Catechists Recollection

Catechists Recollection on Sunday, 17th November 2013 at St. Joseph Church, Mira Road (East). From 5 to 8 pm. By Fr. Sandeep Borges from Uttan.

More Than Just Bread & Wine!

In Roman Catholic churches, the faithful receive Holy Communion under the appearances of both bread and wine. The Holy Communion or the Sacrament of Communion, wherein, “bread and wine” are the elements represents the Body and Blood of Christ. It’s also known as the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist. In this Holy Eucharist, under the appearances of bread and wine, the Lord Christ is contained, offered, and received because He said “I am the living bread that has come down from heaven”.
These are the exact elements that even Jesus used when He gathered with the disciples at the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. The “bread” should remind us of our unity in Christ that we all share from the one source, which is Christ, our Savior. God makes use of these physical elements so that we perform this sacrament with prayer and faith.

So, bread symbolizes the body of Christ which was sacrificed for believers. Wine represents the blood of Christ which was shed for believers. They are the "the Body of Christ" and the "the Blood of Jesus” which He shed for us. So, the Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament which contains the body and blood, soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.

Christ is truly present in the Holy Communion. When we receive the bread and wine of this meal, we receive His body and blood. The Holy Eucharist is the oldest experience of Christian worship at which Christ instructed His disciples to offer bread and wine in His memory.

Bread and wine are most suitable elements for the Holy Eucharist because bread and wine are being very nourishing. We take the Eucharist because the bread and the cup provide an opportunity to remember what the Father expects of His children and to renew one's commitment to obey. The Holy Communion is an observance of a commandment by Jesus. We take it in His memory because He says “Do this, as often as you drink/eat it, in remembrance of me”.

We observe Holy Communion because the Lord told us to. It’s as simple as that. We are to obey His commands: The Lord's Supper is a good time to stop and recall what Jesus has given us. Jesus’ blood cleanses us of sin. Starting with Adam and Eve, God required a blood sacrifice to cover transgressions (Genesis 3:21; Leviticus 17:11). But this was just a temporary solution, as the next offense required another sacrifice. Jesus was God’s permanent answer to the problem: He took upon Himself all sin - past, present, and future - and died to pay the full penalty.

When a believer receives salvation, he is consecrated - or set apart to the Lord. His sin is forgiven, and he receives eternal life as well as the indwelling Holy Spirit. But if he at times forgets that he belongs to the Lord, he may give in to temptation. The bread and the cup provide an opportunity to remember what the Father expects of His children and to renew one’s commitment to obey.

The Lord’s Supper is also a time to be in communion. We are connected not only with the Lord who saved us but also with past and present believers. Among members of God’s family, we find comfort and support, just as the disciples and the early church did.

The Lord’s Supper is a good time to stop and recall what Jesus has given us. Partake solemnly and gratefully.

Taken from "The Cup and the Covenant" by In Touch Ministries

And so, the million dollar question here is who should take communion?

When Jesus said, “Take, eat; this is my body” and “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood” he was speaking to his disciples (vv. 26–27). Communion is a sacrament only to be performed by Christians. Non-Christians should never take Communion as the Bible warns that those who take Communion in an unworthy manner will be guilty of disrespecting Jesus and bring judgment upon themselves (1 Cor. 11:27–29).


Why Is Practicing Communion Important?


As a Christian takes Communion, they are making a proclamation that they believe in Jesus as their Savior and have trusted in his sacrificial death for the forgiveness of their sins (1 Cor. 11:26). The act of taking Communion does not save a person, but rather demonstrates a person’s personal faith and shows that they have already been given salvation in Jesus. As such, Communion is to be done regularly as a worship act celebrating Jesus. Jesus said it is important for Christians to practice Communion as a way to remember him and his sacrificial death (1 Cor. 11:24–25).


How Should Communion Be Taken?

God gives Christians clear instructions on how to take Communion in the letter of 1 Corinthians. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. (1 Corinthians 11:23–30)

To fully understand these instructions, we need to remember the context of the letter. When the Apostle Paul wrote verses 17–34, he was rebuking the church for practicing Communion sinfully (v. 17). Yet, these instructions still give a clear framework for all churches and Christians on how to practice Communion.


1. Communion must not be done in an unworthy manner (v. 27).


The Corinthian church had practiced Communion in an unworthy and sinful manner. Divisions and factions existed within the church while Communion was taking place (vv. 18–19). People were being selfish, acting self-centered, getting drunk and neglecting the poor and needy (v. 21). In all this, the sacrament was not being taken seriously, and the people were being disrespectful to Jesus and hurtful to each other (v. 22). These sins were so vile that God disciplined some of people within the church with sickness and death (v. 30).


2. You must examine yourself (v. 28).


Before participating in Communion, a person must examine all of his or her life for sin. This includes words, deeds, thoughts, and even the motives and intentions of their heart. If any unconfessed sin is found it must be dealt with, because the unrepentant Christian is not qualified to partake in Communion. Therefore, Communion should only be taken after a Christian has fully confessed to Jesus and laid the guilt of their sin at the foot of his cross. Anything less insults the sacrifice that Jesus made and disrespects God.


3. You must discern the body (v. 29).


Communion is a personal act but is to be done as part of a corporate worship experience. To discern the body means to consider all personal relationships within the church. If there is unresolved conflict or sin, it must be dealt with. If anyone takes Communion without discerning the entire body of the church they neglect others, cause disunity, and bring judgment upon themselves.

In closing, Communion is a sacred sacrament full of meaning, truth, and beauty. It has great value in the life of a believer and the life of the church. All Christians should take the act of Communion very seriously, out of reverence and gratitude for Jesus.


Excerpts from: http://marshill.com/2012/08/09/why-communion-isnt-for-everyone

Jesus’ Hidden Years

It’s written in the Bible that "And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). That’s all we know and I often wonder what Jesus must have done in His so called “Hidden Years”.

Of this part of Christ's life all we read one more statement from the Holy Scripture: "And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them (Luke 2:51). In these two sentences is contained the history of eighteen years of the life of Jesus Christ, the God-Man.

Jesus' first three decades of life were mostly hidden. The unknown years of Jesus (also called his silent years, lost years, or missing years). The phrases "lost years of Jesus" is usually encountered in esoteric literature. This is a remarkable puzzle because we have no record of what Jesus did then. There has been a lot of speculation, of course, but there is nothing specific.

Jesus remained hidden except that, as an artisan, he belonged to a middle-class family. The hidden life of Jesus is for us a perfect model of humility. He lived in poverty and lowliness: the Mother He chose was a poor woman; His foster-father was a carpenter; the town in which He spent the greatest part of His life was an obscure place despised by the Jews: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

For long years of obscurity in Nazareth, He was just "a carpenter's son". The hidden life of Jesus Christ is for us a perfect model of obedience: "And He was subject to them." The God of all created things, almighty and infinite, was subject to two poor and unknown mortals. He obeyed them in all things, promptly, constantly, cheerfully and with great love.

Let us model our obedience on this perfect pattern. If Christ the Son of God, God Himself, was content to be humble, poor, and unknown, to do common tasks day by day for the greater part of His earthly life, is there any reason why we should be ever trying to exalt ourselves, to attract admiration, ever to feed our vanity?

Excerpts from:
http://www.catholicbook.com/AgredaCD/MyCatholicFaith/mcfc032.htm

My Christmas wish

Do you know what I want for Christmas this year? All I want for Christmas this year is peace, joy and patience and I really, really mean it.

Peace

Peace is a sign of harmony characterized by the lack of violence, conflict behaviors and the freedom from fear of violence. I want peace in my mind, in my spirit, in my soul and above all, I want peace in the family. Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep one strong and this time, I really want to achieve the calmness and serenity that comes with inner peace. I want to be patient. I know that this develops over time and I need to be patient. I guess, all these three things which I am aspiring for are interrelated. And so, I am challenging myself to be very intentional about how I focus my attention.

All these will be possible for me with meditation, relaxation, sleep, massage and stress reduction. There is a lot of negative energy and craziness in this world, but I want to learn to live with inner peace. I have understood that inner peace comes from allowing every experience to be exactly as it is without any judgement. So I try not to judge nowadays. This has brought me calmness, peacefulness and energy that is priceless. I experience inner quietness in all aspects of my life and also a sense of harmony inside. Every day I am learning how to quiet my mind and find inner peace and happiness in any situation I am in.

It was prophesied that Jesus would be "the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9: 6). In the Bible the word peace has a wide range of meanings. Basically it includes the ideas of wholeness, well-being, prosperity, and security. The Old Testament understanding of Peace is different and the principal word used to express the idea of peace in Hebrew Bible is 'Shalom'.

Joy

Joy may refer to happiness which is an emotion. The secular perception of joy is "lasting happiness." However, the Bible interprets joy very differently. The happy state that results from knowing and serving God is what joy is. A number of Greek and Hebrew words are used in the Bible to convey the ideas of joy and rejoicing. Joy is a state of mind and an orientation of the heart. It is a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope. Faith brings joy - therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Bible makes a distinction between happiness and joy. Joy is stronger and more spiritually dynamic of the two emotions.

The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do.


Patience

Patience (or forbearing) is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on. Fortunately, patience is a virtue that can be cultivated and nurtured over time. Patience is a person's ability to wait something out or endure something tedious, without getting riled up. So I want patience at home and while teaching my students.

This virtue of the mind which is called patience is so great a gift of God that even in Him who bestows the same upon us, that, whereby He waits for evil men. The Bible has a lot of verses about patience and how it is an extremely important virtue that helps us wait on God’s timing. We find a lot of verses on being patient in Christ. The Bible patience verses are designed to help us slow down and focus on what God's Word says about waiting on the Lord. The word translated “patience” in this verse means “endurance.” A Christian runs the race patiently by persevering through difficulties.

Patience in the biblical sense, therefore, is not just a question of temperament or restlessness; patience is a way of thinking about and responding to the difficult.

Amen!!!

Feels like Christmas...

Come, just as you are...

"Come, Now Is The Time To Worship"


Come, now is the time to worship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are, to worship.
Come, just as you are, before your God.
Come.


One day every tongue will confess
You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those
Who gladly choose you now.


Come, now is the time to worship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Oh, come. Just as you are to worship.
Come just as you are before your God.
Come.


One day every tongue will confess
You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains for those
who gladly choose you now.


Come, now is the time to worship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are to worship.
Come, just as you are before your God.
Come.


Oh, come. Oh, come. Oh, come.
Worship the Lord. Oh, come.


Come, come, come...

It already feels like Christmas...

Some favorite Bible quotations...

Found myself…

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…what blissfully spirit-filled and blessed days these were in the arms of my Lord Jesus. Like I had written in one of my earlier posts, I was at Tabor Ashram (Kalyan) from 3rd to 6th November. And what a blessed Jesus experience I had over there. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, I am spiritually full.

My mobile phone went dead and I couldn’t charge it. I was totally cut off from my three cuties but I was connected to them spiritually at all times. And what wonderful visions I saw while praising and worshipping the Lord. All the preachers and priests kept telling the retreatants that nobody will go from here without experiencing Jesus personally and this is what exactly happened to me. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

During the inner healing session on Tuesday, 5th November, sometime between 9-9:15pm, Jesus touched me! Literally! I was standing and praying little away from the crowd when suddenly I realized somebody putting a finger on my right arm. Exactly the place where it pains the most! I gave a jerk and opened my eyes. There was nobody. I was extremely scared. Soon I felt somebody pushing me forward and urging me to be closer to the group. I “felt” something. Fearfully, I joined the crowd. Again I started singing and praising the Lord and asking Him to heal me internally. But I was scared; extremely scared. For the first time in my life, I was scared in the presence of Jesus. I started shivering and sweating. I didn’t want to sing. I was crying very loudly. I wanted to get away from the crowd. I wanted to run away from this praise and worship. My whole body was in spasms and I kept bending lower and lower closing my ears. I was crying. Suddenly, I saw a vision of Mother Mary’s feet crushing the “evil thing” under her feet. Then I saw it on the floor encircling me. I was terribly scared. My whole body was paining and still I kept bending on the floor. Finally I was sitting on the ground in a foetus position. I was crying at the top of my voice. I was asking Jesus to heal me. I must have sat like that for almost 5-10 minutes. I thought I will never be able to walk.

Then suddenly the shivering and sweating stopped. The crying too stopped. I kept sitting with my hand on my head for quite some time. I wasn’t crying. Then I stood up as if nothing had happened and again joined the others in praise and worship. It was then that I realized that finally I was free. Jesus had touched me and healed me of my physical pain and also of all my internal pains! It wasn’t me shivering; it was the evil in me that was shivering at the command of Jesus. At Jesus’ command, he left me. It wasn’t I that was scared. It was the evil one in me that was scared of Jesus. At Jesus’ command, he had to leave me. I realized I “felt” Jesus. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I am free, I am complete, I am whole, I am changed, I am healed. Jesus healed me of all my internal and external wounds. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

I will forever sing the praises of my Lord for curing me completely. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

In these four days, I lost my voice because of so much loud singing and shouting. But Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I have at last found myself!!!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Thank you, Abba Father! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you Holy Spirit!

I love you Abba Father! I love you, Jesus! I love you, Holy Spirit!