Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi
Title of Series: "Sacraments: The Catholic Faith Celebrated"

Part 4: "Eucharist: Sacrament of Love"

January 3rd, 2008
First Thursday

A happy new year to each of you! I hope it is not too late to add a New Year’s resolution to your list this year, a "spiritual" New Year's resolution.

My heartfelt suggestion: to come to know the Lord Jesus intimately and in a new and renewed way in this calendar year. How do we do that, you might ask? A very simple recommendation: turn to Him regularly in the Blessed Sacrament, in the most holy Eucharist. I would suggest joining me in making regular reception of the Eucharist and regular adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed a way of life this year. You will come to know the depth of His love for us, of Him who died that we might forever live with Him.

The title of this talk, Eucharist: the Sacrament of Love, comes from Benedict XVI’s first Apostolic Exhortation issued on February 22nd, 2007 as a result of the 2005 Roman Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. It is entitled “Sacramentum Caritatis” with the subtitle “On the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission.”

In the Eucharist, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, we encounter the real and living God who sets off “a sort of ‘nuclear fission’...which penetrates to the heart of all being, a change meant to set off a process which transforms reality,” transforms each and every one of us. SC 11

In this meditation, at the beginning of 2008, I begin a two-part series on the Eucharist in this First Thursday set of talks. As I mentioned, this meditation is entitled “Eucharist: Sacrament of Love.” In February, the second part on the Eucharist is entitled “Eucharist: Ever Ancient, Ever New.”

As a local church, we are presently beginning our preparation for the Holy Father’s visit to Washington this April. I would strongly suggest making this 100 page Apostolic Letter of Benedict XVI on the Eucharist an integral part of your preparation for his visit, as a way to ponder the mind and heart of Benedict XVI.

The Eucharist is, after all (in the words of the catechism) the "source and summit of ecclesial life." Also from the catechism, the "Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith." It is not a footnote to the faith. CCC 1327 In instituting the Eucharist on the night before He died, Jesus sought "to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again..." CCC 1323 In the words of Benedict XVI: “In the Eucharist Jesus does not give us a ‘thing,’ but himself; he offers his own body and pours out his own blood. He thus gives us the totality of his life and reveals the ultimate origin of this love.” SC 7 It is the Sacrament of Charity.

At the last supper, Jesus commanded His apostles: "Do this in memory of me." But what does this command mean? “Remembering,” living out that memory of what God has done for us on the cross, is much more than the simple ability to recall it and recite it. The supreme act of love in which Jesus died, that which we "remember" each time we celebrate the Eucharist, actually brings us into an intimacy with Him at a most profound level at the very moment of reception. There is no better way to deepen our friendship, knowledge and love of Jesus than the Eucharist.

So rich and inexhaustible is this mystery, this sacrament, that the catechism spells out the different names that have been used to describe it (CCC 1329-32):

Eucharist -- because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. "Eucharistein" means thanksgiving.

The Lord's Supper -- because of its connection with the supper that the Lord took with his disciples on the eve of His passion where He instituted this sacrament.

The Breaking of Bread -- because by this action the disciples first recognized Jesus after the resurrection. Lk 24:13-35

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass -- because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ.

Divine Liturgy -- because the Church's whole liturgy finds its center and most intense expression in the celebration of this sacrament.

Most Blessed Sacrament -- because it is the Sacrament of sacraments.

Holy Communion -- because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form one single body.

Eucharistic Assembly -- because the Eucharist is celebrated amidst the assembly of the faithful, the visible expression of the Church.

At its heart, however, it is the sacrificial love of Jesus, His dying and rising for us that we celebrate in each and every Mass, every Eucharist, this commemoration, this memorial (this making present of a
past event), this reenactment of His death on Calvary and His glorious resurrection, this memorial of His wonderful love for us. It is love in its most radical form.

The Vatican Council twice referred to the Eucharist as the source and summit of our lives as Christians. The catechism uses that same language. As I mentioned above, it is the subtitle of the Apostolic Exhortation issued by Benedict XVI last February.

In this first of two meditations on the Eucharist, I will attempt to explain why it is that the Eucharist
is the "source and summit" of our lives as Catholics and why it thus is the sacrament of love.

Part I: Why is the Eucharist the source of our lives as Christians?

"...the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 1 Cor 11: 23-25.

The bread we eat and the cup we drink is Jesus Christ. It is really Jesus. It is His real presence. It is not a figurative or metaphorical presence. It is always good to spend some time meditating and focusing on what happens at the Eucharist. It is, after all, the principal Mystery of our Faith.

Faith in the real presence, I fear, has decreased in recent years. Note the lack of reverence in Church -- the failure to genuflect and the talking. The real presence needs to be spoken about more frequently -- as a stimulus for the faith. Each of us should seek to grow in faith in the Eucharist. It takes faith to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread. It is a faith for which we should continually pray. It might
help to kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and ask God to help your unbelief. A simple little prayer such as: Jesus, strengthen my faith to believe in you more deeply in the Eucharist!

Regarding the real presence, the Council of Trent teaches: "...by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood." CCC 1376 In other words, the substance of bread and wine are completely annihilated; only the appearance of bread and wine remain. Jesus is really, truly and substantially present under the appearance of bread and wine. "The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique." CCC 1374 “This presence is called ‘real’ -- by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be ‘real’ too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and Man, makes himself wholly and entirely present.” USCCA 223 "Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present." CCC 1356 This change of substance the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.

But what effect does transubstantiation have? Why is the Eucharist the "source" of our life?

Whoever shares in the Eucharist receives strength, nourishment, healing, consolation, encouragement to live as true Christians -- it is the very life of God within us. It is our source, the gateway to our growth in holiness.

His presence in the Eucharist is not a passive presence. It is active and dynamic. In the Eucharist, Jesus is attaching us to what He does in the paschal mystery, to His definitive victory over sin and death. He is attaching us to Himself. "He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal and I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6: 54)

So often we hear the axiom that we are what we eat. We become what we consume. We become like Jesus in the Eucharist. "For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." (John 6: 55-56)

At the 20th World Youth Day in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI told the young people gathered from around the world on August 21, 2005: “The Body and Blood of Christ are given to us so that we ourselves will be transformed in our turn. We are to become the Body of Christ, his own Flesh and Blood...He is within us, and we are in him. His dynamic enters into us and then seeks to spread outwards to others until it fills the world, so that his love can truly become the dominant measure of the world.” USCCA 227 The Eucharist is thus the Sacrament of Love.

In his book "Catholicism and Fundamentalism," Karl Keating devotes two chapters refuting -- and in a rather convincing way -- the fundamentalist challenge that the language of Jesus in the scripture regarding the "real presence" is simply symbolic or metaphorical. He draws our attention to the language of John 6. Written in 90 A.D., the early Christians had already experienced the tradition of the Eucharist for 60 years. This discourse on the bread of life is peculiar to St. John. Twelve times therein Jesus says He is the bread that came down from heaven; four times He says that they would have to "eat my body and drink my blood." He teaches that the word for “eat” translates into “gnaws” or “chews” and thus this could not be a figurative presence.

And yet, even in Jesus' day, this was a hard teaching to accept. Notice in John 6:41 -- first the "murmuring" among the Jews in protest when He claimed "I am the bread that came down from heaven." Then in John 6:52, the Jews quarreled among themselves saying "How can he give us his flesh to eat?" We learn in John 6:66 that "from this time on, many of his disciples broke away and would not remain in his company any longer." It was on this issue that Judas abandoned Christ. Finally, however, after the murmuring, the quarreling, the abandonment of some, Jesus in John 6: 67-69, says to the Twelve: "Do you want to leave me too? Simon Peter answered him, ' Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe; we are convinced that you are God's holy
one." Peter's confession of faith is a model for each of us. The very same challenge that is given to each of us was given to the first disciples. It must have been harder for them. Although they loved Jesus so much, they did not have our advantage: the knowledge that Jesus rose from the dead, the witness of the apostles after Pentecost in the power of the Holy Spirit and two thousand years of living Tradition.

The Eucharist is a source of strength in this life and a pledge of eternal life -- "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life." Christ's sacrifice on the cross imparts in us in the Eucharist the dynamism of His generous love.

“Holy Communion increases our union with Christ. ‘Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (Jn 6:56) Communion with the Body of Christ preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism.” USCCA 224

“Holy Communion offers us strength, called grace, to preserve us from mortal sin. By deepening our
friendship with Christ, this Sacrament makes it more difficult for us to break our union with him by mortal sin.” USCCA 225

Yes, Jesus in the Eucharist is the "source" of our lives!

Part II: Why is the Eucharist the summit of our lives as Christians?

When we come to the Eucharist on Sunday, (the Lord’s Day) or during the week as so many Catholics do regularly, be more conscious that, united with Christ, we bring with us all our prayers, works, sufferings, joys, hardships. All are offered on the paten with the bread in worship to the Lord -- everything that we are, raised to Him as "summit." The Eucharist is the summit of our lives as Christians.

Lifted to God in perfect worship, our voices join with the angels and the saints. Not only is our praise carried to heaven, but we must be aware that wherever the Lord is, the angels are also present, worshiping and adoring Him. We join with them as they are among us.

Through the action of the priest, the sacrifice of the Eucharist is united to the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. "The same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner." CCC 1367

“Present and effective, Christ’s sacrifice is applied to our lives. “If the blood of goats…can sanctify those who are defiled… how much more will the blood of Christ…cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.” Heb 9:14 USCCA 221

"The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice. 'The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different.' CCC 1367 The Eucharist is the sacrament of love in which Jesus died and rose and now stands fixed forever before the Father. He is the Lamb on the throne who still bears the marks of slaughter and intercedes for us.

The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the entire Church. "In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his body [the Church]. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes its possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering." CCC 1368

“The ordained priest in the Mass links the Eucharistic consecration to the sacrifice of the Cross and to the Last Supper, thus making it possible that the sacrifice of Christ becomes the sacrifice of all the members of the Church. ‘The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new value.’ This also reminds us of the importance of sacrifice in each individual’s life.” USCCA 221

The Eucharist is thus the “summit” of our lives as Christians.

The whole church is united in love with the offering and intercession of Christ. "To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth, but also those already in the glory of heaven. In communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice." CCC 1370

Yes, the whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. It has implications for you and me.

Transformed into the body and blood of the risen Jesus Christ at the moment of consecration, each one of us surrenders to Him and becomes like Him. We are brought into divine intimacy in a very special way. It is the culmination and "summit" of our spiritual lives.

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?" (1 Cor 10:6) Could there be a more powerful contact with God than His own body and blood, the eating of His very body and the drinking of His very blood? What a profound mystery!

It is the sacrificial love of Jesus, His very self-gift, His dying and rising for us, that we celebrate at each and every Mass, every Eucharist, this commemoration, this memorial (this making present of a past event), this reenactment of His death on Calvary and His glorious resurrection, this memorial of His wonderful love for us.

The Church continually calls us to reflect on the central role of the Eucharist in Catholic life. If we are to face the great challenges each day of living the life of Christ and fulfilling His mission, we must appreciate ever anew the Mystery that stands at the center of our Catholic faith and life, “its indispensable element.”

The Eucharist is thus the "source" and "summit" of our lives! How can we not resolve this year, 2008, to come to know Jesus more deeply in the Eucharist and experience first-hand His saving and transforming Love in this sacrament of love?

In conclusion, I cite Cardinal Comastri who as Archbishop of Loreto a few years ago wrote for the Eucharistic Year an invitation for people to live the Eucharist, the sacrament of love, as a "gift of love."

He writes: "Today, we are all asking ourselves what we can do to evangelize this deaf society which is apparently immunized against the Gospel. And what if we began believing more in the Eucharist? And what if we offered a show of unity and solidarity beginning from the Eucharist? I am sure that many people would begin to think and ask "Where do you find the strength to live like this?" And we would respond in the Eucharist and they would believe us." Yes, my dear friends, Love is contagious. So is the greatest gift on earth -- the Most Holy and Blessed Eucharist! A blessed 2008!

AMEN