Taking the Bread
By Fr. Conor Donnelly
(Proofread)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins and grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.
In his very first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, John Paul II said: “The Church lives by the Eucharist, by the fullness of this Sacrament, the stupendous content and meaning of which have often been expressed in the Church’s Magisterium from the distant times down to our own days.
“However, we can say with certainty that, although this teaching sustained by the acuteness of theologians, by men of deep faith and prayer, and by ascetics and mystics in complete fidelity to the Eucharistic mystery, it still reaches no more than the threshold, since it is incapable of grasping and translating into words what the Eucharist is in all its fullness, what is expressed by it, and what is actuated by it. Indeed the Eucharist is the ineffable Sacrament” (John Paul II, Encyclical, Redemptor Hominis, Point 20, March 4, 1979.
In his 1980 letter, Dominicae Cenae–“The Lord’s Supper”–John Paul comments on the relationship between the Eucharist and the priest.
“The Eucharist,” he says, “is the principal and central raison d’être of the Sacrament of the priesthood. … Through our ordination…we are united in a singular and exceptional way to the Eucharist” (John Paul II, Letter, Dominicae Cenae, Point 2, February 24, 1980).
He then describes how the Eucharistic devotion of the priest influences the laity. “In a certain way,” he says, “we derive from it and exist for it. We are also, [and in a special] way, responsible for it.”
“Our Eucharistic worship,” he says, “both in the celebration of Mass and in our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, is like a life-giving current that links our ministerial or hierarchical priesthood to the common priesthood of the faithful, and presents it in its vertical dimension with its central value” (ibid.).
“The worship of the Eucharist,” he says, “is directed toward God the Father in the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ…and permeates the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy. But,” he adds, “it must fill our churches also outside the timetable of Masses” (ibid., Point 3).
The Holy Father’s statement that Eucharistic piety should fill our churches during the day shows his love and appreciation of the Real Presence.
John Paul II was not only a theologian of the Eucharist but also had a profound personal devotion to it. He worked at his desk with the folding doors of his office opening out to the tabernacle in his private oratory. It was he who inaugurated the chapels for Eucharistic devotion in the four principal Roman basilicas.
He was also responsible for the recovery of the Corpus Christi procession in 1979 in Rome, after a lapse of over a hundred years. It had been banned in 1870 after the loss of the Papal States, and the pope effectively became a prisoner of the Vatican.
John Paul II carried the monstrance every year in that Corpus Christi procession until ill health prevented him from doing so, and then he traveled in a popemobile behind the monstrance mounted before him.
To the surprise of many, tens of thousands of people of Rome came out each year to express their faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
When John Paul II speaks to priests about worship of the Blessed Sacrament, he refers to personal prayer before the tabernacle, hours of adoration, periods of exposition, the Forty Hours’ devotion, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and Corpus Christi processions. He gives special mention to the feast of Corpus Christi, which had a particular significance for him during his years as Archbishop of Kraków.
In order to get permission to hold the procession he had to fight many battles with the communist regime there. And yet he persevered successfully, as he considered it an exercise of basic human rights that people would be able to express their religious convictions publicly.
John Paul II refers to “[the encouragement and] the deepening of Eucharistic worship” as “proofs of that authentic renewal which the [Second Vatican] Council set itself as an aim and of which they are the central point” (John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae, Point 3).
This is perhaps a perspective on the Second Vatican Council that has not been articulated frequently. There are perhaps few who realize that the “deepening of Eucharistic worship” is the “central point” of the program proposed by the Second Vatican Council.
Certainly John Paul II had no doubt about this when he proposed that “churches should be filled outside the timetable of Masses.”
In this context the Holy Father makes a powerful plea to priests to deepen their worship of the Eucharist. “The Church and the world,” he said, “have a great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease” (ibid.).
Eucharistic worship constitutes the soul of the Christian life, that love of God and love of neighbor that finds its source in the Eucharist.
The Blessed Eucharist, he says, educates us in this love, the love of the new commandment (cf. John 13:35). In this way we grow in our appreciation of the dignity of each person; we become sensitive to the sufferings of others, to injustice, and are given the strength to redress suffering and injustice effectively (cf. ibid., Point 6).
We must “learn to discover,” he says, “with respect the truth about the inner self of people” because it is here that “Christ comes into the hearts of our brothers and sisters and visits their consciences” (ibid.). Our image of others changes when we become aware of this reality.
The absolute sacredness of the sacrificial rite cannot, John Paul II says, be diluted in any way by introducing profane elements or by the modern tendency to “desacralize” everything.
For this reason, he tells us, the Church has “a special duty to safeguard and strengthen the sacredness of the Eucharist. In our pluralistic and often deliberately secularized society, the living faith of the Christian community…ensures respect for this sacredness. … This sense of the objective sacred character of the Eucharistic Mystery is so much part of the faith of the People of God that their faith is enriched and strengthened by it” (ibid., Point 8).
The Holy Father said of himself: “The celebration of the Eucharist continues being for me the most important and most sacred moment of my day. … The Holy Mass is in an absolute way the center of my life and of my day” (John Paul II, Address, October 27, 1995).
The Eucharistic celebration, which is the greatest and most elevated prayer, the supreme prayer of Christ the Priest and, with Him, of the Church, encloses a divine force to transform the world with the love of God.
At the Last Supper Christ transformed bread and wine into His own Body and Blood; if we allow Him to act, He can transform our lives with that and that of those around us into something divine.
We should try and make a generous effort in our preparation for the Holy Sacrifice, so as to participate lovingly in it, and to give thanks afterward, instead of leaving quickly, so that we strive to make our day a prolongation of the Mass.
John Paul II points out that “the Eucharist is above all else a sacrifice. It is the sacrifice of the Redemption and also the sacrifice of the New Covenant” (John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae, Point 9).
By making this single sacrifice of our salvation present, he says, man and the world are restored to God.
The priest in virtue of the powers received at Ordination performs a true sacrificial act that brings creation back to God. He affirms that the laity, who participate in the Eucharist, offer with the priest by virtue of their baptismal priesthood, their offer their own spiritual sacrifices, represented by the bread and wine, from the moment of their presentation at the altar.
To emphasize the sacrificial nature of the Mass, he repeats some expressions from the Third Eucharistic Prayer, which says: “Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
“May this sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world.”
He encourages his priests to do all they can to safeguard the sacred dignity of the Eucharistic mystery. Respect for the Eucharist requires that people come to receive properly prepared.
But he also says, “Quite frequently everybody participating in the Eucharistic assembly goes to Communion; and on such occasions, as experienced pastors confirm, there has not been due care to approach the sacrament of Penance so as to purify one’s conscience” (John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae, Point 11).
This is a difficulty that has to be faced up to. Priests cannot be complicit in sacrilegious Communions. At funerals and weddings, some indication needs to be given about not participating in the Eucharist if people are not ready in as positive a manner as possible.
Priests can suggest to people who are not ready to receive Communion that they can approach the altar with their arms crossed to receive a blessing rather than [receiving] Communion.
He reminds priests to prepare well for the celebration of Mass, using the words of the instruction which the bishop gives the priest on the day of his Ordination: “Accept the sacrifice of the holy people to be offered to God. Be conscious of what you are doing, imitate the events you are dealing with, and conform your life to the mystery of Our Lord’s cross” (Roman Pontifical, Rite of Ordination of a Priest).
Priests, he said, should take particular care of the way they handle the Body and Blood of the Lord, the way they distribute Holy Communion, and the way they perform the purifications.
The priest’s hands, by Ordination, become the direct instruments of Christ. Thus they have the primary responsibility for the sacred species.
He encourages priests to be faithful to the liturgical indications about saying Mass, about the use of approved liturgical texts, vestments, and so forth.
While the practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand has been approved by the Holy See, the Holy Father draws attention to instances “of a deplorable lack of respect towards the Eucharistic species” that have been reported, cases which he says “are imputable not only to the individuals concerned, but also to the pastors of the Church who have lacked the necessary vigilance regarding the formation of people in relation to the Eucharist” (cf. op. cit., Point 11).
“As I bring these considerations to an end,” he said in one of his documents, “I would like to ask forgiveness—in my own name, and in the name of all of you, venerable and dear brothers in the episcopate—for everything which, for whatever reason, through whatever human weakness, impatience, or negligence, and also through the at times partial, one sided, and erroneous application of the directives of the Second Vatican Council, may have caused scandal and disturbance concerning the interpretation of the doctrine and the veneration due to this great Sacrament.
“And I pray the Lord Jesus that in the future we may avoid in our manner of dealing with this sacred mystery anything which could weaken or disorient in any way the sense of reverence and love that exists in our faithful people” (ibid., Point 12).
He affirms that the Eucharistic liturgy should not be an occasion for dividing Catholics or for threatening the unity of the Church. He asks the faithful to abandon all opposition and divisions, and to unite in this great mission of salvation which is both the price and the fruit of the Redemption.
In a letter to mark the 750th anniversary of the first celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi, John Paul II wrote to the bishop of Liège: “I…encourage Christians regularly to visit Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar, for we are all called to abide in the presence of God, thanks to him who is with us until the end of time.
“In contemplation, Christians will perceive ever more profoundly that the paschal mystery is at the heart of all Christian life. This practice leads them to join more intensely in the paschal mystery, and to make the Eucharistic sacrifice the perfect gift, the center of their life in accordance with their specific vocation, for it ‘confers an incomparable dignity upon the Christian people’ (Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei, Point 67, September 3, 1965); in fact, during the Eucharist, we are welcomed by Christ, we receive his forgiveness, we are nourished by his word and his bread, we are then sent out on mission in the world; thus each one is called to witness what he has received and to do the same for his brethren” (John Paul II, Letter, May 28, 1996).
When we visit a church we should first kneel before the tabernacle, adore God, and thank Him for His generosity. We can speak to Him as the apostles did and recount to Him what concerns us, and what gives us great joy, and we can thank Him for being among us.
The Curé of Ars recommended that when we make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament we should open our hearts to receive God’s blessings.
The Curé of Ars himself tells a story: “When I first came to Ars there was a man who never passed the church without going in. In the morning on his way to work, and in the evening on his way home, he left his spade and pick-axe in the porch, and he spent a long time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
“Oh! How I loved to see that! I asked him once what he said to Our Lord during the long visits he made to him. And he told me, ‘Oh, I say nothing to him; I look at him and he looks at me.’ How beautiful, my children, how beautiful!” (John Mary Vianney, The Eucharistic Meditations of the Curé of Ars).
St. John Mary Vianney says that we will find great joy and happiness in spending some time before the Blessed Sacrament to adore Christ and “to keep company with so great a friend.”
Jesus waits for us continually in the tabernacle, the living heart of churches and oratories. There He is exposed to the capricious love of men and women, their capacity to forget, their indifference, and also their contempt and profanation.
Before this self-surrender of the Son of God, pained because of the brusqueness of our dealings with Him and because of our indifference on so many occasions, we should repent of our sins, confess our belief in His humanity and divinity, and say with the Good Thief: “Remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). Like the Good Thief, we ask for pardon of our sins and infidelities and for the sins of all humanity, especially the offenses against Our Lord in the Eucharist.
Jesus is hidden there, waiting for us to come to Him, and to make our requests. “He wishes to see us near him, to tell us that he loves us, and wishes to load us with good things” (J. Vianney, ibid.).
He remains in the Eucharist to console us and to offer us the rest that comes from His most lovable company.
John Paul II says, “The Eucharist is a priceless treasure: by not only celebrating it but also by praying before it outside of Mass we are enabled to make contact with the very wellspring of grace.
“A Christian community desirous of contemplating the face of Christ…cannot fail…to develop this aspect of Eucharistic worship, which prolongs and increases the fruits of our communion in the Body and Blood of the Lord” (John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Point 25, April 17, 2003).
The saints are those who had an exceptional ability to penetrate the mystery of the Eucharist. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, otherwise known as Edith Stein, wrote in one of her letters: “The Lord is present in the tabernacle in his Divinity and in hisHumanity. He is not there for himself, but for us: for it is his joy to be with us.
“He knows that we, being as we are, need to have him personally near. As a result, anyone with normal thoughts and feelings would naturally be drawn to spend time with him, whenever possible and as much as possible.”
“Be a Eucharistic soul!” St. Josemaría says. “If the center around which your thoughts and hopes turn is the tabernacle, then, my child, how abundant the fruits of your sanctity and apostolate will be!” (Josemaría Escrivá, The Forge, Point 835).
Christ in our midst, giving formation to morals and sustenance to virtue, comforting the sad, strengthening the weak. He encourages all who approach Him to imitate Him so that they may learn from His example to be gentle and lowly of heart, to seek not their own ends but God’s.
St. Paul VI says, “Anyone, therefore, who bestows a singular devotion on the Eucharist and makes the effort to return a prompt and generous love to Christ, who has an infinite love for us, gains delight of heart and enjoyment to no small degree.
“He learns by experience and fully comprehends the great value of life “hidden with Christ in God” (cf. Col. 3:3), and the effectiveness of engaging in conversation with Christ.
“Nothing on this earth holds more delight,” he says, “nothing is more effective for covering the road to sanctity” (Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei, Point 67).
Pope Benedict, addressing pilgrims of a World Youth Day in Madrid, said, “Dear young people…, let us raise our minds and hearts to Jesus Christ, the Lord of our lives and of the future. May he pour out his Spirit upon us and upon the whole Church, that we may be a beacon of freedom, reconciliation, and peace for the whole world” (Benedict XVI, Homily, August 20, 2011).
John Paul II, in one of his writings, likes to imagine what the Communions of Our Lady must have been when she received Holy Communion from the hands of St. John.
Mary, may our Communions be something similar, as we seek to be very aware of who we are receiving and cherish those moments in a very special way.
I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me during this meditation. I ask your help to put them into practice. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
EW
Based on The Most Holy Eucharist: Our Passover and Our Living Bread, “The Teachings of John Paul II on the Eucharist” and “Adoration of the Eucharist” by Fr. Thomas J. McGovern (Sophia Institute Press, 2013).