Denver Catholic

14 SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC SEPTEMBER 14-27, 2019 | Church History DIDACHE ca. 60-100 ST. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH ca. 110 A.D. ST. JUSTIN MARTYR ca. 150 A.D. Also known as "The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations," this Early Christian writing from the fi rst century mentions the importance of confessing one's sins before receiving communion and talks explicitly about the Eucharist. "But every Lord's day [Sunday] gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifi ce may be pure" (XIV). "Now concerning the Thanksgiving [Eucharist], thus give thanks. First concerning the cup… And concerning the broken bread…" (IX). Ignatius of Antioch, who had been a disciple of St. John, said regarding those who held "heterodox opinions," that "they abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the fl esh of our Savior Jesus Christ, fl esh which suž ered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again" (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2, 7:1). "Not as common bread or common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both fl esh and blood for our salva- tion, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and fl esh is nour- ished… is both the fl esh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus" (First Apology 66:1–20). ORIGEN ca. 244 A.D VISITS TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT 1745 ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM ca. 350 A.D. POPE PIUS X 1903-1914 ST. AMBROSE OF MILAN ca. 387 A.D. VATICAN II'S LITURGICAL REFORM 1962-1965 "TRANSUBSTANTIATION" 1215 SUMMORUM PONTIFCIUM 2007 "You are accustomed to take part in the divine mysteries, so you know how, when you have received the Body of the Lord, you rever- ently exercise every care lest a particle of it fall and lest anything of the consecrated gift perish" (Homilies on Exodus 13:3). As a practical consequence of Eucharistic Adoration, the practice of making frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament became more popular. St. Alphonsus of Liguori gave a new impulse to this practice through his popular book Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, published in 1745, which went through 40 edi- tions in his lifetime. Some religious orders also began practicing per- petual adoration around this time. "Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that, for they are, according to the Master's declaration, the body and blood of Christ. Even though the senses sug- gest to you the other, let faith make you fi rm" (Catechetical Discourses: Mystagogic 4:22:9). Pope Pius X would come to be known as the "Pope of the Blessed Sacrament" by many. Other than restoring the practice of Gregorian Chant, he promoted daily communion, assuring that it is the shortest way to Heaven. He also lowered the age of First Communion from 12 to 7 years old, which was consid- ered the "age of discretion." "It is the true Flesh of Christ which was cru- cifi ed and buried, this is then truly the Sac- rament of His Body. The Lord Jesus Him- self proclaims: "This Is My Body" (On the Mysteries 9, 53-54). The Second Vatican Council was held to address the relation between the Church and the modern world. Among the modifi cations established, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy sought to reform and promote the liturgy. Some of these reforms included a wider use of the vernacular language during the liturgy and a greater participation of the congregation. It's implementation has been the subject of much discussion, and for many, various changes associated with it were never intended by the Council Fathers. A great debate arose when in the 11th century, Ber- engar of Tours assured that it was not necessary to talk about material change in the elements when explaining the real presence of Christ in the Eucha- rist. The Fourth Lateran Council rea´ rmed in 1215 what the Church had believed for centuries by using a fairly-new term: "Transubstantiation." While not attached to a specifi c metaphysics, this term was used to explain that the essence of bread and wine became the true Body and Blood of Christ, even if the appearances of bread and wine remained intact. Over 35 years after the Missal was updated in 1970, following the Second Vatican Council, Pope Benedict XVI allowed priests to celebrate the Tridentine Mass – often referred to as the Traditional Latin Mass – using the 1962 Missal, with a group of faithful "who, of their own will, asked to be admitted." The Pope assured that the "new rite" from 1970 did not null the "old rite," last published in 1962. Instead, he said they must be seen as a "twofold use" of the same rite. THOMAS AQUINAS 1225-1274 FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI 1264 THE REAL PRESENCE REMAINS 1551 Thomas Aquinas gave the greatest theologi- cal explanation of the meaning of transub- stantiation. In addition, he was commissioned to write the hymns for the Feast of Corpus Christi. He wrote such hymns as Pange Lingua, Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris Hostia. In the Early Church, the adoration of the Body and Blood of Christ was restricted to the Eucharistic celebration and communion, and Fathers such as Augustine and Ambrose encouraged an attitude of adoration during Mass. However, in hopes of repairing for the controversies and blas- phemies of some against the Eucharist, faithful such as St. Juliana of Liege, requested in the 13th century a greater ado- ration outside of Mass. This request, coupled with the Eucha- ristic miracle of Bolsena, Italy, in 1264, led Pope Urban IV to institute the Feast of Corpus Christi ("The Body of Christ"). The Council of Trent rea´ rmed that it was not reasonable to say that the Real Presence was limited to the moment of reception, as Martin Luther held, but that it remained afterward. The fact that the Presence did not depend on the act of reception was evident not only in Tradition, but also in the Gospels. Early Christians fre- quently took the Eucharist to the homebound or on long journeys, or even received the Blessed Sacrament a couple days after its consecration, as is documented in writings of the Church Fathers. Following Jesus' words in the Gospels, it is evident that the Body and Blood became so before reception and not because of it. Church History CREDITS NEWADVENT.ORG CATHOLIC.COM THEREALPRESENCE.ORG THE CROSS AND THE EUCHARIST IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY BY REV. DANIEL CARDÓ COVER PHOTO BY JOSH APPLEGATE ration outside of Mass. This request, coupled with the Eucha- ristic miracle of Bolsena, Italy, in 1264, led Pope Urban IV to ("The Body of Christ"). Following Jesus' words in the Gospels, it is evident that the Body and Blood became so before reception and not because of it. Practice & Understanding

• Cover