& Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest, Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Fidelis[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 7:51—8:1a
St. Stephen is martyred for proclaiming Jesus Christ risen. He is the first Christian martyr stoned outside of Jerusalem with the consent of one of the representatives of the Sanhedrin (“The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.”) who we know later became St. Paul.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
This is an individual lament. The section links nicely to the death of St. Stephen with “Into your hands I commend my spirit” and “You hide them in the shelter of your presence from the plottings of men.”
Gospel Jn 6:30-35
Jesus continues the “Bread of Life” discourse. In today’s selection we are given that most solemn of statements by Jesus which is an unambiguous statement about the real presence in the Eucharist: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Reflection:
Within all of the Christian denominations there is no more unifying and divisive doctrine of faith than that of the “real presence in the Eucharist”. Yes, there are, in addition to the Eastern Rite Churches, two other denominations who believe in the real presence, some of the Lutheran Synods and the “High” Episcopalians or Anglicans. Yet even in some of these, their understanding is different than that of the Roman Catholic Church. Now something even more disturbing, many professed Roman Catholics do not believe in the real presence.
That belief is one of the Precepts of the Church. That means that in order to be in communion with the Church, one must believe that; at the rite of consecration within the Liturgy of the Eucharist, first bread and then wine are transubstantiated (changed in substance) into the Body of Christ (the Bread of Life) and the Blood of Christ.
This event, repeated around the world each day (accept Good Friday) is not a simple memorial and is not a remembrance as it is understood in a majority of the protestant denominations. It represents for us, as the Divine Mercy Chaplet says; “The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity” of our Lord Jesus Christ whose sacrifice on the cross redeemed us by becoming the “Sin Offering” for all of humanity.
Today, St. John gives us those amazing words, uttered by the Lord all those years ago in response to people looking for life through a physical meal (remember, this is the crowd that Jesus fed with the five barley loaves) and the Lord here offers them the spiritual food that will lead them to eternal life. Let us pray today that all Christians everywhere will come to understand the great gift the Lord left us in the Eucharist and the Holy Presence He maintains in it.
Pax
[1] The Image of St. Fidalis presented today is again from an antique Holy Card, Artist UNKNOWN
[2] After Link Expiration
Biographical Information about St. Fidelis[1]
Readings for Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Acts 7:51—8:1a
St. Stephen is martyred for proclaiming Jesus Christ risen. He is the first Christian martyr stoned outside of Jerusalem with the consent of one of the representatives of the Sanhedrin (“The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.”) who we know later became St. Paul.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
This is an individual lament. The section links nicely to the death of St. Stephen with “Into your hands I commend my spirit” and “You hide them in the shelter of your presence from the plottings of men.”
Gospel Jn 6:30-35
Jesus continues the “Bread of Life” discourse. In today’s selection we are given that most solemn of statements by Jesus which is an unambiguous statement about the real presence in the Eucharist: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Reflection:
Within all of the Christian denominations there is no more unifying and divisive doctrine of faith than that of the “real presence in the Eucharist”. Yes, there are, in addition to the Eastern Rite Churches, two other denominations who believe in the real presence, some of the Lutheran Synods and the “High” Episcopalians or Anglicans. Yet even in some of these, their understanding is different than that of the Roman Catholic Church. Now something even more disturbing, many professed Roman Catholics do not believe in the real presence.
That belief is one of the Precepts of the Church. That means that in order to be in communion with the Church, one must believe that; at the rite of consecration within the Liturgy of the Eucharist, first bread and then wine are transubstantiated (changed in substance) into the Body of Christ (the Bread of Life) and the Blood of Christ.
This event, repeated around the world each day (accept Good Friday) is not a simple memorial and is not a remembrance as it is understood in a majority of the protestant denominations. It represents for us, as the Divine Mercy Chaplet says; “The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity” of our Lord Jesus Christ whose sacrifice on the cross redeemed us by becoming the “Sin Offering” for all of humanity.
Today, St. John gives us those amazing words, uttered by the Lord all those years ago in response to people looking for life through a physical meal (remember, this is the crowd that Jesus fed with the five barley loaves) and the Lord here offers them the spiritual food that will lead them to eternal life. Let us pray today that all Christians everywhere will come to understand the great gift the Lord left us in the Eucharist and the Holy Presence He maintains in it.
Pax
[1] The Image of St. Fidalis presented today is again from an antique Holy Card, Artist UNKNOWN
[2] After Link Expiration
No comments:
Post a Comment