One of the liturgical things that drives me to psychiatry is when the priest at the consecrations takes the bread and the chalice and looks at the laity and gestures towards them and all around as he says the words of consecration. Why do I go crazy? Because the consecrations and the Eucharistic Prayer is not a literal re-enactment of the Last Supper, but prayed in the context of a longer prayer to remember the Last Supper and what Jesus did then and now does with the bread and wine, makes them into His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
The consecrations, where by the power of the Holy Spirit and the High Priesthood of Christ, then makes the reality of the real Presence of Christ a reality, the priest, acting in the Person of the High Priest offers Christ to the Father as a pleasing Sacrifice during the “anemesis” following the consecrations, usually the first paragraph after the Mystery of Faith. It is here that the Sacrificial Christ is offered to the Father and He accepts this perfect Sacrifice for us and for our salvation!
The “unbloody” renewal of the One Bloody Sacrifice of Christ at Calvary, anticipated at the Last Supper, is what the Eucharistic Prayer’s doctrinal and liturgical intent is. Not a meal at this point. That comes later!
Gesturing to the people during the consecration makes no sense whatsoever.
But when might it be appropriate?
AT THE EUCHARISTIC BANQUET, the Rite of Holy Communion, which begins with the “Our Father”.
This would be especially true at the “Ecce Agnus Dei”. When the priest says, “Behold the Lamb of God…” it would be thoroughly appropriate within the context of where these words are directed, toward those invited to receive Holy Communion, thus, if people are sitting on three or four sides of the Church for the priest to turn to each of them and with the Chalice and Host would be throughly congruent with the purpose of these words and to whom they are direct!
The meal aspect of the Mass is not the Eucharistic Prayer, but rather the Sacrificial Banquet is, also known as, the Rite of Holy Communion!
7 comments:
Sacrifice and Meal. Meal and Sacrifice. All in one. Simultaneously. Not one before/ahead of the other. Always had been, always will be, per omnia...
But the Sacrifice part is downplayed in the Novus Ordo unless the Roman Canon is employed. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that believe in the Real Presence is so low.
It is as you say Father McDonald. The customary Passover meal was modified by Jesus; and thus, for Catholic Christians, he raised it above memorial banquet by the new Institution Liturgy. He is the Lamb of God at the Lord's Supper. Frequent careless presentation of this reality in modern times has lead to widespread disrespect for the Eucharist even among many Catholics.
Fr. MJK,
Why then, do older missals and those little communion books with the lithography that's so engaging always emphasize the passion, death and resurrection when depicting the consecration?
Isn't the sacrifice cornerstone to our faith followed by the spiritual nourishment? While not an outright reenactment as noted by Fr. AJM, it would seem that, order of operations, the sacrifice precedes the meal at least from the perspective of divine worship.
I do find the exaggerated consecration "rite" followed by some priests to be equally perplexing and frustrating.
I envision the 180 degree showing accompanied by an exaggerated left index finger pointing while saying "Take this......this.....this there......take this etc.". This creates melodrama where I do not sense any is intended.
As mentioned, why isn't the Ecce Agnus Dei sufficient for showing/engaging the people.
I only mention this as, conceptually, there is no equivalent in the East. Ad Orientem eliminates this. The Priest simply performs the actions for which he was ordained facing the altar and High Place, while the faithful being behind him being led in prayer cannot engage with him, or play off his jestures other than those prescribed. In other words, our posture and direction eliminates the possibility of melodramatic "enhancement".
Father McDonald,
Here is an interesting article from The New Liturgical Movement today about a Monsignor Celada's prophetic statements from 1969 concering the Liturgy. He was a prominent cleric but was removed from his positions as fall-out for "speaking truth to power." You will find this interesting:
https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2022/10/to-illustrious-assassins-of-our-holy.html
Coming back to this as perhaps western theology is different from that of the East.
Thus, the Divine Liturgy is the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, made present in our midst, and concluding with a meal that renews our baptismal covenant with God.
https://mci.archpitt.org/liturgy/Divine_Liturgy.html
From the Orthodox, consistent with the Byzantine Catholic view:
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Eucharist
And this, again the timing of the sacrifice followed by nourishment seems clear from an Eastern perspective e.g. the Eastern Byzantine Jurisdictions, including those united under the Pope of Rome are consistent:
https://myocn.net/the-divine-liturgy-2/#:~:text=The%20Divine%20Liturgy%20or%20Divine,this%20is%20my%20body%E2%80%A6'.
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