As of late June, over 40,000 people were registered for next week’s National Eucharistic Congress, and the Congress is already past its $12 million fundraising goal. Catholics from all over the country will gather to deepen their devotion to the Eucharist, remembering the claim from Lumen Gentium that the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” And these words refer to more than liturgy or ecclesial life. We Christians are called to make the Eucharist the center of our entire lives. So how do we live Eucharist?
We don’t have to wait for a massive assembly of Catholics to begin immersing ourselves in the Eucharist. At every Mass, the priest prays the Eucharistic Prayer on behalf of the whole Church, and we can embody that prayer in the way we structure our daily prayers and lives.
The prefaces to the four main Eucharistic Prayers begin with praise and thanksgiving to God. The preface to Eucharistic Prayer II says it is “our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks.” If the most sacred part of the Mass begins with praise and thanksgiving, even calling it our salvation, shouldn’t we begin every day in the same way? The word “Eucharist” literally means “thanksgiving,” and so a clear way to live Eucharist is to praise and thank God in the first moments of our day.
All four Eucharistic Prayers ask for blessings. Prayers II-IV have two moments of “epiclesis” where the priest calls down the Holy Spirit to gather the people and make our gifts holy. We too should invoke the Holy Spirit often so that we can live in loving community and make good offerings to God.
An essential aspect of the Eucharistic Prayers is remembering. The words of institution recall the actions and words of Jesus at the Last Supper, and they transcend time, bringing us into the one mystery of His Death and Resurrection. The Prayers also include another act of “anamnesis” or “remembrance” after the institution narrative. Clearly, engaging Christ’s saving work is at the core of Catholic worship—and should be at the core of our lives.
The Eucharistic Prayers conclude with the doxology: “Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is Yours, for ever and ever.” This powerful moment of the Mass centers all that we are on the Trinity, affixing our hopes and our prayers to God through, with, and in Jesus Christ our Savior, who is truly present in the Eucharist.
Although we may not pray those exact words, we should carry in our hearts a sort of constant doxology, where we remember that all good comes through, with, and in Jesus, and that all glory and honor belong to God no matter what. With the National Eucharistic Congress around the corner, let’s ask ourselves whether we really see the Eucharist as the source and summit of our lives.
Bishop Schlert will bring a delegation from the Diocese of Allentown to participate in the Congress, including Father Keith Mathur, Chancellor, Director of Office for Divine Worship, and Episcopal Master of Ceremonies; Father Allen Hoffa, Pastor, Holy Guardian Angels Parish, Reading; Father Matthew Kuna, Parochial Vicar, Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish, Sinking Spring, and Chaplain, Berks Catholic High School, Reading; Father John Maria, Diocesan Director of Vocations, and Pastor, Saint Mary Parish, Kutztown; Father Giuseppe Esposito, Pastor, St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Frackville, and Pastor, St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Ashland; Father Eugene Ritz, Vicar for Clergy; Maggie Riggins, Diocesan Executive Director of Evangelization and Formation; Ana Hidalgo, the Bishop’s Delegate to the Hispanic Community; Lilly Fallon, Diocesan Digital Media Specialist; Genevieve O’Connor, Diocesan Communications Specialist and Campus Minister for Muhlenberg College; Anh Do Mai, Allentown Diocese Seminarian; Dominic Civitella, Allentown Diocese Seminarian; Mary Ann Guman and Marie Muncy, Members of the Bishop’s Commission for Women; Victor Muncy, Member of the Bishop’s Commission for Men; and Shea Elliott, Member of the Bishop’s Commission for Young Adults.
As we pray for them and everyone making their way to Indianapolis, we can live Eucharist by beginning our days with praise and thanksgiving, invoking the Holy Spirit often, reflecting on Christ’s Passion and Presence, and keeping the doxology resounding in our hearts.
By Genevieve O’Connor, Communications Specialist and Campus Minister of Muhlenberg College, Allentown. She holds an MTS in Moral Theology from the University of Notre Dame and an MFA in Creative Writing from DeSales University, Center Valley.
Photo by Josh Applegate.
