An artistic proclamation of the
Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar
Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar
The Crucifixion of Our Lord
The Last Supper alone is not
sufficient for the institution of the Eucharist. For the words that Jesus spoke
then are an anticipation of his death, a transformation of his death into an
event of love, a transformation of what is meaningless into something
significant, significant for us. But that also means that these words carry
weight and have creative power for all time only in that they did not remain
mere words but were given content by his actual death. And then again, this
death would remain empty of meaning, his words would remain mere empty claims
and unredeemed promises, were it not shown to be true that his love is stronger
than death, that meaning is stronger than meaningless. The death would remain
empty of meaning, and would also render the words meaningless, if the
Resurrection had not come about, whereby it is made clear that these words were
spoken with divine authority, that his love is indeed strong enough to reach out
beyond death.
Thus the three belong together:
the word, the death, and the Resurrection.
And this trinity of word, death,
and Resurrection, which gives us an inkling of the mystery of the triune God
himself, this is what Christian tradition calls the “Pascal Mystery”, the
mystery of Easter. Only the three together make up a whole, only these three
together constitute a veritable reality, and this singular mystery of Easter is
the source and origin of the Eucharist.
Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger
Pope Benedict
XVI
God is Near
Us
( Ignatius Press, 2003) pp.
43-44
The desire to embrace his Father's plan of redeeming love inspired Jesus'
whole life, for his redemptive passion was the very reason for his Incarnation.
And so he asked, "And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?
No, for this purpose I have come to this hour." And again, "Shall I not
drink the cup which the Father has given me?" From the cross, just before
"It is finished", he said, "I thirst."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church #607)
After agreeing to baptize him
along with the sinners, John the Baptist looked at Jesus and pointed him out as
the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". By doing so, he
reveals that Jesus is at the same time the suffering Servant who silently allows
himself to be led to the slaughter and who bears the sin of the multitudes, and
also the Paschal Lamb, the symbol of Israel's redemption at the first Passover.
Christ's whole life expresses his mission: "to serve, and to give his life
as a ransom for many."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church #608)
