Last year I wrote several articles on biblical foundations of the Eucharist in accord with the Eucharistic Revival the U.S. Bishops have initiated. My aim was to emphasize why our regular participation in the sacrament of the holy Eucharist is essential to our faith-lives. In this article I will review the reasons the Eucharist is so important to us. Unity. As Christians we are not “lone rangers,” rather we are members of a community of people who embrace a common faith. It is necessary that we gather with other Christians to celebrate our common experience of salvation, an experience that has forged a bond among us. We must come together to celebrate as one and live our lives with a sense of unity.
Meal and Sacrifice. Christ’s sacrifice has saving benefits for us; he atones for our sins and reconciles us with the Father. Those benefits are mediated to us through the experience of the sacraments. Jesus linked the Last Supper meal to the sacrifice he would offer the next day, and then commanded us, “Do this in memory of me.” The eucharistic celebration is the continuation of the Last Supper for us; it is one of the primary ways we share in the saving benefits of Christ’s sacrifice.
Paschal Mystery. This phrase refers to Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, all aspects of one continuous saving event. In Luke 24:13-35, two disciples experience a spiritual transformation when they recognize that the stranger who breaks bread with them is the same as the man Jesus of Nazareth whom they had seen executed by crucifixion on the previous Friday. When they embrace the faith that the Messiah had to suffer and die so as to rise, several things happen for them: 1) they gain a sense of hope, 2) they understand that what happened to Jesus was not a grave misfortune but part of God’s unfolding plan of salvation, 3) they begin to realize that Jesus’ resurrection means he has emerged victorious over sin and death. The disciples’ experience of the risen Lord in the breaking of the bread means that all who would gather (including us today) for this ritual find themselves in the presence of the risen Lord. Our experience of being in the presence of the risen Lord in the Eucharist grounds our faith in his resurrection and encourages us to live for him.
Interrelationship of the Eucharist with Other Aspects of Church Life. In Acts 2:42-47, the life of the early Christian community consists of four elements: 1) the apostles’ teaching, 2) communal life, 3) breaking of the bread and 4) prayer. Each of these elements is essential to the identity of the church, and the breaking of the bread (the Eucharist) is among these. Moreover, all four of the elements are so interrelated that if any one were missing it would affect the integrity of the others. For example, a church that engages in social justice activity can lose the sense of its true purpose if it does not gather to celebrate that activity in the Eucharist, and then find in the Eucharist an empowerment to continue the ministry.
Partaking of Christ’s Precious Blood. Very Rev. Patrick J. (P.J.) Madden, our diocesan administrator, has given permission for parishes to resume the distribution of the chalice at Mass. Hopefully, the offering of Christ’s precious blood to the assembly will again be a regular practice throughout our diocese. That is because our partaking of Christ’s eucharistic blood enables us to reaffirm our faith in the truth that his blood was shed for our salvation. According to Leviticus 17:14, Israelites were not to consume the blood of animals, for life is in the blood. Yet, if life is in the blood, to drink of Christ’s precious blood is to share life in him (John 6:53-54).
Food for the Journey. The Eucharist is food for the journey of our lives. Through faith in Jesus Christ we receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:36), and this life is sustained by the eucharistic food, even as ordinary food nourishes our physical lives. Regular participation in the sacrament of the holy Eucharist enables us to live lives which reflect faith in Jesus Christ.
Eucharist Anticipates the Coming Kingdom. While engaging in the Last Supper meal, Jesus uses the image of a banquet for the kingdom which he announces is to come when he says, “I shall indeed not drink from now on from this cup of the produce of the vine until that day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father” (Matthew 26:29). If the Eucharist we celebrate today re-presents Christ’s sacrifice, it also looks forward to the consummation of the kingdom Jesus inaugurated in his earthly ministry. One important aspect of Christianity is the anticipation of Christ’s return. The advent of the kingdom will have the qualities of a banquet where fellowship and sharing exist and no one goes hungry. To anticipate the coming kingdom in the Eucharist is to remind ourselves to work to make its characteristics present in our own day.
Giving Thanks. The English word “Eucharist” derives from the Greek word, eucharistía, which means “thanksgiving.” Thus, one aspect of celebrating the sacrament of the holy Eucharist is to give thanks. The first element of the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass (mainly in the preface) is called “The Thanksgiving.” The whole prayer is an offering of thanks to the Father, an offering that is mediated by Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thanks is offered for the Father’s gift of his Son to die and rise for our salvation. Participating in the Eucharist is the primary way we thank God for our salvation.
Visible Sign of a Hidden Spiritual Reality. The son of Mary, born in Bethlehem, swaddled and laid in a manger is the visible sign of the invisible God. Jesus’ disciples discerned his divine sonship by listening to him speak human words and observing his human actions. Even as God’s son was manifest in human flesh in his birth, so the risen Lord manifests himself under the sign of bread and wine. What we perceive with our senses to be bread and wine is Christ himself. The sacraments are doorways to the spiritual world. We enter through sensible objects (bread, wine, water, oil, etc.) which are consecrated and through which God’s power and presence are made available to us.
All of the above are reasons why we believe Christ is indeed truly present in the holy Eucharist and why it is necessary for us to partake of this sacrament at least weekly.
Reflection Questions ● Consider how you experience the Eucharist according to each of the categories mentioned above.
● How do each of the aspects of the Eucharist mentioned above strengthen your faith in Christ’s presence in the sacrament?
● How do you experience the effects of your participation in the Eucharist in daily life?