A Beacon Of Light . . . Celebrating The Christian Mystery
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)
- + + I would like to begin this week’s column by responding to a reader’s concern regarding my article of October 7, 2021, entitled, “Lord, The Giver of Life.”
Here is what the reader questions: “Fr. Breton writes in error when he states that: ‘We see this during the epiclesis at Mass when the priest lays his hand over the bread and wine as the Holy Spirit transforms them into the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ.’
“Fr. Breton’s claim that the transformation takes place at the epiclesis is contradicted and refuted by the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC nn. 1105, 1375, 1377), early Church Fathers (Chrysostom, Ambrose), all six Eucharistic Prayers of the New Mass and prayers of the Latin Mass starting at the ‘Te Igitur.’ All demonstrate and substantiate that transformation takes place at the Consecration. It is at and by the words of the priest, persona Christi, that bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ; this event does not take place during the epiclesis.
“The offerings of bread and wine are transformed at the Consecration in both liturgies into Christ’s Blood by the words of the priest, persona Christi. There has been confusion in the Church about the time and how the offerings of bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass. The article by Fr. Breton adds to the confusion.”
Please allow me to offer some clarifications. In my article I was continuing our study of the Creed. This article dealt particularly with the petition of the Creed that says: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets” (Nicene Creed).
In discussing the Holy Spirit, I referred to several symbols that are traditionally used to help us better understand the workings of the Spirit:
“In addition to the many titles of the Holy Spirit, there are also many symbols proper to Him. So often symbols are present in the journey of faith as visible reminders of our relationship with the Lord. The Holy Spirit has several visible signs to remind us of this. . . . The hand is the fifth symbol of the Holy Spirit. By using His hands Jesus heals the sick and blesses little children by laying hands on them. In His name the apostles will do the same. Even more pointedly, it is by the apostles’ imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is made present. We see this during the epiclesis at Mass when the priest lays his hands over the bread and wine as the Holy Spirit transforms them into the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ.”
My intention was to explain how the imposition of the priest’s hands during the epiclesis is in keeping with other occasions when the Holy Spirit is invoked upon persons or objects of blessing. At the epiclesis the priest petitions the Father to send the Holy Spirit upon the gifts of bread and wine, “consecrating” (from the Latin verb consecrare, to dedicate as sacred) them so that, together with the essential words of institution, they may become the sacred Body and Blood of Christ.
As the General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains: “The epiclesis, in which, by means of particular invocations, the Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be consecrated, that is, become Christ’s Body and Blood, and that the unblemished sacrificial Victim to be consumed in Communion may be for the salvation of those who will partake of it” (GIRM 79b).
The GIRM continues by explaining the importance of the institution narrative and consecration in this way: “The institution narrative and Consecration, by which, by means of the words and actions of Christ, that Sacrifice is effected which Christ himself instituted during the Last Supper, when he offered his Body and Blood under the species of bread and wine, gave them to the Apostles to eat and drink, and leaving with the latter the command to perpetuate this same mystery” (GIRM, 79d).
While it is true that Roman Catholic theology beginning with the Council of Florence (1431-1449) affirms the Lord’s words of institution as uniquely consecratory, it is also true that the Magisterium’s more recent declarations (e.g., Catechism of the Catholic Church) seem open to the classical Byzantine position, which holds that the gifts on the altar cannot be consecrated without the institution narrative and the epiclesis together. (In the Byzantine liturgy, the epiclesis follows the words of institution, applying to the bread and wine the power of the Lord’s words.)
My point is simply that these two actions do not stand alone but belong together, however one may wish to “pinpoint” the moment of consecration. This makes sense considering every sacred action is the work of the undivided Trinity. I hope this clarification will alleviate any confusion.
God’s Unconditional Love
Now we return to our survey of the Catechism and its second pillar: the Celebration of the Christian Mystery. In our previous article we explored the liturgy and its importance in the life of faith. Interestingly enough, it is the liturgy that reminds us of the unconditional love God has for humanity. Every time the liturgy is celebrated, we become participants in what the Church calls the “economy of salvation.”
This “economy of salvation” was made manifest to the world on the day of Pentecost, when through the Holy Spirit a new era of “dispensing” the mysteries of our salvation occurred. It is Christ who “manifests, makes present, and communicates his work of salvation” (CCC, n. 1076). This is primarily accomplished through the Church’s Liturgy where Christ lives in and acts in, communicating the fruits of Christ’s Paschal Mystery.
A deeper understanding of the “economy of salvation” is only capable if we first examine the Trinity and its role in the liturgy. Our faith teaches us that the Trinity is the union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in majesty and undivided in unity. Thus, the liturgical life of the Church is a perpetual “adoration” of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thus the liturgy is the work of the Holy Trinity.
This Trinitarian work begins by offering thanksgiving to the Father for the many blessings bestowed upon us. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, reminds us of this when he says:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us before him in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:3-6).
In this context the word “blessing” can be applied in two different ways. First, it refers to God the Father who from the beginning of time has bestowed upon us “every spiritual blessing.” This was accomplished in the very first moments of Creation and it will continue until the end of time. The second way the word “blessing” is applied has to do with adoration and surrender. For in this context, man is continually offering himself as a “blessing” in thanksgiving for the gifts received through faith.
This is why the liturgy is often referred to as a “liturgical poem” that begins with the “first creation and continues through the canticles of the heavenly Jerusalem,” thus the inspired authors of Sacred Scripture proclaim salvation as one vast divine blessing (CCC, n. 1079).
Hence, this is seen in the Church’s liturgy as she unites herself in “blessing the Father for his inexpressible gifts,” as seen in her adoration, praise, and thanksgiving. On the other hand, the Church never ceases to offer acceptable sacrifices of praise pleading with the Father to continually bestow His gifts on us until the consummation of God’s plan has been revealed to us.
Next week we will continue our explanation of the “economy of salvation” and how the Trinity continues its work every time the liturgy is celebrated.