Living the Truth in Love. The Pentecost of the Eucharist

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1 Living the Truth in Love The Pentecost of the Eucharist Pentecost truly takes place during the celebration of the Eucharist. In fact, the Pentecost of the Eucharist accomplishes in the fullest manner what occurred when the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles and the Church was born. At the celebration of the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit is present in the Liturgy of the Word when the Scriptures are read and contemplated. Here the Holy Spirit is active in giving life to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit also inspires an understanding of this Word so that it can bring about a deeper relationship with Christ and so that it can be lived in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit is present in the Liturgy of the Eucharist when Christ's sacrifice is offered to the Father, bread and wine are changed into His Body and Blood and we give thanks for entering into the saving act of Christ's Passion, Resurrection and Ascension. The Spirit is especially present in the epiclesis, consecration and anamnesis of the Eucharistic Prayer. 1

2 The epiclesis takes place immediately before the consecration when the priest calls down the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine which will become the Body and Blood of Christ. The word actually means "invocation upon." This action is well reflected in the second Eucharistic Prayer when the priest prays, "Let your spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ." The Holy Spirit is sent upon the offerings so that they may become the Eucharist to bring us into communion with Christ and form His Body which is the Church. When the Word became flesh at the Incarnation, it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that this came about. Indeed, the Annunciation of the angel, Gabriel, to Mary can be called the epiclesis which enabled the Body and Blood of Christ to be conceived in her womb. As Gabriel announced to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." (Lk 1:34). In his catechetical work on the faith, St. John Damascene summed up well this parallel in the following words, "You ask how the bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the wine the Blood of Christ. I shall tell you: the Holy Spirit comes upon them and accomplishes what surpasses every word and thought.... Let it be enough for you to understand that it is by the Holy Spirit, just as it was for the holy Virgin and by the Holy Spirit that the Lord, through and in Himself, took flesh." There was a consecration through the Holy Spirit which confirmed the identity of Jesus as the Son of God made incarnate. It was at His baptism in the Jordan which initiated His public 2

3 ministry. "After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. Then a voice came from heaven saying, 'this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased' " (Mt 3:21-22). It is the Father Himself who consecrated His Son through the descending Spirit and handed Him over to us. How appropriate that at His baptism, a foreshadowing of our own, the Holy Spirit came down upon Christ. It is our baptism that enables us to participate in the Eucharist. In Baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit in order that we might be drawn more fully into the life of Christ which is fully given in the Eucharist. After the consecration of the Mass, the priest prays the anamnesis. This is the "remembrance" of Christ's Passion, Resurrection and Ascension which now transcends time and space and become present through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit awakens the memory of the Church and inspires thanksgiving and praise. The succinct anamnesis of the second Eucharistic Prayer expresses clearly this reality. The priest prays, "In memory of his death and resurrection we offer you Father this life-giving bread, the saving cup. We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. May all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit." Upon the Cross, Jesus handed over His Spirit. When His saving mission was accomplished, Jesus uttered the words, "It is finished" (Jn 19:30). These were not words of defeat but of victory. The purpose for Jesus coming to us had been fulfilled in His handing over 3

4 of Himself to us. "And bowing his head, he handed over the Spirit" (Jn 19:30). By giving His life in death, Christ gave us the Holy Spirit. Every time we celebrate Mass, Jesus hands Himself over to us in His Body and Blood and we receive His Spirit. The epiclesis, consecration and anamnesis form the heart of the Eucharistic action. When these occur, the Holy Spirit comes down upon the bread and wine which truly become the Body and Blood of Christ and we again enter into the Lord's saving action and give thanks and praise to God. The intimate participation of the Holy Spirit at Mass is truly a Pentecost which brings us into communion with Christ so as to form His Body, the living Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that in the Eucharist, "The Holy Spirit is like the sap of the Father s vine which bears fruit on its branches" (1108). There are many fruits which derive from the Eucharist. All of them come about through the Holy Spirit. Three of these fruits are closely associated with the action of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They are: unity, renewal and commission. The communion of people was accomplished at Pentecost. Many speaking different languages understood the apostles in their own language through the action of the Holy Spirit. The opposite of what happened at Babel occurred. Through the Holy Spirit, language united rather than divided. We are most fully united as one body in Christ at the Eucharist. By receiving the Lord's Body and Blood, we become one body through Him. It is the same Holy Spirit that accomplishes this unity. 4

5 The apostles were renewed at Pentecost. They went from being a confused, uncertain and cowardly group to a focused, committed and courageous communion. It was the Holy Spirit who renewed the sense of their purpose which completely changed their attitude. The same happens to us through the Mass. Our sense of purpose is renewed when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ and realize that our dignity and value come from God who not only created us but redeemed us. Our purpose in life is not in what we do but in who we are. That purpose brings the joy which Christ promised. It is the Holy Spirit who brings our purpose to its full realization. At Pentecost the apostles went forth from the upper room into the world. The Holy Spirit compelled them to do so. At Mass, we are likewise commissioned to go forth and to live the life the Lord has won for us. We are to put into action what we have celebrated and this should make a difference in our lives and the lives of the people we touch. The Holy Spirit truly commissions us through the Eucharist to live as followers of Christ. Pentecost truly occurs at Mass. The Holy Spirit speaks to us and comes down in matter that transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ and brings us into Christ's saving action. Through Christ we become one with Him and with His Body, the Church. We go forth from Mass, renewed in spirit, to live the life of the Gospel, to know the joy of Christ and to share it with others. Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito June 5,