Bill,
Oh boy… lots of questions! Some of these questions are pretty fundamental and important to a basic understanding of the Christian faith; others are a little more advanced. Can we start from the beginning, and see where our explanations lead?
First off, you ask about what “paschal” means. The word “paschal” comes from “pascha” – or “Passover”. When we look at the Eucharist, we recognize that what Jesus did wasn’t something that he just created from nothing. Instead, we see that his actions were a fulfillment of what already existed in the law that Moses received from God. (In other words, we’re saying that the faith of the Jewish people was good; but what they did wasn’t complete, and what Jesus did was the way that their actions were completed and brought to fulfillment.) (Should we take a time-out and talk about what the Passover event, and the yearly Passover obligation, were all about to the Jewish people? It’s ok if we do – it’s important if we want to understand what Jesus did!)
So, what happened at the Passover in Egypt was something that God required every Jewish person to re-enact, every year, in order to be able to continue calling themselves “Jews”. It was that important. In fact, what Jesus did at the “Last Supper” was actually in the context of one of those yearly re-enactments of the meaning of the Passover event.
What’s really impressive about Jesus’ actions was that they weren’t just the normal, run-of-the-mill yearly re-enactment: what Jesus did was something new. His actions were more than just what he did at the Last Supper – they extended to what Jesus did throughout his passion (that is, from Holy Thursday, through Good Friday, and all the way to his resurrection overnight into Easter Sunday). In his “Passion” – his experience over these three days – Jesus became our Savior. So, he took the place of the Passover (i.e., “Paschal”) lamb. In this way, he became a new source of light for us. So, when we talk about a “Paschal candle”, we’re referring to the way that Jesus (as the Son of God), became the light that guides us through life and to heaven. The candle that we light at the Easter Vigil is a reminder to us that Jesus is the light of our life who guides us to heaven. Does that make sense?
Now… that gets us close to being able to talk about a mystical understanding of the Eucharist. Before we get there, though, I should stop and give you a chance to ask any questions you might have. So… any questions? Or should I keep going on…?
For the first time in a long time a had a way to the suday mass and was “burnt out” I’ve been having a crisis of faith. I will have to go to confession.