Focus on the Eucharist

Through Oct. 29, 2005, Catholics around the world will look inwardly, focusing on the central mysteries of faith. It will be a special time for Catholics to become closer to God and understand the importance of living the Catholic faith in everyday life.

This Year of the Eucharist has been in the making for quite some time. Pope John Paul’s major statements as well as his messages during his weekly audiences have shown a man concerned about people’s spirituality in light of growing consumerism and globalization.

At various times the pope has discussed the Eucharist’s "transforming power" that can provide courage to live the faith and spread the Gospel.

Cardinal Jozef Tomko, who heads the Vatican’s committee for international eucharistic congresses, told Catholic News Service the Holy Father is convinced that unless Catholics have a firm understanding of the Eucharist the church’s missionary and social activities lose meaning.

"He is focusing now on the Eucharist as the special presence of Jesus Christ among us," the cardinal said. "But this is a mystery — the idea that Christ has given his own body for us to eat. It is a very hard language for people to accept."

Indeed, it is. Wars, turmoil, starvation, homelessness, inadequate health care and the world’s ills would vanish if the truth of the Eucharist were truly embraced.

The eucharistic year was inaugurated earlier this month at the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. It has set the tone for Catholic communities around the world to celebrate the Eucharist in their own way.

The Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has prepared a 33-page document filled with suggestions for the year ahead. Such celebrations will bring new meaning to the Eucharist only if accompanied by prayer and, as Pope John Paul has said, understanding Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice and his continued presence in the world.

The congregation said that if the only things a parish did to promote this special year were to take more care in how Sunday Mass was celebrated and to encourage eucharistic adoration the year would be successful.

To help celebrate the year, the congregation suggested that parishes develop "a more intense catechesis about the Eucharist," utilizing Scripture, the writings of early Christian theologians, the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" and stories about saints who were devoted to the Eucharist.

The congregation also asked parishes to make special efforts to take the Eucharist to sick and homebound people. Other, more traditional ideas focused on genuflecting when entering a church or passing the tabernacle and a renewed emphasis on the sacrament of reconciliation.

The Year of the Eucharist gives us a chance to embrace the fundamental truths of the church. Hopefully, each one of us will find new meaning in the Eucharist, the symbol of Christ’s love for all.