A visit to the John Fisher School

On Friday last, I paid a visit to the John Fisher School to give a talk to the FAITH group that meets there each Friday. As was pointed out to me, this is the birth place of one of the "new movements", namely FAITH Movement. The FAITH group(s) at the school are run by Dan Cooper, previously a teacher at the school but now fulfilling a role that might be described as a kind of assistant chaplain.

My subject was the Eucharist, and I spoke to the title "The Eucharist: Gift of God for the Life of the World", the theme of the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec last June. I took along my model of the Ark of the New Covenant (see here and here), and used the talk to explain the meaning of the different parts of this work.

The notes of my talk were structured in three parts: The Eucharist, Gift of God, and then Life of the World. Each section contains a relevant question or questions from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a passage from Scripture. A link is then made to the Ark of the New Covenant. Herewith the notes on sections 1 and 2; later parts to follow.

1. The Eucharist

271. What is the Eucharist?
The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus which he
instituted to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until his return in glory. Thus he entrusted to his Church this memorial of his death and Resurrection. It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

282. How is Christ present in the Eucharist?
Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist in a unique and incomparable way. He is present in a true, real and substantial way, with his Body and his Blood, with his Soul and his Divinity. In the Eucharist, therefore, there is present in a sacramental way, that is, under the Eucharistic species of bread and wine, Christ whole and entire, God and Man.

2. Gift of God

2.1 Creation: the Covenant with Noah

51. What is the importance of affirming “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)?
The significance is that creation is the foundation of all God’s saving plans. It shows forth the almighty and wise love of God, and it is the first step toward the covenant of the one God with his people. It is the beginning of the history of salvation which culminates in Christ; and it is the first answer to our fundamental questions regarding our very origin and our destiny.

53. Why was the world created?
The world was created for the glory of God who wished to show forth and communicate his goodness, truth and beauty. The ultimate end of creation is that God, in Christ, might be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28) for his glory and for our
happiness.

Genesis 9:8-17
The rainbow as a sign of the Covenant between God and creation, and God's promise to Noah after the flood not to destroy the world again.

The Ark of the New Covenant: boat shaped to represent the ark of Noah that floated on the waters of the flood. The photograph below shows the Ark as it was arranged for Eucharistic Adoration, 24/7, during the Eucharistic Congress.

After the talk, we adjourned to the sixth form block for toast, tea and orange juice ... while the youngsters had a game of snooker.