Strengthening our Belief and our Living of the Eucharist

Strengthening our Belief and our

Living of the Eucharist

This is my Body… This is my Blood…’ Those of us who worship regularly are very familiar with these. But the Eucharist is not a static existence – we can’t forget ‘This is my Body given for you… This is my Blood poured out for you.’ 
 Your Christianity is not for you – Christianity is not a self-help program! Your Christianity is to be given, offered for the world! – Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire Ministries

 

One of the most important parts of the Eucharistic Revival in the Catholic dioceses throughout the United States is to foster a growing appreciation of the immeasurable gift and power of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist – his true body, blood, soul and divinity! This will be more of a focus in these last two weeks of our five-part homily series on “The Eucharist Present and Active in Our Lives,” as chapter 6 of the Gospel of John turns to Jesus telling us to eat his flesh and drink his blood. 

 

The recent weeks of the homily series, however, we have used in part to broaden our understanding of the Eucharist from just a passive “presence” to something active, something that Christ does in us, and something we are called to implement in our lives. The above excerpt from a keynote talk Bishop Robert Barron gave one day at the National Eucharistic Congress last month helps to ground this very point: the Eucharist is Jesus’ act of sacrificial love, given and poured out for each one of us. As much as we need to come to Christ in the Eucharist to be fed and strengthened, we then need to live the Eucharist by giving of ourselves in love for others.

 

In a practical way, we are called to live as the Body and Blood of Christ in the way we reach out to those who are hurting, to those who have stopped practicing their faith, and especially to those who have felt hurt by Church leaders or members. As you may have heard in last weekend’s homily, we do not have to be experts to be “first responders” to people’s spiritual hurts. Like with injuries or medical crises, a layperson is frequently the very “first” responder who can call for additional help and comfort the victim while waiting for any professional care that may be needed. Average Catholics likewise are called to be the member of the mystical Body of Christ, the Church, who are the first to respond to someone’s grief or pain, joy or doubt, or uncertainty about how God wants them to handle their life situation. This “ministry of presence” does not require having a lot of answers (even Jesus did not always “fix” people’s problems) – it is primarily about accompanying people as they are going through the ups and downs of life so they can know that God is with them also. Sometimes this might mean helping them to find the answers they are seeking. In some situations, one of the most powerful things we can do as part of the Body of Christ is to apologize on behalf of someone who has hurt them. Whether it was an inconsiderate priest or parishioner who spoke harshly to them, or someone else who has hurt or alienated them, our humility and empathy might go a long way toward helping someone to be able to move forward and heal. Whether or not you are someone who excels in listening and empathy, we can each in our own way express the compassion of Jesus Christ by our words or gestures – our living and acting in the power of the Eucharist we receive!