Dear Friends,
We have spent the last five weekends reflecting on Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, “The Bread of Life” discourse, ending with that poignant question Jesus poses to his disciples: “Do you also want to leave?” By this time, many of those who had been following Christ had already left him; they found his teachings too difficult to accept, most especially his assertion that those who would eat his flesh and drink his blood would have eternal life. But Peter responded without hesitation, “Master, to whom shall we go?” How privileged we are to be counted among those who continue to follow Christ, even today!
Beginning this weekend, we return to Mark who narrates the incident of the Pharisees and Scribes and their preoccupation with the external observances of the law, such as cleaning one’s hands before meals. Jesus wants us to go deeper, asking us to honor God not only with our lips but, more importantly, with our hearts.
Let us continue our reflection on the Eucharist found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
ARTICLE 3: THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
- THE SACRAMENTAL SACRIFICE THANKSGIVING, MEMORIAL, PRESENCE
1356 If from the beginning Christians have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form whose substance has not changed despite the great diversity of times and liturgies, it is because we know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord gave on the eve of his Passion: "Do this in remembrance of me" (1 Cor 11:24-25).
1357 We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his creation, bread, and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.
1358 We must therefore consider the Eucharist as:
- thanksgiving and praise to the Father;
- the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
- the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.
Thanksgiving and praise to the Father
1359 The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice, the whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ, the Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.
1360 The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all "thanksgiving."
1361 The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of praise by which the Church sings the glory of God in the name of all creation. This sacrifice of praise is possible only through Christ: he unites the faithful to his person, to his praise, and to his intercession, so that the sacrifice of praise to the Father is offered through Christ and with him, to be accepted in him.
Be Blessed!
With love,
Fr. John
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