Eucharistic Thoughts

One of the things I liked best about Mel Gibson’s movie, Passion of the Christ, was the way it brought together in such a moving way, the crucifixion and the Last Supper. Now, almost any time I go to Mass and am recollected enough to recall that I am participating in the renewal of Christ’s sacrifice, I think about that movie and am once again moved with gratitude for what Jesus did for us. And, if I am recollected enough, I go a step further and recall my own proper role.

Because I have been joined to Christ through Baptism, I am not simply a spectator at the foot of the cross. Rather, united with Christ as members of his Body, I can, we all can, offer this perfect sacrifice. What an awe inspiring thought! We stand with Jesus the High Priest and offer the sacrifice that accomplishes our salvation. No sacrifice of our own, nothing that we could ever do of ourselves, could avail anything for our salvation, but God in his wisdom and love enables us to offer, in union with Jesus, the completely efficacious sacrifice of his Son, the ultimate act of worship.

In a certain sense, when we become Christians, we join ourselves, by intention, to the sacrifice of Jesus. As St. Paul says in Romans 6, we are baptized into his death. Moreover, as we go though life we renew that commitment in a daily way. But the Mass goes beyond this. Because the Mass is a sacramental sacrifice, our participation is not just an intellectual exercise, not just a matter of intention. Rather, we sing, we pray, we watch, we listen, and finally, we eat. For, like most of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, the Eucharist is a communion sacrifice.

The Israelite family who brought an offering to the Temple participated in the sacrifice by eating it in a solemn meal. Part of the offering was burned on the altar, and by eating the rest, the people symbolically shared a meal with God. At Passover, for example, the lamb was ritually slaughtered in the Temple and then eaten by family groups at the solemn meal in their homes. In the Eucharist, full participation also includes partaking of the Body and Blood of the Lamb. We share a sacrificial meal with our families and with the whole Church, and effect a real communion with God in Jesus. When Jesus gives himself to us in communion, he is continuing the gift of himself on Calvary. When we receive, we not only enjoy an intimate communion with him, but we also consummate the atoning sacrifice of Calvary.

Much more could be said. The Eucharist is a mystery that leads us ever deeper into the very heart of God's action in the world. The new Catechism of the Catholic Church lists nine different names for this mystery, each of which is a rich source of meditation for the Catholic. The central truth, however, is that in the Eucharist Jesus renews his sacrifice for our salvation. As the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church says, "As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which 'Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed' is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out." And we are there!

# posted by hdistel : 7:21 PM