Discovering Jesus in the Mass

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Discovering Jesus in the Mass
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Opening PrayerApostles Creed

• Renewal of our Baptismal promises
• The renunciation of Satan
• Do you renounce Satan?
• I do.
• And all his works?
• I do.
• And all his pomps?
• I do.

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Opening PrayerApostles Creed

• Do you believe in God the Father Almighty,
  Creator of Heaven and Earth?
• I Do.
• Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our
  Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was
  crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the
  dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the
  Father?
• I Do.
• Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy
  Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the
  forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body
  and life everlasting?
• I Do.
• AMEN!

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Jesus Christ is always with us, even unto the end
of the age.
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The Road to Emmaus

• This scripture story begins with disciples who
  believe that Jesus is dead and no longer with
  them. They are walking to Emmaus.
• As they walk along the Road the Stranger
  teaches them about the Scriptures. The stranger
  tells them that this is not the end of Jesus.
• When they arrive at their destination The
  Stranger breaks the bread with them, their eyes
  are opened, and they see that Christ is with them.

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The Holy Mass Our Road to Emmaus

• The Mass begins with the Liturgy of the Word.
• By listening to the scriptures, we learn more
  about God who can often be a stranger to us.
• When we learn more about God we are likely to
  invite him into our lives (to share a meal with
  us).
• The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the meal we
  share, it is in the Eucharist that the Stranger
  will become known to us.
• In the Eucharist we truly see Jesus Christ.

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The Eucharist God is with us.

• In the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist the
  Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus is truly
  present.
• Ordinary bread and wine are changed into the Body
  and Blood of Jesus Christ.
• This is not a transformation it is a
  transubstantiation.
• Let us take a closer look as to why something may
  appear the same, but be different.

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Chalk Talk Substance and Form
Transformation
We may not recognize Billy in his Pirate
Costume. But if we find out whats Under the
appearance Well see that it is still Billy!
Substance Billy Form Pirate
Substance Billy Form Happy Guy
The form of something is how it looks, smells,
tastes, sounds, etc.
Transformation
Same bug! Different Form or appearance.
Substance Bubba Form Butterfly
Substance Bubba Form Caterpillar
Only the form changes!
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Chalk Talk Substance and Form
Transubstantiation
Substance Bread Wine Form Bread Wine
Substance Body Blood of Jesus
Christ Form Bread Wine
Only the Substance changes!
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Thinking it out

• Another way of looking at the word substance is
  to think of somethings identity
• Another way of looking at the word form is think
  of somethings appearance
• The same person can appear different as they grow
  up, get fat or skinny, get a hair cut, or wear a
  costume or disguise
• We dont reintroduce ourselves every time a
  person changes, it can be embarrassing if we do,
  but rather we realize that the substance hasnt
  changed same person, different appearance.

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Thinking it out

• During the Mass the Lord removes the substance of
  the bread and wine and replaces it with the
  substance of Christs Body and Blood.
• That is why we never call it bread or wine after
  it is changed (consecrated), we have to
  reintroduce ourselves to something that appears
  the same but is now someone else.
• In some sense, Jesus is in the costume of bread
  and wine, underneath (Like Billy and the Pirate)
  is really Jesus Christ though it may not appear
  so.
• It is also important for us to understand that
  Christ comes to us in a FORM that can be consumed.

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Thinking It Out

• He does not come to us in the FORM of a brick,
  metal, or human flesh and human blood.
• By using the FORM of bread and wine, we can eat
  of the sacrifice as demanded by Gods law so that
  we become one with the blessing of that
  sacrifice. It enters us and is absorbed into us.
• This is also why we are not cannibals, cannibals
  eat the FORM of human flesh and drink the form of
  human blood.
• We consume the FORM of bread of wine, the
  substance or identity is Jesus Body and Blood

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John 653-54

• Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the
  flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you
  do not have life within you. Whoever eats my
  flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I
  will raise him on the last day.

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Calling Forward the Sacrifice

• Jesus Christ shed his blood and gave his life
  only once for the forgiveness of sins.
• In the Mass we do not Re-Crucify Christ.
• Instead we, through Gods divine power, call
  forward that one sacrifice into our present time.
• The same as we were present in Christs mind and
  heart while he was being Crucified though he was
  in a different time than us.
• In the Mass Jesus mind and heart is made present
  to us in our time as we were present to Him in
  his time.
• Because Jesus is not recrucified, the Eucharist
  is called the Unbloodied Sacrifice.
• There is no Form of blood.

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Calling Forward the Sacrifice

• For our benefit the sacrifice still has its same
  shape.
• There is a priest.
• There is a victim.
• There is an offering
• And if the offering is accepted we obtain the
  intention for which we had sacrificed, in this
  case the forgiveness of sin, resurrection of the
  body, and life everlasting.

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Calling Forward The Sacrifice
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Grace!

• We go to Mass each Sunday so that we might have a
  greater share of Gods life within us better
  known as Grace.
• There is no better way to have Gods life within
  us than to consume him in the Eucharist.
• Our body absorbs Christ, as with all of our food,
  it goes into our flesh and blood
• The Alcohol of wine goes into the blood, the
  wheat of the bread goes into our flesh.
• Jesus becomes inseparable with us, He is in us,
  and we are in him, we become one body in Christ!
• We become Alter Christi, another Christ, Sons
  and daughters of God.

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Rejecting Grace

• My friend Fr. Michael asked me, How can so many
  people receive communion so often yet it seems to
  make no difference?
• I answered him
• We may reject Grace at any time.
• If you approach the Eucharist Irreverently, not
  acknowledging Gods presence, than you will block
  the Grace of Communion.
• If you are in the state of mortal sin, having a
  serious sin that has not been absolved, you will
  block the Grace of Communion but also incur
  another sin of Blasphemy.
• Though God pours out his Full Graces each time we
  receive communion, most people do not dispose
  themselves to receive it.

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Receive the Graces

• Here is what a true reception of the Eucharist
  can bring
• Peace
• Joy
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Humility
• Patience
• Faithfulness
• Self-Control
• And a heart full of love!

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How do I receive this?

• You may have received the Eucharist many times
  and experienced nothing more than a tasteless
  wafer and a sip of wine.
• If you want to receive you must first give.
• First, GIVE your sins to the Cross in Confession.
  Sin blocks grace, your joy will begin with the
  forgiveness of your sins in Confession as that
  has its own Grace.
• Second, love God actively in the week leading up
  to Sunday. Give to the poor, do your duties
  happily (without complaint), be kind to others,
  and stand up for what is right.

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How do I receive this?

• Third, when you arrive on Sunday, kneel down and
  ask God to give you his wonderful Grace.
• Fourth, at the offertory, offer God all the good
  things you have done in his name throughout the
  week, tithe, and offer all the difficulties you
  faced in doing what was right. Give all those
  things to God as a gift.
• Fifth, Receive the Eucharist with the utmost
  reverence.
• Finally, thank God for the gift of his grace.

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Grace is given not taken

• We can only present ourselves properly to receive
  grace.
• We cannot take it from God or claim a right to it
  because we did what we think is right.
• We must humbly wait.
• It may not happen right away but if you ask, you
  will receive it.
• It is like getting covered in paint, you may
  still discover after many showers that you still
  have paint on you. Eventually though, it is
  gone.
• It is the same with the things that block our
  grace, sometimes it takes time.

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Closing Prayer