“DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME”
On the night before his death, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. It was a solemn occasion and during the meal he used some striking words and actions. He took bread, gave thanks to God, and then said, “This is my Body, which is given for you”. He took a cup of wine, gave thanks again and then said, “This is the cup of my Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant ….. Do this in memory of me.” Jesus took ordinary bread and wine and filled them with new and life-giving meaning. You will see these actions and words repeated whenever the Mass is celebrated. The bread and wine become living signs, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through which Christ comes among us. When God reveals himself in this way we talk about a “Sacrament” of the Church.
Christians have met ever since the Resurrection on this first Easter Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist. We believe that when we do this in memory of Christ we are united with his death and Resurrection in a way that is not limited by time. These events become real for us here and now and we are drawn into them. The moment of receiving Holy Communion during the celebration of the Mass is a personal encounter with the Risen Lord.
It sometimes seems odd to people when we speak like this. All that can be tasted is bread and wine, and yet we say they are the Body and Blood of Christ. Christians also claim that Jesus himself is present when the Eucharist is celebrated.
A story in Luke’s Gospel can illustrate what we are trying to say. On the first Easter Sunday two disciples were talking with a stranger, and they invited him into their house for supper. Something prevented them from recognizing the Risen Lord. St. Luke goes on with the story:
So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him. (Luke 24:30-31)
In the actions and words of the Eucharist, Christians today find that they meet with Christ as those two disciples did.
HIS CONTINUING PRESENCE
The Church teaches us that the real presence of Jesus in his Body and Blood under forms of Bread and Wine is not confined to a particular moment while people are receiving Holy Communion during the Mass. When the Eucharist is celebrated the death and Resurrection of Christ are proclaimed and made real for us. But the gift of Christ’s personal presence remains with us until the Eucharistic bread and wine are reverently consumed.
We believe that the Holy Spirit, sent down be God upon the gifts of bread and wine, brings a change. Once they have been consecrated we call them the Body and Blood of Christ, we treat them with great care and respect, and the Eucharistic bread especially is often kept safely. We call this “Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament”.
THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
In the Shrine Church the Blessed Sacrament is Reserved in the Chapel above and behind the High Altar. The Body of Christ is kept in the tabernacle, a safe which is usually covered by a veil. We call it the tabernacle because this was the Old Testament word for the place where God was believed to make himself present in the closest way. In some churches a wall-safe called an “aumbray” may be used. A white or red light burns at the place of reservation as a sign of the perpetual presence of the Body of Christ. You will find the Blessed Sacrament in many Anglican Churches and in most Roman Catholic Churches and Orthodox Churches.
A practical reason for reserving the Blessed Sacrament is that it is always available in emergencies for the sick and dying. At Mass it is sometimes convenient to use some of the reserved hosts for Holy Communion, or to reserve what is left over rather than consuming the hosts.
But More importantly, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is a focal point of prayer. You will see people making a genuflection as a sign of reverence for Christ’s presence, and then kneeling for a while to pray.
Praying before the Blessed Sacrament can help us to become more aware of the presence of Jesus in our world. It can help us to continue our personal meeting with Jesus at the Eucharist into our everyday life. It can give us a useful way of concentrating when prayer is distracted or difficult.
If you visit the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, make a genuflection and spend some time there yourself. You can offer a short prayer such as “Lord Jesus, help me to feel you are near” or use the prayer on the back of this pamphlet.
EXPOSITION AND BENEDICTION
When there is to be a time of shared prayer in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus, the Blessed Sacrament is often Exposed. The Host is placed in a “monstrance” the name which comes from the Latin word for “to show”. There are often rays coming from a window in the center of the monstrance where we can see the Eucharistic bread. Whether it is ornate or simple, the monstrance is there to help us focus on the presence of Jesus himself. It opens up a window for us to gaze into heaven. We can be filled with the warmth that we feel in the company of Christ and lit up by his radiance.
Exposition often takes the form of a short service called “Benediction” which means “blessing”. The monstrance is placed on the altar and Christ’s Eucharistic presence reverenced. A hymn is sung and scripture read or prayers said. Incense may be used to honor the Blessed Sacrament. After another hymn the priest makes the sign of the cross over the people with the monstrance. This is a holy moment when we can be quite sure of the blessing of Jesus. We can thank God for our creation, preservation and all the blessings of this life, but above all we thank God for revealing himself to us, and coming among us, in Jesus.
THE PROCESSION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
During the summer there may be an outdoor Procession in which pilgrims move round the garden while the Blessed Sacrament is carried in their midst. A hymn in honor of the Sacrament is sung. The Procession reminds us that we are a pilgrim people on the move and the Blessed Sacrament being carried among us is a sign that Jesus goes with us. He is at the center of our life in the church, and he is close to each one of us.
CLOSE TO JESUS
If you can go into a Church where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved to spend a few minutes each day praying close to Jesus, it will help you to make more space for God in your life and to believe that Christ is always near. This prayer sums it up, and you may like to use it:
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
The times of Masses in the Shrine Church are listed on a noticeboard near the glass doors into the sunken garden, together with the altars being used. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel can be reached by stairs to the left of the High Altar or up by the Orthodox Chapel and it is a place of silent adoration. On Saturdays during the pilgrimage season there is Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the modern chapel of the guild of All Souls in the Shrine Grounds. The times of other services and processions are listed on the noticeboard. Whether you are alone or with a parish, try to make time during your visit to come close to Jesus in the Eucharist he has given us.
WE CAN MEET JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT AND KNOW THAT HE IS ALWAYS WITH US.
Originally printed by The Iceni Press, Fakenham, Norfolk
Living Bread
