There
are copious popular and traditional devotions in our Church today. These
devotions help the faithful to find God in their lives particularly if that
devotion geared towards sharing of one’s own reality. The popular devotions
like reciting rosary, novenas, special devotion to our Lady and so on, bring
the faithful together as a family. The Church is not only a place for self-oriented
worship, rather, it is a place for the community to come together as on
e people
of God to celebrate life and fellowship with our brothers and sisters. Hence,
the Church encourages several community activities like fair, tea party, carry-away
lunch, and other types of fun-oriented events. These aforementioned events play
a fundamental role in the life of the Church in which the Church grows together
as one united community; hence prayer of Jesus, “Father, that they all may be
one” comes to effect in the Church. This contributes towards the development of
our faith.
Every
one of us draw our source from somewhere for our wellbeing and that source
helps us to endure with our lives; we need to draw from this source for the
same. What is our source in the Church? The Eucharist is our source and summit
of our Catholic Faith. My reflection revolves around the Eucharist and its
significance in our contemporary world. The Eucharist has its own significance
and it has to be understood by every Christian who intends to celebrate it. We
hear expression like, “I attend the Mass”, or “I go to see the Mass”; these
expression at times can belittle the vital role that the Eucharist plays in the
life of the faithful. Is the Eucharist a performance (stage show) where the
Choir puts up a melodious theatrical show, where readers put up their best
accent ever, or the priest showcases his brilliancy in elocution.
My
own experience during my short stay in the Rupununi has contributed enormously towards an understanding of the Eucharist. Since there is a lack of priests in
this region, the faithful in the far-lying villages have the Eucharist only
once in two months. Access to some of the villages during the rainy season is
very scant; hence priest might be able to reach these villages once in a year.
When priest does visit the village extraordinary happens. The faithful
celebrate the Eucharist with whole of their self, in other words, looks as
though they are starving for the Eucharist. The faithful gather in the Church
and they spend almost whole day in the Church; they make the Church as their
home for that day. This may not be the reality in the coast land of Guyana,
because we are privileged to have the Eucharist at least once a week.
The
Church’s long standing tradition of celebrating Eucharist still plays an essential
role in the development of our faith, because the Eucharist is the central
focus in the Church’s prayer life. The Second Vatican Council emphasised that
all other activities are directed towards the Eucharist:
“From
the liturgy, therefore, and especially from the Eucharist, as from a fountain,
grace is channelled into us; and the sanctification of men in Christ and the
glorification of God, to which all other activities of the Church are directed
as toward their goal, are most powerfully achieved” (Sacrosanctum Concilium).
The
Council Fathers’ intention is clear and explicit that the Eucharist is the centre
of the Church’s devotional life. The Eucharistic devotion is encouraged among
the faithful as the fountain from which we draw necessary graces, and the end
towards which all other acts of Catholic devotion are directed. In other words,
we derive our spiritual sustenance primarily from the Holy Eucharist.
Therefore, every other devotion is directed or pointed towards the Eucharist;
the Eucharist must take precedence over all other piety. The Catechism of the
Catholic Church emphasises by assuring of the paramount significance; the
Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life (Faith).
In
the Eucharist, we commemorate Jesus’ death and resurrection, “Do this in memory
of me.” When we celebrate the Eucharist, we do it in Jesus’ own memory, in his
own words. Jesus is directly present in the Eucharist; hence we are privileged
to be part of that sacrifice. Jesus is primarily present in four different ways
in the Eucharist, namely:
Word of God: When we read and reflect
on the word of God, Jesus makes himself present to us. We receive our
instructions and teachings from the scriptures. It is fundamental for us to
attune to the word of God, both the proclaimer and the listener. We can prepare
ourselves to hear the Word of God even before we come to the Eucharist. As
priest, it is important for me to reflect and personalize the Word of God, so
that I can break it during the Eucharistic celebration. Hence, for me it is not
a place to showcase my theological and philosophical knowledge, rather it is a
noble privilege to share the Word of God as intended by Christ himself in our
context. I am humbled for this noble privilege to share Word of God with the
faithful.
The Eucharist (Bread and Wine): Christ
is present in the Holy Eucharist; the bread and wine that priest consecrates.
We commemorate the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples; hence it is a
re-enactment of the last Supper of Christ. When we do this, we do it Jesus’
memory, as for His instruction on Last Supper. The last words of Jesus at the
table become key words for the Eucharistic consecration. At the Consecration,
the Bread and Wine is transformed into Christ’s Body and Blood. When we receive
it, we are redeemed. It is the time for us to thank the Almighty God for all
the creation, and to worship him.
Priest: The priest at the Eucharistic
table is “in persona Christi”,
meaning, he stands in the place of Christ. Hence, the consecration prayers in
first person singular, “Take this and eat
it, this is my body”, “Take this and drink, this is my cup”, “Do this in my
memory.” Priest says these prayers as though Christ is saying them to us
now. Therefore, we have to see Christ in priests who are in the place of
Christ.
Congregation: Christ is always present
in the Congregation who are active partakers in the Eucharist. We have to see
Christ in each other. The sharing of peace is an opportune time for us to identify
the presence of Christ in each other when we say “peace be with you.” We have
to overlook our differences when we celebrate the Eucharist, because Christ
intended a united Church and He has sanctified everyone with His gracious
presence.
In
conclusion, I would like to encourage every Christian to celebrate the
Eucharist and not merely participate, attend or see the Eucharist. I am sure,
when we celebrate a birthday or wedding, we really give our whole self through
socializing, dancing, singing and so on. The Eucharist must become a
celebration where we are dynamic worshippers. It makes me delighted, when I see
faithful coming to the Eucharist with hymnals and missals, which shows that
they are part of the celebration, in other words, they give their whole self;
spiritual and temporal, to the celebration of the Eucharist. When the whole
community joins in the celebration, it becomes everyone’s Eucharist, and I can
assure that we all go home taking the Eucharist with us as the nourishment for
our spiritual wellbeing. Let us yield every opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist
with an unceasing hunger for it.
