Fr. John Ryan

 

CORPUS CHRISTI

10th June 2007

St. Paul found it necessary to remind the people of Corinth that when they came together to celebrate the Last Supper they were undertaking something more than a simple meal but a meal with meaning and consequences. The meal we celebrate in the Eucharist, our commemoration of the Last Supper, is one of great spiritual merit, centred on Christ.
We gather around the altar is a phrase often used to describe our coming together for the celebration. The structures of many of our churches do not help in concretising this image - with their linear alignment from door up to altar with all seats facing forward. Add to this the propensity to sit or stand at the back and the image is further lost. The empty front seats and the packed back emphasise a distancing from the places of celebration - the ambo and the altar. To highlight gathering around the altar we should do our utmost to come "close to the action", our proximity to the celebration drawing us closer together with Christ in our midst. We become like the women at the foot of the cross and the apostles seated at the table in the Upper Room rather than distant bystanders intrigued at the goings on but afraid to get too involved. Drawing around the altar and approaching it for the reception of Holy Communion puts a necessary emphasis on our need for Jesus Christ and his grace garnered through the hearing of his word and the reception of his Body and Blood.
The mysterious depths of the Eucharist are there for us to tease out and discover anew each time we celebrate. Even though the actions and the words used may prove very familiar to us, each time we enter into the celebration as if it was for the first time we discover something new and fresh. Every time we celebrate should be a process of discovery of Jesus Christ in who he is for us and what he does for us, while also being a re-discovery of ourselves as humble creatures before an unconditionally loving God, who loved us even while we were still sinners.
Celebrating the mysteries of salvation and redemption, celebrating God's love for us and receiving Jesus in Word and Eucharist, has consequences - it should empower us to bring his love to all, especially those who feel undermined, unloved, alone, lost in suffering, disillusioned, despairing and isolated, while we give continual thanks for the blessings we have received. The final dismissal - go in peace to love and serve the Lord - is the great mission statement of the gathered assembly. As we give thanks (Eucharist = thanksgiving) we are conscious of the need for the world to hear the message of hope, joy and love that Christ offers all of creation. The consequences for the worshipping believer who gathers around the altar with other worshipping believers include the continuous will to build up the faith community without faltering. The mission is continuous - it is given to us to be acted upon always and everywhere and not just left for selected moments. The commandments to love are the measure of our active missionary lives. In all actions, "at home, at school, at play", to quote the altar servers' prayer after Mass, we are asked to acknowledge God's love for us in our response to him and his creation, especially our fellow men and women. If we fail to live this missionary life then we fail to reflect what we celebrate around the altar and do an injustice to the Saviour. To say 'Amen' to the Body and Blood of Christ is to say 'Yes' to living completely the Catholic faith, centred on Jesus Christ, directed to the Father in heaven and empowered by the Spirit who works in each of us individually and in the Church as a whole.
May we be true to the meaning of the Last Supper in our celebration - may we be true to the person who makes himself present to us in such a special sacramental way in the Eucharist.