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Holy Trinity Sunday, June 12, 2022

Dear friends,

This year as a parish we will read the recent document about the Eucharist from the United States Conference of Catholic titled “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church.” As we read another section of the document each week, I invite everyone to be aware of our growing desire and need to receive the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. Through this common reflection on the Eucharist, may we be brought closer as a community when we gather each week to receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

Be Blessed!

With love, Fr. John

The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church

On March 27, 2020, at an early point in the global pandemic, Pope Francis walked alone in the rain across an empty St. Peter’s Square to offer prayer for the world in a time of crisis. “Faith,” he said, “begins when we realize we are in need of salvation. We are not self-sufficient; by ourselves we founder: we need the Lord, like ancient navigators needed the stars.” Recalling when Jesus was asleep in the boat as a tempest was raging (Mk 4:35-41), the Holy Father said, “The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith.” On that day, Pope Francis presided over the rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction in order to focus our attention on the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The Pope was reminding us that even in a time of turbulence and crisis, Jesus is present among us, as present as he was long ago in the boat on the Sea of Galilee.

In similar fashion, Pope Saint John Paul II reminded us of this ongoing presence when he repeated to us the words of Christ: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) He proclaimed: “This promise of Christ never ceases to resound in the Church as the fertile secret of her life and the wellspring of her hope. As the day of Resurrection, Sunday is not only the remembrance of a past event: it is a celebration of the living presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of his own people."

We call on these inspiring words of the saintly Pope John Paul II as we offer these reflections on the importance of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. We do so mindful of how the pandemic has forced us to stay physically distant from one another and, for a time, to view the celebration of the Mass on a television or computer screen. Many of the faithful appear to have had their faith and their desire for the Eucharist strengthened by such a long separation. At the same time, as pastors we sense that others, having lived without Mass for so long, may have become discouraged or accustomed to life without the Eucharist. In many ways the pandemic is still with us.

As Christians we know that we need Christ to be present in our lives. He is our very sustenance as he reminded us: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” (Jn 6:53)

The Lord accompanies us in many ways, but none as profound as when we encounter him in the Eu- charist. On our journey toward eternal life, Christ nourishes us with his very self. Once, when told by someone that she no longer saw the point of going to daily Mass, the Servant of God Dorothy Day reflected: “We go eat of this fruit of the tree of life because Jesus told us to. He took upon himself our humanity that we might share in his divinity. We are nourished by his flesh that we may grow to be other Christs. I believe this literally, just as I believe the child is nourished by the milk from his mother’s breast.”

Yet, we also know that he is present to us in a way that binds us together as one body, which we pro- claim by our "Amen" in responding to the invitation: “The Body of Christ.” Again, we call on the words of the beloved Polish pope: "For this presence to be properly proclaimed and lived, it is not enough that the disciples of Christ pray individually and commemorate the death and Resurrection of Christ inwardly, in the secrecy of their hearts. Those who have received the grace of baptism are not saved as individuals alone, but as members of the Mystical Body, having become part of the People of God."

As we continue to welcome people back to the communal celebration of the Mass, it must be acknowledged that no document can exhaust the mystery of the gift of the Eucharist. Nevertheless, at various times, it is desirable to reflect on certain facets of the mystery that are relevant to contempo- rary issues and challenges and that help us to appreciate more deeply the gift of grace that has been given to us. At this particular moment for the Church in the United States, with its many challenges, we would like to reflect on Christ’s gift of himself in the Eucharist and our response to that gift.

Reflection Questions

  1. What do we say in response to the invitation, “The Body of Christ”?
  2. What are we agreeing to when we respond in such a way?
  3. How is the pandemic affecting our experience of the Eucharist?