Eucharistic Identity And Evangelization

The Mass, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Divine Worship, the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Qurbana, the Sacred Liturgy, the Holy Eucharist - these are a few of the names of the Church's worship of Almighty God.

The Didache (c. 80-90)

Now concerning the Thanksgiving (Eucharist), thus give thanks. First, concerning the cup: We thank you, our Father, for the holy vine of David Your servant, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory forever. And concerning the broken bread: We thank You, our Father, for the life and knowledge which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory forever. Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom; for Yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever. But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist), but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs. St Matthew 7:6

Why are we so attached to the Holy Eucharist, and not just us Catholics but also our eastern non-Catholic brethren who have retained valid sacraments? The reason is simple - we strive to keep the commandments of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Douay-Rheims

11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, 11:24 And giving thanks, broke, and said: Take ye, and eat: this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: do this for the commemoration of me. 11:25 In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink it for the commemoration of me. 11:26 For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord until he come.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 provides a foundational account of the institution of the Eucharist, detailing the actions and words of Jesus during the Last Supper. In this passage, Saint Paul recounts how Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Similarly, after supper, He took the cup, stating, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." Paul emphasizes that by partaking in the bread and cup, believers proclaim the Lord's death until He comes again.

This passage is significant as it encapsulates the essence of the Eucharist, which is understood as a sacramental re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. The Eucharist is not merely a memorial but a means through which the faithful participate in the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection, thus reinforcing the unity of the Church as the Body of Christ. The act of receiving the Eucharist is seen as a profound communion with Christ and with one another, highlighting the communal aspect of the Faith 1,2,3,4,5.

Furthermore, the passage serves as a reminder of the importance of approaching the Eucharist with reverence and self-examination, as Paul warns that those who eat and drink without discerning the body of the Lord eat and drink judgment upon themselves 3, 6. This underscores the sacramental nature of the Eucharist and its role in the life of the Church, as it is both a source of grace and a call to live in communion with others 7, 8.

References

1. The Holy Bible 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
2. Compendium of the CCC 271
3. The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another 11
4. Ecclesia de Eucharistia 11
5. The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another 10
6. General Audience of 31 March 2010: Easter Triduum
7. Jubilee Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Private Mass at the Chapel of the Cenacle, Jerusalem (March 23, 2000) 4
8. The Reciprocity between Faith and Sacraments in the Sacramental Economy 103

How many Catholics have no idea that they are receiving the actual Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ when they present themselves for Holy Communion? There have been studies that report that Catholics are badly formed in Eucharistic faith. They meander up to communion with little if any enthusiasm, little humility, and with little to no awareness that they are being offered God Himself.

• https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/258013/new-study-suggests-more-than-two-thirds-of-catholics-believe-the-eucharist-is-truly-jesus#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20has%20found,core%20tenet%20of%20the%20faith.

If a Eucharistic revival is to continue and expand, our thoughts and actions must be planted in the rich soil of worship graced by God to be true, good and beautiful.

• https://vimeo.com/978091715 Bishop Lopes

Communities that give in to the temptation to constantly reinvent the Mass merely prove that they have lost their bearing, that is, a steadfast orientation to the teaching that has been passed on and received by faithful stewards of the Sacred Liturgy.

What does Catholic liturgy look like?

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLiGepvRWbA

Authentic Catholic liturgy renders us vulnerable to God's grace. As Bishop Lopes reminds us in his beautiful comments in the linked video, God makes Himself entirely vulnerable to us under the appearance of bread and wine. Given Jesus' very own words, preserved in the Catholic Church from the beginning, the faithful know that the Eucharist is really and truly the Body and Blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

St Justin Martyr, First Apology 66 [A.D. 151]

For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus.

St Augustine of Hippo Sermons 227 [A.D. 411]

I promised you [new Christians], who have now been baptized, a sermon in which I would explain the sacrament of the Lord’s Table. . . . That bread which you see on the altar, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ.

The person who desires to be a disciple of Jesus makes himself vulnerable to God's love. The disciple allows himself to be directed by the voice of God that we hear in the Mass, in worship. We seek to cooperate wholly with His will for us because it is meet and right so to do.

When Mass is celebrated in a manner that reaches toward the truth, goodness and beauty of the Holy Trinity, then the liturgical actions become transparent to the action of Jesus in the Mass. Truth, goodness and beauty dispose the willing soul to Jesus' saving Presence. Truth, goodness and beauty form in us a disposition of reverence and docility to the action of the Holy Spirit, so that we, too, may become transparent to the action of Jesus. Just as Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, Jesus comes not to annihilate our wills but to engage and transform them with the fullness of His Presence, to complete in us His joy, peace, hope and love. He will not force open our hearts and minds, but He provides every opportunity for us to stumble into His open arms. Are you prepared to be a willing host for Jesus?

Why be so focussed on the integrity of the Mass? As Catholics, we derive our identity in, through and from the Liturgy, the Holy Eucharist. We can do nothing apart from the Lord. If the Mass is casual, careless, or comedic and ruled by intentional deformations that confirm egoism and an attempt to appropriate the Mass for some misguided reason such as a political or social cause, then we cannot consider ourselves faithful disciples. By their fruits you will know them (St Matthew 7:15-20).

Many clergy in the Church do not understand the fundamental importance that a clear Eucharistic identity is to the mission of the salvation of souls. Thus, good liturgy is a low priority in many precincts.

Fostering a mindset that places liturgy strongly at the heart of every community requires a concentrated and sustained effort. A lack of willingness to celebrate the Mass with dignity, or an indifference to reverence, is a sign that a pastor's or parish's priorities do not align with the fact that the Mass merits our greatest effort to honour God's sublime Gift of Himself. It is fitting that worship proceeds in a way that surrenders all human effort to the action of Jesus in the Mass.

People are welcomed into communion with God not because we make them feel good and part of a social club, though there is nothing inherently wrong with providing human warmth and fellowship rooted in authentic charity. People come to know God through us, through our loving actions that help them recognize God working in their lives and calling them to a deeper relationship. People earnestly seeking the truth need the Liturgy transparent to the truth, beauty and goodness of God. Otherwise, handed a slapdash human-centred pseudo-religious event will not allow a person to open himself up to the Lord Who reveals Himself through the Mass, the source and summit of the Christian's life (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1324).

The salvation of souls, which is the supreme law of the Church, cannot be conducted effectively when missionaries - which is to say any and all of us - have little or no sense of our Eucharistic identity. Furthermore, without Eucharistic identity, vocations dry up. Let's flip that around. Where there is a deep and abiding love of the Eucharist, which typically occurs in parishes that offer Eucharistic adoration and solemn Eucharistic liturgies, vocations are common, even thriving. A lack of Eucharistic fervour usually means communities have chosen sociological and psychological (or even political) priorities over fundamental spiritual priorities. When communities drop the Gospel (eucharistic) ball, or replace the word of God with a facsimile, faith and commitment evaporates.

Protestant communities continue to fall further and further away from the Apostolic Faith, entering into bizarre adaptations and deviations of doctrine because they have lost the sense of the Real Presence taught by Jesus and the Apostles. Once the Real Presence goes, so go the sacraments and any respect for God's design for human welfare. Catholics would be no different than the sects were it not for the promise Jesus gave to the Church He founded - the Catholic Church (St Matthew 16:17-19).

The love of God and neighbour impels us to reach out in truth and in charity to spread the Good News to those in most need of God's mercy. We participate in God's mission to invite all to eternal life.

Further Thoughts

1. https://www.facebook.com/reel/2830219503813098
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi5YgbiNB1U