In Matthew 22:15-22, today’s Gospel lesson, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus. First they resort to flattery: You are beholden to no one, you’ll give us an honest response here. Is it lawful to pay taxes or not? Roman law required the tax. The question is, “Does it follow God's law?” To say no is illegal. To say yes is to sell out to the Romans. Either answer gets Jesus in trouble with someone! But Jesus avoids the trap. There are two levels of loyalty: God and the State. Each has their due, and they don't need to conflict. Give to the emperor that which is the emperors, and give to God what is God’s.

Jesus is teaching something essential about life here: The kingdoms of this world do not embody the Kingdom of Heaven. They exist at the same time, but are never coterminous. They either help it or hinder it, but they do not create or hold it. It is a mistake to associate earthly political structures with heavenly spiritual structures.

First, the physical forms: We talked about the Altar two weeks ago. Cf. those notes.

Linens: Fair linens protect the altar like a table cloth. Think of the burial cloths of Jesus.
Corporal: The word means “Body”--where the Body of Christ is celebrated; it marks out an altar, wherever it is laid.
Chalice: Think of the Cross, where the blood of Christ was shed; also like our lives--poured out in selfless love for the world.
Purificator: It is used to cleanse the chalice; think of the cleansing of the blood of Christ.
Paten: Think of the tomb where the flesh of Christ was laid; also like our lives, offered through death and resurrection to the world.
Priest's host: It is large so you can see it; scored in a cross for breaking like Christ’s body was broken for us.
Pall: It covers the body of Christ; it is analogous to the palls used at funerals.
Veil: Covers the whole setup making a tomb—our life springs from the tomb of Christ.
Burse: It is like the stone that stood over the door of Jesus' tomb. Burse sounds like Purse--it's a pocket to put extra linens in.

Now the spoken forms:

Sursum Chorda: It is a dialog to get us on the same page: “The Lord be with you…” gives me permission to speak on your behalf. “Lift up your hearts…” This is a trip to heaven and back.
Sanctus: We join with those who acclaim Jesus on His way into Jerusalem, but with our post-resurrection perspective, we know that this death gives us life abundant.
Prayer of Consecration: Forms in the PB are 7 in total: Two in Rite I, four forms in Rite II, One in Rite III—kind of a free form prayer. Each one always includes five parts.
Three parts are more content-oriented:

1. Sacred History sets the stage for our creation, fall and need for redemption; it is highly abbreviated.
2. Anamnesis refers to the Words of Jesus. The word means remembering--re-member-ing; more than just recalling to mind--it is a participation in the event as if we were there.
3. Epiclesis invokes the Holy Spirit. It is by the Spirit's action that this is more than mere symbol. We believe in the real presence of Christ on the Altar, that real presence is the action of the Holy Spirit.

Two parts are more form-oriented:

1. The Memorial Acclamation reflects the threefold aspect of our salvation: I was saved by Jesus on the Cross; I am being saved as I am transformed by the Holy Spirit; I will be saved in the end when the Father welcomes me into glory.
2. The Great Amen ends the whole prayer. “Amen” means--I agree.

There has been some discussion in Christian circles through the centuries as to when the “change” from bread and wine to body and blood happens. The Orthodox say it happens with the Epiclesis; the Roman west says it happens at the Anamnesis. We Anglicans know we start with bread and wine and end up with sacrament—we say why it happens, but we do not go into how or when.

The Eucharistic Prayer always ends with the Lord’s Prayer. Our Eucharistic Prayers, though artfully constructed, are nonetheless not inspired as Scripture is inspired, and nothing supersedes the words of Jesus Himself. We wrap up all our human offerings in the Eucharistic Prayer and offer it to the Father in the words His Son taught us, recognizing as we do that we only come to the Father through the Son.

meaning of the forms: The word Eucharist means “thanksgiving,” thanksgiving for the death and resurrection of Christ, and for the benefit accrued to us by it. This action is NOT a re-sacrificing of Christ on the Cross. The Death and Resurrection of Christ are what we call an eschatological event. It happened on earth in temporal experience once 2000 years ago, once and for all, and it continues eternal in the heavens, a constant eternal reality for all times and places. At this moment in and by our worship we reach up to heaven and touch that eternal reality, and God reaches down and time and eternity intersect once more. (Talk about powerful!)

If here in Church in our worship we give to God what is Gods, then in the world we will know how to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. Next week: Body Life..

Fr. Paul Moore+