THE EUCHARIST – BREAD OF LIFE
“At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, Our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood – which we call the Mass. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages until he come again; thus he entrusted to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection, a sacrament of love, a sigh of unity and bond of charity.” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, ch II).
Ever since that time, the Church has obeyed his command: “Do this in memory of me”. United with their priest, the faithful of all ages and condition have gathered together at Mass to offer praise and adoration to the Father, to thank him for all his blessings, to ask pardon for their sins and to beg his help in all kinds of distress. In this Sacrifice we offer Christ to his heavenly Father and unite our own lives and our own selves to Christ so that we may be transformed into his likeness. For this reason the Second Vatican Council declared that the Eucharist is the “source and the summit of the whole of the Church’s worship and of the Christian life”
From early times it was the custom to reserve the Blessed Sacrament in order to administer Viaticum to the sick: this led to the custom of adoring the sacred Food preserved in our churches, for Christ remains really and truly present under the form of bread. As we visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we are drawn to share ever more deeply in his death and resurrection and can pour out our hearts before him for ourselves, our dear ones and for the salvation and peace of the world. We offer our whole lives with Jesus to the Father through the Holy Spirit and we receive in exchange an increase of faith, hope and love. Thus also we prepare ourselves more worthily for the celebration of the Eucharist and for the reception of the Bread of Life in Holy Communion.
We are never closer to Mary than when we adore her Divine Son in the Blessed Sacrament. The story of Cana is a wonderful story of her motherly care: the loving heart of Jesus could not turn a deaf ear to his Mother’s prayers. Jesus used this incident to show us the power of Mary’s intercession and to teach us Mary’s role as Mother of the Church and powerful intercessor for her children. On the heights of Calvary Mary stood at the foot of the Cross, offering herself in total union with her Son. She has said “Yes” to the Father and her heart pleaded as did that of Jesus, “Father, forgive them.” The Father accepted the offering of Jesus and his Mother. It was there also on Calvary that Jesus gave us his Mother to be our Mother.
The Church has always associated Mary in the Mass with her Son. At the beginning of the Mass we ask God’s forgiveness of our sins through her prayers, while it is through her merits and prayers that we ask for God’s constant help and protection. Just as she stood at the foot of Calvary, so also does she now stand with us at every Mass to offer the sacrifice of her Son and our sacrifice to the Father.
Every statue or painting of our Lady of Mount Carmel shows Mary with her Son, presenting him to us. Her love is not possessive, but she wants to share Jesus with us. In the Eucharist, we learn the depths of the love of Jesus for us and he teaches us the depths of his Mother’s love for us.
The Eucharist is the bond of love and the sign of unity. Why is it that after receiving Jesus so often in Holy Communion we are so far from living as his true followers in our daily lives? Could the answer be that we do not prepare ourselves well enough to enable his grace to work its effects within us? Do we prepare ourselves for the Eucharist or do we arrive at one minute to the appointed time for Mass?
St Paul severely criticized the Christians at Corinth for their lack of appreciation of the Eucharist: he said that the Eucharist which they were offering was valid but not very fruitful because of their lack of charity. He lashed out at them: “When you come together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, for everyone is in haste to eat his own supper. One person goes hungry while another gets drunk.” (1Cor.11:30). The Eucharist is a sign of unity and a bond of love, but to have its full effect, we must come to it with the proper dispositions, we must be ready to love and forgive, we must have a firm faith and hope that it is Jesus whom we offer to the Father and whom we receive in Holy Communion and whom we worship with full hearts in the Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist must become part of our lives and not a thing apart so that we may be living signs of God’s love to all whom we meet.