St. Pius Roman Catholic Church 1100 Woodside Road Redwood City, CA 94061 (650) 361-1411 Fax (650) 369-3641 pius.org For urgent pastoral needs: (650) 395-7487 St. Pius Catholic School (650) 368-8327 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 25, 2021 Mass Times Pius.org/stream Monday - Friday: 8:00 am in person & livestreamed Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm in person only Sunday Schedule: 8:00 am in person only 9:30 am in person & livestreamed 11:30 am (Spanish) in person & livestreamed Reconciliation: Saturdays 3:30 - 4:30 pm Reverend Thomas Vital Martin Pastor Reverend Maurice Igboerika Parochial Vicar Reverend Gerald Coleman, P. S. S. Priest In Residence Marc Nava St. Pius School Principal Jennifer Hunter Preschool Director Judy Giacometti Parish Operations Manager For all Sacraments Family must be registered in the parish for at least 6 months and attend Mass regularly. Contact the Parish Center at least one month in advance for Baptism and six months in advance for Marriage. Anointing of the Sick & Viaticum For those who are scheduled for surgery or seriously ill, please contact the Parish Center. For those in the hospital, please contact the hospital chaplain. Free Subscription to Formed pius.formed.org "I am the Bread of Life." ~John 6:35
Transcript
St. Pius Roman Catholic Church 1100 Woodside Road Redwood City, CA 94061
(650) 361-1411 Fax (650) 369-3641 pius.org
For urgent pastoral needs: (650) 395-7487 St. Pius Catholic School (650) 368-8327
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 25, 2021
Mass Times Pius.org/stream
Monday - Friday: 8:00 am in person & livestreamed Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm in person only Sunday Schedule: 8:00 am in person only 9:30 am in person & livestreamed 11:30 am (Spanish) in person & livestreamed
Reconciliation: Saturdays 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Reverend Thomas Vital Martin Pastor
Reverend Maurice Igboerika Parochial Vicar
Reverend Gerald Coleman, P. S. S. Priest In Residence
Marc Nava St. Pius School Principal
Jennifer Hunter Preschool Director
Judy Giacometti Parish Operations Manager
For all Sacraments Family must be registered in the parish for at least 6 months
and attend Mass regularly. Contact the Parish Center at least one month in advance for
Baptism and six months in advance for Marriage.
Anointing of the Sick & Viaticum For those who are scheduled for surgery or seriously ill, please
contact the Parish Center. For those in the hospital, please contact the hospital chaplain.
Free Subscription to Formed pius.formed.org
"I am the Bread of Life."
~John 6:35
this week 24 Saturday St. Sharbel Makhlouf
25 Sunday 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
26 Monday Saints Joachim & Anne
27 Tuesday Weekday 7:00 pm St. Vincent de Paul Meeting (C1-Conf Rm)
28 Wednesday Weekday 29 Thursday Saints Martha, Mary & Lazarus 30 Friday Weekday 10:00 am Senior's Meeting (HC) 31 Saturday St. Ignatius of Loyola 3:30 pm Individual Reconciliation (Church)
July 24 - 31, 2021
PC = Parish Center FC = Fitzsimon Center HC = Homer Crouse
Rev Thomas Vital Martin [email protected], ext 117 Rev Maurice Igboerika [email protected], ext 121 Marc Nava, St. Pius School Principal [email protected] (650) 368-8327 Judy Giacometti, Parish Operations Manager [email protected], ext 110 Jennifer Hunter, Preschool Director [email protected], ext 127 Cathy Yee, Liturgy & Special Projects Coordinator [email protected], ext 116 Tony Eiras, Director of Sacred Music [email protected], ext 115 Stephanie Herbst, Director of Catechesis & Evangelization [email protected], ext 113 Elvira Cabahug-Garcia, Parish Secretary [email protected], ext 114 Kristin Bright, Bulletin Editor, CFF Secretary [email protected], ext 111 Debbie Castelli, Bookkeeper [email protected], ext 120 Adele Sanchez, Senior Coordinator
Young Ladies’ Institute - Virginia Keegan [email protected] (650) 892-9280
pastoral and administrative staff parish groups
Masses Livestreamed at pius.org/stream
from the pastor
(continued on page 6) (continúa en pág. 6)
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today’s Gospel inaugurates this year’s Cycle B gospel accounts in John commonly known as “The Bread of Life” discourse. Archbishop Cordileone, in response to a discussion at the Presbyteral Council (Priests’ Council of the Archdiocese), sent a memorandum to all the priests and deacons of the Archdiocese of San Francisco providing resources to be used over the course of these next few Sundays. Some of the themes suggested by the Archbishop include a consideration of the Eucharist within these contexts: our encounter with Jesus Christ, thanksgiving and sacramental sacrifice, Christ himself truly present, ecclesial communion and pledge of future glory (Solemnity of the Assumption) and doing our part. As a guide to preaching on Chapter Six of John’s Gospel, I have provided a catechesis on the Real Presence of the Eucharist in another section of the bulletin this week. I encourage you to read this resource which I pray can provide a better understanding of our central Catholic beliefs on the Eucharist.
In today’s first reading from the Book of 2 Kings, the beginning of a series of actions taken by Elisha to establish his authority as he follows the prophetic mission of Elijah, we have a precursor of what will take place in the New Testament with the miracle of the loaves and fishes. In this instance, Elisha is brought offerings of the harvest, barley loaves and grain. Elisha instructs his servant to feed the people. The servant objects, noting that there is not enough food to feed all the people. Elisha expresses the confidence of one who trusts in God to provide for the needs of His people, even when reason and evidence naturally could cause one to doubt. Here the servant is circumspect and the master, with cool confidence, provides. This motif is relatable to John’s Gospel wherein Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, expresses pessimism in claiming that the five barley loaves and two fish would not be enough to feed the multitude.
Pope Francis, during his Angelus reflection on the Bread of Life Discourse delivered on July 30, 2018, spoke thus: “Through this Gospel passage, the liturgy leads us not to look away from Jesus who, last Sunday, in the Gospel of Mark, ‘saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them’ (6:34). Even the boy with the five loaves understood this compassion and said: ‘Poor people! I have this…’. Compassion led him to offer what he had. In fact, today John shows us again a Jesus attentive to the basic needs of people. This episode stems for a fact: people were hungry and Jesus got his disciples involved so that people were fed.
At the end of the story, the Evangelist said that, when everyone was satisfied, Jesus told his disciples: ‘Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted’ (Jn 6:12). I would like to propose this to you: gather the fragments left over so that nothing is wasted. My thoughts go to the people who are hungry and about how much leftover food we throw away…Let each of us ask: the food that is left over from lunch, dinner, where does it go? At home, what do you do with leftover food? Do you throw it away? I say, NO!”
The Holy Father referenced last Sunday’s Gospel from Mark in which Jesus withdrew with his disciples. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” The disciples had been so preoccupied that they had not even time to eat. Against the backdrop crowds were persistent in coming to Jesus. As he disembarked, Jesus noticed the throngs and “his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” One can easily conjecture that Jesus was instructing his disciples on the importance of empathy and compassion in following him.
Queridos hermanos y hermanas: En el Evangelio de hoy se da inicio a los relatos evangélicos del Ciclo B de este año en el discurso de Juan comúnmente conocido como "El Pan de Vida". El Arzobispo Cordileone, en respuesta a una discusión en el Consejo Presbiteral (Consejo de Sacerdotes de la Arquidiócesis), envió un memorando a todos los sacerdotes y diáconos de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco proporcionando recursos para ser utilizados en el transcurso de estos próximos domingos. Algunos de los temas sugeridos por el Arzobispo incluyen una consideración de la Eucaristía dentro de estos contextos: nuestro encuentro con Jesucristo, acción de gracias y sacrificio sacramental, Cristo mismo verdaderamente presente, comunión eclesial y promesa de gloria futura (Solemnidad de la Asunción) y hacer nuestra parte. Como guía para predicar sobre el capítulo seis del Evangelio de Juan, he proporcionado una catequesis sobre la presencia real de la Eucaristía en otra sección del boletín esta semana. Los animo a leer este recurso que rezo para que pueda proporcionar una mejor comprensión de nuestras creencias católicas centrales sobre la Eucaristía.
En la primera lectura de hoy del Libro de los 2 Reyes, el comienzo de una serie de acciones tomadas por Eliseo para establecer su autoridad mientras sigue la misión profética de Elías, tenemos un precursor de lo que tendrá lugar en el Nuevo Testamento con el milagro de los panes y los peces. En este caso, a Eliseo se le entregan ofrendas de la cosecha, panes de cebada y grano. Eliseo instruye a su siervo a alimentar a la gente. El sirviente se opone, señalando que no hay suficiente comida para alimentar a toda la gente. Eliseo expresa la confianza de alguien que confía en Dios para proveer para las necesidades de Su pueblo, incluso cuando la razón y la evidencia naturalmente podrían hacer que uno dude. Aquí el siervo es circunspecto y el amo, con toda confianza, provee. Este motivo es relatable al Evangelio de Juan en el que Andrés, el hermano de Simón Pedro, expresa pesimismo al afirmar que los cinco panes de cebada y dos peces no serían suficientes para alimentar a la multitud. El Papa Francisco, durante su reflexión del Ángelus sobre el Discurso del Pan de Vida pronunciado el 30 de julio de 2018, habló así: "A través de este pasaje del Evangelio, la liturgia nos lleva a no apartar la vista de Jesús que, el domingo pasado, en el Evangelio de Marcos, 'vio a la gran multitud, su corazón se movió con piedad por ellos' (6:34). Incluso el niño con los cinco panes entendió esta compasión y dijo: '¡Pobre gente! Tengo esto...'. La compasión lo llevó a ofrecer lo que tenía. De hecho, hoy Juan nos muestra de nuevo un Jesús atento a las necesidades básicas de las personas. Este episodio se deriva de un hecho: la gente tenía hambre y Jesús involucró a sus discípulos para que la gente fuera alimentada.
Al final de la historia, el Evangelista dijo que, cuando todos estaban satisfechos, Jesús les dijo a sus discípulos: "Recoge los fragmentos sobrantes, para que nada se despilfarre" (Jn 6,12). Me gustaría proponerles lo siguiente: reunir los fragmentos sobrantes para que no se desperdicie nada. Al final mis pensamientos van a las personas que tienen hambre y acerca de la cantidad de comida sobrante que tiramos... Que cada uno de nosotros pregunte: la comida que sobra del almuerzo, la cena, ¿a dónde va? En casa, ¿qué haces con la comida sobrante? ¿Lo tiras a la vez? Yo digo, ¡NO!"
El Santo Padre hizo referencia al Evangelio de Marcos del domingo pasado en el que Jesús se retiró con sus discípulos. "Salgan solos a un lugar desierto y descansen un rato". Los discípulos habían estado tan preocupados que ni siquiera tenían tiempo para comer. En el telón de fondo, las multitudes eran persistentes en venir a Jesús. Al desembarcar, Jesús notó las multitudes y "su corazón se movió con lástima por ellas, porque eran como ovejas sin pastor; y empezó a enseñarles muchas cosas". Uno puede conjeturar fácilmente que Jesús estaba instruyendo a sus discípulos sobre la importancia de la empatía y la compasión en seguirlo. A medida que se iban para la reflexión y el descanso necesarios, también fue una oportunidad para que
prayer and worship This Sunday’s Readings
2 Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6;
John 6:1-15
(= deceased; INT = special intention) Saturday, July 24 5:00 pm People of St. Pius Sunday, July 25 8:00 am Josefina & Jose Mari Perez 9:30 am Sarah Romanski Family (INT) 11:30 am Blanca Forero 5:00 pm For those in the Military Monday, July 26 8:00 am Sharon Thorpe Tuesday, July 27 8:00 am Raymond Ouano Wednesday, July 28 8:00 am John Hernandez (INT)Thursday, July 29 8:00 pm Romano Zan Friday, July 30 8:00 am Dana Centoni
Flowers have been placed in the sanctuary of the church
this weekend from the Chang Family in loving memory of
Albert & Consuelo Aquino
Altar flower arrangements may be donated to remember living or deceased
relatives and friends or to celebrate a special occasion.
Please contact the Parish Center at (650) 361-1411 for more information.
Please pray for our sick, that Jesus be a source of strength and
comfort for them.
Names are automatically removed after 30 days; please call the Parish Center
to add a name to this list.
Andrew Callaghan Anne Callaghan Maria Contreras Erma DeMartini Leonore Dei Rossi Francesco DiFede Clemencia Garcia Pat Hanley Ferdinand Jose
Sr. Mary Keefe Maria Lester Anita Martin Fr. Bill McCain Katarina Nyindombi Sandy Piazza Jesus Ruiz Lisa Sawyer Lorraine Wright
A ladies ring was recently turned in to the Parish Center. We would like to return it to the owner. If you recently lost a ring on the
St. Pius Campus, please call the church office and ask for Kristin. We will ask for a
description.
Assisted Listening Devices available in the church!
St. Pius wants all of their parishioners to hear sermons, songs and other sounds clearly in the church.
We are now offering personal assistive listening devices that assure people can hear what’s being said during Mass. The devices are available for loan during Mass and can be used with your own
earbuds or headphones - please arrive 15 minutes ahead of Mass to sign one out and please return it after Mass.
A Catechesis on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist By Fr. Tom Martin
Today begins a series in John’s Gospel of the “Bread of Life Discourse” from the 17th through 21st Sundays in Ordinary Time. The sixth chapter of the Gospel of John begins with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and Jesus revealing, in the synagogue, that he is the bread of life. This is an excellent opportunity to reflect upon the significance of the Eucharist and to provide a catechesis on its importance as revealed in Church history and its teachings. As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, soul and divinity, is the “source and summit” of our faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.” [CCC #1324,1326]. I have often been asked when the bread and wine, physical species, becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This literally takes place during the Liturgy of the Eucharist when the priest extends his hands over the bread and wine and says, “Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and + (priest makes the sign of the cross) Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.” This is taken from the Eucharistic Prayer III but similar words are used in the other Eucharistic Prayers. This extending of the hands and blessing the bread and wine is called the Epiclesis. “The Epiclesis (‘invocation upon’) is the intercession in which the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the offerings may become the body and blood of Christ and that the faithful, be receiving them, may themselves become a living offering to God.” [CCC #1105]. The change of the substance of ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is called transubstantiation. The Catechism defines this as “The scholastic term used to designate the unique change of the Eucharistic bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. ‘Transubstantiation’ indicates that through the consecration of the bread and the wine there occurs the change of the entire substance of the bread into the substance of the Body of Christ, and of the entire substance of the wine into the Blood of Christ—even though the appearances or ‘species’ of bread and wine remains (my emphasis). We refer to the Eucharist as the “Real Presence.” What does this mean? The Catechism explains: “The mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as ‘the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend. In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.’ This presence is called ‘real’ - by which it is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be ‘real’ too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present.” On August 9, 2019, the Pew Research Center released a study related to various aspects of religion in American life. Relative to the core and foundational Roman Catholic belief in transubstantiation, the study found that “most self-described Catholics don’t believe this core teaching. In fact, nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion ‘are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.’ Just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that ‘during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.’” The results of the Pew findings were met with great alarm within the Church. While this finding is disturbing, I believe this is the case because the Church itself, by the admission of bishops themselves such as Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, has failed to educate our faithful on these basic tenets. This provides, on a positive note, a proactive opportunity for us at the parish, grassroots level to reacquaint ourselves with these fundamental teachings of our Catholic faith. When I saw the results of the Pew survey I searched for a book in my library called The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections, authored by Trent Horn and published by Ignatius Press. I have found this to be a very valuable resource to understanding our core Catholic beliefs. It has helped me to answer excellent questions non-Catholics have about our faith and even some Catholics who want to deepen their understanding and knowledge of our faith. In the chapter titled “The Mass and the Eucharist,” Horn writes, “Since at the Last Supper Jesus did not say of the bread, ‘This represents by body’ or ‘This contains my body’, by simply, ‘This is my body’, the concept of transubstantiation best explains the miracle God achieves through the Eucharist. Catholics agree that upon Consecration the bread and wine at Mass do not visibly transform into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Instead, the substance of the bread and wine become the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ while the form or accidents (physical presence) of the bread and wine (what we observe with our senses) remain.” This reflection helps clarify for us why the bread and wine transformed is not merely a symbol but really is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
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from the pastor (continued) As they went away for necessary reflection and rest, it was also an opportunity for Jesus to educate them on the fundamental aspects of discipleship and servant leadership. Recall the excitement of the disciples at the outset of this encounter with Jesus when they reported to him on “all they had done and taught.” Implicit in this scenario is the disciples wanting to share all they had been DOING, those physical aspects of their work. However, it is very easy to get caught up in the DOING, especially in ministering to others, so that reflection on motivation and on the interior life gets neglected and crowded out. Also, a by-product of focusing on the DOING is that it can easily degenerate into being about the person doing the work and not the initiative of God’s will, God’s grace and God’s Spirit.
Jesus himself understood this undercurrent when he performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. As John tells us, “Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew to the mountain alone.” This point harkens back to the observation of Pope Francis when he said that “Jesus got his disciples involved so that people were fed.” This notion of involvement connotes an active engagement in the hunger and suffering of others. This engagement, this desire to respond to the needs of others, if it comes from God, is not us acting in isolation, or even worse, self-promotion, but in response to God’s working in our lives. Jesus, as the Son of God, accentuates the essential need of withdrawing from the busy-ness of life and spending time alone with God…speaking to Him but even more importantly, listening to what He is saying to us.
The Navarre Bible Commentary on the New Testament offers this insight on the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. It offers an excellent reflection on how we can more profoundly integrate the Eucharist and apostolic zeal, the fruits of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, in our lives. “Jesus is sensitive to people’s needs, both material and spiritual. Here he takes the initiative to relieve the hunger of the thousands of people who have been following him. In his conversations with the disciples and in the miracle that follows, he tells them that they must trust in him when difficulties arise in their future apostolate; they must embark on that apostolate as best they can, even if they lack sufficient resources, as is the case at present (verse 9). He will provide what they need.
As Christians, we have to put everything at God’s disposal, even if it does not seem to amount to much. Our Lord will put it to good use: ‘Jesus relied not on a sufficient supply of material goods but on the boy’s generosity in offering the little he had…What human reason could not dare to hope came true in in Jesus through the generous heart of a young boy’ (John Paul II, Message, 8 September 1997).”
Let is take to heart with comfort and hope these words. Let us not be daunted, even in the face of apparent limitations and obstacles, in following the Lord Jesus who indeed is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
A medida que se iban para la reflexión y el descanso necesarios, también fue una oportunidad para que Jesús los educara sobre los aspectos fundamentales del discipulado y el liderazgo de servicio. Recuerden la emoción de los discípulos al comienzo de este encuentro con Jesús cuando le informaron sobre "todo lo que habían hecho y enseñado". Implícito en este escenario es que los discípulos quieren compartir todo lo que habían estado HACIENDO, esos aspectos físicos de su trabajo. Sin embargo, es muy fácil quedar atrapado en el HACER, especialmente en ministrar a los demás, de modo que la reflexión sobre la motivación y sobre la vida interior se descuida y se desplaza. Además, un subproducto de centrarse en el HACER es que puede degenerar fácilmente en ser acerca de la persona que hace la obra y no la iniciativa de la voluntad de Dios, la gracia de Dios y el Espíritu de Dios.
Jesús mismo entendió esto cuando realizó el milagro de la multiplicación de los panes y los peces. Como Juan nos dice, "Como Jesús sabía que iban a venir y llevarlo a hacerlo rey, se retiró a la montaña solo." Este punto se remonta a la observación del Papa Francisco cuando dijo que "Jesús involucró a sus discípulos para que la gente fuera alimentada". Esta noción de participación connota una participación activa en el hambre y el sufrimiento de los demás. Este compromiso, este deseo de responder a las necesidades de los demás, si viene de Dios, no es que actuemos de forma aislada, o peor aún, de autopromoción, sino en respuesta a la obra de Dios en nuestras vidas. Jesús, como el Hijo de Dios, acentúa la necesidad esencial de retirarse del ajetreo de la vida y pasar tiempo a solas con Dios… hablando con Él, pero aún más importante, escuchando lo que Él nos está diciendo.
El Comentario bíblico de Navarra sobre el Nuevo Testamento ofrece esta visión sobre el milagro de la multiplicación de los panes y los peces. Ofrece una excelente reflexión sobre cómo podemos integrar más profundamente la Eucaristía y el celo apostólico, los frutos del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesucristo, en nuestras vidas. "Jesús es sensible a las necesidades de las personas, tanto materiales como espirituales. Aquí toma la iniciativa de aliviar el hambre de los miles de personas que lo han estado siguiendo. En sus conversaciones con los discípulos y en el milagro que sigue, les dice que deben confiar en él cuando surjan dificultades en su futuro apostolado; deben embarcarse en ese apostolado lo mejor que puedan, incluso si carecen de recursos suficientes, como es el caso en la actualidad (versículo 9). Él proporcionará lo que necesitan.
Como cristianos, tenemos que poner todo a disposición de Dios, incluso si no parece ser mucho. Nuestro Señor lo dará a buen uso: 'Jesús no confió en un suministro suficiente de bienes materiales, sino en la generosidad del niño al ofrecer lo poco que tenía... Qué razón humana no podía atreverse a esperar se hizo realidad en Jesús a través del corazón generoso de un niño' (Juan Pablo II, Mensaje, 8 de septiembre de 1997)."
Tomemos en serio con consuelo y esperemos estas palabras. No nos dejemos intimidar, incluso frente a las aparentes limitaciones y obstáculos, al seguir al Señor Jesús que de hecho es El Camino, la Verdad y la Vida.
stewardship Sunday Collections
July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022 (annual goal) $505,000.00 July 1, 2020 - July 18, 2021 (actual rec'd)* $ 17,300.00
Sunday Collection - July 18, 2021 Collection for our Parish $ 5,646.00
2021 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal Campaign $119,307.00 2021 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal (received) $ 78,370.00 Campaign Goal less payments received $ 40,937.00
“For the needy will never be forgotten; nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.”
Una Catequesis sobre la Presencia Real de Jesucristo en la Eucaristía ~ Padre Tom Martin
Hoy comienza una serie en el Evangelio de Juan del "Discurso del Pan de Vida" desde el decimoséptimo hasta el vigésimo primer domingo del Tiempo Ordinario. El sexto capítulo del Evangelio de Juan comienza con la multiplicación de los panes y peces y Jesús revelando, en la sinagoga, que él es el pan de vida. Esta es una excelente oportunidad para reflexionar sobre el significado de la Eucaristía y para proporcionar una catequesis sobre su importancia como se revela en la historia de la Iglesia y sus enseñanzas.
Como católicos, creemos que la Eucaristía, el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, alma y divinidad, es la "fuente y cumbre" de nuestra fe. El Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica afirma: "La Eucaristía es 'la fuente y cumbre de la vida cristiana'. Los otros sacramentos, y de hecho todos los ministerios eclesiásticos y obras del apostolado, están vinculados con la Eucaristía y están orientados hacia ella. Porque en la bendita Eucaristía está contenido todo el bien espiritual de la Iglesia, concretamente Cristo mismo, nuestro Pasch. Finalmente, por la celebración eucarística ya nos unimos a la liturgia celestial y anticipamos la vida eterna, cuando Dios será todo en todo". [CCC #1324.1326].
A menudo me han preguntado cuando el pan y el vino, especie física, se convierten en el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesucristo. Esto literalmente tiene lugar durante la Liturgia de la Eucaristía cuando el sacerdote extiende sus manos sobre el pan y el vino y dice: "Por lo tanto, oh Señor, humildemente te rogamos: por el mismo Espíritu misericordiosamente haz santos estos dones que te hemos traído para la consagración, para que se conviertan en el Cuerpo y + (sacerdote hace la señal de la cruz) Sangre de tu Hijo nuestro Señor Jesucristo, a cuyo mandato celebramos estos misterios". Esto está tomado de la Oración Eucarística III, pero se usan palabras similares en las otras Oraciones Eucarísticas. Esta extensión de las manos y la bendición del pan y el vino se llama la Epiclesis. "La Epiclesis ('invocación sobre') es la intercesión en la que el sacerdote ruega al Padre que envíe al Espíritu Santo, el Santificador, para que las ofrendas se conviertan en el cuerpo y la sangre de Cristo y para que los fieles, al recibirlas, se conviertan en una ofrenda viviente a Dios". [CCC #1105].
El cambio de la sustancia del pan ordinario y el vino en el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesucristo se llama transubstanciación. El Catecismo define esto como "El término escolástico utilizado para designar el cambio único del pan y el vino eucarísticos en el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo. La "transubstanciación" indica que a través de la consagración del pan y el vino se produce el cambio de toda la sustancia del pan en la sustancia del Cuerpo de Cristo, y de toda la sustancia del vino en la Sangre de Cristo, aunque las apariencias o "especies" de pan y vino permanezcan (mi énfasis).
Nos referimos a la Eucaristía como la "Presencia Real". ¿Qué significa esto? El Catecismo explica: "La modalidad de la presencia de Cristo bajo la especie eucarística es única. Plantea la Eucaristía por encima de todos los sacramentos como 'la perfección de la vida espiritual y el final al que todos los sacramentos tienden.
En el santísimo sacramento de la Eucaristía "el cuerpo y la sangre, junto con el alma y la divinidad, de nuestro Señor Jesucristo y, por lo tanto, de todo Cristo está verdaderamente, realmente y sustancialmente contenido". Esta presencia se llama 'real' - por lo que no se pretende excluir los otros tipos de presencia como si no pudieran ser 'reales' también, sino porque es presencia en el sentido más pleno: es decir, es una presencia sustancial por la cual Cristo, Dios y el hombre, se hace total y enteramente presente".
De hecho, casi siete de cada diez católicos (69%) dicen que personalmente creen que durante la Misa Católica, el pan y el vino utilizados en la Comunión 'son símbolos del cuerpo y la sangre de Jesucristo'. Solo un tercio de los católicos estadounidenses (31%) dicen que creen que 'durante la Misa Católica, el pan y el vino en realidad se convierten en el cuerpo y la sangre de Jesús'". Los resultados de los hallazgos de Pew fueron recibidos con gran alarma dentro de la Iglesia. Si bien este hallazgo es perturbador, creo que este es el caso porque la Iglesia misma, al admitir a los propios obispos, como el Obispo Auxiliar Robert Barron de la Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles, no ha logrado educar a nuestros fieles sobre estos principios básicos. Esto proporciona, en una nota positiva, una oportunidad proactiva para nosotros en la parroquia, a nivel de base para reencontrarnos con estas enseñanzas fundamentales de nuestra fe católica.
Cuando vi los resultados de la encuesta de Pew busqué un libro en mi biblioteca llamado The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections, escrito por Trent Horn y publicado por Ignatius Press. He encontrado que esto es un recurso muy valioso para entender nuestras creencias católicas básicas. Me ha ayudado a responder a excelentes preguntas que los no católicos tienen sobre nuestra fe e incluso algunos católicos que quieren profundizar su comprensión y conocimiento de nuestra fe. En el capítulo titulado "La Misa y la Eucaristía", Horn escribe: "Puesto que en la Última Cena Jesús no dijo del pan: 'Esto representa por el cuerpo' o 'Esto contiene mi cuerpo', simplemente, 'Este es mi cuerpo', el concepto de transubstanciación explica mejor el milagro que Dios logra a través de la Eucaristía. Los católicos están de acuerdo en que al consagrar el pan y el vino en la Misa no se transforman visiblemente en el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesucristo. En cambio, la sustancia del pan y el vino se convierten en la sustancia del Cuerpo y la Sangre de Cristo, mientras que la forma o los accidentes (presencia física) del pan y el vino (lo que observamos con nuestros sentidos) permanecen". Esta reflexión nos ayuda a aclarar por qué el pan y el vino transformados no es simplemente un símbolo, sino que realmente es el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesucristo.
community life
Registration is open for the Festival Car Show!
Saturday, October 2, 2021 12:00-3:30 pm.
Please visit pius.org/festival for
Information & Registration Form.
Reach Out Ministry Gospel Mass
St. Pius welcomes the St. Boniface-Sacred Heart
Gospel Choir!
Saturday, August 14, 2021 5:00 pm Mass
Solemnity of St. Pius X and
Opening of School Mass
with celebrant
Bishop Michael C. Barber
of the Diocese of Oakland
Sunday, August 22, 2021 9:30 am
Let us pray for blessings upon our police,
firefighters and other first responders Sunday, October 10, 2021 9:30 am
The Festival is
back!
Rides, games, food booths,
silent auction, entertainment!
Let's get Back Together -
Stronger Than Ever!
Our parish has a FORMED subscription. To set up your free account visit pius.formed.org
