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Text Box: correct his relationship with God. When he met Jesus, Jesus told him, “Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.” Can you imagine the relief felt by someone near death, to know their sins are forgiven? Jesus, being Life with a capital “L”, focused on the man’s most pressing need, the need for eternal life, and gave it to him. Then Jesus focused on the needs of some of the scribes, the learned people, who did not believe He is God, and to prove He is God and can forgive sins, Jesus cured the man of his palsy. But Jesus also cured the man of the palsy because it was in the nature of the cure He worked in that man, that the man would receive cure of the spirit and cure of the flesh. So when Jesus gave the man Life with a capital “L”, He resurrected the man’s soul from the sickness of sin, and He resurrected his body from the sickness of the palsy. And that infusion of Life with a capital “L” was an inoculation to cure the scribes of their sin of self-righteous “all knowingness” which is reserved to God.. Ref: 1 Cor. 1:4-8; Mat. 9:1-8 +

Text Box: WHAT IS AN EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION? The following is a verbatim press release from the Vatican Information Service from several years ago. We have been considering it for several years, with one main question, one main problem. What is an Eucharistic celebration? === begin press release === Vatican Information Service. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VIS-Press releases ARCHBISHOP FOLEY TO ADDRESS KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS IN U.S. VATICAN CITY, JUL 29, 2003 (VIS) - Archbishop John Foley, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, will be in the United States during the month of August. On two occasions during the first two weeks he will preside at Eucharistic celebrations and on two other occasions he will address the Knights of Columbus. On Sunday, August 3, the archbishop will deliver a homily at the Mass for the 165th anniversary of St. Malachy Church in Doe Run, Chester County, Pennsylvania. On August 7 he will speak to the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus in Washington, D.C. Later that same day he will give an address to the Knights of Columbus Eucharistic Congress at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on the topic "What is the Purpose of a Eucharistic Congress?" On August 15, feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Archbishop Foley will deliver a homily at Mass in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. CON-CS/SPEECHES:USA/FOLEY VIS 030729 (170) === end press release === Mass we understand as Divine Liturgy.

Text Box: Sacrifice of the Mass we understand as the the confection of the Eucharist, changing bread and wine into the Sacred Body and Blood of Jesus Christ God while retaining all the physical appearances and properties of bread and wine, and the offering and reception Thereof. The Eucharist we understand as being the same in Orthodox and Roman terminology: Sacred Body and Blood of Jesus Christ God. But what is an Eucharistic celebration? Do they have a party? Are there balloons, confetti, noise makers (those little whistle things you blow into, or those rattles you shake)? Do they serve appetizers, alcoholic beverages, and finger sandwiches? If Eucharistic celebration actually is a reference to the Divine Liturgy (Mass) and specifically in it the confection of the Sacred Eucharist and the offering of the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ in the Sacrifice of Calvary initiated at the Last Supper, and this has been reduced to the Eucharist alone, then all of the prayers prior to confection of the Eucharist and the focus and intent of those prayers, as well as those which follow the confection of the Eucharist - are they no meaningless in the new Roman liturgy? It would be best if Eucharistic celebration referred to a party rather than to the Divine Liturgy (Mass). A party can be comprehended. But if Eucharistic celebration is a reference to the Roman Divine Liturgy, then a whole new concept has been infused into Roman theology and it seems to preclude the traditional and actual focus of the Divine Liturgy. Perhaps Eucharistic celebration fits in with the banquet table altar concept of the new Roman Mass. Intelligent change is good. but stupid change is . . . stupid. +

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