May 5, 2007

The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Celebrated

(Third in a series of four reflections)

This is the title of the second section of Pope Benedict XVI’s new Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, in which he takes up the theme of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharistic Mystery. And he does so, surprisingly, under the aspect of the transcendental quality of beauty: “Like the rest of Christian Revelation, the liturgy is inherently linked to beauty: it is veritatis splendor [the splendor of truth]… As St. Bonaventure would say, in Jesus we contemplate beauty and splendor at their source. This is… the concrete way in which the truth of God’s love in Christ encounters us, attracts us and delights us, enabling us to emerge from ourselves and drawing us toward our true vocation, which is love,” (n. 35). “The ‘subject’ of the liturgy’s intrinsic beauty is Christ Himself,” (n. 36). “Everything related to the Eucharist should be marked by beauty,” (n. 41); and under the heading of “everything,” the Holy Father includes the “ars celebrandi, the art of proper celebration” (n. 38); art, architecture and sanctuary furnishings (n. 41); and liturgical song – in particular, Gregorian chant (n. 42).

The document then goes on to consider the structure of the liturgy and the significance of its various components. Regarding the Presentation of the Gifts, the Pope writes: “This humble and simple gesture is actually very significant: in the bread and wine that we bring to the altar, all creation is taken up by Christ the Redeemer to be transformed and presented to the Father. In this way we also bring to the altar all the pain and suffering of the world, in the certainty that everything has value in God’s eyes… It gives human labor its authentic meaning, since, through the celebration of the Eucharist, it is united to the redemptive sacrifice of Christ,” (n. 47). In speaking of the reception of the Eucharist, Benedict asks that every effort be made “to ensure that this simple act preserves its importance as a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus in the Sacrament,” (n. 50). In the same paragraph – recognizing the pastoral challenge of the presence at liturgical celebrations of those who cannot receive Communion - he states that, “there is a need to find a brief and clear way to remind those present of the meaning of sacramental Communion and the conditions required for its reception” (n. 50), something that we friars try to do at CFR Masses with guests and YOUTH 2OOO retreats. He also notes that, “The word ‘dismissal’ has come to imply a ‘mission.’ These few words [Ite, missa est – ‘Go, the Mass is ended’] succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church,” hoping that the People of God will be encouraged to take “the dismissal as a starting-point,” (n. 51).

The Holy Father notes that authentic participation “does not refer to mere external activity in the celebration,” but rather “a greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship to daily life” (n. 52), marked by “a spirit of constant conversion,… recollection and silence,… fasting,… when necessary sacramental Confession,… [and] an effort to participate actively in the life of the Church as a whole, including a missionary commitment to bring Christ’s love into the life of society,” (n. 55). In light of the fact that “active participation is not per se equivalent to the exercise of a specific ministry,” the Pope urges that the unique role of the priest who presides over the Eucharistic celebration be acknowledged and respected (n. 53).

Finally, the Holy Father desires to intensify reverence toward the Eucharist, “an increased sense of the mystery of God among us,” that is expressed significantly in the posture of kneeling (n. 65). He also strongly encourages the practice of Eucharistic Adoration: “In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; Eucharistic Adoration is simply the natural consequence of the Eucharistic celebration, which is in itself the Church’s supreme act of adoration… The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself” (n. 66), and produces the fruit of “lives shaped by the Lord’s Real Presence,” (n. 67).

Fr. Herald Joseph Brock, CFR

Convento San Serafin, Comayagua, Honduras

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