United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Book of Readings on the Eucharist

PASTORAL LITURGY SERIES THREE

BISHOPS COMMITTEE ON THE LITURGY
UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
Washington, D.C.

FOREWORD
Mass and Eucharistic Procession for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
POPE JOHN PAUL II

CHAPTER 1
The Eucharist Builds the Church
POPE JOHN PAUL II

CHAPTER 2
The Holy Eucharist Unites Heaven and Earth
CARDINAL FRANCIS ARINZE

CHAPTER 3
Eucharist in the Church and the World
CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE

CHAPTER 4
Theology of the Eucharist
ARCHBISHOP DANIEL PILARCZYK

CHAPTER 5
Eucharist and Trinity
FR. J. AUGUSTINE DINOIA, OP

CHAPTER 6
Sunday and the Eucharistic Celebration
MSGR. JAMES P. MORONEY

CHAPTER 7
The Eight Beatitudes of the Eucharistic Prayer FR. CHARLES E. MILLER, CM

CHAPTER 8
Eucharist as Formation for Mission
SR. ANN REHRAUER, OSF

CHAPTER 9
Eucharist and Justice
SR. JOYCE ANN ZIMMERMAN, CPPS

CHAPTER 10
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
FR. JEREMY DRISCOLL, OSB

CHAPTER 11
The Eucharist and Inculturation
SR. DORIS MARY TUREK, SSND

1. As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes (1 Cor 11:26).

With these words St. Paul reminds the Christians of Corinth that the Lords Supper is not only a convivial meeting but also, and above all, the memorial of the redeeming sacrifice of Christ. Those who take part in it, the Apostle explains, are united with the mystery of the death of the Lord, and indeed, proclaim him.

Thus, there is a very close relationship between building the Eucharist and proclaiming Christ. At the same time, entering into communion with him in the memorial of Easter also means becoming missionaries of the event which that rite actualizes; in a certain sense, it means making it contemporary with every epoch, until the Lord comes again.

2. Dear brothers and sisters, we are reliving this wonderful reality in todays Solemnity of Corpus Christi, during which the Church does not only celebrate the Eucharist but solemnly bears it in procession, publicly proclaiming that the Sacrifice of Christ is for the salvation of the whole world.

Grateful for this immense gift, her members gather round the Blessed Sacrament, for that is the source and summit of her being and action. Ecclesia de Eucharistia vivit! The Church draws her life from the Eucharist and knows that this truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery in which she consists (cf. Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucaristia , no. 1).

3. Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with confident hope (ibid.). Thinking precisely of this, I wanted to dedicate the first Encyclical of the new millennium to the Eucharist and I am now pleased to announce a special Year of the Eucharist. It will begin with the World Eucharistic Congress, planned to take place from 10 to 17 October 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and will end with the next Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, that will be held in the Vatican from 2 to 29 October 2005 and whose theme will be: The Eucharist: source and summit of the life and mission of the Church .

Through the Eucharist, the Ecclesial Community is built up as a new Jerusalem, a principle of unity in Christ among different persons and peoples.

4. You give them something to eat (Lk 9:13).

The Gospel passage we have just heard offers us a vivid image of the close bond that exists between the Eucharist and this universal mission of the Church. Christ, the living bread which came down from heaven (Jn 6:51; cf. Gospel Acclamation ), is the only one who can appease the hunger of human beings of every time and in every corner of the earth.

However, he does not want to do this on his own , so he involves the disciples, as he did in the multiplication of the loaves: Taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd (Lk 9:16). This miraculous sign is the symbol of the greatest mystery of love which is renewed every day at Holy Mass: through the ordained ministers, Christ gives his Body and his Blood for the life of humanity. And all those who partake of his Banquet with dignity become living instruments of his presence of love, mercy and peace.

5. Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem!... Sion, praise the Saviour / your guide, your pastor / with hymns and canticles.

With untold emotion, we hear this invitation to praise and joy echoing in our hearts. At the end of Holy Mass we will carry the Divine Sacrament in procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Looking at Mary, we will understand better the transforming power that the Eucharist possesses. Listening to her, we will find in the Eucharistic mystery the courage and energy to follow Christ, the Good Shepherd, and to serve him in the brethren.

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John Paul II, Homily at the Mass and Eucharistic Procession for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Basilica of St. John Lateran (June 10, 2004), http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/2004/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20040610_corpus-domini_en.html.

Chapter 2 from Encyclical On the Eucharist (Ecclesiae de Eucharistia)

21. The Second Vatican Council teaches that the celebration of the Eucharist is at the center of the process of the Churchs growth. After stating that the Church, as the Kingdom of Christ already present in mystery, grows visibly in the world through the power of God,

A causal influence of the Eucharist is present at the Churchs very origins. The Evangelists specify that it was the Twelve, the Apostles, who gathered with Jesus at the Last Supper (cf. Mt 26:20; Mk 14:17; Lk 22:14). This is a detail of notable importance, for the Apostles were both the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy. the actions and words of Jesus at the Last Supper laid the foundations of the new messianic community, the People of the New Covenant.

The Apostles, by accepting in the Upper Room Jesus invitation: Take, eat, Drink of it, all of you (Mt 26:26-27), entered for the first time into sacramental communion with him. From that time forward, until the end of the age, the Church is built up through sacramental communion with the Son of God who was sacrificed for our sake: Do this is remembrance of me... Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me (1 Cor 11:24-25; cf. Lk 22:19).

22. Incorporation into Christ, which is brought about by Baptism, is constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, especially by that full sharing which takes place in sacramental communion. We can say not only that each of us receives Christ , but also that Christ receives each of us . He enters into friendship with us: You are my friends (Jn 15:14). Indeed, it is because of him that we have life: He who eats me will live because of me (Jn 6:57). Eucharistic communion brings about in a sublime way the mutual abiding of Christ and each of his followers: Abide in me, and I in you (Jn 15:4).

By its union with Christ, the People of the New Covenant, far from closing in upon itself, becomes a sacrament for humanity,