbling moments as welcome and instructive blessings. It is interesting to me how this perspective replaces embarrassment.

He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14