Mario Alberto Molina, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango – Totonicapán, offers us on this Solemnity of Corpus Christi a profound and direct commentary on the center of our faith: the Eucharist as real presence, sacrifice and foretaste of the Kingdom. A call to confess our faith not only with words, but also with liturgical gestures.
The sacrament we celebrate and adore
This solemnity has the purpose of honoring Jesus Christ, present and alive in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Because of that presence, it is the only sacrament so honored. The solemnity was established in response to those who denied the reality of the sacrament. Even today practices are established and truths are silenced that weaken what the Church believes and teaches about this sacrament. Faith is confessed and declared not only by words, but also by actions. I will review the doctrine that the Church has handed down to us about the Holy Eucharist and point out some practices that weaken it.
Names and dimensions of the Eucharist
It is known by several names:
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Lord’s Supperbecause Christ instituted it during the Last Supper.
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Eucharistbecause it is part of a thanksgiving(eucharist in Greek).
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Breaking of breadby the gesture of breaking bread.
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Holy Sacrifice of the Massbecause in it the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is actualized.
The Eucharist evokes and actualizes the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and also anticipates his second coming and the banquet of the Kingdom.
Real presence and real participation
The Church believes and teaches that in the Eucharist the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is truly realized. It is not a matter of symbols, nor of Christ “becoming bread”. The bread ceases to be bread, the wine ceases to be wine. They are now Christ himself, under sacramental appearances.
To deny this truth, even in a naive way (as with certain irreverent songs or gestures), weakens the faith. Liturgical gestures and pastoral practices that foster reverence, awareness and a sense of the sacred are needed.
Who consecrates? Only God
Consecration is exclusive work of Godthrough the ordained priest. The priest is not the protagonist of the Mass, but the instrument. It is Christ himself who acts in the sacraments. The Mass is not a communal feast, but a sacred action directed to the Father by Christ in the Holy Spirit.
There can be no Mass without a priest, but the priest is not at the center. the priest is not at the center: Christ is at the center.. The homily is not the most important part, although it must be worthy of the mystery being celebrated. The heart of the Mass is the Eucharistic prayer and the consecration, which transport us mystically to heaven.
Let’s celebrate with faith, let’s celebrate with dignity
To recognize the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist also implies celebrating it with dignity: in the way it is distributed, in the music that is sung, in the behavior of the faithful and ministers.
Let us give thanks to God, who in the Mass makes us sharers in the cross of Christ and sacramentally introduces us into the life of heaven.