The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and other ministries and works of Catholic people, are bound together and oriented toward the Holy Eucharist.
"I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me shall not hunger. He who believes in me shall not thirst."The Gospel of St. John 6:35
At Mass, the bread and wine is changed into the total Jesus Christ, body and blood, soul and divinity. Holy Communion unites us intimately with Jesus Christ, separates us from sin, and unites with other members of the Catholic Church. Catholics normally receive the Holy Eucharist at Mass unless they need to go to Reconciliation to seek forgiveness of their serious sins.
A Community Meal
Jesus was a genius! He not only taught us that love of God and neighbor are equally important, he gave us a revolutionary way to combine the two.
He made the universal sign of human friendship and love – a meal together – the sign as well of our love for God. Just as a Thanksgiving Day dinner is our American way of giving thanks to God and one another for all the good we share, so too our Eucharist is our universal Catholic way of giving thanks to God for the love we share and bring to our world.
We Celebrate Together as the People of God
From the moment of our baptism, we are members of the People of God. Therefore we do not come to give thanks to God as isolated individuals practicing personal devotions. We come as a People who worship God in ritual words and actions that “sacramentalize,” give external expression to, our deepest beliefs and desires.
It is most appropriate, then, to join actively in all of the prayers, songs and gestures that compose our communal worship of God. The liturgy calls us to participation rather than to a privatized silence.
We Celebrate the Liturgy of the Word
Our prayer together is divided into two equally important parts, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We begin with a song that gathers our thoughts into focus and we pause to open our hearts to being reconciled with God and one another. On Sundays and feast days we sing praise to God, Father, Son and Spirit. Our priest presider gives voice to our communal prayer of worship and petition. Our resounding “Amen” says, “Yes, this is indeed our worship and our petition.”
We Celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist
Our meal is set in the context of prayers and acclamations that recall God’s loving deeds on our behalf, culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the course of this great Eucharistic Prayer, we invoke the power of the Holy Spirit to transform these gifts of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. We then ask the Spirit to enable us, God’s People, who are nourished by the body and blood of the Lord, truly to become “one body, one spirit, in Christ.” Together we respond with the Great Amen.
The Meaning of Ritual
Ritual, by its very nature, is repetitive. Repetition can enable us very often to readily participate in praying and singing. Repetition can, however, turn ritual into mere routine. Praying the same words, using the same gestures, singing the same songs can slowly drain them of real meaning for us and no longer allow them to be an authentic expression of our deepest beliefs. Good liturgy is hard work – on the part of the presider, the ministers, and all of us who participate. But it is truly worth the effort. Good liturgy transforms and enlivens all of us and sends us with genuinely renewed vigor into the opportunities and challenges of our daily lives.
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