At the end of the lesson, the student will be able to:
compare their sense of valuing the Eucharist with that of Mother Ignacia
examine Mother Ignacia’s devotion to the Eucharist as her expression of gratitude
design an action plan that manifests active participation in all Eucharistic celebration
Catholics in general realize in some way that “going to Mass” is the most basic action of Catholic worship. But few have the chance to consider all the incredibly rich meanings and values of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is how Catholics worship God as members of Christ’s Body, the Church. It is the memorial of Christ’s sacrifice, the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, and the center of his sacramental presence, uniting the “People of God,” the Church. “In the sacrament of the Eucharistic Bread the unity of believers who form one body in Christ, is both expressed and brought about” (LG 3).
Mother Ignacia was a deep spiritual woman. She always gave the Holy Eucharist a living room in her heart. In fact, the community nurtured their love for the Eucharist through their daily attendance at mass.(I.19;III.3). They received Holy communions on sundays and feast days (I.18). Rule I.19 reminds the beatas to listen to the sermons which enabled them to understand the mystery being celebrated. It is certainly through God’s grace that they were able to understand the meaning of the Eucharist in their life. (Excerpt article from “The Eucharist in the life of Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo)
Faith: Strong faith in God and Prophetic witness to Gospel values
On the day of the Sabbath. It is good to the Lord and to sing psalms to your name, O Most High: to announce your mercy in the morning, and your truth throughout the night, upon the ten strings, upon the psaltery, with a canticle, upon stringed instruments” Psalms 92:1-4
The Eucharist as the CCC clearly puts it, is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."
The Catechism adds by stating “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." (CCC 1360)
The love of Jesus filled the heart of Mo. Ignacia and sustained her throughout her life of dedicated service to the Lord. It is certainly a mystery of God’s grace at work in the heart of Mother Ignacia that drew her to the knowledge and love of Jesus in the Eucharist.
S. Ma. Anicia Co expounds the Eucharistic spirituality of Mother Ignacia in two senses.
First, Mother Ignacia was devoted to the Eucharist, the sacrament of God’s love the clearest expression of his self-giving love unto death. In fact, Mother Ignacia and her companions got the name Beatas de la Compania de Jesus because of their frequent attendance at mass and reception of the Sacraments of the Church of St. Ignatius.
Second, She lived the basic meaning of Eucharist in her life. The Eucharist comes from the Greek word “eucharistein” which means “to give thanks”. Mother Ignacia lived in the spirit of gratitude toward God whom she experienced as a generous and loving Father (1726 Rules 1.48 & III.1)
Mother Ignacia attended mass everyday. The weekly reception of Holy communion enabled her to grow in intimacy with Jesus. Mother Ignacia taught her companion beatas to trust in God’s infinite mercy because she herself experienced it.
Mother Ignacia taught her companions by her example how to overcome the obstacles and to be always in constant search for the will of God. She showed by her example how to forgive and to work towards reconciliation.
For her companions, Mother Ignacia was a model of charity in speech and action.
The community was a witness to the strength of the bond of charity flowing from the grace of the Eucharist.
The charity that animated the community of Mother Ignacia was visible in their joyful sharing of stories and partaking of meals together. Truly, the community of Mother Ignacia live out the meaning of the Eucharist as praise and thanksgiving. To share in the Eucharist is to be open to the call of service to one’s fellow human beings. The different phases of transformation in Mother Ignacia’s life and in the life of the community can be seen as the action of the Holy Spirit who inspired their faith in Jesus, the Eucharistic Lord, and guided them to live faithfully their commitment to him.
IFP Module 9 -session 1 - Mo. Ignacia and Fullness of Life
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Manila: Pauline Publication