Consecration
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes” Acts 2:46.
The Act of Consecration
Rabbi Yeshua often spoke of Himself as the bridegroom, in the context of the wedding feast in heaven Rev 19:7. His audiences knew the classic Jewish metaphor of Israel as God’s bride Is 49:18; 61:10. Therefore the shlikhim and all the Jews who entered the Church immediately understood:
St. Matthew’s Gospel quotes Jesus raising the second piece of matzah, “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Mt 26:26. Two thousand years later the priest still says,”He took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.”
Notice the four great Eucharistic actions. For every celebration of the Holy Eucharist Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it. Every Catholic priest does the same.
At the Last Supper, after the festive Passover dinner, Rabbi Yeshua invited his Apostles, and us all, to the wedding feast in heaven. St. Matthew tells us how Rabbi Yeshua consecrated the wine, “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Mt 26:27-28, recalling Moses, “Behold the blood of the covenant …” Ex 24:8, which in turn recalls, Moses’ “For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life” Lev 17:11.
To this very day the priest consecrates the wine again using Rabbi Yeshua’s own words, “TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.”
The words in bold are the words of institution. Rabbi Yeshua instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. The words of institution are words that institute the sacrament on the altar. At the moment the priest says THIS IS MY BODY the bread becomes the Body of Christ. At the moment the priest says the words THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD the wine in the chalice becomes the Blood of Christ.
The essential words of institution are THIS IS MY BLOOD. Holy Mother Church adds the chalice of to show us, her faithful, that the chalice itself does not become Rabbi Yeshua’s body and blood. Only the wine it holds is transubstantiated.
How the Priest Can Consecrate
Rabbi Yeshua’s next words to his shlikhim were, DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME Lk 22:19. With these words Rabbi Yeshua authorized his shlikhim to do the same consecrations themselves. His words, THIS IS THE NEW COVENANT IN MY BLOOD Lk 22:20, enabled the shlikhim to ordain successors who would also have Rabbi Yeshua’s authority to consecrate the Holy Eucharist. A covenant is not a one-time event but a commitment until the end of time. The successors of the shlikhim could appoint successors who would themselves have authority to consecrate and to appoint successors in turn creating a line of apostolic succession that would extend from Rabbi Yeshua himself to his Second Coming at the end of time.
As the early Church spread rapidly, the bishops could no longer be everywhere they were needed to consecrate for the flock, and so they began to appoint priests to assist with the consecrations and with most of the other sacraments.
This is the apostolic succession. To this day every Catholic bishop is a successor of the Apostles, ordained by a bishop who was ordained by a bishop who was ordained by a bishop … who was personally ordained by a shaliakh ordained by Rabbi Yeshua himself at the Last Supper.
A Catholic priest is a sacred person. Every Catholic bishop, priest or deacon is ordained in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. This sacrament imparts an indelible character or mark on his soul that God can see. The Church calls this change in his soul an ontological transformation, a transformation in his very being. Just as the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is an ontological transformation of bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood, so a man on entering Holy Orders is also ontologically transformed and given charisms to carry out his special work.
Transubstantiation
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes” Acts 2:46.
§ 1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: “Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.”
When the priest consecrates the bread and wine their appearance remains the same but their substance changes. Each species is no longer bread or wine but becomes in substance, which is to say in reality, Christ’s body and blood, soul and divinity. This transformation of substance is called transubstantiation.
Substance
Let’s talk about substance. A paper napkin has a substance we might call “napkin-ness.” It exists to wipe our faces during or after a meal. A linen napkin also has the substance of napkin-ness. If a hostess invites us to dinner and puts at our place setting either a paper napkin or a linen napkin, both have the substance of napkin-ness so we accept either as appropriate. Now let’s introduce a paper towel. A paper towel has much more in common with a paper napkin than a linen napkin does. The paper towel and paper napkin are both used for wiping up food, and both are disposable. But if the hostess sets our table by putting a paper towel at our place setting we find it inappropriate. The paper towel can do the job but it doesn’t have the substance of napkin-ness.
Now let’s imagine that we “sacrifice” a paper napkin and a paper towel by setting each one on fire. Within a few moments both will become ashes. No one would wipe his face with the ashes, so we can say that both have completely lost their substance of napkin-ness. Now both have the same substance, which we may call “ash-ness.”
But where the ashes have lost all value by being transformed in their substance, the Holy Eucharist becomes of infinite value. There is no more bread. No more wine. Only 100 percent pure Rabbi Yeshua’s glorified body!