August 25, 2019

When Vatican II described the Eucharist as the “source and summit of the Church’s life” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #10), Catholics began to participate more actively at Mass, now celebrated in their mother tongue. Laypeople began serving as lectors and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. Today, we reaffirm with great joy our faith in the Eucharist, the Mystery that constitutes the heart of the Church.
The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is a unique feast and constitutes an important encounter of faith and praise for every Christian community. This feast originated in a specific histori-cal and cultural context: it was born for the very precise purpose of openly reaffirming the faith of the People of God in Jesus Christ, alive and truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is a feast that was established in order to publicly adore, praise and thank the Lord, who continues nourish us through His Body and Blood.
In the 13th century, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the beautiful prayer: “O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. Amen.”
The Eucharist is indeed “a pledge of future glory,” a reminder of the eternal banquet to which we have been invited. Like the disciples at Emmaus, we recognize Jesus in “the breaking of the bread” (the Eucharist) and recognize that this sacrament strengthens our baptismal call to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Fr. Dan