The Eucharist is one of the greatest mysteries of our faith. It is one of the truths of faith that distinguish us universally: Catholics believe that God is really present in the consecrated host. It is not a symbol, it is not a representation; it is Jesus’ real presence, his Body, Blood, soul and divinity.
His real presence is not something we believe occurs only for us Catholics: the presence of the Lord in the Eucharist is a universal reality. God is here for everyone.
Flannery O’Connor, the great Southern Catholic writer, in one of her letters, related a discussion that arose in a social gathering she attended with other colleagues from the University of Iowa.
The gathering of intellectuals took place at the home of a woman writer who had abandoned the Catholic Church at age 15.
“Toward morning the conversation turned to the Eucharist,” Flannery relates, “which I, being the Catholic, was obviously supposed to defend.”
Her ex-Catholic friend, after recounting her childhood and the great devotion with which she received the Communion, explained how “now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one.” O’Connor clearly recalls her reaction: “I then said, in a very shaky voice, ‘Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.’”
O’Connor recognizes in the letter that her response was probably not as elegant as it could have been. However, she said, “that was the entire defense I was capable of; but I realize now that this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it is the center of existence for me; all the rest of life is expendable.”
In this Year for Priests, Pope Benedict XVI has reminded us on several occasions that the Eucharist, as the center of our Catholic faith, is a gift that Jesus Christ has given us through the priesthood. Without priests, there is no Eucharist.
Each one of our parishes will be a eucharistic community if the priest centers his life in becoming a eucharistic soul and leads the people of God to Jesus in the Eucharist.
Speaking about St. John Mary Vianney, the Holy Father recalled that he taught the faithful of Ars to become a eucharistic community “primarily by the witness of his life.” “It was from his example that they learned to pray, halting frequently before the tabernacle for a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Letter proclaiming a Year for Priests)
The blessed Curé of Ars taught his faithful that “one need not say much to pray well.” “We know that Jesus is there in the tabernacle: let us open our hearts to him, let us rejoice in his sacred presence. That is the best prayer.”
And at the same time he encouraged the faithful to receive Communion frequently: “Come to Communion, my brothers and sisters, come to Jesus. Come to live from him in order to live with him.”
The Curé of Ars, the pope writes, became a source of inspiration that invited everyone to love the Eucharist: his deep piety before the Blessed Sacrament, his reverence and devotion when celebrating Mass, profoundly moved the hearts of the faithful.
The Holy Father explains it thus: “this way of educating the faithful to the eucharistic presence and to Communion proved most effective when they saw him celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Those present said that ‘it was not possible to find a finer example of worship… He gazed upon the host with immense love.’” (Pope Benedict XVI, Letter proclaiming a Year for Priests).
Furthermore, St. John Mary Vianney saw in the daily and devout celebration of the Eucharist the best way for growth in the perfection of Christian charity. Thus, the saint would say: “What a good thing it is for a priest each morning to offer himself to God in sacrifice!”
As we continue to celebrate this Year for Priests, let us pray more intensely for the priests of our archdiocese and of the whole world, so that, fed by the love for Jesus in the Eucharist, they may, with that same love, nourish all the faithful, and in this way we will also be renewed as a church, through the only source of authentic renewal for Catholics and the church: the Lord Jesus.