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In the Heart of the Church |
The
Eucharistic Mystery Calls For Our Response
Cardinal Francis Arinze
Many events in the Church in the last three years have in a special
way oriented our attention to the Holy Eucharist. In April 2003, the
Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, gave to the Church the beautiful
Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia. At his direction, the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
issued the Instruction, Redemptionis Sacramentum in March 2004. A
special Eucharistic Year declared by Pope John Paul was celebrated
by the whole Church from October 2004 to October 2005. The October
2005 Synod of Bishops has the Eucharistic mystery as its theme. In
this specially Eucharistic climate, it is fitting that we now
reflect on what the Lord Jesus asks of us in this mystery of the
Holy Eucharist. The Eucharistic mystery calls for our response.
1. Holy Eucharist: Christ's inestimable gift
We begin with a statement of fact. The Holy Eucharist is Christ's
inestimable gift to his Church. He did not just live for us, work
miracles, teach us, and suffer, die and rise again for love of us
and for our salvation. He found a wonderful way to continue to be
with us and to associate his Church with his sacrifice in a
sacramental way. The Second Vatican Council summarises our faith in
the Eucharistic mystery: "At the Last Supper, on the night when He
was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of
His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice
of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again,
and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of
His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a
bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the
mind is filled with grace, a pledge of future glory is given to us"
( Sacrosanctum Concilium, 47; cf also Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 1323).
The Holy Eucharist is sacrifice, sacrament and presence. As
sacrifice, the Holy Eucharist is the sacramental re-presentation of
the paschal mystery, that is, of the suffering, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. "Do this as a memorial of me" (I Cor
11:25) is the injunction that Jesus gave his Church through the
Apostles. At Holy Mass Jesus Christ associates the Church with
himself in the offering of himself to God the Father. The Mass is
offered for four principal motives: adoration, thanksgiving with
praise, asking pardon for our sins with reparation, and requesting
for what we need for body and soul.
The Holy Eucharist is also Sacrament of the Body and Blood of
Christ. At consecration the bread is no longer bread, it becomes the
Body of Christ; the wine is no longer wine, it becomes the Blood of
Christ. The Council of Trent teaches us that in the Most Blessed
Sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the
soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the
whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained" (DS,
1651; cf CCC, 1374). The Real Presence of Christ in the Holy
Eucharist is therefore very much a part of our Catholic faith.
Jesus is present as our Eucharistic Lord. This type of presence is
very special. It surpasses all other forms of presence. It is much
more than his presence in the Word of God proclaimed in the
liturgical assembly, or his presence in the people of God gathered
in worship, or his presence and action in the priest celebrant, or
even his presence and action in all the other Sacraments. We call
the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist the Real Presence (cf
Paul VI: Mysterium Fidei, 39; Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7; CCC, 1374),
because it is a very special presence, his presence par excellence.
In front of this inestimable gift and mystery, what does Jesus ask
of us?
2. Faith
The first thing that Jesus asks of us is faith. When God speaks to
us, we are expected to listen, to receive, to believe. We are not
expected to challenge, to doubt, to argue, or to hire half a dozen
lawyers or even theologians who are to find out more facts from him
before we decide what our attitude should be. This would be most
disrespectful, indeed stubborn and unbelieving. We should not behave
like those Jews who on hearing Christ promise that he would give
them his body to eat and his blood to drink, refused to believe and
retorted: "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (Jn 6:52).
Indeed those unbelieving disciples "returned to their former way of
life and no longer accompanied him" (Jn 6:66). Rather we should in
total faith reply like St Peter who spoke on behalf of the believing
Apostles when Jesus asked if they also would go away: "Master, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come
to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" (Jn
6:68-69). Here are words of a person of faith. Peter believes
because Jesus the Son of God has spoken. And God is neither deceived
nor can he deceive. Peter does not need to understand how. It is
enough for him to know that Jesus has spoken. Faith is an act of
total trust in God who is Truth itself. It is a personal adherence
of man to God. The act of faith is most reasonable because it is
entirely and supremely reasonable for us human beings to accept what
God has said, to entrust our everything will, intelligence,
future, prospects to him. Indeed, the person who refuses to
believe God is unreasonable, arrogant, insolent and most foolishly
self-sufficient. Moreover, God's grace makes supernatural faith
possible: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the
divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace" (St
Thomas Aquinas II-III, 2, 9; cf. Vat I: Dei Filius, 3 in DS 3010;
CCC, 155, 156).
Faith does not make everything clear to us. It is a sacrifice of our
intelligence and will. But it calls on us to meditate on what God
has revealed, to read the Holy Scripture, to compare one article of
revelation with another, in short to seek understanding, as far as
our puny powers of intelligence can go. Theology is faith seeking
understanding, says St Anselm (cf Prosl. Prooem.: PL 153, 225 A;
also CCC, 158). St Augustine puts it this way: "I believe, in order
to understand; and I understand, the better to believe" ( Sermo 43,
7, 9: PL 38, 257-258). All of us will not rise to the dizzy
theological heights of St Thomas Aquinas and St Augustine. But all
of us can read the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and
from time to time some good book on the teachings of the Fathers of
the Church, of the General Councils, and the magisterium of the
Popes. In this way our faith is nourished, strengthened and
promoted. And we are better equipped to articulate it, to give to
anyone who asks of us a statement of what we believe and the reason
for our faith (cf I Pet 3:15).
3. Adoration
Adoration is consequent on our Eucharistic faith. If we believe that
the Sacrifice of the Mass is a sacramental re-presentation of the
Sacrifice of the Cross, and that Jesus is really, truly and
substantially present in this august Sacrament, adoration is going
to follow.
The Mass is the supreme act of adoration, praise and thanksgiving
which humanity can offer to God. We owe everything to God: life,
family, talents, work, country. Moreover God has sent us his
only-begotten Son for our salvation. At Mass we offer God this
supreme acknowledgment of his transcendent majesty and thanksgiving
for his magnificent goodness towards us. Moreover, at Mass we
associate ourselves with all creation in acknowledging the greatness
of God. God is not our equal. He is not our colleague. He is our
Creator. Without him we would not exist at all. He is the only
necessary being. It is normal that we acknowledge this fact. Those
who refuse to adore God must not decorate themselves with the
apparently nice title of liberal intellectuals.
If we are to call a spade a spade, we shall inform such people that
they are unreasonable, ignorant and blind to most obvious facts. A
child who refuses to recognise his parents is not a liberal. He is a
brat. Would it be wrong to call him stupid, and unaware of common
sense, and even of his own best interest? And God is to us much more
than parents are to their children. On the other hand, God is not a
rival to us human beings. He is not a threat. He is not a killjoy.
God is our loving Father. He is Providence. He takes care of every
detail regarding our life. When we adore him, praise him and thank
him, we not only do not demean ourselves. Rather we begin to realise
our greatness. Our acknowledgment of God's transcendent reality
elevates us. The shepherds in Bethlehem and the Magi were all the
better because they adore the Child Jesus. St Anselm, St Augustine,
St Thomas Aquinas, St Teresa of Avila, St Thιrθse of the Holy Child
Jesus, St Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) and Albert Einstein
were all the greater because they offered the sacrifice of their
intelligence to God the Creator. Christians must not allow
themselves to be misled by the errors of a secularistic mentality
which lives as if God did not exist. Man is not the centre of
reality. God is. By adoring God through the Holy Eucharist, we pay
this due tribute to God's transcendence.
4. Manifestations of Adoration and Reverence
It is not superfluous for us to mention some of the ways in which
adoration and reverence manifest themselves regarding the
Eucharistic mystery. We human beings are body and soul. External
gestures can manifest our faith, strengthen it and help to share it
with other people.
The way in which we celebrate the Mass has great importance. This
applies first of all to the priest celebrant, but also to deacons,
minor ministers, choirs, readers and every other participant, each
in that person's own role. The way the priest celebrates the Holy
Eucharist affects the congregation in a very special manner. If he
celebrates in such a way that his faith and devotion shine out, the
people are nourished and strengthened in their Eucharistic faith,
the weak in faith are awakened and everyone is sent home energized
to live and share the faith. Such a priest has knack or skill of
celebration with dignity, faith and devotion for the Eucharist of
which the October 2005 Synod of Bishops emphasised the importance
(Synod Proposition, 25). We manifest our adoration of our
Eucharistic Jesus by genuflection whenever we cross the area of the
tabernacle where He is reserved. It is reasonable where He is
reserved. It is reasonable for us to bend the knee before Him
because He is our God. This is a way in which adoration is shown to
the Holy Eucharist in the Latin Rite Church. The Oriental Churches
and Benedictine Monasteries have the tradition of a deep bow. The
meaning is the same. Moreover, our genuflection should be a
reverential and deliberate act and not a careless bending of the
knee to the nearest pillar characteristic of some people in whom
over-familiarity with the tabernacle seems to breed hurried and
nonchalant movements. As is well known, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
now Pope Benedict XVI, has written beautifully on the sense of the
act of genuflection. (cf. J. Ratzinger: The Spirit of the Liturgy,
Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2000, p. 184-194). As for those who
may ignore the significance of this gesture, it may be well to
remember that we are not pure spirits like the angels. A Protestant
once was visiting a Catholic church in the company of a Catholic
friend. They passed across the tabernacle area. The Protestant asked
the Catholic what that box was and why a little lamp was burning
near it. The Catholic explained that Jesus the Lord is present
there. The Protestant then put the vital question: "If you believe
that your Lord and God is here present, then why don't you
genuflect, even prostrate and crawl?" The superficial Catholic got
the message. He genuflected. Everyone can thus see why the
tabernacle of the Most Blessed Sacrament is located in a central or
at least prominent place in our churches. It is the centre of our
attention and prayer. The October 2005 Synod of Bishops emphasised
this point (cf Prop., 6, 28, 34). In some of our churches some
misguided person has relegated the tabernacle to an obscure section
of the church. Sometimes it is even so difficult for a visitor to
locate where the tabernacle is, that the visitor can say with truth
with St Mary Magdalene: "They have taken my Lord, and I do not know
where they laid him" (Jn 20:13).
We also show our adoration and reverence towards the Holy Eucharist
by silence in church, by becoming dress and postures at sacred
celebrations, by joining other people in singing, giving responses,
and gestures such as sitting, kneeling or standing, and by general
care over whatever has to do with Eucharistic worship such as
reading, discipline in church and tidiness in altar and sacristy
equipment.
May I say a further word on the importance of silence in our
churches and chapels. Movements of silence help us to prepare for
the celebration of Mass. During Mass, a few minutes of silence help
us to meditate on the lessons, the Gospel and the homily just heard.
Silence after receiving Jesus. Holy Communion is a time for personal
prayer to Our Lord. At the end of Mass and at all other times in
church, silence is a mark of reverence for God's house and
especially for Jesus present in the tabernacle.
Some church rectors have the habit of playing recorded soft music as
a background in churches almost the whole day outside Mass. This is
doubtless well-intentioned. But it is a mistake. People enter
churches to pray, not to be entertained. They are not tourists in a
museum or music hall. They need silence in order to concentrate on
the tabernacle, or even to reflect on the statues, sacred images
which are ongoing catechesis, and the figures of the Way of the
Cross.
Gradually in the Church of the Latin Rite from the Middle Ages,
Eucharistic devotion has developed in such forms as visits to the
Most Blessed Sacrament, personal and group Holy Hour of Adoration,
and Eucharistic Benediction, Procession and Congress. None of us
should behave as if he or she had outgrown such manifestations of
faith and had no need of them. I mention in particular Eucharistic
adoration as encouraged by Pope John Paul II (cf Mane Nobiscum
Domine, 18) and by the Synod of Bishops of October 2005 (cf Prop.,
6). Some parish priests have been surprised by their parishioners
signing up for adoration at all hours of day or night. I was told
about a Congregation of Sisters in Mexico which has kept up
perpetual adoration for 130 years, including the years of
persecution. Genuine Eucharistic faith never fails to manifest
itself.
5. Observance of Liturgical Norms
In the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the observance of
liturgical norms is one of the ways in which we show our Eucharistic
faith. To a person who asks why there should be liturgical norms at
all, we answer that the Church has the right and duty to promote and
protect the Eucharistic celebration with appropriate norms. Christ
gave the Church the essentials of the Eucharistic celebration. As
the centuries rolled by, the Church, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, developed details on how the mysteries of Christ are to be
celebrated. Being an hierarchical society, the Church also manifests
her nature and structure in the celebration of the Holy Mass.
The Mass is the most solemn action of the sacred liturgy, which is
itself the public worship of the Church.
"Liturgy", says Pope John Paul II, "is never anyone's private
property, be it of the celebrant or of the community in which the
mysteries are celebrated. Priests who faithfully celebrate Mass
according to the liturgical norms, and communities which conform to
those norms, quietly but eloquently demonstrate their love for the
Church" ( Eccl. de Euch., 52). At the direction of Pope John Paul
II, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments, in collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, issued the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum in
March 2004 "precisely to bring out more clearly this deeper meaning
of liturgical norms" ( Eccl. de Euch., 52).
It follows that individuals, whether they be priests or lay
faithful, are not free to add or subtract any details in the
approved rites of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist (cf
Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22). A do-it-yourself mentality, an attitude
of nobody-will-tell-me-what-to-do, or a defiant sting of
if-you-do-not-like-my-Mass-you-can-go-to-another-parish, is not only
against sound theology and ecclesiology, but also offends against
common sense. Unfortunately, sometimes common sense is not very
common, when we see a priest ignoring liturgical rules and
installing creativity in his case personal idiosyncracy as the
guide to the celebration of Holy Mass. Our faith guides us and our
love of Jesus and of his Church safeguards us from taking such
unwholesome liberties. Aware that we are only ministers, not masters
of the mysteries of Christ (cf I Cor 4:1), we follow the approved
liturgical books so that the people of God are respected and their
faith nourished, and so that God is honoured and the Church is
gradually being built up.
6. Eucharist and Mission
At the end of the Mass the deacon, or in his absence the priest,
says to us "Ite, Missa Est". Our celebration is over. Go now to live
and share with other people what we have received, heard, sung,
meditated and prayed. The Mass sends us on mission.
The first duty which the Eucharistic celebration enjoins on us is to
live the faith and share it with other people. Evangelization in the
express form of proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ is a
priority (cf Paul VI: Evangelii Nuntiandi, 22). We must share with
other people "the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:8).
Every Catholic priest, consecrated person or lay faithful will
do this according to that person's vocation and mission in the
Church and in the world.
At the Eucharistic celebration Jesus is also sending us to show
Christian solidarity with the poor, the hungry, the sick, the
imprisoned, and the needy in general. At the Last Supper he himself
washed the feet of his Apostles, thereby teaching us mutual love and
service as an injunction of the Holy Eucharist (cf Jn 13: 1-15). He
taught us that the last judgement will be based on whether we have
shown love and solidarity towards the needy (cf Mt 25: 31-46). Pope
John Paul II says that the authenticity of our Eucharistic
celebration can be judged from how we love the poor and people in
difficulty (cf Mane Nobiscum Domine, 28).
In his first Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI
illustrates beautifully how love of God necessarily carries with it
love of neighbour. The Holy Eucharist promotes both in a magnificent
way. The Holy Father says: "The saints consider the example of
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta constantly renewed their capacity for
love of neighbour from their encounter with the Eucharistic Lord,
and conversely this encounter acquired its realism and depth in the
service to others" ( Deus Caritas Est, 18).
Brother and Sisters in Christ, in the Eucharistic mystery our
beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is giving us the inestimable
gift of himself. He asks for our response. Shall we refuse to pay
him back with love? May the Most Blessed Virgin Mary obtain for us
the grace to respond with generosity, with constant faith, with
heartfelt adoration and with apostolic dynamism.
Source: Archbishop's House
© Independent Catholic News 2006
Cardinal Francis Arinze is from Nigeria and currently serves as the
Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of
the Sacraments. He was ordained a
priest in 1958, and
in 1967 he was ordained bishop of Onitsha, Nigeria.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
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