A Reflection on the Eucharist
4-26-13 & 5-8-13
On April 24th, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to Beloved First Truth's study night. They have their study night every Wednesday at 9 p.m. and once a month, they open it up to all on campus. This Semester, they studied "Ecclesia de Eucharistia," which means Church of the Eucharist. Being the last study session of the semester, they dove into the conclusion of Pope John Paul II's encyclical, section 59-62. I really enjoyed reading and discussing these sections, and now I would like to share some of my thoughts with you.
Two phrases really stuck out. The first one was this:
Two phrases really stuck out. The first one was this:
"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?" (EE 60)
As this little section of the encyclical shows, this thing is packed with uncompromisable Theology. The line I got hung up on though, is the last part of it, "Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?" (EE 60).
Basically, without the Eucharist, we are unable to truly do the Lord's will. Fr. Richard Davis T.O.R. has a nice way of putting this, saying that the Eucharist is, "Not a sticker or a mark saying you got an A+. It is food for the journey." We NEED the Eucharist to thrive and live good and holy lives.
Just look at the lives of the Saints. One thing they all seem to have had in common is a true love and devotion to our Lord, especially in the Eucharist. You can try and think of a saint who didn't have a devotion to the Lord in the Eucharist, but they don't exist. St. Peter Julian Eymard said, "In one day the Eucharist will make you produce more for the glory of God then a whole lifetime without it." He understood, as have all the saints, the true importance of the Eucharist.Our hearts should be constantly longing to receive Jesus in the form of the Eucharist.
With this, it tells us the importance of receiving Jesus daily at Mass. It is not always an option for people, especially people who live in areas that have a lack of priests, but when it comes to living in America, or more specifically, going to Franciscan, we have a surplus of vocations, and on this campus alone, have three different times a day when mass is offered. And if you can't fit mass in during those times, there are plenty of options to go off campus. What I am getting at is, we really never have an excuse for not going to mass, plain and simple. But that is another thing - we should think of it like we had an excuse, cause it is not a punishment. the Mass is a Wedding Feast. Basically, it is one continual party, and you never want to miss a party.
The second phrase that stood out to me was this:
"By giving the Eucharist the prominence it deserves, and by being careful not to diminish any of its dimensions or demands, we show that we are truly conscious of the greatness of this gift. We are urged to do so by an uninterrupted tradition, which from the first centuries on has found the Christian community ever vigilant in guarding this “treasure" (EE 61).
Basically, without the Eucharist, we are unable to truly do the Lord's will. Fr. Richard Davis T.O.R. has a nice way of putting this, saying that the Eucharist is, "Not a sticker or a mark saying you got an A+. It is food for the journey." We NEED the Eucharist to thrive and live good and holy lives.
Just look at the lives of the Saints. One thing they all seem to have had in common is a true love and devotion to our Lord, especially in the Eucharist. You can try and think of a saint who didn't have a devotion to the Lord in the Eucharist, but they don't exist. St. Peter Julian Eymard said, "In one day the Eucharist will make you produce more for the glory of God then a whole lifetime without it." He understood, as have all the saints, the true importance of the Eucharist.Our hearts should be constantly longing to receive Jesus in the form of the Eucharist.
With this, it tells us the importance of receiving Jesus daily at Mass. It is not always an option for people, especially people who live in areas that have a lack of priests, but when it comes to living in America, or more specifically, going to Franciscan, we have a surplus of vocations, and on this campus alone, have three different times a day when mass is offered. And if you can't fit mass in during those times, there are plenty of options to go off campus. What I am getting at is, we really never have an excuse for not going to mass, plain and simple. But that is another thing - we should think of it like we had an excuse, cause it is not a punishment. the Mass is a Wedding Feast. Basically, it is one continual party, and you never want to miss a party.
The second phrase that stood out to me was this:
"By giving the Eucharist the prominence it deserves, and by being careful not to diminish any of its dimensions or demands, we show that we are truly conscious of the greatness of this gift. We are urged to do so by an uninterrupted tradition, which from the first centuries on has found the Christian community ever vigilant in guarding this “treasure" (EE 61).
This small section sort of sums up everything I just spoke about. We need to really try and give the Eucharist the proper respect it deserves, and understand its sacredness.
In short, we need to just understand what a real treasure the Eucharist is, and remember it is truly, "food for the journey." The Lord is good to us. Let us continue to walk with him through everything.
God Bless! By the way, I apologize for how scatter brained this all was. I just wanted to make sure I posted it. I will probably edit it.
"He died for me, so I will live for him."
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