Catholic Q/A Eucharist - Del
From Del April 2, 2009 The Catholic Eucharist - Q/A from Catholics
There are many questions about the Catholic Eucharist. Catholics
believe that Christ is truly with them in the body of the Priest, so
to speak.
I took this paragraph out from below:
What does it mean that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist under
the appearances of bread and wine? How does this happen? The presence
of the risen Christ in the Eucharist is an inexhaustible mystery that
the Church can never fully explain in words. We must remember that the
TRIUNE GOD is the creator of all that exists and has the power to do
more than we can possibly imagine. As St. Ambrose said: "If the word
of the Lord Jesus is so powerful as to bring into existence things
which were not, then a fortiori those things which already exist can
be changed into something else"
You might find the following interesting.
Introduction
The Lord Jesus, on the night before he suffered on the cross, shared
one last meal with his disciples. During this meal our Savior
instituted the sacrament of his Body and Blood. He did this in order
to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages and to
entrust to the Church his Spouse a memorial of his death and
resurrection. As the Gospel of Matthew tells us:
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke
it, and giving it to his disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my
body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt
26:26-28; cf. Mk 14:22-24, Lk 22:17-20, 1 Cor 11:23-25)
Recalling these words of Jesus, the Catholic Church professes that, in
the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the
instrumentality of the priest. Jesus said: "I am the living bread that
came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and
the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. . .
. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (Jn 6:51-55).
The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity,
under the appearances of bread and wine—the glorified Christ who rose
from the dead after dying for our sins. This is what the Church means
when she speaks of the "Real Presence" of Christ in the Eucharist.
This presence of Christ in the Eucharist is called "real" not to
exclude other types of his presence as if they could not be understood
as real (cf. Catechism, no. 1374). The risen Christ is present to his
Church in many ways, but most especially through the sacrament of his
Body and Blood.
What does it mean that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist under
the appearances of bread and wine? How does this happen? The presence
of the risen Christ in the Eucharist is an inexhaustible mystery that
the Church can never fully explain in words. We must remember that the
triune God is the creator of all that exists and has the power to do
more than we can possibly imagine. As St. Ambrose said: "If the word
of the Lord Jesus is so powerful as to bring into existence things
which were not, then a fortiori those things which already exist can
be changed into something else" (De Sacramentis, IV, 5-16). God
created the world in order to share his life with persons who are not
God. This great plan of salvation reveals a wisdom that surpasses our
understanding. But we are not left in ignorance: for out of his love
for us, God reveals his truth to us in ways that we can understand
through the gift of faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit dwelling in
us. We are thus enabled to understand at least in some measure what
would otherwise remain unknown to us, though we can never completely
comprehend the mystery of God.
As successors of the Apostles and teachers of the Church, the bishops
have the duty to hand on what God has revealed to us and to encourage
all members of the Church to deepen their understanding of the mystery
and gift of the Eucharist. In order to foster such a deepening of
faith, we have prepared this text to respond to fifteen questions that
commonly arise with regard to the Real Presence of Christ in the
Eucharist. We offer this text to pastors and religious educators to
assist them in their teaching responsibilities. We recognize that some
of these questions involve rather complex theological ideas. It is our
hope, however, that study and discussion of the text will aid many of
the Catholic faithful in our country to enrich their understanding of
this mystery of the faith.
1. Why does Jesus give himself to us as food and drink?
Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist as spiritual
nourishment because he loves us. God's whole plan for our salvation is
directed to our participation in the life of the Trinity, the
communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our sharing in this life
begins with our Baptism, when by the power of the Holy Spirit we are
joined to Christ, thus becoming adopted sons and daughters of the
Father. It is strengthened and increased in Confirmation. It is
nourished and deepened through our participation in the Eucharist. By
eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist we
become united to the person of Christ through his humanity. "Whoever
eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him" (Jn
6:56). In being united to the humanity of Christ we are at the same
time united to his divinity. Our mortal and corruptible natures are
transformed by being joined to the source of life. "Just as the living
Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one
who feeds on me will have life because of me" (Jn 6:57).
By being united to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit
dwelling in us, we are drawn up into the eternal relationship of love
among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As Jesus is the
eternal Son of God by nature, so we become sons and daughters of God
by adoption through the sacrament of Baptism. Through the sacraments
of Baptism and Confirmation (Chrismation), we are temples of the Holy
Spirit, who dwells in us, and by his indwelling we are made holy by
the gift of sanctifying grace. The ultimate promise of the Gospel is
that we will share in the life of the Holy Trinity. The Fathers of the
Church called this participation in the divine life "divinization"
(theosis). In this we see that God does not merely send us good things
from on high; instead, we are brought up into the inner life of God,
the communion among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the
celebration of the Eucharist (which means "thanksgiving") we give
praise and glory to God for this sublime gift.
2. Why is the Eucharist not only a meal but also a sacrifice?
While our sins would have made it impossible for us to share in
the life of God, Jesus Christ was sent to remove this obstacle. His
death was a sacrifice for our sins. Christ is "the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29). Through his death and
resurrection, he conquered sin and death and reconciled us to God. The
Eucharist is the memorial of this sacrifice. The Church gathers to
remember and to re-present the sacrifice of Christ in which we share
through the action of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are joined to Christ's
sacrifice and receive its inexhaustible benefits.
As the Letter to the Hebrews explains, Jesus is the one eternal
high priest who always lives to make intercession for the people
before the Father. In this way, he surpasses the many high priests who
over centuries used to offer sacrifices for sin in the Jerusalem
temple. The eternal high priest Jesus offers the perfect sacrifice
which is his very self, not something else. "He entered once for all
into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with
his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption" (Heb 9:12).
Jesus' act belongs to human history, for he is truly human and
has entered into history. At the same time, however, Jesus Christ is
the Second Person of the Holy Trinity; he is the eternal Son, who is
not confined within time or history. His actions transcend time, which
is part of creation. "Passing through the greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation"
(Heb 9:11), Jesus the eternal Son of God made his act of sacrifice in
the presence of his Father, who lives in eternity. Jesus' one perfect
sacrifice is thus eternally present before the Father, who eternally
accepts it. This means that in the Eucharist, Jesus does not sacrifice
himself again and again. Rather, by the power of the Holy Spirit his
one eternal sacrifice is made present once again, re-presented, so
that we may share in it.
Christ does not have to leave where he is in heaven to be with
us. Rather, we partake of the heavenly liturgy where Christ eternally
intercedes for us and presents his sacrifice to the Father and where
the angels and saints constantly glorify God and give thanks for all
his gifts: "To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be
blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever" (Rev 5:13). As
the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "By the Eucharistic
celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and
anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all" (no. 1326). The
Sanctus proclamation, "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord . . . ," is the song of
the angels who are in the presence of God (Is 6:3). When in the
Eucharist we proclaim the Sanctus we echo on earth the song of angels
as they worship God in heaven. In the eucharistic celebration we do
not simply remember an event in history. Rather, through the
mysterious action of the Holy Spirit in the eucharistic celebration
the Lord's Paschal Mystery is made present and contemporaneous to his
Spouse the Church.
Furthermore, in the eucharistic re-presentation of Christ's
eternal sacrifice before the Father, we are not simply spectators. The
priest and the worshiping community are in different ways active in
the eucharistic sacrifice. The ordained priest standing at the altar
represents Christ as head of the Church. All the baptized, as members
of Christ's Body, share in his priesthood, as both priest and victim.
The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. The Church, which
is the Body and Bride of Christ, participates in the sacrificial
offering of her Head and Spouse. In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of
Christ becomes the sacrifice of the members of his Body who united to
Christ form one sacrificial offering (cf. Catechism, no. 1368). As
Christ's sacrifice is made sacramentally present, united with Christ,
we offer ourselves as a sacrifice to the Father. "The whole Church
exercises the role of priest and victim along with Christ, offering
the Sacrifice of the Mass and itself completely offered in it"
(Mysterium Fidei, no. 31; cf. Lumen Gentium, no. 11).
3. When the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ, why
do they still look and taste like bread and wine?
In the celebration of the Eucharist, the glorified Christ
becomes present under the appearances of bread and wine in a way that
is unique, a way that is uniquely suited to the Eucharist. In the
Church's traditional theological language, in the act of consecration
during the Eucharist the "substance" of the bread and wine is changed
by the power of the Holy Spirit into the "substance" of the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the "accidents" or
appearances of bread and wine remain. "Substance" and "accident" are
here used as philosophical terms that have been adapted by great
medieval theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas in their efforts to
understand and explain the faith. Such terms are used to convey the
fact that what appears to be bread and wine in every way (at the level
of "accidents" or physical attributes - that is, what can be seen,
touched, tasted, or measured) in fact is now the Body and Blood of
Christ (at the level of "substance" or deepest reality). This change
at the level of substance from bread and wine into the Body and Blood
of Christ is called "transubstantiation." According to Catholic faith,
we can speak of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because
this transubstantiation has occurred (cf. Catechism, no. 1376).
This is a great mystery of our faith—we can only know it from
Christ's teaching given us in the Scriptures and in the Tradition of
the Church. Every other change that occurs in the world involves a
change in accidents or characteristics. Sometimes the accidents change
while the substance remains the same. For example, when a child
reaches adulthood, the characteristics of the human person change in
many ways, but the adult remains the same person—the same substance.
At other times, the substance and the accidents both change. For
example, when a person eats an apple, the apple is incorporated into
the body of that person—is changed into the body of that person. When
this change of substance occurs, however, the accidents or
characteristics of the apple do not remain. As the apple is changed
into the body of the person, it takes on the accidents or
characteristics of the body of that person. Christ's presence in the
Eucharist is unique in that, even though the consecrated bread and
wine truly are in substance the Body and Blood of Christ, they have
none of the accidents or characteristics of a human body, but only
those of bread and wine.
4. Does the bread cease to be bread and the wine cease to be wine?
Yes. In order for the whole Christ to be present—body, blood,
soul, and divinity—the bread and wine cannot remain, but must give way
so that his glorified Body and Blood may be present. Thus in the
Eucharist the bread ceases to be bread in substance, and becomes the
Body of Christ, while the wine ceases to be wine in substance, and
becomes the Blood of Christ. As St. Thomas Aquinas observed, Christ is
not quoted as saying, "This bread is my body," but "This is my body"
(Summa Theologiae, III q. 78, a. 5).
5. Is it fitting that Christ's Body and Blood become present in the
Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine?
Yes, for this way of being present corresponds perfectly to the
sacramental celebration of the Eucharist. Jesus Christ gives himself
to us in a form that employs the symbolism inherent in eating bread
and drinking wine. Furthermore, being present under the appearances of
bread and wine, Christ gives himself to us in a form that is
appropriate for human eating and drinking. Also, this kind of presence
corresponds to the virtue of faith, for the presence of the Body and
Blood of Christ cannot be detected or discerned by any way other than
faith. That is why St. Bonaventure affirmed: "There is no difficulty
over Christ's being present in the sacrament as in a sign; the great
difficulty is in the fact that He is really in the sacrament, as He is
in heaven. And so believing this is especially meritorious" (In IV
Sent., dist. X, P. I, art. un., qu. I). On the authority of God who
reveals himself to us, by faith we believe that which cannot be
grasped by our human faculties (cf. Catechism, no. 1381).
6. Are the consecrated bread and wine "merely symbols"?
In everyday language, we call a "symbol" something that points
beyond itself to something else, often to several other realities at
once. The transformed bread and wine that are the Body and Blood of
Christ are not merely symbols because they truly are the Body and
Blood of Christ. As St. John Damascene wrote: "The bread and wine are
not a foreshadowing of the body and blood of Christ—By no means!—but
the actual deified body of the Lord, because the Lord Himself said:
‘This is my body'; not ‘a foreshadowing of my body' but ‘my body,' and
not ‘a foreshadowing of my blood' but ‘my blood'" (The Orthodox Faith,
IV [PG 94, 1148-49]).
At the same time, however, it is important to recognize that the
Body and Blood of Christ come to us in the Eucharist in a sacramental
form. In other words, Christ is present under the appearances of bread
and wine, not in his own proper form. We cannot presume to know all
the reasons behind God's actions. God uses, however, the symbolism
inherent in the eating of bread and the drinking of wine at the
natural level to illuminate the meaning of what is being accomplished
in the Eucharist through Jesus Christ.
There are various ways in which the symbolism of eating bread
and drinking wine discloses the meaning of the Eucharist. For example,
just as natural food gives nourishment to the body, so the eucharistic
food gives spiritual nourishment. Furthermore, the sharing of an
ordinary meal establishes a certain communion among the people who
share it; in the Eucharist, the People of God share a meal that brings
them into communion not only with each other but with the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Similarly, as St. Paul tells us, the single loaf that
is shared among many during the eucharistic meal is an indication of
the unity of those who have been called together by the Holy Spirit as
one body, the Body of Christ (1 Cor 10:17). To take another example,
the individual grains of wheat and individual grapes have to be
harvested and to undergo a process of grinding or crushing before they
are unified as bread and as wine. Because of this, bread and wine
point to both the union of the many that takes place in the Body of
Christ and the suffering undergone by Christ, a suffering that must
also be embraced by his disciples. Much more could be said about the
many ways in which the eating of bread and drinking of wine symbolize
what God does for us through Christ, since symbols carry multiple
meanings and connotations.
7. Do the consecrated bread and wine cease to be the Body and Blood
of Christ when the Mass is over?
No. During the celebration of the Eucharist, the bread and wine
become the Body and Blood of Christ, and this they remain. They cannot
turn back into bread and wine, for they are no longer bread and wine
at all. There is thus no reason for them to change back to their
"normal" state after the special circumstances of the Mass are past.
Once the substance has really changed, the presence of the Body and
Blood of Christ "endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist"
(Catechism, no. 1377). Against those who maintained that the bread
that is consecrated during the Eucharist has no sanctifying power if
it is left over until the next day, St. Cyril of Alexandria replied,
"Christ is not altered, nor is his holy body changed, but the power of
the consecration and his life-giving grace is perpetual in it" (Letter
83, to Calosyrius, Bishop of Arsinoe [PG 76, 1076]). The Church
teaches that Christ remains present under the appearances of bread and
wine as long as the appearances of bread and wine remain (cf.
Catechism, no. 1377).
8. Why are some of the consecrated hosts reserved after the Mass?
While it would be possible to eat all of the bread that is
consecrated during the Mass, some is usually kept in the tabernacle.
The Body of Christ under the appearance of bread that is kept or
"reserved" after the Mass is commonly referred to as the "Blessed
Sacrament." There are several pastoral reasons for reserving the
Blessed Sacrament. First of all, it is used for distribution to the
dying (Viaticum), the sick, and those who legitimately cannot be
present for the celebration of the Eucharist. Secondly, the Body of
Christ in the form of bread is to be adored when it is exposed, as in
the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, when it is carried
in eucharistic processions, or when it is simply placed in the
tabernacle, before which people pray privately. These devotions are
based on the fact that Christ himself is present under the appearance
of bread. Many holy people well known to American Catholics, such as
St. John Neumann, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Katharine Drexel, and
Blessed Damien of Molokai, practiced great personal devotion to Christ
present in the Blessed Sacrament. In the Eastern Catholic Churches,
devotion to the reserved Blessed Sacrament is practiced most directly
at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, offered on weekdays
of Lent.
9. What are appropriate signs of reverence with respect to the Body
and Blood of Christ?
The Body and Blood of Christ present under the appearances of
bread and wine are treated with the greatest reverence both during and
after the celebration of the Eucharist (cf. Mysterium Fidei, nos.
56-61). For example, the tabernacle in which the consecrated bread is
reserved is placed "in some part of the church or oratory which is
distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for
prayer" (Code of Canon Law, Can. 938, §2). According to the tradition
of the Latin Church, one should genuflect in the presence of the
tabernacle containing the reserved sacrament. In the Eastern Catholic
Churches, the traditional practice is to make the sign of the cross
and to bow profoundly. The liturgical gestures from both traditions
reflect reverence, respect, and adoration. It is appropriate for the
members of the assembly to greet each other in the gathering space of
the church (that is, the vestibule or narthex), but it is not
appropriate to speak in loud or boisterous tones in the body of the
church (that is, the nave) because of the presence of Christ in the
tabernacle. Also, the Church requires everyone to fast before
receiving the Body and Blood of Christ as a sign of reverence and
recollection (unless illness prevents one from doing so). In the Latin
Church, one must generally fast for at least one hour; members of
Eastern Catholic Churches must follow the practice established by
their own Church.
10. If someone without faith eats and drinks the consecrated bread
and wine, does he or she still receive the Body and Blood of Christ?
If "to receive" means "to consume," the answer is yes, for what
the person consumes is the Body and Blood of Christ. If "to receive"
means "to accept the Body and Blood of Christ knowingly and willingly
as what they are, so as to obtain the spiritual benefit," then the
answer is no. A lack of faith on the part of the person eating and
drinking the Body and Blood of Christ cannot change what these are,
but it does prevent the person from obtaining the spiritual benefit,
which is communion with Christ. Such reception of Christ's Body and
Blood would be in vain and, if done knowingly, would be sacrilegious
(1 Cor 11:29). Reception of the Blessed Sacrament is not an automatic
remedy. If we do not desire communion with Christ, God does not force
this upon us. Rather, we must by faith accept God's offer of communion
in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, and cooperate with God's grace in
order to have our hearts and minds transformed and our faith and love
of God increased.
11. If a believer who is conscious of having committed a mortal sin
eats and drinks the consecrated bread and wine, does he or she still
receive the Body and Blood of Christ?
Yes. The attitude or disposition of the recipient cannot change
what the consecrated bread and wine are. The question here is thus not
primarily about the nature of the Real Presence, but about how sin
affects the relationship between an individual and the Lord. Before
one steps forward to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy
Communion, one needs to be in a right relationship with the Lord and
his Mystical Body, the Church - that is, in a state of grace, free of
all mortal sin. While sin damages, and can even destroy, that
relationship, the sacrament of Penance can restore it. St. Paul tells
us that "whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord
unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A
person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup"
(1 Cor 11:27-28). Anyone who is conscious of having committed a mortal
sin should be reconciled through the sacrament of Penance before
receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, unless a grave reason exists
for doing so and there is no opportunity for confession. In this case,
the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of
perfect contrition, that is, an act of sorrow for sins that "arises
from a love by which God is loved above all else" (Catechism, no.
1452). The act of perfect contrition must be accompanied by the firm
intention of making a sacramental confession as soon as possible.
12. Does one receive the whole Christ if one receives Holy Communion
under a single form?
Yes. Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is wholly present under
the appearance either of bread or of wine in the Eucharist.
Furthermore, Christ is wholly present in any fragment of the
consecrated Host or in any drop of the Precious Blood. Nevertheless,
it is especially fitting to receive Christ in both forms during the
celebration of the Eucharist. This allows the Eucharist to appear more
perfectly as a banquet, a banquet that is a foretaste of the banquet
that will be celebrated with Christ at the end of time when the
Kingdom of God is established in its fullness (cf. Eucharisticum
Mysterium, no. 32).
13. Is Christ present during the celebration of the Eucharist in
other ways in addition to his Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament?
Yes. Christ is present during the Eucharist in various ways. He
is present in the person of the priest who offers the sacrifice of the
Mass. According to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the
Second Vatican Council, Christ is present in his Word "since it is he
himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church."
He is also present in the assembled people as they pray and sing, "for
he has promised ‘where two or three are gathered together in my name
there am I in the midst of them' (Mt 18:20)" (Sacrosanctum Concilium,
no. 7). Furthermore, he is likewise present in other sacraments; for
example, "when anybody baptizes it is really Christ himself who
baptizes" (ibid.).
We speak of the presence of Christ under the appearances of
bread and wine as "real" in order to emphasize the special nature of
that presence. What appears to be bread and wine is in its very
substance the Body and Blood of Christ. The entire Christ is present,
God and man, body and blood, soul and divinity. While the other ways
in which Christ is present in the celebration of the Eucharist are
certainly not unreal, this way surpasses the others. "This presence is
called ‘real' not to exclude the idea that the others are ‘real' too,
but rather to indicate presence par excellence, because it is
substantial and through it Christ becomes present whole and entire,
God and man" (Mysterium Fidei, no. 39).
14. Why do we speak of the "Body of Christ" in more than one sense?
First, the Body of Christ refers to the human body of Jesus
Christ, who is the divine Word become man. During the Eucharist, the
bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. As human, Jesus
Christ has a human body, a resurrected and glorified body that in the
Eucharist is offered to us in the form of bread and wine.
Secondly, as St. Paul taught us in his letters, using the
analogy of the human body, the Church is the Body of Christ, in which
many members are united with Christ their head (1 Cor 10:16-17,
12:12-31; Rom 12:4-8). This reality is frequently referred to as the
Mystical Body of Christ. All those united to Christ, the living and
the dead, are joined together as one Body in Christ. This union is not
one that can be seen by human eyes, for it is a mystical union brought
about by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Mystical Body of Christ and the eucharistic Body of Christ
are inseparably linked. By Baptism we enter the Mystical Body of
Christ, the Church, and by receiving the eucharistic Body of Christ we
are strengthened and built up into the Mystical Body of Christ. The
central act of the Church is the celebration of the Eucharist; the
individual believers are sustained as members of the Church, members
of the Mystical Body of Christ, through their reception of the Body of
Christ in the Eucharist. Playing on the two meanings of "Body of
Christ," St. Augustine tells those who are to receive the Body of
Christ in the Eucharist: "Be what you see, and receive what you are"
(Sermon 272). In another sermon he says, "If you receive worthily, you
are what you have received" (Sermon 227).
The work of the Holy Spirit in the celebration of the Eucharist
is twofold in a way that corresponds to the twofold meaning of "Body
of Christ." On the one hand, it is through the power of the Holy
Spirit that the risen Christ and his act of sacrifice become present.
In the eucharistic prayer, the priest asks the Father to send the Holy
Spirit down upon the gifts of bread and wine to transform them into
the Body and Blood of Christ (a prayer known as the epiclesis or
"invocation upon"). On the other hand, at the same time the priest
also asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit down upon the whole
assembly so that "those who take part in the Eucharist may be one body
and one spirit" (Catechism, no. 1353). It is through the Holy Spirit
that the gift of the eucharistic Body of Christ comes to us and
through the Holy Spirit that we are joined to Christ and each other as
the Mystical Body of Christ.
By this we can see that the celebration of the Eucharist does
not just unite us to God as individuals who are isolated from one
another. Rather, we are united to Christ together with all the other
members of the Mystical Body. The celebration of the Eucharist should
thus increase our love for one another and remind us of our
responsibilities toward one another. Furthermore, as members of the
Mystical Body, we have a duty to represent Christ and to bring Christ
to the world. We have a responsibility to share the Good News of
Christ not only by our words but also by how we live our lives. We
also have a responsibility to work against all the forces in our world
that oppose the Gospel, including all forms of injustice. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: "The Eucharist commits us
to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up
for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren" (no.
1397).
15. Why do we call the presence of Christ in the Eucharist a "mystery"?
The word "mystery" is commonly used to refer to something that
escapes the full comprehension of the human mind. In the Bible,
however, the word has a deeper and more specific meaning, for it
refers to aspects of God's plan of salvation for humanity, which has
already begun but will be completed only with the end of time. In
ancient Israel, through the Holy Spirit God revealed to the prophets
some of the secrets of what he was going to accomplish for the
salvation of his people (cf. Am 3:7; Is 21:28; Dan 2:27-45). Likewise,
through the preaching and teaching of Jesus, the mystery of "the
Kingdom of God" was being revealed to his disciples (Mk 4:11-12). St.
Paul explained that the mysteries of God may challenge our human
understanding or may even seem to be foolishness, but their meaning is
revealed to the People of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
(cf. 1 Cor 1:18-25, 2:6-10; Rom 16:25-27; Rev 10:7).
The Eucharist is a mystery because it participates in the
mystery of Jesus Christ and God's plan to save humanity through
Christ. We should not be surprised if there are aspects of the
Eucharist that are not easy to understand, for God's plan for the
world has repeatedly surpassed human expectations and human
understanding (cf. Jn 6:60-66). For example, even the disciples did
not at first understand that it was necessary for the Messiah to be
put to death and then to rise from the dead (cf. Mk 8:31-33, 9:31-32,
10:32-34; Mt 16: 21-23, 17:22-23, 20:17-19; Lk 9:22, 9:43-45,
18:31-34). Furthermore, any time that we are speaking of God we need
to keep in mind that our human concepts never entirely grasp God. We
must not try to limit God to our understanding, but allow our
understanding to be stretched beyond its normal limitations by God's
revelation.
Conclusion
By his Real Presence in the Eucharist Christ fulfils his promise to be
with us "always, until the end of the age" (Mt 28:20). As St. Thomas
Aquinas wrote, "It is the law of friendship that friends should live
together. . . . Christ has not left us without his bodily presence in
this our pilgrimage, but he joins us to himself in this sacrament in
the reality of his body and blood" (Summa Theologiae, III q. 75, a.
1). With this gift of Christ's presence in our midst, the Church is
truly blessed. As Jesus told his disciples, referring to his presence
among them, "Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you
hear but did not hear it" (Mt 13:17). In the Eucharist the Church both
receives the gift of Jesus Christ and gives grateful thanks to God for
such a blessing. This thanksgiving is the only proper response, for
through this gift of himself in the celebration of the Eucharist under
the appearances of bread and wine Christ gives us the gift of eternal
life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of
Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats
my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on
the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. .
. . Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the
Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
(Jn 6:53-57)