Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne
Eucharist comes from the Greek verb "eucharistein" which means thanksgiving, an act of gratitude, praise and joy.
The Eucharist in Catholics refers to the Sunday celebration.
The world doesn't yet know it, but all are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). To be admitted to the feast, one simply needs to wear the wedding garment of faith, which comes from listening to his Word (cf. Rom 10:17). The Church tailors this garment to each person, with the whiteness of fabric washed in the Blood of the Lamb (cf. Rev 7:14). We should not allow ourselves even a single moment of rest, knowing that not everyone has yet received the invitation to this meal, or that others have forgotten it or have lost their way in the complexities of human life. This is what I meant when I said: "I envision a missionary choice capable of transforming everything, so that habits, styles, schedules, language, and every ecclesial structure become an adequate channel for the evangelization of today's world, rather than for self-preservation."
( Evangelii gaudium , no. 27): so that all may sit down at the meal of the sacrifice of the Lamb and live by Him.
APOSTOLIC LETTER
DESIDERIO DESIDERAVI , § 5
POPE FRANCIS
"The Eucharist is the source and summit of all Christian life."
( Vatican II Constitution on the Church, no. 11)
It is through the Eucharist that we receive the Life of God, the Bread for our journey. Receiving the Bread of God invites us to share our bread with our brothers and sisters in humanity. The Eucharist structures Christian life, it punctuates it, it is the very breath of spiritual life. It is a re-presentation of Easter, not its repetition or mere remembrance. The Eucharist , or the Mass , is a reminder of the Last Supper, of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Testimony of a mother
"He who sees me sees the one who sent me." Astonishing words. One never gets used to them. One can repeat them at the manger, in Nazareth, at the Jordan, in Capernaum, at the Last Supper, at the cross, on Easter morning… One can repeat them all the way to the tabernacle, with the same surprise, the same astonishment.
"He who sees me sees the One who sent me": a baby bursting into irresistible laughter, a young man leaning over a carpenter's workbench, a man on his knees, cloth at his belt, cleaning calloused feet, a condemned man half-dead from thirst, a living man showing his wounds, and even, even a piece of white bread that is put down, taken, broken, eaten.
“He who sees me sees the one who sent me.” We still haven’t understood, Lord, forgive us… It is so difficult to understand who you are. You are so different from what we had imagined. So, we kneel, and since we understand nothing, we simply love you, Lord, with a great love. Or at least, we ardently wish to love you, you, the splendid Face of the invisible God, you, the inaccessible God who allows himself to be touched, who rests upon the palms of our hands, while remaining the Wholly Other whom we cannot grasp.
Bénédicte Delelis
(Unpublished meditation for Magnificat .)
Bénédicte Delelis, born in 1985, married and mother of four, teaches theology at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris. She is the author of several books on spirituality.
Pope Francis' apostolic letter DESIDERIO DESIDERAVI is a marvel to meditate on to glimpse how much we are loved by God, Father, Son and Spirit in the mystery of the Eucharist:
ON THE LITURGICAL FORMATION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
APOSTOLIC LETTER
FROM THE HOLY FATHER