Imagine That!  Crash Course in Catholicism:  The Eucharist

By Fr. Joseph M. Hennessey

W.W.W.thankyouLord

            --Eucharist as communal public act of gratitude; are you grateful?

I.                The Eucharist is the source, the summit and the center of the life of the Church, my life; does my life flow from last Sunday’s Mass, point toward next Sunday’s Mass, does my life revolve around the Mass?

II.             The Eucharist is a sacred Mystery=profound truth which cannot be adequately comprehended or defined by mere human language

III.           The Eucharist has vertical and horizontal dimensions; communion with the Trinity that leads to communion with each other

IV.           Horizontal:  the whole Mass has Jewish roots; liturgy of the Word is the synagogue service, liturgy of the Eucharist is based on Passover.

V.              Horizontal:  the Mass is like a festive meal, a wedding banquet, agape, love feast; only at the Last Supper did Jesus call the disciples his ‘friends.’

VI.           Horizontal:  the Mass as a gathering of God’s People, Family; rich, poor, male, female, all races etc.

VII.         Horizontal:  a gathering of the Body of Christ to receive the Body of Christ, so that it can become more itself; “you are what you eat” “the Bread of all Sweetness” =we become sweet.

VIII.      Horizontal:  the Mass is educational, nourishing body, mind and soul

IX.           Horizontal:  the Eucharist completes the sacraments of initiation.

X.              Horizontal:  the Mass is a ‘dance,’, between Christ and His Bride, the Church.

XI.           Horizontal:  the Lord and the Church wants us to participate in Mass in a “conscious, active, and fruitful” way

XII.        Vertical:  The Mass is the Heavenly banquet here on earth; Holy, Holy, holy, together with the angels and saints; by glorifying God with Holy, we become holy, it backwashes on us; ‘you are, you become what you adore.’

XIII.      Vertical:  The Mass was instituted by Christ at the Last Supper, re-presentation of the Last Supper in time and space.

XIV.      Vertical:  The Mass is an unfolding of the Paschal Mystery, the Death and Resurrection of Christ, makes us holier, more loving and joyful

XV.         Vertical:  the Mass is Jesus the High Priest (represented by the ordained priest) offering the sacrifice of himself, together with the sacrifices of the priesthood of all the faithful

XVI.      Vertical:  Eucharist is the work of the Trinity, we participate in the eternal conversation of Son to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

XVII.    Mass is a holy exchange of gifts, admirabile commercium; we offer a few pennies worth of bread and wine, and in exchange we receive the Body and Blood of our Savior, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity; such a deal!

XVIII. Mass is a little bit of Good Friday mixed with a little bit of Easter Sunday.

XIX.      Sunday Mass is a Duty, but a pleasant one.

XX.         Sources for further reading:  Sacrosanctum Concilium, Dogmatic constitution on the Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council; Catechism of the Catholic Church, especially ##1077-1134; 1322-1419.  Scott Hahn,  The Lamb’s Supper:  The Mass as Heaven on Earth; Jeremy Driscoll, What Happens at Mass.