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Daily Scripture

+ 5th Week in Ordinary Time

It still has meaning.

1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13 Psalm 132:6-7, 8-10 Mark 6:53-56

The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary, the holy of holies of the temple. There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets which Moses had put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel. [1 Kings 8:6, 8]
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In recent years there has been much discussion in liturgical circles about the proper location of the tabernacle in the worship space. The directives implementing the Constitution on the Liturgy by the Second Vatican Council prescribed that the tabernacle be located in prominent location in the church or chapel, preferably in a chapel dedicated to the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament and appropriate for veneration. In any case, it was not to be located on the altar table used for the celebration of the Eucharist. As a result in many churches renovations, the tabernacle was moved to the ‘side altar’ previously used for the veneration of the Blessed Virgin or St. Joseph and in some churches, it was placed on the old altar previously used for Mass. In situations the old altar was replaced with a permanent pedestal on which the tabernacle was placed.

In liturgical matters, nothing is simple. Those of a more conservative disposition insisted that the location of the Tabernacle on the side altar reduced the status of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist thereby diminishing its meaning in the devotional life of the faithful. Others of a more liberal persuasion opined that in fact, the location in a separate chapel within the church assigned to the sacrament greater prominence thereby increasing the devotional aspect. Moreover, in as much as an emphasis of the ‘action’ of the Mass as the repetition of the “Lord’s Supper” was promoted by the Council, it seemed to liturgists that the location of the tabernacle in the main sanctuary behind the free standing Eucharist table would compete with the ‘action’ of the Mass as a sacred meal.

The most recent prescriptions in the United States provide that the tabernacle be located in the main sanctuary on suitably ornate pedestal. It is ironic that in the major basilicas including the basilica of St. Peter in Rome, the tabernacle is located on a side altar that is not very prominent.

Whatever the location, it should not be a bone of contention worthy of a liturgical battle. The public and private devotion to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is rooted in the long tradition of the Church and should not be disparaged. In the same way in which the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments was symbolic of God’s presence in the temple, so too, the reservation of the Eucharist Bread has been one of the longest-standing practices of the devotional life of Catholics. It is intended to extend the meaning and the effects of the Eucharistic celebration into the life of the faithful who continue to spend time in prayerful meditation on the mysteries of the life of Jesus not the least of which is his faithfulness unto death on the cross for the salvation of the world. The two aspects of Eucharist need not be in competition. The ‘Mass’ continues to be considered a “sacrificial” meal. But we need to be clear that its connection with the passion and death of Christ even as the lamb of God is not to suggest that his death was mandated to satisfy and angry God. That in my opinion is not an appropriate application of Old Testament sacrifices. No, Jesus sacrificial death was the completion of his entire sacrificial life of unqualified and indiscriminate love in the same way as the sacrificial love of partners in marriage offer their sacrificial love to one another or in the manner that Mother Teresa offered her live in sacrificial service to victims of poverty in the streets of Calctta. It is in this sense that devotion to the Eucharist in the tabernacle takes its extended meaning.

During the celebration of the Eucharist, we become what we eat. Through our devotion to the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle, we are reminded that the Eucharistic presence in our mind, heart and soul extends into all the good works of our lives with the hope that we too will always think and act with the same sacrificial love as did Jesus in his earthly life.

Feast of Corpus Christi

Sunday June 6, 2010

My Favorite Bread

“Hi. My name is Kenny Lasch and my favorite bread is cinnamon raisin bread.”

The preparation for First Holy Communion in every Catholic parish is very special as I am sure it is for every Catholic family. However, the preparation at a parish where I was pastor for many years included the celebration of ‘family night’ one week prior to First Communion to which candidates brought their favorite bread.

The meeting opened with first communion candidates identifying themselves and the name of their favorite bread for example, “My name is Mary Jones and my favorite bread is….”

When I was a child, the variety of bread was limited to plain white, whole wheat, rye, raisin and pumpernickel. The variety today is extraordinary. Perhaps parents are behind the variety of favorite breads because some of the children have said, “My name is… but I can’t remember the name of my favorite bread;” something exotic no doubt.

There is banana bread, pumpkin, zucchini, monkey bread, cinnamon raisin bread; white mountain, Italian, French, Irish soda bread, potato pistachio nut bread, and the list is endless.

The bread was blessed at the start of the meeting and shared during the making of banners. The greatest challenge of course was getting the children to help their parents assemble the banners. It was painful to watch moms and especially the dads trying to cut felt letters with children’s scissors.

One of the lessons the children learned is that the bread we share with one another during this session becomes part of us. Different though we all are, one from another, we are able to cross barriers through the sharing of different kinds of bread. Sharing a meal often has that effect. We are a family kneaded and bonded in Christ.

The second lesson is that the bread that we share at the Eucharist table is different. It is plain unleavened flour mixed with water and it tastes flat. The children learn that it is not the taste that matters because this is bread for the soul, bread for the spiritual journey. Moreover, at this table we become the bread that we eat and over time we are transformed into the body of Christ. That is the exact name that St. Paul used to describe the early followers of Christ. This is the bread that makes us truly one family.

The third lesson the children learned in the course of their preparation is the important connection between the Eucharist table and their family table. When I used to ask them, “Where is the most important table in the parish?” They would point to the Eucharist table. “And the second most important table?” They responded: “Our family table!” And the third? “The table of humanity.” Yes, and we need to keep the three tables connected.

What would life be like without our family table? It is where family memories are unpacked—the bad as well as the good. Think of all the family stories that have been shared at your table—stories that made you laugh and stories that made you cry but all of them healing stories that kept you faithful and in touch with loved ones who have come and gone throughout the years. Videotapes can’t really capture the soul of the story—we need the story to be told live and unrehearsed.

And this is why we gather every week at this table and this is why you gather at your family table every day during which you break bread and share more stories about all the bread that you have broken through the years. The sharing of cherished memories is sacred, yes, even sacramental. You have broken the bread of your lives over and over again—sacrificially. No, life hasn’t always unfolded the way we planned or hoped for. But we are here today because we count at the Jesus’ table.

Consider how often Jesus sat at table with his friends and even with sinners. The story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes appears six times in the four gospels. Take note of the eucharistic language in Luke’s narrative: “Then taking the two loaves and five fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.” Luke is preparing us for ‘The Supper’ during which Jesus took the bread, blessed and broke saying, ‘this is my body.’”

It is not surprising then, that Jesus would chose the table and the most basic of foods as the vehicle through which he would continue his presence among his followers.

We become what we eat at this table so that we can become bread blessed and broken at the table of humanity.

Just as we can’t do life without our family table so we can’t do life without the Eucharist.

“Hi, my name is Kenny Lasch and my favorite bread is the Eucharist Bread.”