Two Pillars - Eucharist and Mary

[Catholic_Author]

Don Bosco taught that there are two devotional pillars that bring peace and stability the those who practice them (see St. John Bosco’s Dream of the Two Columns). Can we have peace and stable faith if we have only one of these devotions without the other?

It seems to me that since Mary represents the Church and the Eucharist is Jesus, that the Eucharist without Mary is like an empty banquet hall. It’s Liturgy without worship (no Church - no worship). Its all substance and no form The opposite is true as well. Mary without Eucharist is like a dinner service without a main course. Its all form and no substance. Is this a proper analogy?

 

[Trishie]

Jesus gave us Mary as our mother as a dying bequest, and the Eucharist also. I think we have to take the parting bequests of the saviour of the world, God, Son of God, very seriously! The Church agrees on the great value of both bequests.

However the Eucharist stands by itself always as the fullness of Christ’s extraordinary gift of Himself to the Father and to us and forgive me Tim, but in no way could it be considered an empty banquet hall without Marian devotion.

“Jesus took some bread, and when He had said the blessing He broke it and gave it to His disciples. ‘Take it and eat,’ He said ‘this is My body.’ Then He took a cup, and when He had returned thanks, He gave it to them. ‘Drink all of you from this,’ He said, for this is My blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” [Matthew 26:26-28]

“The One that offers Sacrifice is the same One who, after having sacrificed himself on the Cross…to obtain for us eternal redemption…offers Himself now by the ministry of the priest; there is no difference except in the manner of offering.” [Council of Trent, S. 22, c.2] “For in it Christ perpetuates in an unbloody manner the sacrifice offered on the Cross, offering Himself to the Father for the world’s salvation through the ministry of priests.” [Vatican 11.9:3]

“The Eucharistic Sacrifice is the source and summit of the whole of the Church’s worship and of Christian life. The faithful participate more fully in the sacrament of thanksgiving, propitiation, petition and praise not only when they wholeheartedly offer the sacred Victim, and in it themselves to the Father with the priest, but also when they receive this same Victim sacramentally.” [Vatican 11:9]

“The other sacraments, as indeed every ministry of the church and every work of the apostolate, are linked with the Eucharist and are directed towards it. For the Eucharist contains the entire spiritual good of the Church, namely, Christ Himself, our Passover and living bread, offering through His flesh, living and life-giving in the Spirit, life to all who are thus invited and led on to offer themselves, their labours, and all created things together with Him.” [Vatican 11.9:6]

“The faithful are gathered by the preaching of Christ’s Gospel and the mystery of the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, ‘so that through the Body and Blood of the Lord the whole brotherhood is united…Christ is present, by whose power the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church is united. For the partaking has no less an effect than to change us into what we have received.’” [Vatican 11.9:7. Constitution of the Church, n.26] “But union with Christ…is not to be limited to the duration of the celebration of the Eucharist; it is to be prolonged into the entire Christian life…(as) a continual thanksgiving under the Holy Spirit and may produce fruits of greater charity.” [Vatican 11.9. iii. 38]

Warm regards, Trishie

Best wishes with your writing, Tim!
May the Holy Spirit always guide you.

 

[scriabin]

.” [Vatican 11:9]

What exactly does this mean? What Church document are you quoting from?

 

[Catholic_Author]

Jesus gave us Mary as our mother as a dying bequest, and the Eucharist also. I think we have to take the parting bequests of the saviour of the world, God, Son of God, very seriously! The Church agrees on the great value of both bequests.

However the Eucharist stands by itself always as the fullness of Christ’s extraordinary gift of Himself to the Father and to us and forgive me Tim, but in no way could it be considered an empty banquet hall without Marian devotion.

Alow me to clarify, I am not saying that the Eucharist is insufficient in any way.

I knew when I posted the empty banquet hall analogy that it bordered on absurd. However, I am willing to ask absurd questions if the liberty to do so stimulates fruitful conversation and introspection. After a day of considering this absurd question, I must admit I am not prepared to defend it. One big problem I see in it is that it almost deifies Mary by suggesting that a person is empty unless filled with Mary. That is a role that belongs to God alone. He is the one who can satisfy man’s hunger and thirst for righteousness, justice and mercy etc… In the Eucharist this is especially pronounced since we take into ourselves His entire being, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

So let me strike the empty banquet hall question from the record. But let’s go on to consider the first question please. Can we have peace and stable faith if we have only one of these devotions without the other? And let me add to that question by asking, Is Mary or Marian devotion a pillar of faith and if so can we have peace without her or without devotion to her?

If we look at the dream images we see that the Eucharist is on a far loftier pillar, taller that the one with the statue of Mary. Also, the taller pillar has the Eucharist, the actual sacrament whereas the small pillar has only a statue… a sacramental image of Mary. There is a vast difference between a sacrament and a sacramental. What Saint John Bosco asks us to embrace is the idea that a strong faith is one that is moored to both pillars… to both the Eucharist and Mary. I am asking people to consider why? Why did Don Bosco want us to consider Marian devotion as a second and lesser pillar? Could the ship of the Church have safe harbor without her?

 

[Marsha_Adams]

Let’s mix symbols here.

The Eucharist is the Body of Christ
The Church is the body of Christ.
The Church is the bride of Christ.
Mary is the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church.

That makes Mary both Christ’s mother, but also His mother-in-law.

But seriously, John Bosco was right, Mary and the Eucharist are the two great pillars supporting the Church, but these pillars are also bolted together and are in fact part of the Church, or at least the CHurch is part of the pillars.

 

[allhers]

Read in blue what the Holy Father had to say recently about this.
(St. John Boscoe is one of my favorite Saints.)