Christ is present at the august sacrifice of the altar both in the person of His minister, and above all under the Eucharistic species. He is present in the sacraments, infusing into them the power which makes them ready instruments of sanctification.
Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei (20 November 1947), pgph#20
Jesus Christ, who is God and Saviour in the flesh, ascended into Heaven forty days after His Resurrection, in the presence of His Apostles. Leaving them behind in body, however, did not mean that He would necessarily leave them altogether: for in His final discourse to them, where the commission to preach the Gospel and baptize all peoples was first instituted as a holy precept, He rejoinders the words which constitute my favourite Scripture verse: “Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (St. Matthew 28:20) I’m reminded of various things when I reflect on this. Firstly is the Christian community, enduring and remaining faithful to His teaching, ever guided by His voice. Secondly, in daily life, for whenever we do good to one another, we recall also His greatest commandment: “That you love one another, as I have loved you” (St. John 13:34); for it is He who instills, inspires, and directs us to do those. Perhaps, however, the most visible sign is one which He left behind during the Last Supper, the power which he gave to His Apostles to be handed down from generation to generation of priests and bishops: the most august sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
We see a similar discourse to Christ’s earthly departure in the final moments of the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica between lead protagonist Madoka Kaname and her best friend, Homura Akemi. Even though, as I had written last year that Madoka is nowhere deserving of a Christ figure title, many elements of this scene call into mind that of Christ’s final moments on Earth, and His promise of spiritual comfort. Likewise, Homura finds comfort in the ethereal presence of Madoka in the new future she was thrust into, and this is all the more emboldened through means of a certain object that she receives in that conversation.
Madoka’s Ribbon: Homura’s Lasting Memento
To understand where I’m coming from, it’s important to view this from the context of the series’ twelfth and final episode. For the longest time now, Homura, Madoka’s best friend from another dimension, had been fighting tooth and nail looping the same timeline relentlessly to prevent said character from becoming a magical girl: the path that will lead to her death. In true Avengers: Endgame fashion, only one timeline out of the thousands Homura repeats ends in success. Madoka must become a magical girl, and wishes to eliminate all magical girls’ existence, thereby repairing the damage that Kyubey did throughout history. As soon as she does this, Homura and Madoka find themselves in friendly embrace while serenaded in an ethereal background, and the two reflect on each other’s journey: Madoka becoming self-aware of Homura’s worthiness as a friend, while the latter is reduced to tears at seeing what she’s become.
Homura: But… why? Why are you doing this? You’ll never come back home and you’ll never see everyone that you care about! You’ll be trapped in this dimension, all alone, for all eternity!
Madoka: I won’t be alone… from now on, I’ll be everywhere, and transcend through time and space. Even if you can’t see or hear me, I’ll be right by your side.
Homura: But… that means… I’ll forget you! I won’t even know you’re there! How can you say such things?
Madoka: No, hold on. I’ll make sure that won’t happen. Once you go back into your world, I will leave you with this gift, so that you may remember me.
Madoka’s final discourse with Homura
Unfortunately, this is the last time the two have any sort of meaningful interaction together. Having ascended to a higher plane beyond reality, her human existence is practically vanquished, who Homura will never see again. Despite this, Madoka is not willing that her best friend should return without any memory about her, though the material loss is expedient she must undergo. Before she begins her work of restoring Sayaka, Kyouko, Mami and the other timelines to normal the last thing she does is unwrap the signature red ribbons from her hair, and place them in the latter’s hands. Of particular note is Madoka’s final comment while doing such: “It might seem like a small gift, but I’m sure it’ll work many a great miracle.”
She is essentially giving a piece of herself to Homura, through a token of her trademark ribbon as a means by which their friendship can remain eternally imbued. In other words, Madoka’s staying true to her pact of full omnipresence. This is hardly a minor act – this is the closure to Homura’s relationship with Madoka, who is seen clinging closely to those ribbons in the anime’s final moments, having understood its spiritual sense. What other aspect of the Traditionalist Catholic Faith, can we find this same treatment but in Christ’s greatest gift to us, one which He instituted before His Apostles at that eventful Last Supper, the power which He handed down to them, and which continues to be transmitted to priests in this day and age: the Blessed Sacrament, a.k.a the Holy Eucharist?
The Holy Eucharist: Christ Made Real Among Us
At the Last Supper, knowing that the events that would start the painful work of Redemption were at hand, and that soon-after His companions would be left alone; not wishing that they would be discouraged or lose heart when He returns to the Father, promises a twofold means by which His presence can be made known amongst them. Chief among these are the bread and wine distributed at this occasion, over which He pronounces the words “This is My Body” (St. Matthew 26:26, St. Mark 14:22, St. Luke 22:19) for the bread, and “This is… My Blood” (St. Matthew 26:27-28, St. Mark 14:23-24, St. Luke 22:20) for the wine. He is not merely speaking allegorically here, as He did with the parables beforehand, per St. John 16:29 – “Behold, now thou speakest plainly, and speakest no proverb”; nor was this event one without meaning. Here we see the origins of this Eucharist – Christ making Himself truly present under the appearance of bread and wine, to be reverenced and memorialized by future generations of His followers afterwards.
The institution of this sacrament has a threefold purpose, elements of which yield similarities to the above moment in Puella Magi Madoka Magica. No, lest anyone takes this out of context, I’m not going back on my claim that Madoka is not a Christ figure – but remember, scenes in anime can often times point us to a parallel with our reality; in this case, Madoka handing over her ribbon to Homura, much like the Eucharist in traditional Catholic theology, and the intended purpose that the recipients have for it, is demonstrative of a means of emboldening and a testament of a bond of love between two parties.
Who, the day before He suffered, took bread into His holy and venerable hands, and with His eyes lifted up towards heaven unto Thee, God, His almighty Father, giving thanks to Thee, He blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples saying: Take and eat ye all of this: FOR THIS IS MY BODY.
In like manner, after He had supped, taking also this excellent chalice into His holy and venerable hands He blessed it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: Take and drink ye all of this: FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL TESTAMENT, THE MYSTERY OF FAITH; WHICH SHALL BE SHED FOR YOU AND FOR MANY UNTO THE REMISSION OF SINS. As often as ye do these things, ye shall do them in remembrance of Me.
The Words of Consecration, from the Roman Canon of the Traditional Latin Mass
A Memento Of Infinite Love
The Eucharist is described by saints in a loving manner – and I mean that, literally. St. Thomas Aquinas calls it the “sacrament of love, (which) signifies and produces love”. St. Maria Goretti describes it as “the perfect expression of Jesus Christ’s love for humanity”. St. Bernard of Clairvaux describes it as such: “that love which surpasses all love in Heaven and Earth.” Why so? Let us think back to the moment before Christ’s death, when Jesus holds a discourse with the Apostles in which He lays out the acknowledgement of them as friends – “But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you.” (St. John 15:15) Reflecting on this, St. Alphonsus Liguori writes:
Jesus, knowing that the hour of his death was come, desired to leave us… the greatest pledge of his affection that he could give us;… the gift of the Most Holy Sacrament… He loved men with the greatest love with which he could love them, by giving them his whole self… At the very time that men were preparing to put him to death, he gave them this last proof of his love. The marks of affection which we receive from our friends at the time of their death remain more deeply impressed on our hearts; for this reason did Jesus bestow on us this gift of the Blessed Sacrament just before his death… in this Sacrament Jesus Christ united and accomplished all the other acts of love which he had shown us.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, Meditation Of Corpus Christi #4 (The Great Love Of Jesus In The Blessed Sacrament)
While on Earth, Jesus spoke these comforting words: “Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you” (St. Matthew 11:28). By His miracles and His teaching on Earth, He demonstrated this love for humanity in clear view. Because of that, He was ready and willing then, to serve others and their physical and spiritual states, that He humbled Himself in the greatest act of love by giving Himself as a living sacrifice to atone for our sins, and open Heaven to us once more. His Eucharistic presence fulfills that which He promised at the night of the Last Supper, that the descendants of His believers will always have a visual means of recourse to Him in their midst; that they will know of His acts of love, and in turn, offer thanksgiving for what He has done.
So connected is the Eucharist with that emotion – it is a visual expression of it, like family photos around the house or friends passing birthday cards or congratulatory messages to one another. I see this also in Madoka passing over her ribbon to Homura, and the parting words she entails. Madoka gives Homura this ribbon as a twofold expression of affection; one in their friendship, and another toward all people like her. Hence does the final on-screen words in Puella Magi Madoka Magica turn toward this: “Always remember, someone is fighting for you” with a backdrop of Homura preparing to fight some tall creatures, unafraid and unfettered despite being effectively, a one-man fighting crew. Which leads to another consequence of the love contained in the Eucharist: our spiritual nourishment.
Bread Of Life, Saving Blood And Spiritual Nourishment
As Homura prepared to do battle with those mysterious desert beings, she hears Madoka’s inner voice calling her shortly before lifting off and laying waste to them: “Keep it up!” On hearing that, the frown she held at first turns into an encouraging smile, and does battle with them, the result which is not seen, but not important to the matter at hand. What’s important is the impact Madoka’s existence has for her, which since episode 10’s backstory has been inspiring her every move and motive; giving her strength to carry on and holding immense transformative power. The scene expresses that their relationship is not only confined to the exterior, but also present in an interior union. Related to this is what happens at every Holy Communion, in which we receive Christ via the Eucharist.
Who can doubt that the Holy Eucharist, if worthily received, has power to kindle the soul with the fire of divine love? “I am come to cast fire on the earth,” the Saviour says, “and what will I but that it be kindled?” (St. Luke 12:49) By what means does Jesus prove to us His love, and how does He impart it to us? By Holy Communion. Our Divine Saviour teaches us that He came to give us life, and life abundantly. What is this life but the life of the soul, the life of the love of God in us?… When, Christian soul, you go to communion, you love Jesus Christ, and He loves you; you abide in Him and He in you.
Fr. F.X Lasance, The Prisoner of Love (1918), pg. 108
Jesus’ love for us is great; He wishes to know, and be wholly united with us. By receiving the Eucharist, His life is nourished in ourselves. He reminds us, “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day.” (St. John 6:55). A well-formed Communion make us also receptive to grace, and in turn, produces an antidote that expiates our venial sins and preserves us from deliberate commission of mortal ones. The soul becomes more united to Jesus, aware of their body being also His dwelling; such that it requires us to be free from sin through confessing them beforehand, lest we stain His presence by receiving Communion “unworthily… not discerning the body of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:29).
All in all, the Eucharist is spiritual nourishment with the end of leading us to everlasting life! It sustains our spiritual life and pushes us to hate evil, and love that good which God also loves; it produces saints, and forms the steps to make us a perfect image in Him. Just as the Eucharist gives grace and livens us up to holiness, we see that Homura, by communing with Madoka’s spirit and donning her ribbon, becomes receptive to fighting for true justice, and fears nothing – not even hordes of evil.
Commemoration Of Sacrifice And Redemption
After this ethereal encounter, Homura is thrust back into her world where she comes across ther former’s younger brother, Tatsuya (now an only child) drawing an caricature of Madoka’s magical girl form in the sand, crying out her name. His parents come to pick him up after he takes notice of Homura wearing Madoka’s ribbons, which leads his (and Madoka’s then-) mother to converse concerning who the latter is:
Madoka’s mother: Ah, see Tatsuya’s been playing with Madoka, this invisible friend of his when he’s all alone. Just kid things, you know?
Homura: Yes, I remember her too…. I feel like I’ve heard her name, but I can’t seem to place where though.
Madoka’s mother: Is that so… I wonder sometimes where Tatsuya got that idea from too. This Madoka… sometimes that name just rings as familiar.
Homura: I see.
Madoka’s mother: Oh, your ribbons – they’re so cute!… Maybe if I have a daughter, I’ll get her to wear them.
Madoka’s mother and Homura at episode 12
Later on, Homura makes another recollection of Madoka’s sacrifice when, after a conversation with Kyubey atop a building, leaps down to fight an army of wraiths. She vows to keep up the good fight, and vanquish the sorrows of the world in Madoka’s name: “This irredeemable world may be a cycle of sadness and hatred. But nevertheless, this was the world Madoka wanted to protect. I remember that, and promise never forget it as long as I live”; commemorating her act of oblation, if anything. Madoka’s sacrifice also begets renewal: thereafter did she abrogate Kyubey’s former tyrannical grip, and made it anew, dispelling the darkness of the magical girls’ curse. Her ribbon, now in Homura’s possession, also points as a memorial of this action.
Let us now analyze the means by which the Apostles ministered to the first Christians. They travelled across neighbouring lands, risking life and limb, to spread Jesus’ Gospel in public; when in fellowship with believers, broke bread with them (Acts 2:42), remembering the Last Supper and in the process what His death and Resurrection accomplished; also calling into mind the words of Our Saviour: “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (St. John 15:13) and “how that Christ died for our sins… And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 1:34). Herein lays the foundation of what is today known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
It is the primary method by which the Eucharist is confected for the edification of the faithful. Portions of the ceremony ritualistically signify crucial moments of His saving work: for example the elevation of the Host and Chalice, the crucifixion; the mingling of the Host and wine prior to the Communion, the Resurrection. The Mass itself is perfects the ancient Temple sacrifices of Jesus’ day, a re-presentation of His sacrifice; an awakening to the new, Christian worldview that Christ opened for us; it is a renewal. It is a tool for evangelization by which the Catholic Faith is expressed and put into action: a testimony of worship, rendering due honour to the reality of a living Christ and His eternal love for us.
It is not only in the Mass that we adore the Eucharist, but the Church has also set aside several days to specifically honour it: Holy Thursday, when it was first instituted, and yesterday’s Feast of Corpus Christi that hearkens to grow our faith in it and its fruits. Can one look at Homura’s treatment of Madoka’s legacy and see this analogy fitting in relation to the Catholic attitude toward the Eucharist as an emblem of sacrifice? I don’t see why one can’t.
At the institution of this mystery, He said to His Apostles: “Do this commemoration of Me” – giving them to understand that the great and adorable Sacrament, which He then instituted, was the greatest and most excellent remembrance of His infinite love towards us; an admirable, agreeable, sweet, secure, and supremely excellent remembrance, in which all the benefits of God are renewed, above all comprehension, in which we can find every pleasure, every sweetness and the most secure pledge of eternal life. It is the sweetest, holiest, and most salutary remembrance, which recalls to our mind the great grace of our Redemption, which keeps us from evil and strengthens us in good, which promotes our advancement in virtue and grace, our divine Saviour producing in us all these effects by His real presence.
Pope Urban IV, Transiturus de hoc mundo (11 August 1264), pgphs#3-4
Conclusion
Homura was called to witness Madoka’s power, and in turn, was left with a ribbon as a memento of that encounter. Small as that gift may be, she cherishes it to the fullest, sporting it, speaking lovingly of Madoka as a person of great importance, and is wont to see her again once more, being the source of her living. How much should this be for us and the Eucharist, “the Word made flesh… among us” (St. John 1:14), a bond of adoration, reverence, and longing to see and experience Jesus Christ, that we may be glorified at the end of our life, having persevered in the Faith! To paraphrase Puella Magi Madoka Magica: “Always, everywhere, Christ in the Eucharist loves you greatly. As long as if you remember Him, you are not alone.”
Ought we not, then, to render some service to this mystery of Faith? Consider St. Peter Julian Eymard, who was an apostle to this sacrament throughout life; St. Juliana of Liege, whose devotion to the Eucharist would lead to Corpus Christi’s widespread promulgation, and laymen like Paul Comtois, a Quebecois politician who hosted this sacrament in his private home, spending some time daily before it and ultimately, dying while rescuing it from a house fire. Perhaps, in the same footsteps as them, this June, the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose love especially overflows in the Blessed Sacrament, we can resolve to find some time to visit Him in the Real Presence where we can reflect on the merits of His love contained therein; or offer it prayers and hymns like these indulgenced ones!
The first reason why I am asking for this very Feast, is so that the faith in this Sacrament would be confirmed by this Feast, when bad people would attack this mystery in the future. The second reason is so that the faithful would be strengthened on their way to virtue by a very great love and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and the third reason is so that because of this Feast and the loving attention given to it, reparation would be made for the insults and lack of respect shown to the Blessed Sacrament.
Our Lord to St. Juliana of Liege, requesting the institution of Corpus Christi
The Traditional Catholic Weeb 
So somebody else has also seen the parallels between Madoka and Christian theology.
Homura in the new future is a mystic – she has a personal experience of God, Kyuubey plays the role of an atheist, a doubtful skeptic who demands a direct proof. Not only does Homura have a direct experience, but Homura’s description of God and the God’s actions serve as a good explanation for how the world works, the way nature works points at God, yet Kyuubey remains sceptical.
I think that was a good scene, Homura cannot provide any proof other than appealing to natural theology and talking about her direct experience – there is no other proof to be had, everything was revealed to her, she experienced God, but that doesn’t convince Kyuubey.
Rebellion is also interesting, what happens there is that Homura becomes convinced by interaction with an image of Madoka generated by herself in her own witch labyrinth (the flower field scene) that Madoka in fact did not want the sacrifice. What is also interesting is what happens later.
The portrayal of Homura as a devil-like creature is very much conforming to catholic theology, because what she does is a complete inversion of the order created by Madoka – the divine order, and she creates a completely fake reality. This is as fundamentally satanic as it gets. Homura is also a rather disciplined person, and while she loves Madoka, she can’t control it and she is overwhelmed by it. She becomes convinced that she has failed Madoka, that she didn’t actually save her, and creates a simulacrum of a reality. Why? She lost faith in Madoka’s sacrifice, she lost faith in that she would actually want to make that sacrifice, she thought in actuality Madoka would have been too weak to make it. The devil too questioned Jesus’ strength in the desert.
We even see in the scene at the end that for a moment Madoka realises that all of this is wrong, her nature is to be the law of the cycles, to make the sacrifice, but she is suppressed by Homura. Unlike the portrayal of a devil-like figure in some other animes Homura is not genocidal, she is not strictly speaking an ally or an enemy of humanity, what she is is a deceiver and an enemy of God and the divine order, which is much more satanic than any genocidal monster could be.
It’s also worth noting that Madoka in the final scene with Homura pretty much makes Homura a promise that they will meet again by saying that they may meet again in the future and the miracles happen, which parallels Christ. In Rebellion after Homura’s witch labyrinth gets destroyed we get an eschatological scene where Madoka’s promise is fulfilled, but then Homura rebels.
Also, if Wraith Arc manga is to be believed, then Homura started to think she was losing her mind, maybe she used her own time magic to deceive herself, maybe Madoka never existed. This seed of doubt influences her later actions.
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You make a very in-depth observation of that subject. Compare Homura’s despair to that to the spiritual strencth of St. Catherine of Siena, speaking of mystics, who was also severely tempted but held her ground steadfastly! And was even consoled by Our Lord in a vision, who responded when she asked where He was during those attacks: “Who, thinkest thou, was it that caused thee to be thus grieved, save I Myself, hidden within thy soul?” Hence the importance of prayer and conformity with God’s Will to keep ourselves from becoming a slave to sinful desires.
In my opinion too, the best way to convince others of the truth of God is not by experience, but through logical deduction and all that – which is more on the objective level than personal (which can wildly vary from A to Z). This is what many Catholic theologians agreed on, in opposition to those who rejected it called Modernists.
Also, welcome to my blog! Feel free to lurk around see what else catches your mind here 😊
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