#43 The Commuinion Rite Part 3: Communion in the Holy Spirit. Understanding the Mass and Its Parts.

By receiving Holy Communion we also receive the Holy Spirit along with Christ. We know that it is the Risen Christ that we really receive in Holy Communion in the signs of the Consecrated Bread and Wine. We are not so familiar that we also receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit with Christ. In a beautiful passage from the Catechism we are taught:

 

"When the Father sends his Word, he always sends his Breath. In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable." (#689)

 

The Word is the Son of God (see John 1) and the Breath of God here means the Holy Spirit. The Son and the Spirit are always working together. Recall it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that the Son took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mother to become Jesus the Christ. His very title means "The Anointed One" (in Greek, Christos, in Hebrew Messiah); the One who ‘anoints" him, i.e., consecrates him for his mission is the Holy Spirit. The Son and the Spirit are distinct but they are inseparable. Therefore we receive the Holy Spirit with Christ in Holy Communion.

 

We first received the Holy Spirit in our Baptism. From the Rite of Baptism for Children:

 

"We pray for this child: set him (her) free from original sin, make him (her) a temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with him (her)."

 

And the grace of the Holy Spirit is increased in us through the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

 

 

I like to recall here the teaching of the Gospel of John that the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete, the Helper. The Holy Spirit is "the Best Friend" of the Son and of his Body the Church. As "best friends" are inseparable, so with the Son and the Spirit. (See my entry on this HERE) The Holy Spirit is our Helper, our Advocate, our Counselor, our Comforter, our Defender, our Friend. As St. Paul reminds us, "The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us." (Romans 5:5)

 

The Holy Spirit is at work with Christ in the celebration of the Mass.

 

The Catechism teaches that "In the liturgy of the New Covenant every liturgical action, especially the celebration of the Eucharist and the sacraments, is an encounter between Christ and the Church. The liturgical assembly derives its unity from the ‘communion of the Holy Spirit’ who gathers the children of God into the one Body of Christ." (#1097)

 

Recall that the first act of the Eucharist is to gather together the Body of Christ, the Church. Also in the Eucharistic Prayer (at the Epiclesis) we saw how the Holy Spirit is invoked to come, with the Word of Christ, to transform the Bread and Wine into the true Body and Blood of the Risen Christ, the whole Christ. (See Epiclesis HERE, Catechism #706  HERE)

 

 

Every celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist, is an outpouring (epiclesis) of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, the Mystical and Spirit-filled Body of Christ. (See Catechism #1104 HERE) Yet we become what we receive in the Eucharist by receiving the Spirit-filled Body and Blood of the Risen Christ in Holy Communion. We are given "Spiritual Food," i.e., the Spirit-filled and Consecrated Body and Blood of Christ."

 

Catechism #1392: "What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh ‘given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit,’ preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism."

 

Next Week: The Communion Rite Part 4: Communion with the Trinity

 

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#27 The Epiclesis and the Consecration. Understanding the Mass and Its Parts.

 

Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper

The ancient understanding of the Mass is that the Risen and Glorified Christ is Really Present in the worship under the appearances of bread and wine that have been duly consecrated. There is a wondrous transformation of the ordinary bread and wine where the Risen Christ becomes present in a way he was not before the Consecration.

Thus Christ, through the ministry of the ordained Priest, truly offers his Body and Blood (his entire self) in his One eternal Sacrifice, sacramentally through the Consecrated Bread and Wine.

How is the bread and wine transformed through the ministry of the ordained Priest for the benefit of all who offer themselves with Christ in the Eucharist? The Catechism teaches that "At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood." (#1333)

The ordained Priest, by virtue of his ordination, is given a permanent role to represent Christ the High Priest and the Head of the Church (the supreme expression of this role is that of the Bishop). The Priest through his ordination is invested with a "sacred power" (an authority and service) to consecrate the bread and wine in the Eucharist to become Christ’s Body and Blood.

However, this "power" is accomplished by the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ which he spoke at the last Supper ("...this is my Body...this is my Blood...").

 

I. The Epiclesis

After the Sanctus is sung (and in the United States the Assembly kneels) there are a few words that serve as a transition to the Epiclesis. Epiclesis is a Greek word meaning "to call upon or from above," thus "to invoke," in this case the Holy Spirit. The Priest extends his hands over the bread and wine to be consecrated. This signifies the coming of the Holy Spirit by whose power Christ the High Priest will transform the bread and wine.

This gesture of the Bishop or Priest extending hands over some thing or person is a type of "laying on of hands" whereby the Holy Spirit comes to act upon that thing or to act in that person. Thus there is an epiclesis also in Confirmation, in Ordination, and in the Anointing of the Sick and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation when one goes "face to face" with the minister.

With the Eucharistic Epiclesis the Priest also makes the Sign of the Cross over the bread and wine when it is indicated. Thus in Eucharistic Prayer III the Priest prays:

"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 + Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ at whose command we celebrate these mysteries."

We should remember a principle stated in the Catechism: "When the Father sends his Word, he always sends his Breath." (#689). The Word is Christ Jesus and the Breath is the Holy Spirit (note the play on words: the breath carries the spoken word, so the Spirit brings Christ and Christ comes with the Spirit). We are accustomed to believe that we receive Christ in the Eucharist; we also receive the Holy Spirit anew in the same Eucharist.

II. The Consecration

The act of Consecration signifies a dedication and a making holy. The words of Jesus spoken at his last Supper are given in a "Eucharistic version" and repeated by the Priest over the bread and the wine. Since it was at the Last Supper that Jesus instituted (i.e. established) the Eucharist to be done in his memory, this moment of the Mass is also called "the Institution Narrative."

The function of the Consecration as discussed earlier is to bring about the transformation of the bread and wine to become the Risen Body and Blood of Christ in the manner of a sacrament. But these words also tell God why we are doing what we are doing in the Eucharist. In the course of telling God we are also being reminded of why we do what we do.

There is always some short introduction to the words of Consecration. Thus in Eucharistic prayer III the Priest says:

"For on the night he was betrayed he himself took bread, and giving you thanks he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:..."

As the priest is saying the introduction, he takes the bread (a Host, from Latin for sacrifice or that which is sacrificed) in his hands and then when saying the words of Consecration he bows slightly (in reverence) and says:

"...TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU."

The Priest elevates the Host slightly above the altar so that those present may adore Christ Really Present." Then putting the Host back on the altar, he makes a sign of reverence by genuflecting (going down on one knee and then rising back up). The People are already kneeling after the Sanctus.

Then he introduces the Chalice filled with wine. Again in Eucharistic Prayer III:

 "In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and giving you thanks he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying..."

The Priest takes up the Chalice of wine while saying this and then again bowing slightly says:

"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."

He lifts the Chalice slightly above the altar so that the People may adore Christ. The Priest genuflects after showing the Chalice.

III. Who is Addressed in the Consecration?

 

We must remember who is being addressed in this Institution Narrative. It is God the Father who is being addressed. Some Priests will take the bread and while they are saying the introduction to the Consecration they show the bread from right to left or left to right to the Assembly, obviously saying the words to the Assembly. The words "gave it to his disciples" is being used to include those in the pews, as the Priest says these words to them.

First, there is nothing in the guidelines of the Mass which says "At the Consecration, address the Assembly and show them the bread (or Chalice) while doing this." If the Assembly is being addressed in this introduction, then the words "and when he was giving you thanks" would mean he thanked his disciples! Then is the Consecration also addressed to the Assembly? If the Priest follows the guideline to bow at these words, then at least that mistaken possibility is avoided (no eye contact with the Assembly).

Instead, the Priest is addressing God in the Institution Narrative. He relates how Jesus gave God thanks and what he did with the bread and wine. We are telling God what God already knows! But this is the way we are to pray. Let me expand what is done in this way:

As the priest takes the bead  it is as if he is saying: "Father, we do this Eucharist because, as you know, on the night Jesus was betrayed he took bread and thanked you and blessed it and broke it and said, ‘...TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT: FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.’"

The Priest prays a similar meaning with the Chalice, only adding "[Jesus said:] Do this in memory of me. And so we are doing this in his memory, Father."

Of course, as we tell God these things, we also are remembering it ourselves. The Eucharistic Prayer, as one revered liturgist said, is"both prayer and proclamation."

In the following weeks I want to explore some matters connected to the Epiclesis and Consecration, such as the teaching on the Real Presence of Christ in the Mass, the four actions of the Eucharist (take, give thanks/bless, break/give and eat/drink), the Paschal Mystery, and how the word "Memory" is used in the Consecration.

Next Week: The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

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Holy Spirit as Friend

 

This Sunday is the Solemnity of Pentecost, celebrating the empowering of the disciples after the Ascension of Jesus to heaven with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Of the three Persons of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—it is the Holy Spirit who seems the most mysterious. Whereas God the Father and God the Son are personal descriptions, many of the descriptions  of the Holy Spirit are nonpersonal images like a dove, or wind, fire, or breath. Yet Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit in personal terms, as an Advocate or Helper (4x in the Gospel of John). The word Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit literally means "someone called to your side to help you" (in Greek: parakletos)

 

It occurred to me some years ago that term could describe what a friend does. A friend comes to your side to help you. Out of this thought came the idea that the Holy Spirit is the "Best Friend" of Jesus. Moreover, this Best Friend is within us, Gift of our Baptism, to bring us also into intimate friendship with Christ Jesus. I also discovered that a number of others have developed this same idea.

 

Here I wish to expand on this idea of the Holy Spirit as Friend. On the 6^th Sunday of Easter the Gospel was from John 14:15-21 and the Greek word parakletos was translated in the Catholic Lectionary as "Advocate." There is, however, a version of the New Testament which is a paraphrasing of the original Greek texts called The Message and it translates John 14:15-17 this way:

 

"[Jesus says:] I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!"

 

The idea of the Holy Spirit being the Best Friend of Jesus is consistent with the Catholic teaching that the Son of God, made flesh in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are always together:

 

"When the Father sends his Word [the Son], he always sends his Breath [the Spirit]. In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable. To be sure, it is Christ who is seen, the visible image of the invisible God, but it is the Spirit who reveals him." (Catechism#689)

 

 

 

Another aspect of the Holy Spirit as Best Friend of Jesus is the role of the "friend of the bridegroom." This term is actually applied to John the Baptist (see John 3:29). In the culture of Jesus’ day, the friend of the bridegroom had many duties in the wedding of his friend and the bride. He would be somewhat comparable to the "best man" at a wedding today. One role of the friend of the bridegroom was to go to the home of the bride and escort her to the home of the groom. There he presented her to his friend and the wedding began.

 

The Church is called the Bride of Christ (see Revelation 19:7), and the Friend of the Bridegroom, the Holy Spirit, brings this Bride (and us as members of the Church) to be united to Christ. The Catechism states: "the mission of the Spirit of adoption is to unite [us] to Christ and make [us] live in him." (# 690)

 

We have a saying "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine." The same can apply to the Best Friend of Jesus. If he is the Friend of Jesus, He is our Friend as well. Jesus calls his disciples "friends" (See John 15;15); and his Friend the Holy Spirit lives in us and cultivates both friendship within us for Christ and for others given to us as friends.

 

A few years ago, I discovered that Dr. Alan Schreck, a professor of theology at Steubenville University, wrote about the Holy Spirit as Friend in his book Your Life in the Holy Spirit: What Every Catholic Needs to Know and Experience. Here, then, is an excerpt of his book which I think is a useful meditation upon the friendship of the Holy Spirit in our lives:

 

"Jesus’ way of presenting the Holy Spirit made it evident that his followers were supposed to relate to the Spirit as a teacher, a counselor, a consoler—as someone who would help and guide them in their daily lives as Christians. In the Acts of the Apostles, we saw that Christ’s followers were in a dialogue with the Spirit, who actively directed and assisted them in their missionary activity [beginning with Pentecost]. They knew the Spirit as the gift of Jesus and the Father to help guide and strengthen them, and they knew how to call upon the Spirit for his assistance. May we hope for the same experience?

 

"Jesus taught us to relate to the Father as "Abba." The apostles and disciples—Peter, Mary and Martha, the "beloved disciple," and all the others—learned to relate to Jesus with warmth and friendship, each in his or her own way. How shall we imagine the person of the Holy Spirit in order to relate to the Spirit with the same depth of love and intimacy that we can have in our relationship with Jesus and the Father?

 

"Recall the meaning of the term "paraclete": one who is called to be at one’s side, a companion, a friend. Then, remember that, in John’s gospel, Jesus says that in some ways the Holy Spirit will be even closer to the apostles than he was—as a teacher, counselor, and witness within their hearts. On the basis of those characterizations, I would like to suggest a personal image of the Holy Spirit that embodies all that he is and does for us: the Holy Spirit is "the friend closest to our hearts."

 

"St. Cyril of Jerusalem taught that ‘the Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console.’ The Catechism describes the Holy Spirit as ‘the interior Master of life according to Christ, a gentle guest and friend who inspires, guides, corrects and strengthens this life.’ (#1697).

 

"Our friend the Holy Spirit is close to our hearts in order to set them aflame with love for God and with zeal to witness to our faith. He is close to us to convince us of our sin and to cleanse and purify our hearts. He is a friend strengthening us with virtues and gifts for the good of others and the church. But most of all, this image of the friend closest to our hearts reminds us that the Holy Spirit is someone with whom we can speak and relate in an intimate, personal way....

 

"Just as we come to the Father and the Son in prayer, then, we can also pray to the Holy Spirit. The Catechism poses the question, ‘Since he [the Holy Spirit] teaches us to pray by recalling Christ, how could we not pray to the Spirit, too? That is why the church invites us to call upon the Holy Spirit every day, especially at the beginning and end of every important action.’ (#2670)....

 

May the Holy Spirit help us, then, to be faithful friends of Christ and true sons and daughters of God the Father!

 

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Do We Really Live the Risen Life?

As I taught last week, we are united to the Risen Christ in our Baptism and so he gives to us his Risen life–even NOW and yet in fullness only after we physically die. He further "reinforces" or "renews" this Risen life in us by giving himself to us in the Eucharist. This gift of both Baptism and Eucharist also gives us the Holy Spirit and the Spirit empowers us to live the Risen life now: a life of transforming, sacrificial love which lasts forever.

Yet when I look at the lives of so many Christians, including my own, there  doesn’t seem to be much evidence that we are living the Risen life; our lives often seem to be like everyone else’s: like one priest observed, "Most people are just trying to make it to Friday." Why is this?

First we need to know that the transforming Risen life within us is not automatic in its effects. If that was the case, every time we received the Risen Christ in  Holy Communion, we would be automatically transformed by the gifts of his love and be like saints. But I have observed some pretty unloving behavior in people right after Communion and in myself sometimes. A picture is worth a thousand words and here’s an illustration of what I mean:

 

The fact of the matter is that God designed it so that we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit in making the Risen Life real in our lives. The Risen life in us now is gift (grace) and it must be both received and lived. We have been given free will to cooperate with God’s work within or, sadly, to resist that same work.

Second, I recently attended a convocation for the priests of our Diocese. The topic was on the well-being of priests. We examined what sustains well-being and resilency in our lives as priests and what are some obstacles to this same well-being.

In the spiritual life in Christ there is a similarity to this matter of psychological well-being. There are certain actions which sustain or nourish the Risen life within us; and there are certain obstacles that work against the Risen life in us.

Also, the spiritual life of Christians includes our bodies and minds. If we neglect our bodies, our spirit suffers; if we neglect our psychological needs, our spirit also suffers. For example, if one doesn’t get enough sleep, prayer will probably be difficult in the morning and that affects one’s spiritual life.

Now, what are some of the actions which sustain and nourish the Risen life in us?

1. Put love first, i.e. the love of God and neighbor as Jesus taught. The Resurrection and love are synonymous.

"Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, Christians are ‘dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus’ and so participate in the life of the Risen Lord. Following Christ and united with him, Christians can strive to be ‘imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love’..." (Catechism#1694)

2. Learn about the meaning of the Eucharist, and attend faithfully the Sunday Mass, including receiving Holy Communion.

"The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical action." (Catechism#1409)

"What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh "given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit," preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism." (Catechism#1392)

3. Read and reflect upon the Scriptures and supplement with other Catholic spiritual reading.

"‘And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life.’ Hence ‘access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful.’" (Catechism#131)

"The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to [Christians], recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection." (Catechism#737)

4. Pray. If our spiritual life centers upon our love for God first, then we will naturally want to communicate with the One whom we love. There are two "wings" of prayer, so to speak, the public prayer of the Church (such as at Mass) and our more private times of prayer, which must be daily.

"In prayer the Holy Spirit unites us to the person of the only Son, in his glorified [i.e., Risen] humanity..." (Catechism#2673)

5. Companionship in the Church. Fellowship with other Catholics is expected of us and helps nurture our spiritual life in the Risen Christ.

"Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to him who died and rose for us. From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church...Just as Baptism is the source of responsibilities and duties, the baptized person also enjoys rights within the Church: to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church." (Catechism#1269)

The Obstacles to the Risen life within us

We merely need to do the opposite of what sustains and nourishes the Risen life of Christ within us as listed above.

1. Sin. Sin is the refusal to love as God created us to love and as Jesus has commanded us: "Love one another as I have loved you." Serious sin can lead to the death of soul and so is also called mortal sin.

2. Not attending the Sunday Mass can probably lead to spiritual anemia faster than anything else.

3. Ignorance of Scripture. We deprive ourselves of great spiritual nourishment when we don’t read the Scriptures regularly. St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."

4. Not praying daily and regularly. Any relationship that doesn’t involve regular communication does not grow and is in danger of becoming distance.

5. Not staying in contact with the Church. If we are not in good company, what influences are we exposing ourselves to instead? The Church fathers expressed a truth: "You can’t have Chrsit without his Body the Church."

 

 

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Living the Risen Life Now

In the past two entries, I wrote about the nature of a Risen body and how we receive the Risen Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is very important to remember that we receive the whole Person of the Risen Christ in the Eucharist and not separate "parts" of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Now we are united to Christ in our Baptism. We are united to the Risen Christ in our Baptism. He renews our Baptism in him every time we celebrate the Eucharist, because it is the Crucified yet Risen Christ who is present to us in the Eucharist. Every time we receive Holy Communion which is receiving the Risen Christ, we are receiving and renewing the Risen life of Jesus in ourselves.

"On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, ‘Christ is risen!’ Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ." (Catechism# 1391)

This Risen life is not just reserved for after our death as Christians; we also share in the risen life of Christ now, but not fully as we shall after our physical death. St. Paul writes to the Church at Colossae:

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)

St. Paul is not writing at the time  to people who were physically dead! He is writing to Christians who were still living on this earth in a city of the First Century. Yet he says they have been raised up with Christ. Obviously, the Risen life begins in this life and will be completed in the next life, i.e., "the life of the world to come." This fulfillment will transform our earthly bodies to become like Christ’s Risen body. (See my entry "What Is a Risen Body" HERE)

During this past Lent I attempted to increase our parish’s knowledge of the Paschal (Passover) Mystery of Christ. The core of the Paschal Mystery is the Dying and Rising of Christ. In the above quote from St. Paul he also writes "you have died...". Again, he is writing to people still alive at that time, so this must be a spiritual death and it is. In Baptism we are spiritually (by the Holy Spirit’s agency) united to the Dying and Rising of Christ. (See Romans 6:1-11 HERE) The pattern of our life in Christ is to live the Paschal Mystery in our lives now.

Obviously the Rising part of the Paschal Mystery assumes the Dying part. The Catechism speaks of the Paschal Mystery in this way: "The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life." (Catechism#654)

In Lent, the Church particularly focuses on the Dying aspect of the Paschal Mystery; now in the Easter Season we focus on the Rising aspect of the Christian life. What does this entail?

 

We are pretty familiar with the Dying part of life and again not just physical death, but that death also. We live in a world described as having a "culture of death" (Pope St. John Paul II) In this world we know the feeling of dying present in suffering, in the burdens of sin, in egoism and selfishness, in sorrow, grief, fear, lack of forgiveness, lack of hope, and physical death itself, especially the violent deaths at the hands of others.

What would life be like if this was all there was in life? But in Christ’s Paschal Mystery we are given the hope and the power of the Resurrection to pass through the Dying to a new rising, a new life transformed by Christ. "I want to know Christ-yes, to know the power of his resurrection..." (Phil. 3:10). So Christ’s Risen life moves us (sometimes pushes us) to pass from sin’s lack of love to divine love; from egoism to self-giving; from darkness to light; from grief to peace; from fear to courage; from lack of forgiveness to forgiveness; from lack of hope to undying hope; from physical death to the Resurrection of the Dead.

The Risen life gives us the strength to pass through the sufferings of our lives, to come through them to a place of healing (total healing in the life of the world to come).

Christ’s Risen life is always working within us to bring us to the freedom of the sons and daughters of God.

Furthermore, it is the Holy Spirit, also given to us in our Baptism, who is the Personal power of the Risen life within us, along with Christ who is "the Resurrection and the Life." "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11)

 

Next week I want to teach about why so many Christians don’t seem to live the Risen life, the rising part of the Paschal Mystery.

 

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