When we delve seriously into the mystery of the Eucharist we discover that there is a power waiting to be enfleshed. The mystery of Jesus Christ must now take reality within us, the people.
The unfortunate thing is that too many people look toward the Eucharist a something that is done for them. They are there to receive Jesus. They are on the receiving end of the sharing of the Word of God and the preaching. They are present to receive good music. But always, they are there with their empty cup to be filled with Christ.
We must emphasize that the Eucharist is meant to empower us, to energize us to go forth into the world to make actual the goodness of Jesus Christ. This is an empowerment exercise that will move us from the comfort of our pew to embrace the poor and the suffering of this world.
When the Eucharist is working at its best the people are entering into and sharing the very life, mission and heart of Jesus Christ. This is not a ritual to be performed correctly. It is an entering into the very reality and person of Jesus Christ.
Each week the people of the Church gather together to be given the Word of God. They are meant to pray, reflect and wrestle with the word of God. Each person present is meant to make an application of the Word of God to their own life situation. Some days the Word of God will be comforting and supporting. On other Sundays it will disturb us. This is the Church being embraced by the Word of God.
The Word of God must never be like a piece of wonderful music on the printed page. Music is only real when it is played and shared. The Word of God is only actual when it becomes a part of our everyday life. During the Sunday liturgy we are meant to take ownership of the Word of God. It must become part of our flesh and our daily life.
The laying on of hands over the offering of bread and wine carries a powerful meaning. We are actually asking the Holy Spirit of make this the very body and blood of Jesus Christ, and in the same breath, the prayer is over our lives, that we become the living body of Christ.
This is where the Eucharist becomes most dynamic. We are being brought into the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; we are meant to become his living heart and face in the world.
It could mean that an individual person is being given the Holy Spirit to reach out in support to an aging aunt whose dementia has brought her to the nursing home. The believer may be moved by the very Spirit of God to share her patience and presence with her aged aunt who no longer recognizes her. This may mean just taking this aged aunt’s hand and holding it with warm, human compassion.
The Sunday Eucharist was never meant to be something that we go through and get done. It is rather the living encounter with the risen Christ. And from here, we are being sent forth into the world to be and share the great love of Jesus Christ to the world.
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