Every time we gather around our Lord’s Table in the celebration of the Eucharist, we recall our Lord’s saving words and actions and receive his life-giving Body and Blood. The Code of Canon Law directs the pastor “to see to it that the Most Holy Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful; he is to work to see to it that the Christian faithful are nourished through a devout celebration of the sacraments and especially that they frequently approach the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist” (Can. 528 – § 2).
As I imagine you have heard many times throughout your life, the Eucharist is at the center of the Catholic Church. It is the mystery of the Eucharistic Celebration that defines our faith community. As we once again celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ in mid-June, we joined with all parishes throughout our country in the introduction of the parish phase of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Allow me to offer some more reflections on this central aspect of our faith.
As the very first document of the Second Vatican Council, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, states so clearly:
[I]t is the liturgy through which, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, “the work of our redemption is accomplished,” and it is through the liturgy, especially, that the faithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest to others the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.” (¶ 2)
The document goes on to call the Eucharist the “source and summit of the Christian life” and a “sacred action surpassing all others” (¶ 47).” We gather every week as a believing community to worship God with ritual words and actions. Let’s spend a few moments to review the richness these words and actions contain.
At the Last Supper, our Lord offered his apostles bread and wine after transforming them into his sacred body and blood. Then, he commanded them to “do this in memory of me.” He instructed them that this was the sign of the new and everlasting covenant between God and man. The next day, our Lord offered his life for our sins. Three days later, he rose from the dead. In the simplest of terms, this is what we celebrate when we gather for the Eucharistic Liturgy. Jesus, the son of Mary and the Son of God, human like all of us yet also divine, offers his body and blood to God, our heavenly Father, so that we finally have an offering worthy of God and in anticipation of the eternal worship we will offer God in heaven. Jesus also offers his body and blood to us to provide us spiritual nourishment as we journey through this life on earth preparing for eternal life with God. Jesus teaches very clearly, “He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn 6:54).
In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council remind us that our Lord, who came once in history to accomplish his great work of salvation, and will come again at the end of time to lead all the faithful to our heavenly Father, remains in our midst, especially through the sacraments
Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of man is signified by signs perceptible to the senses, and is effected in a way which corresponds with each of these signs; in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.
From this it follows that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest and of His Body which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others; no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree.
The full significance of this, the Paschal Mystery, escapes our human understanding, for it is truly a mystery. It also transcends our ability to adequately describe, and so this sacred mystery is presented through ritual and symbolism. Although at one level, the Eucharist is a meal, on a deeper level it is so sacred that we use special vestments and vessels, linens and books. We even use special language and music specifically composed for this holy banquet. Everything leads us to the salvific event that defines us – the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is in the Eucharist that God and humanity are most closely united here on earth. Next week, I will review how this union is affected and what effect it has on us; stay tuned!