Report: The Church Lives from The Eucharist

In a world where conflict, war, violence, and division are seemingly everywhere, one might ask, what can we do? Is this all there is? Is this how the world was meant to be? Saint Jean Paul II, in his encyclical Ecclessia de Euchristia (2003), seeks to rekindle a fire for the Eucharist. He shows us that it is the great gift, par excellence, of Christ to humanity. It is in this gift that we experience the Paschal mystery, and it is through the Eucharist that we will have true communion, with Christ and with one another. He also reveals the manner in which we can live Eucharistic lives. He provides guidance while at the same time correcting abuses that have taken place in the Church.

Saint Joan Paul II is very methodical in his approach. He begins by laying out his grand arguments. He then gives theological evidence, and supports his writing with the teachings of the Church and biblical references. He then gives pastoral guidance and corrections where necessary. He finishes by restating his principal points, and provides them a way to put this teaching into practice. He employs this method on a large level throughout the entire encyclical, but also does this in each section to a certain degree as well.

Saint John Paul II begins his encyclical, Ecclessia de Euchristia by explaining the Eucharist, and its importance to the world. It is the gift par excellence that Christ gave to the Church. He hopes that his readers would understand the incredible richness, beauty, and prefect love that are found in this gift. There is no other gift like it because it is the gift of Christ himself, and of his saving work. There is no greater gift we could ask for, and there is no greater gift that Christ could give. This gift expresses his incredible love for all of humanity, and because the sacrifice transcends all time, all of the faithful can continue to take part in it and continue to gain from its fruits. It is through this gift that the work of the redemption of the Lord is carried out.

The Eucharist is not only a reminder of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, it is a re-presentation of his one sacrifice. This means that we do not simply remember a sacrifice that was made thousands of years ago, and it is not a re-sacrificing of Christ. It is a participation in the one sacrifice. Christ expresses the principal meaning of this sacrifice during his institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. He stated that he was giving the apostles his body and blood to drink, and he also expressed the sacrificial meaning of his body and blood. The body and blood would be poured out for the forgiveness of sins, a sacrifice which would be consummated on the cross, and continues to be present at each and every Holy Mass. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice.” It is the same sacrifice yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Eucharist is a sacrifice in a strict sense. Saint John Paul II stresses that while it is certainly a gift given for all of humanity, it is first and foremost a gift of love and obedience given by Christ to his Father. In giving the sacrifice to the Church, to all of humanity, he invites us to be partakers of this sacrifice, and offer ourselves, the Church, in union with the one sacrifice of Christ to God the Father. As Lumen Gentium has famously stated, “Taking part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is the source and summit of the whole Christian life, they offer the divine victim to God, and offer themselves along with it.”

In remembering the passion and death of Christ we must not omit that in the consecration we also proclaim the resurrection of Christ. “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our Song” (Angelus 30 November 1986). The resurrection crowns the one sacrifice. In giving ourselves with Christ in his one sacrifice, we die with him, and are resurrected to new life with him. This is the meaning of the Paschal mystery, the great gift of Christ to humanity. We are invited to live this mystery daily, and develop Eucharistic lives.

This gift, under the transubstantiated species of bread and wine, is the body and blood of Christ: it is the real presence of Christ. As Saint Paul VI states in his encyclical Mysterium Fidei it is called real because “it is the presence of Christ in the fullest sense, the God-Man is wholly and entirely present.” It is the gift par excellence to all of humanity. Saint John Paul II states that modern theological efforts to understand this mystery are good and praiseworthy, but any theological explanation of this mystery must contain this objective reality. It is the real presence of Christ that truly nourishes us.

He offers us spiritual nourishment, and he offers us communion with himself in his body and blood through which he fills us again with his Spirit. The spirit which was given to us in baptism and sealed in confirmation is increased in us during communion. It is not metaphorical food, it is the only food which can truly satisfy. When we partake in the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ, we allow ourselves to be transformed by him.

There is a certain eschatological tension created in the Eucharist because the Eucharist is a “foretaste of the fullness of joy promised by Christ.” It is a foreshadowing of heaven. However, when we feed on the Eucharistic sacrifice, we do not need to wait for heaven. We already possess it on earth. This reinforces our communion with the communion of saints, the Church in heaven. With them, we take part in the same Eucharistic feast. This link, as it were between heaven and earth, should increase our sense of responsibility and urgency in creating a heaven on earth today.

We must understand our urgent task of working for peace. The Eucharist calls us to go forth and shine the light of Christ into the world. We must follow the example which Christ set at the institution of the Eucharist by washing the feet of his disciples, and wash the feet of the poorest among us. It is in this way that we can live Eucharistic lives.

The Eucharist is central to the growth of the Church. From the very origins of the Church, the last supper, the Eucharist is present. The apostles began a new hierarchy and planted the new Israel in the world. At the last supper, the apostles entered into a sacramental communion with Christ. From this time onwards, the Church has been built up through sacramental communion.

Each Eucharistic communion renews the incorporation into Christ that we received at baptism. The Eucharist strengthens us, builds us up, and nourishes us. In Eucharistic communion each of us receives Christ, and He also receives each of us! The goal of the Eucharistic sacrifice is communion of all people with Christ the Son, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. However, with the reception of this Great Communion, also comes a Great Commission, we are sent out into the world to be his light. This strength to carry out this commission comes from the Eucharist. So, the Eucharist is not only the source and summit of the Church and the Christian life, it is also the source and summit of all evangelization, which should normally be a product of the Christian life. It is the source of strength to carry out evangelization, and it is the purpose of that Evangelization.

It is through the Eucharist that we are unified with one another, and with Christ. Each human heart has a great desire for fraternal communion. The Eucharist continues to fill us with the Holy Spirit we received at baptism, and it draws us into an intimate unity with Christ. We are united with Him through the Eucharist, and it is also through the Eucharist that we are united with one another.

The fallen world experiences disunity daily as a result of sin. The body of Christ counters this in its unifying power. It is a “sign and instrument of intimate unity with God and of the unity of the whole human race.” (Lumen Gentium)

The worship of the real presence in the Holy Sacrament is directed towards communion, both sacramental and spiritual. Adoration is connected to the Eucharistic sacrifice, and has an incredible importance and value for the Church. Eucharistic adoration prolongs and increases the fruits of our Eucharistic communion. Saint John Paul II states that any community that desires to contemplate the face of Christ must develop this form of worship.

He goes so far as to tell pastors that is their responsibility to encourage Eucharist adoration, by their personal witness, and by encouraging the faithful. He notes that exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is especially important. In spending time with Him in the Eucharistic fashion, we are able to listen and be renewed by his infinite love.

Saint Jean Paul II gives his personal recommendation for the practice of Eucharistic adoration, and notes that it is continually recommended by the magisterium and by the saints. He quotes Saint Alphonsus Ligouori who says, “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us. The importance and value of this great gift must not be underestimated.”

The Eucharist builds up the Church. The Church is one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, and so the Eucharist is as well. The Church and the Eucharist have been built on the foundation of the apostles. The Eucharist was given to the apostles, when the sacramental priesthood was initiated at the Last Supper. It has been passed down from them to us.

The Church is apostolic in the sense that it continues to be guided by the apostles of Christ and their successors. The Eucharist then is also apostolic. It is the great gift, par excellence, handed down by the apostles for generations. The faithful join in the offering of the Eucharist by way of their royal priesthood, yet there must be an ordained priest who, acting in persona Christi, offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is he who offers the Sacrifice to God in the name of all the faithful.

No one can truly offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice except for the eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ. It is with this understanding that the priest, acting in persona Christi, is able to offer the Sacrifice of the Eucharist. It is only through the sacrament of Holy Orders, which a man receives through a valid episcopal ordination that a priest may act in persona Christi, and celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The priest acting in persona Christi is a sacramental identification with Christ himself.

For priests, if the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, it is surely the source and summit of the priestly ministry. In fact, it is the reason that a priest exists. It is extremely important to celebrate the Eucharist daily, even if there are no believers present because it is an act of Christ and of the Church. In the Eucharistic sacrifice, priests will find the strength they need to handle all of their daily activities, and they will come to lead Eucharistic lives.

As the Eucharist is central to every Christian life, a validly ordained priest is central to every Christian community. It is true that there is a great need for holy priestly vocations in the church. There are many communities who are without priests or who do not receive the sacraments regularly. It is distressing when communities do not have a priest because without a priest to celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice they are incomplete. There can be a temptation to substitute the Eucharistic Sacrifice for other devotional activities, or to lower the standards of priestly formation.

This incompleteness should inspire the faithful to pray. It should inspire the faithful to ask God to send laborers into the harvest. It should also encourage dioceses and communities to use all of the resources needed to promote priestly vocations. The faithful have a responsibility to hunger for the Eucharist, and to keep this hunger alive, for it is only through the Eucharist that a genuine community can be built up.

Saint John Paul II notes that while great progress has been made in the realm of ecumenism, the Catholic faithful must be aware that nothing can replace the source and summit of the Christian life. As much as we may desire to be united with our Christian brothers, we must always bear witness to the truth. The faithful should never substitute Sunday Mass for ecumenical services, nor should they receive communion at other churches. The true communion that we are all called to can only be found in the Holy Eucharist.

Saint Jean Paul II addresses issues surrounding communion. Specifically, he notes that the Eucharist is the culmination of the all of the sacraments. It perfects our communion with God the Father. The sacrament of communion prefects all good things in us and it is the goal of every human desire. This is why it is so important to continue to cultivate a desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist. However, the Eucharist is not and cannot be the starting point for a union with God. It is the culmination and brining to perfection of goods in us and of our communion with God. However, the sacrament presupposes that a communion between a person and God already exists.

Our sacramental union with God begins with baptism, we are sealed in confirmation. If we break this bond through mortal sin, then this union is repaired through the sacrament of reconciliation. These sacraments, as well as the vocational sacraments of holy orders and marriage are perfected in the Eucharist.

It is for this reason that it is important for each one of us to examine our conscience before receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is also for this reason that the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist are closely related. Similarly, it is not possible to give to communion to a person who is not baptized or who rejects the truth of the Eucharistic mystery. Nor is it possible to concelebrate with other Christian denominations.

Yet, our longing for unity with our Christian brothers causes us to look at the sacrament of unity. There is a relationship between the Eucharist and ecumenical activity. It is the fidelity of the Church to the Eucharist that should draw others to it. It is possible, under special circumstances, to administer the Eucharistic Sacrament, reconciliation, and the anointing of the sick, to people belonging to churches not in full communion with the Catholic Church. This may only be done to meet the grave spiritual need of a believer, who greatly desires to receive the sacrament, and professes and manifests faith in the truth of the sacraments. The Eucharist may not be given to bring about intercommunion.

The Eucharistic banquet has led different Christian churches around the world to beautify the Eucharistic feast through: art, music, buildings, and other things. In short, the Church has spared no extravagance in using her best resources to adorn the unsurpassable gift of the Eucharist. The Church has felt the need to celebrate the Eucharist in an environment that points to so great a mystery. This is good, and different cultures have shaped this banquet in different ways. This was the type of “inculturation” that Vatican II had in its mind.

However, with this work of adaptation, we must be constantly aware of the great treasure that composes the deposit of the faith, rites, and the Eucharist itself. There should be no practices introduced without the careful review of ecclesial authorities. “The Sacred Liturgy cannot be determined by local churches in isolation from the universal Church.” (Ecclesia in Asia) Saint John Paul II laments that in an overreaction to perceived formalism, some have engaged in what amount to liturgical abuses. It is important to remember that the Eucharist and the Church are universal. Liturgy is no person or country’s private property, and liturgical norms for such a great gift must be followed.

The pope finishes his encyclical on the Eucharist by taking us to the school of Mary. Jesus invites each one of us to take Mary, given to each one of us as a mother at the foot of the cross, into our hearts. She will show us the way to Christ. Mary has a profound relationship with the Blessed Sacrament and so she herself can guide us to it. In a mystical way, with her fiat she became the first tabernacle in history. Her fiat to the angel Gabriel is the same as the Amen that each believer says before receiving Holy Communion. Her faith filled response of the Magnificat, similarly should be the response of every believer. This was her Eucharistic attitude, and fully expressed her Eucharistic life.