Ecclesia de Eucharistia

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In the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia from 2003 , Pope John Paul II emphasizes the celebration of the Eucharist as a central religious secret of the Catholic Church . A common communion of Catholics and Protestants is not possible due to the different understanding of the Eucharist.

In his encyclical the Pope points to the establishment of a liturgy commission and announces the publication of instructions on the liturgy and the Eucharist to be drawn up by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Order of the Sacraments .

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Introduction (No. 1–10)

(1) “The Church lives by the Eucharist.” This “summarizes the essence of the mystery of the Church .” In the Eucharist, Christ is present “in a unique intensity”. In the Eucharist, bread and wine are transformed “into Christ's body and blood”. The “Eucharistic Sacrifice” is therefore “the source and climax of the whole Christian life” ( Lumen Gentium , n. 11). In the Eucharist the Church discovers “the perfect expression of his infinite love”.
(2) Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper in the Upper Room .
(3) The Eucharist is the sacrament of the “ Easter Mystery ”. The institution of the Eucharist in the Upper Room "sacramentally" anticipated the death and resurrection of Jesus.
(4) "To this place [Gethsemani, Golgotha, tomb of Jesus] and this hour, every priest who celebrates Holy Mass returns in a spiritual way, and with him the Christian community that takes part."
(5) “The foundation and […] source” of the church “is the entire triduum paschale .” The triduum paschale is “gathered, anticipated and forever“ concentrated ”in the Eucharistic gift. In this gift, Jesus Christ gave the church the everlasting visualization of the Easter mystery. With it he created a mysterious "simultaneity" between that triduum and the course of all centuries. "
(6) The “face of Christ” can be seen “above all in the living sacrament of his body and blood”.
(8) Holy Mass is "cosmic". “It connects heaven and earth. It embraces and fulfills all that has been created. The Son of God became man to restore all that was created in a supreme act of praise to him who created it from nothing. By entering the eternal sanctuary by the blood of his cross, the eternal high priest restores all redeemed creation to the Creator and Father. He does this through the priestly ministry of the Church to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. This is the mysterium fidei that becomes present in the Eucharist: the world that has emerged from the hands of God the Creator returns to God as a world redeemed by Christ. "
(9) The presentations of the Tridentine Council on the Eucharist are to be “admired”. More recently the encyclicals should be mentioned: Mirae Caritatis , Mediator Dei and Mysterium Fidei . The Second Vatican Council “illuminated” some aspects of the Eucharist, especially in Lumen gentium and in Sacrosanctum Concilium .
(10) “Without a doubt, the liturgical reform of the Council was of great benefit for a more conscious, active and fruitful participation of the faithful in the holy sacrifice of the altar.” “Unfortunately, besides these rays of light, there is no lack of shadows. There are places where the cult of Eucharistic adoration has been almost completely abandoned. In one area or another of the Church there are also abuses which contribute to the diminution of the right faith and the Catholic teaching on this wonderful sacrament. At times a greatly diminishing understanding of the Eucharistic mystery becomes apparent. It is deprived of its sacrificial character and performed in a way as if it did not exceed the meaning and value of a fraternal meal community. In addition, the need for the ministerial priesthood established in apostolic succession is sometimes obscured, and the sacramentality of the Eucharist is reduced to its effectiveness in preaching. From there there are ecumenical initiatives here and there which, although well-intentioned, encourage eucharistic practices that contradict the discipline with which the Church expresses her faith. ”“ The Eucharist is too great a good to be ambiguous and to tolerate shortening. "

Chapter I: Mystery of Faith (No. 11-20)

(11) “The Eucharist is not just a reminder of this event, but its sacramental realization. It is the sacrifice of the cross that lasts through the centuries. ”Through the sacrament of the Eucharist,“ every believer [...] can. participate in the sacrifice of Christ and obtain its fruits in inexhaustible measure. "
(12) Christ's action was a sacrifice. In the words of institution, Christ "expressed the character of sacrifice". "[...] this sacrifice becomes present and continues in a sacramental way in every community where it is offered by the hands of the consecrated priest." "The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one sacrifice" ( CCC , no. 1367). “The mass makes the sacrifice of the cross present, it does not add anything to it or reproduce it” ( Council of Trento , DH 1743). "What is repeated is the commemoration, his ' memorial representation' ( memorialis demonstratio ), through which the only and final redeeming sacrifice of Christ becomes present in time."
(13) The Eucharist is “a sacrifice in the proper sense”. This “by virtue of their intimate relationship with the sacrifice of Golgotha”. It is not only “a mere offering of Christ as spiritual food to the believers” “In giving his sacrifice to the church, Christ wanted to make the spiritual sacrifice of the church his own, which is called to offer itself with the sacrifice of Christ . ”This is what the Second Vatican Council teaches us with regard to all believers:“ In participating in the Eucharistic sacrifice, the source and climax of the whole Christian life, they offer the divine sacrificial Lamb to God and offer themselves with him ”( LG 11 ).
(14) "Christ's Passover includes his resurrection along with suffering and death."
(15) "The sacramental making present of Christ's sacrifice, completed through the resurrection, in Holy Mass contains a very special mode of presence, which [...] is called real , [...] because it is substantial and consequently the whole and complete Christ, the God-Man, makes present ”( Mysterium Fidei ). “Through the consecration of bread and wine, there is a transformation of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord, and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change was aptly named by the Holy Catholic Church and in the true sense of the word “change of essence” ( Council of Trent , DH 1642). The Eucharist is really a mysterium fidei , a mystery that transcends our thinking and that can only be grasped in faith. "
(16) The action of the Eucharist is fulfilled in communion . “The eucharistic sacrifice is in itself directed towards the intimate communion of us believers with Christ in communion: […]. The Eucharist is a true meal in which Christ offers himself as food. [...]. It is not a question of food in a figurative sense: "My flesh is really food, and my blood is really drink" (Jn 6:55). "
(17) “By participating in his body and blood, Christ also communicates his spirit to us. [...]. In this way, through the gift of his body and blood, Christ lets the gift of his spirit grow in us, which was poured into us in baptism and given as a "seal" in the sacrament of Confirmation. "
(18) The Eucharist has an “eschatological perspective”. In the Eucharist, the believer receives “also the guarantee of bodily resurrection at the end of the world”.
(19) In the Eucharist there is a union with the “heavenly liturgy”. “The Eucharist is really a breaking up of heaven that opens over the earth. She is a ray of glory from the heavenly Jerusalem that penetrates the clouds of our history and sheds light on our path. "
(20) The eschatological tension of the Eucharist does not weaken, but “promotes our sense of responsibility for the present world.” With Paul it is to be said that the participation of the Christian community in the Lord's Supper is unworthy “when there are divisions in it and they serve the poor is indifferent to ".

Chapter II: The Eucharist builds up the Church (nos. 21-25)

(21) "Analogous to the covenant at Sinai, which was sealed by the sacrifice and the sprinkling of blood, the actions and words of Jesus at the Last Supper lay the foundation for the new messianic community, the people of the new covenant."
(22) “The incorporation into Christ, which is realized in Baptism, is constantly renewed and strengthened through participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, especially through full participation in the Sacramental Sacrament. We can say that not only does each one of us receive Christ , but also that Christ receives each one of us . He becomes friends with us: "You are my friends" (Jn 15:14). ”From the Eucharist the Church draws“ the necessary spiritual strength to fulfill her mission ”.
(23) "With the Eucharistic Communion, the Church is at the same time consolidated in its unity as the body of Christ."
(24) "Through communion on the body of Christ the Church penetrates ever deeper into her being," in Christ, as it were, the sacrament, that is, the sign and instrument for the most intimate union with God and for the unity of all humanity "( Lumen Gentium , No. 1). "
(25) “The cult that is performed on the Eucharist outside of Mass has an inestimable value in the life of the Church.” Christ is also present among the holy figures after Mass. This as long as the figures endure. In addition to spiritual communion, forms of eucharistic piety such as exposure of the holy of holies or a “spiritual dialogue” and “silent adoration” before the “Eucharistic Christ” are to be cultivated.

III. Chapter: The Apostolicity of the Eucharist and the Church (n. 26–33)

(26) There is a very close connection between the Eucharist and the Church.
(27) The Eucharist is "apostolic like the Church " because it transmits the sacrament entrusted by Christ to the apostles and "because it is celebrated in accordance with the faith of the apostles".
(28) Furthermore, the Eucharist is apostolic because it is made possible by the apostolic succession of the bishops and by the priest's sacrament of consecration which depends on it. The ministerial priest makes the Eucharistic sacrifice “in the person of Christ”. This means more than just the name or by proxy . “ In the person , that is, in the specific, sacramental identification with the eternal high priest, who is the author and chief subject of this sacrifice of his own, in which he cannot really be replaced by anyone”.
(29) The priest's sacrament of ordination imparts “ a gift [...] which radically surpasses the authority of the community . The priestly ministry is indispensable for validly binding the Eucharistic consecration to the sacrifice on the cross and to the Last Supper. [...] But the congregation cannot give itself an ordained minister. This is a gift that the community receives through the succession of bishops going back to the apostles. "
(30) In the " ecclesiastical communities that arose in the West in the 16th century and afterwards and were separated from the Catholic Church" the "sacrament of consecration" was missing and "the original and complete reality of the Eucharistic mystery was not preserved". “Therefore, with all due respect for the religious beliefs of their separated brothers and sisters, the Catholic faithful must refrain from communion given at their celebrations so that they do not give rise to an ambiguous understanding of the nature of the Eucharist and thus neglect the duty to whom Bearing clear witness to the truth. This would lead to a delay on the way to full visible unity. It is also not permitted to replace Holy Mass on Sundays with ecumenical liturgical services, joint prayer meetings with Christians belonging to the above-mentioned ecclesiastical communities, or by participating in their liturgical celebrations. On suitable occasions, such celebrations and meetings are praiseworthy in themselves, they prepare for the longed for full, also Eucharistic communion, but cannot replace it ”.
(31) The Eucharist is the central "reason for being" of the priestly ministry. The Eucharistic Sacrifice "is therefore the center and root of all priestly life" ( Presbyterorum ordinis , 14). The priest should therefore celebrate the Eucharist daily. Even when no believers can be present, the Eucharist is “an act of Christ and the Church” ( Presbyterorum ordinis , 13).
(32) Sunday services due to a lack of priests without an ordained priest are in themselves "commendable", but only "temporarily" and "sacramentally incomplete".
(33) Non-consecrated believers who work in pastoral care should keep the “hunger” for the Eucharist alive.

Chapter IV: The Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion (nos. 34–46)

(34) “ Communio-ecclesiology ” is “the central and fundamental idea of ​​the documents of the Second Vatican Council”. “The Eucharist appears as the culmination of all sacraments, because through the Holy Spirit it brings communion with God the Father to one with the only begotten Son.” “That is why it is appropriate to cultivate the constant desire for the Eucharistic sacrament in the soul . This is where the practice of "spiritual communion" lies, which has spread for centuries in the Church and was recommended by holy teachers of the spiritual life. "
(35) “The close relationship that exists between the invisible and the visible elements of ecclesial communion is a constitutive feature of the Church as a sacrament of salvation” ( Lumen Gentium , n. 14). Therefore it follows from the "essence of the Eucharist" that "it is celebrated in community, and that where the integrity of its bonds is preserved."
(36) “The invisible community” presupposes the “life of grace”. Therefore, one who is aware of grave sin must receive the sacrament of penance before receiving communion ( CCC , 1385).
(37) “The Eucharist and Penance are two closely related sacraments.” “It is obvious that the judgment on the state of grace belongs only to the person concerned, because it is a judgment of conscience. But in those cases in which an external behavior seriously, overtly and consistently contradicts the moral norm, the Church cannot avoid being made responsible in her pastoral concern for the right order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament . The norm of the ecclesiastical code refers to this state of obvious moral indisposition, according to which those cannot be admitted to Eucharistic communion “who persist in an obviously grave sin” ”( CIC , can. 915).
(38) “The Eucharist is the highest sacramental representation of communion in the Church. It is therefore necessary that it be celebrated in the context of the integrity of the external bonds of communion . ”The communion ties in the sacraments must really exist, especially in baptism and ordination. It is therefore not possible to give communion to someone who is not baptized "or who rejects the unabridged truth of faith about the Eucharistic mystery".
(39) The Eucharistic Sacrifice is never a celebration of the particular community alone. The congregation must be open to “every other Catholic congregation”. "The ecclesial communion of the Eucharistic Assembly is communion with its own bishop and with the Pope ."
(40) "The Eucharist creates community and educates to community ."
(41) "One of the reasons for the importance of Sunday Mass lies in the special effectiveness in promoting community that is inherent in the Eucharist."
(43) The Eucharist as a sacrament and thus the source and expression of the “unity of God's people” has a special “relationship to economic activity”.
(44) The “unity of the church” is “subject to the indispensable claim of full communion through the bonds of the creed, the sacraments and the church office”. It is therefore not possible “to celebrate the Eucharistic liturgy together until these bonds are restored to their integrity. Such a concelebration would not be a valid means, but could even prove to be an obstacle to reaching full communion . It would diminish the sense of how far away the goal is and bring about and encourage an ambiguous view of one or the other belief truth. The path to full unity can only be taken in truth. "
(45) “In the absence of full communion, concelebration is in no way permitted. This does not apply to the dispensing of the Eucharist under special circumstances and to individuals belonging to churches or ecclesial communities that are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. In this case it is a matter of meeting a serious spiritual need of individual believers with regard to eternal salvation, but not of the practice of intercommunion , which is not possible as long as the visible ties of the church community are not fully tied. "
(46) In certain individual cases the priest can also offer the sacrament of the Eucharist to non-Catholics who “ardently” wish to receive communion and who profess the Catholic faith with regard to the Eucharist. A Catholic believer "cannot receive communion in a community that lacks the valid sacrament of consecration."

Chapter V: The Dignity of the Eucharistic Celebration (n. 47-52)

(48) "Like the woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany, the Church is not afraid of being" wasteful "when she uses the best means to express her adoring wonder at the immense gift of the Eucharist ."
(49) “External forms of expression” are intended to “emphasize and underline the magnitude of the event being celebrated”.
(50) “The creative freedom that the Church has always given artists is great [...]. Sacred art, however, must be distinguished by the ability to give adequate expression to the mystery, in accordance with the whole faith of the Church and in accordance with the pastoral directions given by the competent authority. The same applies to the visual arts and church music. "
(51) The necessary liturgical inculturation in the “continents of young Christianity” must “always take place in the awareness of the unspeakable mystery”.
(52) The “liturgical norms” are “a concrete expression of the authentic ecclesial nature of the Eucharist”. “The liturgy is never the private property of anyone, neither the celebrant nor the community in which the mysteries are celebrated.” “Obedience to the liturgical norms” is an expression of the unity of the Church and “love for the Church”.

VI. Chapter: In the School of Mary - The Eucharist and Mary (No. 53–58)

(53) Mary as the “teacher in contemplating the face of Christ” can “actually lead to this most holy sacrament, since she has a deep relationship with him”.
(54) The Eucharist as a mystery fidei towers over the mind "so far [...] that we are required to devote ourselves entirely to the word of God." That is why Mary is "a support and guide [...] to acquire such an attitude." . "
(55) There is a “ profound analogy between the fiat with which Mary responded to the angel's words and the amen that every believer utters when he receives the Lord's body.” Mary was in some ways the first with pregnancy " Tabernacle " of history.
(56) "Not only on Golgotha , but throughout her life at Christ's side, Mary made the sacrificial character of the Eucharist her own."
(57) "With the Church and as Mother of the Church, Mary is present in each of our Eucharistic celebrations."
(58) "In the Eucharist the Church unites fully with Christ and his sacrifice and makes the Spirit of Mary her own."

Conclusion (No. 59-62)

(60) "Every striving for holiness, every act directed towards the realization of the mission of the Church, every implementation of pastoral plans must draw the necessary strength from the Eucharistic mystery and be ordered to this mystery as its climax."
(61) “The Eucharistic mystery - sacrifice, presence, meal - must not be shortened or branched out. One must live it in its fullness: during the celebration itself, in the intimate conversation with Jesus after receiving communion, in the time of Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass. ”“ The treasure of the Eucharist entrusted to us by the Lord is our sport to strive for the goal of full Eucharistic communion with all the brothers and sisters with whom we share common Baptism. In order not to waste such a treasure, however, the requirements must be observed which are derived from its nature as a sacrament of communion in faith and in apostolic succession. "
(62) The saints are "the great interpreters of true Eucharistic piety."

literature

  • Pope John Paul II: ECCLESIA DE EUCHARISTIA encyclical on the Eucharist in relation to the Church. 2. corr. Edition. Edited by Secretariat of the German Bishops' Conference. (Announcements of the Apostolic See, Vol. 159), Bonn 2003 [1]
  • Peter Walter: Eucharist and Church. The encyclical “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” by Pope John Paul II , in: Christoph Böttigheimer, Hubert Filser (ed.): Church unity and global responsibility. Festschrift for Peter Neuner , Regensburg 2006, 241–259.

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