Marian Solidarity

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”

“The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.”

“The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.”

Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.

Therefore, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: “Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.”

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
PART 2, SEC. 2, Chap. 1, Art. 3, I

In Genesis, the people of God included bread and wine in their sacrifice as a sign of gratitude to God. The priest-king Melchizedek of Salem “brought out bread and wine” as offerings to the Most High.

In Exodus, God told the people to eat unleavened bread to commemorate the haste of their departure from oppression. The wine at the end of the Passover meal was a sign of joy and hope.

Then Jesus came and revealed the full meaning of the bread and wine in the Last Supper.

“This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me…This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22: 19-20). The consecrated bread and wine are literally the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

At the Mass we renew in an unbloody way the bloody sacrifice of 2000 years ago.

We offer God to God, we present Jesus Christ to the Father. At Calvary Jesus offered Himself, the crushed soul, the broken body, the precious blood. The Eucharist makes present that Sacrifice: the same body is broken, the same blood is shed.

“The same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner,” teaches the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1367.

When the priest breaks the host, this act symbolizes the breaking of the body of Jesus in the cross.

The holy sacrifice of the Mass unleashes the same torrent of grace for us in the present age. Indeed, the flood of grace is so intense that at Mass we are forgiven our venial sins. The blood is “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).

The Catechism indeed affirms that Holy Communion “wipes away venial sins” and also “preserves us from future mortal sins.”

No wonder then that the Catechism describes the Eucharist as the pledge of our future glory.

221. In what way is the Father the source and the goal of the liturgy?

1077-1083
1110

Through the liturgy the Father fills us with his blessings in the Word made flesh who died and rose for us and pours into our hearts the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the Church blesses the Father by her worship, praise, and thanksgiving and begs him for the gift of his Son and the Holy Spirit.

222. What is the work of Christ in the liturgy?

1084-1090

In the liturgy of the Church, it is his own paschal mystery that Christ signifies and makes present. By giving the Holy Spirit to his apostles he entrusted to them and their successors the power to make present the work of salvation through the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments, in which he himself acts to communicate his grace to the faithful of all times and places throughout the world.

223. How does the Holy Spirit work in the liturgy of the Church?

1091-1109
1112

The very closest cooperation is at work in the liturgy between the Holy Spirit and the Church. The Holy Spirit prepares the Church to encounter her Lord. He recalls and manifests Christ to the faith of the assembly. He makes the mystery of Christ really present. He unites the Church to the life and mission of Christ and makes the gift of communion bear fruit in the Church.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html#The%20Paschal%20Mystery%20in%20the%20Age%20of%20the%20Church

On the first of every month, Our Lord gives Anne a new message about His call to service.

June 1, 2009

Jesus

Dear apostles, I ask that you remind yourselves each day that I am participating through you in the course of history. What comes from Me can only be good. When you see goodness and kindness, you must thank Me. When you see mercy and compassion, you must thank Me. These occurrences originate in heaven and are brought to earth through the participation of those who cooperate with grace. Always, there are those who claim to participate in grace, but who do not. There are also those who claim to reject Me and yet they participate in grace by allowing goodness to flow through them. How confusing this can be for My children. Dear children, ultimately, this will be clear, in that each man must answer yes or no in each moment. Be alert to the choices in your day. Be alert to the example you set for others in your decisions for good or evil. Be alert to the peace that I bring to you when you decide for what is good. My apostles, you crave Me, I know. You crave My return into your world through a wide acceptance of the Spirit of peace. How can you satisfy this craving? I will tell you. In order to relieve the pangs of your hunger for goodness, you must bring goodness to others. Speak of goodness. Celebrate goodness. Rejoice in goodness and then try your best to participate in goodness through your cooperation with My renewal. In this way you will know that you are never helpless against evil. You will understand that I have healing power, yes, and I can flow My healing power through each person who accepts their responsibility for bringing Me to others. I am so pleased with My beloved apostles because you have accepted your tasks. How gratefully I listen when you pledge your allegiance each day. How I count on you. Spend a moment considering what I have managed to do through your cooperation. Have you shown kindness? Have you tried to become holier? Have you spread my message of compassion? You are only one. Now consider how many I have called into service at this time. Consider all of those I am calling into service through your service. Consider the healing graces that flow through My mercy. My friends, all is well. The renewal continues.

Consecration of our priests and people of the Philippines to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary