#in persona christ capitis

[spiritualdirections]

No, in confession you aren't talking directly to Jesus, nor is He to you

A friend asked me to comment on the following sentence that she had come across:

"When the priest declares our sins are forgiven, it is Jesus speaking his words of love through the priest."

I fgured I would share my response:

"St. Thomas Aquinas is the source of the distinction that in confession and other sacraments, the words said by the priest are the priest's, but in the mass at the consecration the words of the priest are Jesus'.  

"Aquinas' distinction is: At the consecration, the priest acts in persona Christi. In all other sacraments, the priest acts ex persona ministri (see Summa Theologia III.78.1). Vatican II introduced the phrase "in persona Christi capitis" to refer to the priest or bishop insofar as he is exercising his Holy Orders (see Presbyterorum Ordinis 2).

"St. Thomas never expected that his choice of terms would later become canonical, and used by people who otherwise would not read the Summa Theologiae. But since they did, and because the two expressions are so similar, people are sometimes confused about the teaching regarding the other sacraments, particularly confession.

"You can tell that the words in confession come from the priest, since in the formula of absolution, the priest says, "I absolve you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." If the words came from Jesus, he wouldn't be acting "in the name of" anybody else. 

"So the text above is incorrect. The priest is not possessed by Jesus when he talks to the penitent, nor is the priest prophesying, nor must he use Jesus' words in Scripture. Those are pretty much the ways for Jesus to put his words in the priest's mouth as the text suggests, and none of them happen regularly. What happens is that the priest uses his intellect and judgment. Hopefully, he's open to any promptings from the Holy Spirit, but the action is fully his. Some Protestants tried to deny this before the Council of Trent, but Trent condemned anyone who thought the priest was not acting as a judge using his own prudence."

#in persona christi #sacramental theology #holy orders #confession #priesthood #thomas aquinas #council of trent #in persona christ capitis

[eternal-echoes]

“The human soul which is espoused to God gives self to God alone. Mystical virginity essentially pledges conjugal love to God as an object of the will in love. Priestly love essentially pledges all that the priest is to Christ and his Church, so that when he offers the sacrifice for the living and the dead with Christ the high Priest and says, “This is my body,” it is true in every sense of the word. He is acting not in his own person in the Mass but in persona Christi capitis (in the person of Christ the high Priest), the true priest and victim in every celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass which is eternal. As long as physical continence is present in both states, the possibility of such a mystery and pledge remains.”

- Fr. Brian Mullady OP, Christian Social Order

#Catholic #Christianity #quotes #Fr. Brian Mullady #Christian Social Order #Christian marriage #190

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for 20th Sunday after Pentecost (EF)

Eph 5:15-21; John 4:46-53

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph 5:15), says St Paul in today’s epistle. And how do we know that the days in which live now, that these, our current times, are evil? You might say to me that this is obvious! Certainly, even our non-religious contemporaries will agree that 2020 has been a terrible catastrophic year, and we have seen and suffered many evils: the coronavirus and its many deadly, restrictive, and debilitating effects, of course, but also widespread riots and protests, the destruction of churches and public property, family strife and assaults, and of course, the ongoing evil of abortion. These, you might think, would be signs that the “days are evil”.

But if we are sensitive to the nuances of Sacred Scripture, we should notice that, in fact, the prevalence of sin and sickness is not the main indication that the age is evil. Rather, the prevalence of these evils in every age merely reminds us that, as St John says: “we are of God, [but] the whole world is in the power of the evil one.” (1 Jn 5:19) For the Saviour too affirms that Satan is the “ruler of this world”, whom he has cast out by the power of his holy Cross. But the reclamation of the world and its redemption takes place in us and in our lives; in how we use the material things of this world, and how we relate to God and one another. Hence, the Church exorcises and blesses persons and things, claiming them for God so that the whole of this world can be redeemed by Christ, and be used for his glory.

Therefore, given this fact, we should indeed, as St Paul says, look carefully and wisely how we walk – in other words, we must be mindful to behave as God’s own children, to follow the Lord’s wisdom handed down for generations. The prophet Micah thus says: “He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:8) So, in every age, whether it is an evil age or not, the Lord has asked this of us: that we should walk in friendship with our neighbours, where possible; walk in the kind of fraternal solidarity with people of good will that is spoken of by Pope Francis, and to “walk humbly” with God as Scripture says.

So, what, according to the Word of God, is a sign that we live in an evil age? In St Luke’s Gospel Jesus says: “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign…” (Lk 11:29) Hence in today’s Gospel from St John, the Lord says to the official from Capernaum who had come to him seeking a healing miracle for his son: “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” (Jn 4:48) Now, it is not unreasonable to ask for one’s child, one’s parent, one’s friend and loved ones to be healed. We do it all the time, and well we should. But the key question is this: do we need signs and wonders in order to believe in God, to believe in Jesus Christ, to believe in the Word of God? In other words, do the miracles, the external signs, produce belief such that our faith depends on them? For the result of this kind of belief is that when there are no visible miracles, no external signs and beautiful wonders, no great healings, or indeed, when our prayers and novenas and penances seem to produce no results, then our faith fails; then, we doubt the goodness and wisdom of God. However, when this happens, perhaps one didn’t really have faith at all. Rather, one is of an “evil generation”, a faithless generation, that would not believe unless one sees signs and wonders.

Jesus thus first converts the heart of the man who approaches him in the Gospel. He gives him the gift of faith. As St John recounts: “Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.” (Jn 4:50) Pay attention, again, to the words of the Gospel: “the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.” So, too, if we have the gift of faith, then we shall believe in the word of Jesus, believe in his promises, and therefore have a deep thirst to understand and contemplate the Word of God in Sacred Scripture. For, with belief in the Word of God, we will go on our way, but, mindful to look carefully how we walk, as St Paul said, so that we walk along the way of salvation that is taught by Christ’s Holy Church. This is what is meant by walking as “wise” men rather than as the unwise.

For, regrettably, there is, among some people in the Catholic Church today, a certain excitement about purported signs and wonders, and even, supposedly new revelations concerning the divine will. But this is unwise! For there can be no new revelations which supplement the public revelation given to the Church – any novelties stemming from so-called private revelation would be just heresy. And there are various groups and online videos spreading talk of signs, miracles, private revelations, new prophecies, charismatic utterances, and so on. However, to what end? For what purpose? Is it to deepen our faith in the wisdom and providence of God? Do these help us to be truly abandoned to divine providence. Or do they give us a false sense of control and security about how to navigate these evil times? Therefore, do not, like the unwise, follow false prophets and be led away from the Gospel. Remember, “walk humbly with your God”, and be warned: “an evil, faithless generation seeks a sign” (cf Mt 12:39).

Therefore, do not seek signs in order to believe. Rather, believe the Word of the Lord, and then trust that great marvels will be done in your life. For God wills to convert your heart, to raise you up from the deadliness of sin, and to give you, finally, a share in his divine Trinitarian life. This is the promise that is made to us in today’s Gospel miracle. But all this Christ does invisibly through grace albeit acting visibly through the Sacraments of his Church. At his word, spoken by the priest in persona Christi capitis, God’s grace works invisibly in our lives, but sanctifying grace will at last have visible effects too: in the way we talk to one another, in the way we love one another, in our works of mercy and charity. Thus, the sure sign of God’s power at work among us isn’t seen in splendid spectacles and great wonders; nor in mystical experiences and visions, but in the transformation of our everyday lives, in the depth and reality of our love for God and compassion for one another. A faithful generation, therefore, would recognise this, and long for an increase of charity, and seek to build a more just, fraternal, and virtuous society.  

So St Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians: “Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Then, continuing on with the passage sung in today’s epistle, St Paul describes how it looks like if we Christians walk in love. The grace of God produces a tangible visible sign among us as we’re “filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” (Eph 5:18-20)

My brothers and sisters, because the “days are evil”, and because we will continue to labour under the effects of the current pandemic and the other evils of our age, know this therefore: the world is in dire need of our Christian witness of love, faith, and unity. So, as things in the world become fractured and polarised and divided, let us be united in Jesus Christ, firmly founded on faith in his Word, held within the unity of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, in a communion of filial love for the Pope and our Bishops. For Christ has promised to remain with us, here in his holy Church, until the end of time. And, as things become difficult and complex and confusing in our world, let us offer up our inconveniences and sufferings in penance for sin, continuing “always and for everything” to thank God for his graces and mercy. Therefore let us now lift up our hearts at the Altar, and so offer to God, in union with Christ, this Eucharist, this holy Sacrifice of our thanksgiving and praise. Through you and me, God is at work in us to redeem the world!

#faith #unity #charity #ecclesiology #miracles #signs #wonders #private revelation

[just-like-barth]

When the authority to act in persona Christi is restricted to simply the ordained, and ordination is dependent upon one’s status as educated and as a man, we are discursively constructing both God and our bodies. From our many physical attributes we select one singular one, understand that attribute as our bodies’ central attribute, and theologically construct that attribute as being controlling with regard to the Sacrament of Holy Orders and all of its ensuing authority and ability. It is here that Bingemer’s approach to the question of Eucharistic embodiment [”The Eucharist and the Feminine Body,” 2014] falls short. In attempting to craft an argument that is largely inoffensive to the Church and does not question or push boundaries, she is, reminiscent of the famous Audre Lorde line, trying to dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tools.  She does what Simone de Beauvoir and Monique Wittig caution against; she simply selects from the patriarchal list of womanly qualities those which she can present in a positive light.  Her vision of female action in persona Christi is therefore simply the points in which women’s expected or coerced behavior under a patriarchal regime correspond with Eucharistic or Christ-like action. If women are already expected to sacrifice their selves and bodies for others — particularly men — in their lives, is it truly empowering to identify Eucharistic embodiment in self-sacrifice? The mother-as-Eucharist certainly serves its purpose as a symbol, but what does it symbolize: a true embodiment of the Eucharist or simply an enshrinement of patriarchal ideals into theology?

Identifying things such as childbirth and the giving of one’s body like Simone Weil as Eucharistic theologically naturalizes in theological terms the expectations that are put on women as a social class. By going one step further and identifying these things as uniquely womanly (or at least “more difficult” for men ), Bingemer is allowing the construction of a model in which male action in persona Christi adopts Christ’s authority while female action in persona Christi adopts Christ’s pain. The oppression of the material world translates to the spiritual, and women are imagined as Divinely-constructed and -ordained for material oppression.

Edwina Sandys’s Christa does not fare much better under examination. In a chapter arguing among other things for a “theology of right relation,” Rose Wu recounts feminist theologian Carter Heyward’s vision of Christa, describing Heyward’s argument that “the power of Christa is in the connection she makes between our erotic power and the sacred power in our most profoundly human, most deeply embodied belief of who we are — a relational body of incarnate love.”  We should pause, however, before being too swift to identify the crucified body of Christa, the Divine Woman, as erotic or, indeed, as an affirmative or positive symbol. To read the artistically-represented body of Christ as an erotic body is a subversive and enlightening endeavor, as Jesus has been far too long constructed as somehow above such earthly things as eroticism.  The female body is not similarly located. There is nothing subversive in reading women’s pain as erotic. On the contrary, violence against women is a pornographic hallmark. To identify Christa as embodied eroticism thus proves socially recursive and not subversive. Christa serves as a tragic reminder of our injustice — our hands wet with blood that would redden the ocean rather than be cleansed.  But it is notable that the piece does not portray womanhood generally in persona Christi or in persona Christi capitis, but specifically in persona Christi crucifixus. As was the case with Bingemer’s models of female Eucharistic embodiment, it is indeed revolutionary to imagine Christ’s body as female; it is less revolutionary to restrict that imagination to sites of oppression, domination, or violence.

excerpted from “Gendered Embodiment at the Mass: A Trans-Feminist Imagining”

#mine #bingemer #sandys #christa #eucharist

[allefoglie]

+ CURSIVE +

Non ho mai capito se questa band sia famosa e commerciale o se in realtà la ascolto io e pochissime altre persone. Credo sia una situazione che capiti a molte persone che vivono in periferia, o in città di provincia di non sapere realmente la portata delle cose che fanno. C’è gente che scrive o che suona sostanzialmente lontano dalle luci dei palchi e magari cambia la vita a molte altre persone senza saperlo. Credo che la vita lontana dai grossi stimoli delle metropoli porti con se delle inevitabili scomodità e sfighe che tutti possiamo immaginare, ma dall’altra, molte band non sarebbero semplicemente mai esistite se non fossero nati in posti del cazzo; tipo i Raein a Forlì, o i Cursive a Omaha in Nebraska, per dire.

Mi sveglio, solo, nella stanza di una donna che conosco a malapena. Mi sveglio, solo, e faccio finta di essere finalmente a casa. La stanza è piena di suoi libri e quaderni di appunti, Immagino che cosa ci sia scritto dentro, cose come “Vattene mosca, non disturbarmi.”

E riesco a malapena ad uscire dal suo letto, Spaventato dall’idea di non poter più stendermici sopra. Oh Cristo, non sono così tanto disperato. Oh no, oddio, lo sono.

Come sono finito qua? Non lo so. Perché inizio cosa che non riesco a concludere? Oh, per favore, risparmiatemi la vostra raffica di domande E tutte quelle brutte risposte. Il mio ego è come il mio stomaco, Continua a cagare quello che gli dò da mangiare.

Ma forse non voglio più finire nulla, Forse posso restare a letto ed aspettare che torni a casa E mi sussurri: “Ora sei nella mia rete, Adesso ti avvolgerò stretto finché non arriverà il momento di morderti.”

Mi sveglio, solo, nella stanza di una donna che conosco a malapena. Mi sveglio, solo, e faccio finta di essere finalmente a casa.

“Ora sei nella mia rete.”

--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

I wake alone in a woman's room I hardly know. I wake alone and pretend that I am finally home. The room is littered with her books and notebooks I imagine what they say, like, "Shoo fly don't bother me." I can hardly get myself out of the bed for fear of never lying in this bed again. Oh Christ, I'm not that desperate. Oh no, oh God. I am. How'd I end up here to begin with? I don't know. Why do I start what I can't finish? Oh please don't barrage me with the questions to all those ugly answers. My ego's like my stomach, it keeps shitting what I feed it. But maybe I don't want to finish anything anymore. Maybe I can wait in bed 'til she comes home and whispers "You're in my web now, I've come to wrap you up tight 'til it's time to bite down." I wake alone in a woman's room I hardly know. I wake alone and pretend that I am finally home.

Cursive - The Recluse

Nel 1997 The March Hares è una band di 5 amici delle superiori di Omaha. Il classico gruppo che suona alle feste dei compagni di classe e in qualche locale, facendo cover di gruppi pop tipo REM, Pixies etc sperando di riuscire a baccagliare una ragazza a fine serata.

Poi il cantante Jim Robino molla la band e il gruppo, invece di sciogliersi viene preso in mano da uno degli altri ragazzi, si chiama Tim Kasher. Tim ribattezza la band Slowdown Virginia: Virginia è il nome del suo cane. Sono gli anni della musica EMO, non serve essere rockstar o mostrare muscoli e violenza per fare buona musica, i soldi sono più un problema che una risorsa. Gli Slowdown Virginia incidono una cassetta con 5 pezzi nel vicino Iowa, in un posto chiamato Junior's Motel: è un pollaio convertito a sala prove. Siamo in Nebraska e dintorni, non dimentichiamolo.

Il gruppo inizia ad ingranare, vende delle cassette ai concerti. Le persone ascoltano la cassetta e pensano che non sono poi male, si parla della band. Finchè un ragazzo del posto, chiamato Ted, non propone alla band di provare a incidere su CD e magari anche su un vinile.  Proviamoci gli dice, e stampa 500 copie del Cd con la sua micro etichetta, la Lumberjack Records. Riescono a tirare su i 1500 dollari necessari e nel 1994 pubblicano l’album Dead Space.

Sembrerebbe che le cose inizino a girare. Dal vivo gli Slowdown Virginia sono fighi, la gente di Omaha aspetta i loro concerti. Mettono assieme del materiale per un secondo album, ma non vedrà mai luce. Basta. Tim Kasher vuole di più. Omaha è un posto sperduto negli stati uniti, in uno degli stati più noiosi d’America, Tim ha bisogno di farsi sentire, vuole di più. Nascono i Cursive.

Ho deciso che stasera Resterò in vita, Calcerò e urlerò. Vivo, resterò in vita, Il mio sangue scorre bollente.

I've decided tonight I'm staying alive Just kicking and screaming I'm, I'm staying alive Blood boiling and streaming Cursive - Staying Alive

Imparare a scrivere in corsivo è una cosa estremamente inutile. Dimmi quante volte ti è capitato di scriverci dopo aver finito le scuole. Per imparare a scrivere un buon corsivo devi applicarti con obbedienza e dedizione, la stessa attitudine con cui Tim e gli altri decisero di prendere la musica a questo punto della loro vita. In questi anni (1997/1998) I Cursive pubblicano i loro due lavori: Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes

The Storms of Early Summer: Semantics of Song

Nel 1998 Tim si sposa e ha quella che potrebbe essere considerata la grande svolta per una persona nata in Omaha e con una sensibilità sopra la media, ovvero se ne va a vivere a Portland, nel Pacific Northwest con la moglie. Il posto in cui, se volete dirla con me, le cose succedono. La band si scioglie. Ma si sa, le relazioni non sono una cosa semplice.

...

La convivenza a Portland, la vita perfetta con la donna che Tim amava dura meno di un anno, la storia va a puttane. Nell’estate del 1999 Tim lascia la piovosa estate del Pacific Northwest per tornare nella polverosa e piatta Omaha, tra i campi di grano, gli zoticoni e il piattume. Dove non succede mai un cazzo e dove sei sempre lontano dalle grandi città Tim si riunisce con i Cursive e nasce  l’LP Domestica, quello che verrà da tutti ricordato nella storia e renderà i Cursive conosciuti anche fuori dal Nebraska. Era il 2000, il nuovo millennio.

è un disco duro, sentimentale, pieno di emozioni, Un concept album autobiografico sull’essere traditi, su una storia andata distrutta. Uno sfogo non mascherato e sincero; l’ammissione di tutto ciò che passa per la testa a Tim senza nascondersi dicendo che “non è come sembra”. Sul retro del vinile c’è un’immagine piuttosto eplicativa e all’interno c’è il flyer che annuncia le nozze di Tim “Tim si sposa”

Le tue lacrime sono solo alibi per provare a te stessa che ancora provi Ma sei solo riste per te stessa

Your tears are only alibis To prove you still feel You only feel sorry for yourself

Cursive - The Martyr

Tim canterà questo album live a squarciagola, fino a svenire. Lo canterà così tanto fino a farsi venire un edema polmonare, che lo costringerà a smettere di suonare live per un pò. Era il 2002, la band smise di suonare in giro e finì un’epoca. I Cursive cambiarono formazione e tornarono a suonare solo dopo un anno con nuovi album. Fu nel 2003 che la band pubblicò The Ugly Organ, quello che li consacrò come band famosa a tutti, o magari a nessuno. Non lo so, credo che da qui in poi tutti li conoscano, ma magari sbaglio, essendo un ragazzo di provincia pure io.

Discografia

Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes (1997)

The Storms of Early Summer: Semantics of Song (1998)

Domestica (2000)

The Ugly Organ (2003)

Happy Hollow (2006)

Mama, I'm Swollen (2009)

I Am Gemini (2012)

Vitriola (2018)

[arvmckereth]

The church has different rules for priests in the Latin Church – the largest Catholic particular church – and in the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches. Notably, priests in the Latin Church must take a vow of celibacy, whereas most Eastern Catholic Churches permit married men to be ordained.Deacons are male and usually belong to the diocesan clergy, but, unlike almost all Latin-rite (Western Catholic) priests and all bishops from Eastern or Western Catholicism, they may marry as laymen before their ordination as clergy.  The Catholic Church teaches that when a man participates in priesthood after the Sacrament of Holy Orders, he acts in persona Christi Capitis, representing the person of Christ.

[78682homes]

Le Vatican rappelle le caractère absolu du secret de la confession 78682 homes

http://www.78682homes.com/le-vatican-rappelle-le-caractere-absolu-du-secret-de-la-confession

Le Vatican rappelle le caractère absolu du secret de la confession

La Pénitencerie apostolique a publié le 1er juillet 2019 une note approuvée par le pape rappelant le caractère absolu du secret de la confession. Pour la Pénitencerie apostolique, ce secret relève de « l’essence même du christianisme et de l’Église », de par la volonté du Christ de sauver les hommes et d’utiliser, pour ce faire, des prêtres par lesquels il agit in persona Christi capitis. Tout en rappelant que la « validité » du sacrement de réconciliation passe…

homms2013

#Informationsanté

#Information santé

[spiritualdirections]

St. Thomas Aquinas on the meaning of ‘in persona Christi’

Some people have written to me, arguing that in the sacrament of Confession, the priest judges and absolves in persona Christi, rather than in his own name. That’s largely absurd, as I’ve pointed out before, and is condemned by the Council of Trent. Here’s another authority making the same point, about the difference between the words of consecration, which are spoken in the person of Christ, and all the other sacraments, which are spoken in the person of the minister:

Summa Theologiae, Third Part,Question 78, Article 1. Whether this is the form of this sacrament [the Eucharist]: "This is My body," and "This is the chalice of My blood"?

...On the contrary, Ambrose says (De Sacram. iv): "The consecration is accomplished by the words and expressions of the Lord Jesus. Because, by all the other words spoken, praise is rendered to God, prayer is put up for the people, for kings, and others; but when the time comes for perfecting the sacrament, the priest uses no longer his own words, but the words of Christ. Therefore, it is Christ's words that perfect this sacrament."

I answer that, This sacrament differs from the other sacraments in two respects. First of all, in this, that this sacrament is accomplished by the consecration of the matter, while the rest are perfected in the use of the consecrated matter. Secondly, because in the other sacraments the consecration of the matter consists only in a blessing, from which the matter consecrated derives instrumentally a spiritual power, which through the priest who is an animated instrument, can pass on to inanimate instruments. But in this sacrament the consecration of the matter consists in the miraculous change of the substance, which can only be done by God; hence the minister in performing this sacrament has no other act save the pronouncing of the words. And because the form should suit the thing, therefore the form of this sacrament differs from the forms of the other sacraments in two respects. First, because the form of the other sacraments implies the use of the matter, as for instance, baptizing, or signing; but the form of this sacrament implies merely the consecration of the matter, which consists in transubstantiation, as when it is said, "This is My body," or, "This is the chalice of My blood." Secondly, because the forms of the other sacraments are pronounced in the person of the minister, whether by way of exercising an act, as when it is said, "I baptize thee," or "I confirm thee," etc.; or by way of command, as when it is said in the sacrament of order, "Take the power," etc.; or by way of entreaty, as when in the sacrament of Extreme Unction it is said, "By this anointing and our intercession," etc. But the form of this sacrament is pronounced as if Christ were speaking in person, so that it is given to be understood that the minister does nothing in perfecting this sacrament, except to pronounce the words of Christ.

To be fair, the phrase “in persona Christi capitis” (in the person of Christ the head) which is sometimes shortened to “in persona Christi”, is used by the Church to distinguish the powers of the ministerial priesthood (the head) as opposed to those of the baptismal priesthood (the members)--see, for example, CCC 1548-51. That use of the term is making a different point--that the powers that come from Holy Orders are the powers of Christ insofar as he is head of the Church, not the powers of the priest himself, in his own person. In that sense, it is “in persona Christi capitis” that the priest forgives sins. However, when he says “I absolve you”, it is the priest himself who absolves. Which means that when you go to confession, you should talk to the priest directly, as in: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”

#confession #sacramental theology #Thomas Aquinas #holy orders

[eternal-echoes]

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Church is the Bride of Christ

796 The unity of Christ and the Church, head and members of one Body, also implies the distinction of the two within a personal relationship. This aspect is often expressed by the image of bridegroom and bride. the theme of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church was prepared for by the prophets and announced by John the Baptist.234 The Lord referred to himself as the "bridegroom."235 The Apostle speaks of the whole Church and of each of the faithful, members of his Body, as a bride "betrothed" to Christ the Lord so as to become but one spirit with him.236 The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.237 "Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her."238 He has joined her with himself in an everlasting covenant and never stops caring for her as for his own body:239

This is the whole Christ, head and body, one formed from many . . . whether the head or members speak, it is Christ who speaks. He speaks in his role as the head (ex persona capitis) and in his role as body (ex persona corporis). What does this mean? "The two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the Church."240 and the Lord himself says in the Gospel: "So they are no longer two, but one flesh."241 They are, in fact, two different persons, yet they are one in the conjugal union, . . . as head, he calls himself the bridegroom, as body, he calls himself "bride."242

#Catholic #Christianity #Catechism

[eternal-echoes]

Catechism of the Catholic Church

I. THE HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH

Why the ecclesial ministry?

874 Christ is himself the source of ministry in the Church. He instituted the Church. He gave her authority and mission, orientation and goal:

In order to shepherd the People of God and to increase its numbers without cease, Christ the Lord set up in his Church a variety of offices which aim at the good of the whole body. the holders of office, who are invested with a sacred power, are, in fact, dedicated to promoting the interests of their brethren, so that all who belong to the People of God . . . may attain to salvation.389

875 "How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? and how are they to hear without a preacher? and how can men preach unless they are sent?"390 No one - no individual and no community - can proclaim the Gospel to himself: "Faith comes from what is heard."391 No one can give himself the mandate and the mission to proclaim the Gospel. the one sent by the Lord does not speak and act on his own authority, but by virtue of Christ's authority; not as a member of the community, but speaking to it in the name of Christ. No one can bestow grace on himself; it must be given and offered. This fact presupposes ministers of grace, authorized and empowered by Christ. From him, they receive the mission and faculty ("the sacred power") to act in persona Christi Capitis. the ministry in which Christ's emissaries do and give by God's grace what they cannot do and give by their own powers, is called a "sacrament" by the Church's tradition. Indeed, the ministry of the Church is conferred by a special sacrament.

876 Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its character as service. Entirely dependent on Christ who gives mission and authority, ministers are truly "slaves of Christ,"392 in the image of him who freely took "the form of a slave" for us.393 Because the word and grace of which they are ministers are not their own, but are given to them by Christ for the sake of others, they must freely become the slaves of all.394

877 Likewise, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a collegial character. In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus instituted the Twelve as "the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy."395 Chosen together, they were also sent out together, and their fraternal unity would be at the service of the fraternal communion of all the faithful: they would reflect and witness to the communion of the divine persons.396 For this reason every bishop exercises his ministry from within the episcopal college, in communion with the bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter and head of the college. So also priests exercise their ministry from within the presbyterium of the diocese, under the direction of their bishop.

878 Finally, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a personal character. Although Chnst's ministers act in communion with one another, they also always act in a personal way. Each one is called personally: "You, follow me"397 in order to be a personal witness within the common mission, to bear personal responsibility before him who gives the mission, acting "in his person" and for other persons: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ..."; "I absolve you...."

879 Sacramental ministry in the Church, then, is at once a collegial and a personal service, exercised in the name of Christ. This is evidenced by the bonds between the episcopal college and its head, the successor of St. Peter, and in the relationship between the bishop's pastoral responsibility for his particular church and the common solicitude of the episcopal college for the universal Church.

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[eternal-echoes]

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The movement of the celebration

1348 All gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic assembly. At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is high priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly over every Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing him that the bishop or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings, those who give communion, and the whole people whose "Amen" manifests their participation.

1349 The Liturgy of the Word includes "the writings of the prophets," that is, the Old Testament, and "the memoirs of the apostles" (their letters and the Gospels). After the homily, which is an exhortation to accept this Word as what it truly is, the Word of God,173 and to put it into practice, come the intercessions for all men, according to the Apostle's words: "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings, and all who are in high positions."174

1350 The presentation of the offerings (the Offertory). Then, sometimes in procession, the bread and wine are brought to the altar; they will be offered by the priest in the name of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become his body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the Last Supper - "taking the bread and a cup." "The Church alone offers this pure oblation to the Creator, when she offers what comes forth from his creation with thanksgiving."175 The presentation of the offerings at the altar takes up the gesture of Melchizedek and commits the Creator's gifts into the hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice, brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices.

1351 From the very beginning Christians have brought, along with the bread and wine for the Eucharist, gifts to share with those in need. This custom of the collection, ever appropriate, is inspired by the example of Christ who became poor to make us rich:176

Those who are well off, and who are also willing, give as each chooses. What is gathered is given to him who presides to assist orphans and widows, those whom illness or any other cause has deprived of resources, prisoners, immigrants and, in a word, all who are in need.177

1352 The anaphora: with the Eucharistic Prayer - the prayer of thanksgiving and consecration - we come to the heart and summit of the celebration:

In the preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his works: creation, redemption, and sanctification. the whole community thus joins in the unending praise that the Church in heaven, the angels and all the saints, sing to the thrice-holy God.

1353 In the epiclesis, the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit (or the power of his blessing178) on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in the Eucharist may be one body and one spirit (some liturgical traditions put the epiclesis after the anamnesis). In the institution narrative, the power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species of bread and wine Christ's body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross once for all.

1354 In the anamnesis that follows, the Church calls to mind the Passion, resurrection, and glorious return of Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father the offering of his Son which reconciles us with him. In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth, the living and the dead, and in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons, and all the bishops of the whole world together with their Churches.

1355 In the communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer and the breaking of the bread, the faithful receive "the bread of heaven" and "the cup of salvation," the body and blood of Christ who offered himself "for the life of the world":179

Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist ("eucharisted," according to an ancient expression), "we call this food Eucharist, and no one may take part in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught."180

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