The Lord's Supper, Eucharist, Mass … What's in a Name?: The Names of the Eucharist in the 2002 Girm

By Virgilio T.J. Suerte Felipe

Throughout its long and rich history, the celebration of Christ's paschal mystery has been called by different names. In the Bible, the early Church initially designated it as "the Lord's Supper" and" the Breaking of the Bread." Subsequently, it has been called Eucharist, Liturgy, Mystery, Sacrament, Sacrifice, Memorial, Mass, Real Presence, Paschal Banquet, and Communion. These twelve names of the Eucharist are used in the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal which is the present manual for the celebration of Christ's paschal mystery. What is the history behind each name? Can we derive any theological meaning and pastoral implications from those names? Employing the threefold method of historical, theological, and pastoral investigations, Virgilio Suerte Felipe has also incorporated Pope Benedict XVI's recent Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis and Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum. This informative book will surely help not only teachers and students in schools but also pastors, lay leaders, and parishioners as well as religious communities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 4, 2010
• ISBN: 9781449060404

Virgilio T.J. Suerte Felipe

Virgilio T.J. Suerte Felipe was born in the Philippines and presently resides in California, U.S.A. He studied at Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary (Bulacan), Christ the King Seminary (Quezon City), and Divine Word Seminary (Tagaytay City) where he finished his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, cum laude, (1979) and took his master's degree in Philosophy (cand.). He taught theology at the University of Santo Tomas (Manila) from 1980 through 2004. He acquired his master's degree in Higher Religious Studies, major in Liturgy, summa cum laude, (2001) at the Graduate School of the same university where he also pursued his doctorate degree in Theology. While working on his dissertation under Father Anscar Chupungco, O.S.B., he took all the units for master's degree in Liturgy at the San Beda College Graduate School of Liturgy. He was Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Liturgical Affairs of the Archdiocese of Manila from 1984 through 1994 concurrently serving as Secretary of the Regional Committee for Tagalog in the Liturgy of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. He served as Faculty Secretary of the three Ecclesiastical Faculties of Theology, Canon Law, and Philosophy at the University of Santo Tomas from 2001 through 2004. Presently, he is the Director of the Center for Faith Formation of the Holy Family Parish in Artesia, California. He has written several books and articles on theology and liturgy in the Philippines.

Book preview

The Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, Mass

… What’s In A Name?

The Names of the Eucharist in the 2002 GIRM

Virgilio T.J. Suerte Felipe

ahlogo.jpg

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2010 Virgilio T.J. Suerte Felipe. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 2/2/2010

Excerpts from the English translation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Third Typical Edition) © 2002, International Commission on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

ISBN: 978-1-4490-6038-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4490-6040-4 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4490-6039-8 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009913557

Credits

DESIGN: Authorhouse

COVER: Authorhouse

PHOTOS:

The Last Supper: Judas Dipping his Hand in the Dish, James Tissot, retrieved from "http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/13468/The_Last_Supper:_Judas_Dipping_his_Hand_in_the_Dish_%28La_C%C3%A9ne._Judas_met_la_main_dans_le_plat%29/set/search; Fraction panis (the ceremonial breaking of the eucharistic bread for distribution) in the Greek chapel of the Catacombe di Priscilla in Rome, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Agape_feast_05.jpg; Fresco of female figure holding chalice in the Agape Feast, Catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Via Labicana, Rome, Italy, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Agape_feast_03.jpg; Icon of Ss. Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Meaiter_der_Palastkapelle_in_Palermo003.jpg; Simon Ushakov’s icon of the Mystical Supper, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/File:Simon_ushakov_last_supper_1685.jpg; The Last Supper (1498) by Leonardo da Vinci, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo); Crucifixion of Christ (1540) by Michelangelo, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/File:Miguel_Angel_Crucifixion_La_Redonda_Logrono_Spain.jpg; A Medieval Mass celebrated by a bishop, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pontifical_Mass_-_15th_Century_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_16531.jpg; Palma il Vecchio’s the Last Supper, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheLastSupperPalmaVecchio0003jpg"

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Contents

Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Bibliography

Literature

Dedication

To the three Christian communities

I have broken bread with:

My domestic community

Lucille

Maricris

Topher

Angel

And

My two learning communities

Institute of Religion

University of Santo Tomas

Manila

Graduate School of Liturgy

San Beda College

Manila

Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

Just as the Eucharist is the work of the whole Mystical Body of Christ, this book could also be considered as a work of the domestic and local churches to which I had been called and have had the privilege of receiving all the necessary assistance for its preparation.

I wish to express my deep gratitude to: Geronimo and Zenaida Suerte Felipe, my parents, who first taught me to pray and brought me to Sunday Mass; Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez, Jr., D.D., my rector at the minor seminary, who gave me a strong foundation in Latin which facilitated my study of the Roman Liturgy; Father Anscar J. Chupungco, O.S.B., my teacher and mentor for my doctorate degree, who has inspired me to study and love the liturgy; the late Monsignor Moises B. Andrade, my teacher at the minor seminary and the graduate school and my mentor for my master’s degree, from whom I owe my interest in history and liturgy; Father Alex Meñez, a family friend and doctor of Canon Law, who encouraged me to write this book and was the very first to read and then re-read the manuscript and made valuable comments and suggestions; Esperanza and Marie De Vega, my sisters-in-law, whose boundless generosity has made my family’s stay in the United States (U.S.) possible and comfortable giving me the opportunity to write this book; Thelma and Mio Asuncion, my sister-in-law and her husband, whose support is ever reliable; Susan and Nathan Andaya, my sister-in-law and her husband, together with Cathy Quesada, a loyal friend, who tirelessly looked for my books at home in the Philippines and sent them to the U.S.; Cornelio and Pressy Suerte Felipe, my brother and sister-in-law in the U.S., who gave me their spare computer for me to carry on writing this book; Assistant Professor Julian Quinabo, my bosom friend at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, whose friendship has helped me understand more personally the Paschal Mystery; all my former colleagues at the UST Institute of Religion headed then by Father Rodel E. Aligan, O.P., and my classmates and teachers at the San Beda College Graduate School of Liturgy, under the deanship of Dr. Josefina M. Manabat, who have all contributed greatly for my appreciation of the Eucharist as communion-fellowship; Father Tamerlane R. Lana, O.P., former UST Rector, Father Fausto B. Gomez, O.P., Father Javier I. Gonzalez, O.P., and Father John E. Funelas, O.P., former Deans of the Faculties of Theology, Canon Law, and Philosophy respectively when I served as Secretary of the UST Ecclesiastical Faculties from 2001 through 2004, together with the dedicated staff composed of Cecille Flores, Jenny Calibara, and Gaspar Tolentino, who have all deepened my understanding of the Eucharist as loving service; all the members of the PAX SVD and the Immaculate Conception Benefactors of Southern California, the alumni associations of the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay City and the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Bulacan respectively, for their moral and spiritual support; and most especially Lucille, my wife, and Maricris, Topher, and Angel, our three children, with whom I have been breaking bread every day, for their love and support.

Lastly, special thanks to my other friend-readers: Bishop Deogracias S. Iñiguez, D.D., Bishop of Kalookan, Philippines; Father Nilo Mangussad and Father Raul Pura, C.M., professors at the San Beda College Graduate School of Liturgy; Assistant Professor Julian Quinabo and Associate Professor Noel Asiones, Ph.D, professors at the UST Institute of Religion; Dante Rualo, former president of PAX-SVD of Southern California; Rudy and Mila Perpinan, Directors of the RCIA at the Holy Family Parish in Artesia, California; and Sister Mary Margaret Tapang, P.D.D.M., the first woman liturgist who graduated from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of San Anselmo in Rome. Their additional comments and suggestions helped me polish the rough edges of the book.

Introduction

Personal Note

The Eucharist to me has been both a subject of academic interest and a source of spiritual strength, especially when I came to the United States from the Philippines. Since 1980 when I started teaching theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the Eucharist has been my favorite topic in Theology 2 which is descriptively entitled Church and Sacraments. During my stint as Executive Secretary at the Ministry of Liturgical Affairs of the Archdiocese of Manila from 1983 through 1994, I gave lectures on the individual parts of the Mass during seminars for the lectors and the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion of the Archdiocese. When I pursued my master’s degree in Higher Religious Studies, the Tagalog Preface of Eucharistic Prayer II was my topic. When I was a student of Father Anscar J. Chupungco, O.S.B., at the San Beda College Graduate School of Liturgy, we scrutinized the provisions of the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) in class and Father Chupungco even made it as the only subject matter for the oral, final examination. Having the privilege of being his disciple for my doctoral dissertation, I chose to write on the Misa ng Bayang Pilipino (Mass of the Filipino People) in the context of a globalized world.

While I was doing research and conducting surveys and interviews among Filipino priests and Filipino-Americans in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for my doctoral dissertation, the late Pope John Paul II issued on October 7, 2004 his Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine (MND)¹ declaring October 2004-October 2005 as the Year of the Eucharist. The Apostolic Letter came at the critical period of my research at Los Angeles because it was exactly during this time when I slackened off due to the difficulties of adjusting to the new environment coupled with personal, family, professional, and financial problems.

Enticed by the many opportunities of earning the influential dollar, I was tempted to give up. As I struggled, I prayed hard until it dawned on me that my difficulties and hardships are my own personal participation in the passion and death of Christ which we continue to celebrate in the Eucharist. I have read about this insight in articles and books, heard it in countless conferences, taught it repeatedly to my students, and passionately lectured on it to lay liturgical ministers. But, it was only at this time when I felt it very deeply. Indeed, the experience was up close and personal.

Invigorated by this personal realization and the coincidence of writing a dissertation on the Mass and the Year of the Eucharist, I decided to pick up again my cross and I carried on.

About this Book

The inspiration did not stop at the determination of finishing the dissertation. It even extended to the writing of this book. Looking at my personal notes on the Eucharist which have accumulated through the years, I have thought of sharing them together with my reflections to a wider audience. As I entertained the idea of writing a book on the Eucharist, the inspiration deepened and things began to take shape.

I felt the urge to respond to the suggestion of the late Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine. He suggested that "one specific project of this Year of the Eucharist might be for each parish community to study the General Instruction of the Roman Missal" (MND, no. 17).² Since its first edition in 1969, the GIRM has been the chief implementing document for the directions on the celebration of the Eucharist. Its latest edition in English was published in 2002 by the International Committee on English in the Liturgy and was confirmed by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on March 17, 2003 (Prot. N. 2235/02/L).³

This book’s unique contribution to the corpus of publications on the GIRM lies on its concentration on the names of the Eucharist that appear in that liturgical document and on its approach. Through those names, we will glimpse at some important historical facts and doctrinal matters on the Eucharist from which we will draw corresponding liturgical and pastoral implications which are mostly in the 2002 GIRM itself. Clearly, it is quite difficult to contain in one book the long history, rich theology,⁴ and far-reaching liturgico-pastoral implications of the Eucharist. Thus, we will only glimpse at the history and theology of the names of the Eucharist that appear in the 2002 GIRM, but we will put stress on their liturgico-pastoral significance.

With the 2002 GIRM as the chief source, the book incorporates the related portions of the following major sources: the 1963 Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy or Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC),⁵ the universal 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC),⁶ Pope John Paul II’s 2003 Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (EDE)⁷ and his 2004 Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine, and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament’s 2004 Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (RS).⁸ References to these sources, which are quoted extensively to let readers have easy access to the authoritative, original documents, are usually incorporated within the text. Otherwise, they appear in the footnotes.

Moreover, some important writings on the Eucharist by then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger when he was still Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have also been used. Providentially, before this book was sent to the publisher, Pope Benedict XVI’s recent Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (SaCar)⁹ and Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum (SP)¹⁰ had been published. Because of the significant impact of these important documents on the GIRM and the present celebration of the Eucharist, they have also been incorporated into the present work.

Threefold Method

I have come to appreciate the recent trend of historical, theological, and pastoral methods in the study of the liturgy at the San Beda College Graduate School of Liturgy in Manila. In almost every topic our professors discussed and in every report we presented in class, the sequence has always been: history, theology, and liturgico-pastoral considerations. This threefold method of liturgical study is enshrined in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no. 23, which states:

In order that sound tradition be retained, and yet the way remain open to legitimate progress, a careful investigation––theological, historical, and pastoral––should always be made into each part of the liturgy which is to be revised.¹¹

A growing awareness that liturgy is inextricably bound up with culture has led to these three closely related disciplines resulting into a more realistic and holistic view of liturgical verities. Father Chupungco points out that the theological, historical, and pastoral approaches to the study of the liturgy, although distinct in their own fields,

overlap and are mutually inclusive. The theology of the liturgy, for example, takes account of both historical developments and pastoral situations. History, on the other hand, unfolds the factors which underlie the Church’s theological thinking and liturgical discipline. Lastly, pastoral liturgy builds solidly on theological and historical grounds.¹²

Thus, post-Vatican II books on the Eucharist have made use of this threefold method as can be seen, for example, in Josef Jungmann’s The Mass: An Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Survey,¹³ Nathan Mitchell’s Cult and Controversy: The Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass,¹⁴ and Anscar Chupungco’s The Eucharist.¹⁵

Like a prism, this threefold method of liturgical study will enable us in this present work to view the rich, colorful names of the Eucharist that appear in the 2002 GIRM. Looking back into their history and identifying their theology, we are provided with important guidelines for our celebration of Christ’s Paschal Mystery. For the rites both have doctrine as their source and give to doctrine its outward expression.¹⁶ The names that appear in the 2002 GIRM are: the Lord’s Supper, the Breaking of the Bread, Eucharist, Liturgy, Mystery, Sacrament, Sacrifice, Memorial, Mass, Real Presence, Paschal Banquet, and Communion. The Glossary at the end of the book provides the paragraph numbers of the 2002 GIRM which refer to these different terms of the Eucharist.

I hope that this book will help pastors, catechists, religion teachers, theology professors, lay ministers, and the Catholic faithful in their study of the 2002 GIRM as suggested by the late Pope John Paul II and implemented by Pope Benedict XVI. I also hope that it will contribute to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the guidelines for a well-ordered celebration of the Eucharist as provided for in the 2002 GIRM which is the manual for the ordinary form¹⁷ of the celebration of the Eucharist for the third millennium.

Chapter 1

General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM)

In this first chapter, we will discuss the meaning of General Instruction and the evolution of the Roman Missal. We will also compare the two Missals in current use: the 2002 Missal of Pope John Paul II and the 1962 Missal of Pope Blessed John XXIII, which Pope Benedict XVI has declared as the extraordinary form¹⁸ of the one Roman Rite. And, in light of this recent development, we will attempt to discuss the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

1.1 General Instruction

Before Jesus instituted the Eucharist during the celebration of the Passover meal with his disciples, he had "sent out Peter and John, instructing¹⁹ them, ‘Go and