January Adult Meeting
Opening Questions
Do any of you have Jewish friends, or have you attended a Seder meal (the Jewish commemoration of the first Passover)?
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The Sacraments, January
Opening Questions
Christianity grew out of Judaism. Why don’t Christians mark the Passover with a Seder?
God commanded the Jews to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and eat it. Why do Christians no longer do this?
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The Sacraments, January
Opening Questions
What are we doing when we come to Mass every Sunday?
Why is it sometimes called the sacrifice of the Mass?
Why do we call Jesus the Paschal Lamb, and his suffering, death, and Resurrection the Paschal Mystery?
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The Sacraments, January
Source and Summit: Introduction to the Eucharist
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“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:54
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The Sacraments of Initiation culminate in the Eucharist
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The Sacraments, January
Food for the Journey
Just like our natural bodies need food to survive, our souls need spiritual nourishment in order to survive!
Jesus uses the matter of food (bread and wine) to point towards the spiritual reality of receiving and consuming Him to sustain our souls.
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The Sacraments, January
Scripture and Sacrament: The Passover and the Eucharist
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The Culmination of Salvation History
The Eucharist is prefigured throughout the entire Old Testament, most significantly in the Passover.
It finds its origin in the Incarnation and its institution at the Last Supper.
And finally, its full significance is revealed in Christ’s Passion, death, and Resurrection.
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The Passover
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Parallels between Passover and Eucharist
1. The Passover lamb had to be a one year-old male without blemish.
2. The lamb had to be sacrificed in an assembly at evening twilight.
3. None of the lamb’s bones could be broken.
4. The lamb had to be eaten. Moses gives this command five times in Exodus 12.
5. The Passover celebrated the Israelites’ freedom from slavery in Egypt.
6. The Israelites could eat only unleavened bread at the Passover meal.
1. Jesus was a man without the stain of sin, in the prime of His life.
2. Jesus was crucified in front of a crowd and died in the late afternoon.
3. None of Jesus’ bones was broken on the cross.
4. In John 6, Jesus says five times that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood.
5. The Eucharist celebrates our freedom from sin.
6. Jesus turns unleavened bread into His body.
Most importantly, Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Passover.
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The Sacraments, January
The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who take away the sin of the world.”
John 1:29
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By instituting the Eucharist in the context of the Passover celebration, Jesus gives the Passover its definitive meaning:
He is the Lamb of God and the Eucharist is the new and everlasting sacrifice of the New Covenant.
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The Sacraments, January
The Eucharist and Holy Mass
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Why do most kids and teens say they don’t want to go to Mass?
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The Mass is Heaven on earth
The Mass is the gift that Jesus has given us so He can literally be with us in the flesh!
He gives Himself to us in two ways during the Mass:
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The Sacraments, January
Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is when the bread and wine on the altar become the Body and Blood of Christ.
They still appear as bread and wine, but their entire substance changes into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.
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The Effects of Holy Communion
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How do we receive the Body of Christ?
The Eucharist is a gift of great value and so the Church calls us to treat it worthily by:
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All Catholics who are in a state of grace can and should receive the Eucharist.
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Although we are only required to take Communion once a year, the Church warmly invites us to receive Jesus in the Eucharist as often as possible!
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Sacred Art Discussion: �Raphael’s Mond Crucifixion
How would you describe this scene as Raphael has painted it? What adjectives would you use?
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The Sacraments, January
Sacred Art Discussion: �Raphael’s Mond Crucifixion
What feelings does this painting seem intended to inspire? Are they the feelings you would expect from a painting of Christ’s crucifixion?
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The Sacraments, January
Sacred Art Discussion: �Raphael’s Mond Crucifixion
Does Jesus appear to be suffering, or does He appear to be at peace? What about the other people in the painting? Why do you think Raphael chose to paint them that way?
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The Sacraments, January
Sacred Art Discussion: �Raphael’s Mond Crucifixion
Why do the people gathered at the foot of the cross have bare feet?
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The Sacraments, January
Sacred Art Discussion: �Raphael’s Mond Crucifixion
There are angels on either side of Jesus. What are they doing? Why?
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The Sacraments, January
Sacred Art Discussion: �Raphael’s Mond Crucifixion
Raphael painted this picture as part of an altarpiece. Why is a painting like this appropriate for an altar?
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Key Points in Our Readings this Month
At every Mass, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
When we receive the Eucharist we are separated from sin, and united with Christ and other Christians.
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The Sacraments, January
Key Points in Our Readings this Month
All of our Faith flows from and points toward Jesus in the Eucharist.
Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, as the fulfillment of the Jewish Passover
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