Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

The Bishop Writes

(From the July 3, 2003 edition of the Inland Register)

On the weekend of June 22, we celebrated the Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus, more traditionally known as the Feast of Corpus Christi.

For many years, I have celebrated this feast on the Colville Reservation, with their processions of the Blessed Sacrament. This year, however, I was at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes for the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone, the blessing of the new cross on top of the church (blown down by a windstorm last year), and the blessing of the special plaque in honor of volunteers who over the decades have so generously given of their time and talents.

This feast is a good reminder for all of us of the gift of Eucharist in our Church. The feast reminds us, too, of our need to appreciate and participate in this remarkable sacrament.

Several years ago, Pope John Paul II issued an apostolic exhortation titled “Day of the Lord.” The exhortation emphasized the importance of Sunday and the celebration of Eucharist. Last April, he issued the encyclical Church of the Eucharist. In that encyclical he offers a reflection on the great importance of Eucharist in our lives and the constant need to appreciate this marvelous gift of Jesus. He challenges us to grow in “Eucharistic amazement.” There is no question: Eucharist truly is an amazing gift.

He begins the encyclical with a personal reflection on the many places he has celebrated Eucharist around the world: in mountain chapels, along seacoasts and seashores, in stadiums and city squares, in great cathedrals. All of us have had our own experiences. I think of my own from the jungles of Africa to Central America, to every parish in our diocese.

The pope divides up his reflections into six parts. They are worth noting.

• The Eucharist is a mystery. For all of the knowledge and sophistication of these times, we witness the common objects of bread and wine as they are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. No amount of scientific investigation will offer proof. We simply believe this transformation in faith. Anyone who does not approach Eucharist with a sense of faith and belief in the mystery misses in part the great mystery of God and us. Again and again, we come to this mystery with a sense of humility, knowing that it is God who touches our lives so profoundly, that it is God who constantly forms us in the gift he calls us to be. Avoiding Eucharist is a missed opportunity. The Eucharist is both sacrifice and banquet. Both signify God’s amazing love for us.

• Eucharist builds the Church. Jesus at the Last Supper is very direct: “Do this in memory of me.” When we come to Eucharist, we not only receive the Lord Jesus; he also receives us. In this reception, he binds all of us together in communion, into his body. As St. Paul shares in his first letter to the Corinthians, “The bread which we break, is it not communion in the body of Christ?” (10:16). In so many ways we live in a divided world; at times, even in a divided Church. That disunity is countered by the unifying power of the body of Christ.

• The apostolicity of the Eucharist and of the Church. The Eucharist has its foundation in the Apostles – not in the sense that they founded the Eucharist, but in the fact that it was entrusted to them. The Second Vatican Council specifically mentions that “the faithful join in the offering of Eucharist by virtue of their royal priesthood.” Yet, it is the priest who acts in the person of Jesus who brings about the Eucharistic sacrifice and offers it in the name of the people.

• The Eucharist and ecclesial communion. The Eucharist has a twofold role in this regard: the invisible, which unites us with the Trinity and with one another; and the visible, which entails communion in the sacraments, in the teaching of the Apostles, and in the relationship of the hierarchical order. All of this has tremendous significance as we strive to foster a sense of community and appreciation of one another. As the Holy Father states: “From this it truly follows that a Eucharistic community cannot be closed in on itself, as though it were somehow self-sufficient: rather it must persevere in harmony with every other Catholic community.” In and through the Body of Christ, we are in solidarity with one another.

• The dignity of the Eucharistic celebration. We must make every effort to celebrate Eucharist with great dignity. The sacred space of our churches should provide a sense of the sacred as well as a sense of beauty. Architecture, music, sculpture, painting, and vestments all point to the mystery we celebrate again and again. In addition, ritual, faithfully celebrated according to the norms of the Church, also enhances the dignity of the celebration. In months to come we will be offering catechesis in preparation for the First Sunday of Advent, when we will implement the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal.

• At the school of Mary, woman of the Eucharist. At the Annunciation, Mary accepted the invitation to be the mother of Jesus. To some degree this is what happens to us sacramentally as we accept and receive Jesus in the Eucharist. The invitation is there for us again and again.

As we reflect on these elements of the encyclical, may we grow in Eucharistic amazement and appreciation. What a wondrous gift that we simply cannot take for granted!

July 1-5: Region XII bishops gathering
5-6: Masses in Chewelah, Springdale and Valley
9-12: Evangelization Workshop
13: Confirmation/First Eucharist, Immaculate Conception Parish, Republic
14: Catholic Mutual Board Meeting
16: Mass, Carmelite Sisters
17: Business breakfast