Sunday 21 (B): Read Jn 6: 60-69
Today we conclude our 5-Sunday proclamation of chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel. It concerns the “scandalous beauty” of the Eucharist, that startling
claim of Jesus that His flesh is the real food of eternity, sacrificed, raised and one day to return in glory. Today I would
also like to conclude outlining for you Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical on the Eucharist. Last week, we examined briefly
the Introduction and chapters 1-3; today we look at chapters 4-6 and the conclusion of the Encyclical. Like the words of Jesus,
those of the Pope teaching the Church yet again pure Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist, will for some evoke beauty and for
others scandal. Like Christ and like the Successor of Peter, we must neither fear nor avoid the scandal of the truth, but
fall in love with its beauty, irradiate it by our witness and, if we are truly blessed, die in its defense.
And so to Chapter 4. It is entitled: “The Eucharist and Ecclesial
Communion”. Communion is not meant here simply as reception of the consecrated host. Rather, in its broadest
sense it means the grace of deep spiritual oneness with the Trinity and among ourselves as believers. This communion is constantly
fed and given increase especially by the Eucharist. So much so, that the Eucharist has simply come to be called “communion”. But the Pope emphasizes that the Eucharist cannot be the starting
point for communion; rather, the Eucharist presupposes that communion already exists, and then perfects it. The Blessed
Sacrament expresses both the invisible and the visible bonds of communion in the Church: the invisible refer to our
spiritual bonds with the Trinity; the visible entail communion in the teaching of the Apostles, in all the sacraments and
in the Church’s hierarchical order. The deep link between invisible and visible communion in the Church makes the
Church what She is: the sacrament of salvation.
How do we keep invisible communion alive? By trying to live the
life of grace and to practice the virtues of faith, hope and charity. Faith alone is not enough: faith must work through love
and be seen in our very life-style. This is the moral duty of the Christian who wants to participate fully in the Eucharist. Here, the Pope quotes the Catechism: “anyone
conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.” He strongly reaffirms
this teaching for the present and the future. Indeed, the two Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance are very closely
connected. The Mass makes present the redeeming sacrifice of the Cross: it thus requires continuous need for personal
conversion. Let me quote again the words of the Pope: “The judgment of one’s
state of grace obviously belongs only to the person involved, since it is a question of examining one’s conscience.
However, he continues, in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm,
the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail
to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law, says the Holy Father, refers to this situation of a manifest lack
of proper moral disposition when it states that those who ‘obstinately persist in manifest grave sin’ are not
to be admitted to Eucharistic communion.”
Regarding the visible dimension of communion, the Pope refers to
Vatican II’s teaching and states that the Mass must be celebrated in a context where the outward bonds of communion
are also intact. The Holy Father then explains that the Mass, although offered in a particular community, is never a celebration
of that community alone. Rather, since it is welcoming the real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, a particular community
receives in its entirety the gift of salvation and so represents the true presence of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church. A true Eucharistic community cannot therefore be closed in upon itself.
Further, in the Mass, a community must show forth communion with its own Bishop and with the Roman Pontiff: the Bishop
is the visible principle and foundation of unity in his diocese: the Roman Pontiff, is the visible source and foundation of
the unity of the Bishops and of the entire Church. So every Mass is an act of the entire Church. Safeguarding and promoting
ecclesial communion is everyone’s responsibility, but especially that of pastors. For this reason the Church has drawn
up norms aimed both at promoting frequent and fruitful reception of the Eucharist and at determining the conditions under
which communion may not be given. Faithful observance of these norms is a practical means of showing love for the Eucharist
and the Church.
The Holy Father then turns again to the question of the Eucharist and ecumenism. Precisely because the Church’s
unity absolutely requires full communion in the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments and the hierarchy, “it is not possible –writes the Pope- to celebrate the same Eucharist until those bonds are fully re-established.”
True unity can only be achieved in oneness of truth.
Chapter 5 of the
Encyclical is entitled: “The Dignity of the Eucharistic Celebration”. There was both simplicity and
solemnity at the Last Supper, prepared in a large upper room. Jesus demonstrates the solemnity of the new rite He instituted
by doing it in the context of the most solemn rite of the Jewish faith, the Passover Meal. Ever since the earliest times of
the Church, She has feared no extravagance in devoting the best of her resources to the Eucharist. The Eucharistic banquet
suggests intimacy, but the Church does not trivialize this intimacy with Her Spouse, for He is also Her Lord, and the
banquet is also the sacrifice of his Cross. The Eucharistic banquet is a sacred banquet; the bread broken at our altars is
the bread of angels and must be approached with the humility of the Centurion: “Lord, I am not worthy.”
So with this heightened sense of mystery, the Church not only demands of Herself the correct interior dispositions,
but also the external forms meant to evoke and emphasize the grandeur of the event being celebrated. Hence the Mass became
regulated, a rich artistic heritage developed, from architecture to music, all moved by the Christian mystery and finding
in the Eucharist above all a source of great inspiration. The Holy Father elaborates somewhat on the artistic heritage and
concludes that the Mystery of Faith powerfully affected not only Christian spirituality, but also culture itself. The Pope
calls for new norms but also for a renewal of inspiration in sacred art. In this context he speaks of the new forms of sacred
art developing in the third world. He notes, however, the need for adaptation always to remember the ineffable mystery against
which every generation and culture is called to measure itself.
The Holy Father again refers to the role of priests in ensuring that the Eucharist, which they preside in the person
of Christ is not cheapened by a misguided sense of creativity or adaptation, leading to abuses which have been a source
of suffering for many. So the Pope urges priests to observe the norms of the Church in celebrating Mass since their deepest
meaning is to give concrete expression to the ecclesial nature of the Eucharist: the liturgy is never anyone’s private
property.
Chapter 6 of the Encyclical is entitled: “At the school of Mary, ‘Woman of the Eucharist’”. Mary can guide us towards this most holy sacrament, because she herself
has a profound relationship with it. The Pope speaks of Mary’s relationship to the Eucharist above all in terms of her
interior disposition. “Mary is a ‘woman of the Eucharist’ in
her whole life”, the Holy Father writes. The Church which looks to Mary as model, is also called to imitate Her
in Her relationship with this most holy mystery. If the Eucharist is the Mystery of Faith requiring our obedience to the Word
of God, then there can be no-one better than Mary to lead us into this disposition of obedience. “Do this in memory
of me” said Jesus. “Do whatever He tells you”, said Mary at Cana. She seems to say to us: if he could
turn water into wine, trust that His word can turn wine into his blood, and bread into his own body, and through this mystery
bestow on believers the living memorial of his Passover, the bread of life.
Mary lived her Eucharistic faith even before the Last Supper, for she offered her virginal womb for the incarnation
of God’s Word. Receiving His body and blood in her womb was like an anticipation of what happens sacramentally to every
believer who receives communion. Mary’s “fiat” to the Angel and our “amen” to the Eucharist
are on a parallel: both say yes in faith to Jesus Christ as the Son of God come in the flesh. In the Visitation we see
Mary as Tabernacle: she bore the Word made flesh to visit Elizabeth who adored Jesus radiating His presence through the eyes
and voice of Mary. Mary’s loving gaze of Jesus at His birth is the model which should inspire us every time we receive
and adore the Eucharist.
Mary also made Her own the sacrificial side of the Eucharist, not just at Calvary, but, after the words of Simeon about
the sword piercing Her Heart, from day to day: it was a kind of anticipated Eucharist, a spiritual communion with Her Son,
culminating in Her union with Him in His passion. The memorial of Calvary also includes everything Jesus did with regard
to His Mother for our sake. In particular there is the giving of Mary to John and of John to Mary. This gift too is continually
given to us in the Eucharist. As Christ grew following the example of Mary, we too put ourselves at the school of Mary. The Church and the Eucharist are inseparable; so too are Mary and the Eucharist.
The spirituality of the Eucharist is similar to the spirituality of Mary’s Magnificat: it is the spirituality
of praise and thanksgiving. Mary sang Her Magnificat through Him, with Him and in Him. The Magnificat also recalls God’s
great deeds of mercy: the greatest of these is the Eucharist! Finally, the Magnificat speaks of God’s exaltation of
the poor and humbling of the proud: every time Jesus comes under the poverty of the signs of bread and wine, the seeds of
a new history, new heavens and new earth are sown.
In the Conclusion of His Encyclical, the Pope shares with us his
own testimony of faith in the Most Holy Eucharist. In it he sees the Church’s greatest treasure which he calls, “the heart of the world”, the pledge of fulfillment for which every heart longs. The Eucharist as
mystery taxes our minds because our senses fail to grasp it. Yet, with the ancient hymn of St. Thomas Aquinas we cry out in
faith, “Adoro te devote”, “I
adore Thee devoutly”, because we believe in the words of Christ handed on by the Apostles. The Pope quotes the words
of St. Peter and makes them his own, knowing how difficult Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist was in Chapter 6 of St.
John: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
(Jn 6:68).
If at the dawn of this Millenium we are to renew our enthusiasm in Christian living, our program for doing so is nothing
other than the Gospel and the living Tradition of the Church. There is no better way to achieve the strength for this than
through the Eucharist. All pastoral plans and programs draw strength only from the Eucharist and lead back to it. Let
me quote the following striking sentence of the Pope: “In the Eucharist we have
Jesus, we have his redemptive sacrifice, we have his resurrection, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have adoration,
obedience and love of the Father. Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?” The
Eucharist does not allow for reduction or exploitation. It must be experienced and lived in its integrity. This is how we
show our love for the Eucharist, this is how we must hand it on to the next generations, without loss of any aspect of the
faith in its mystery. There can be no danger of excess in our care for this mystery, for in it is summed up the whole of our
salvation.
The Pope exhorts us to imitate the saints who understood deeply the piety and the doctrine of the Eucharist and made
it contagious and heart-warming by their example. In the humble signs of bread and wine, Jesus walks beside us as our strength
and enables us to become witnesses of hope. Reason experiences limits before this mystery, but the heart, enlightened by the
Holy Spirit, clearly sees that the response demanded is to bow low in adoration and unbounded love.
The Pope concludes this astoundingly beautiful document in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, whom he calls the “poet
of the Eucharist”:
“Bone
Pastor, panis vere
Iesu, nostri
miserere …
Come then, good Shepherd, bread divine,
Still show to us thy mercy sign;
Oh, feed us, still keep us thine;
So we may see thy glories shine
In fields of immortality.
O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best
Our present food, our future rest,
Come make us each thy chosen guest,
Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest
With saints whose dwelling is with Thee.”
So be it! Corpus Christi, Amen!
Msgr.
Peter Magee, August 24th, 2003: St. Matthew’s Cathedral, 10.00 am;
St.
Thomas Apostle, DC, 12.00 noon.
