Teaching on the Blessed Sacrament

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Neither Mere Service Nor Symbol

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

The food which reinvigorated Elijah with the strength he needed for his journey to Mt. Horeb, prefigured the Lord’s gift of the Holy Eucharist to sustain us on our journey from this life to the next. When Jesus spoke of it, his hearers were perplexed. St. John tells us that it caused many of the Lord’s disciples to return to their former way of life and no longer accompany Jesus. They lacked faith in the Son of God, they saw only before them the son of Joseph.

What of our own faith in the Eucharist? I ask because a recent Pew Research Study revealed that only 31% of US Catholics believe that the bread and wine at Mass become the Body and Blood of Jesus. Moreover that 69% of Catholics believe the bread and wine used at Mass to be symbols of Christ’s body and blood. Most of these do not know the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist and 1 in 5 Catholics reject the teaching even though they know it.

Current trends then, are not surprising: decline in Mass attendance; the tendency of many to view Mass as just another service among many; the growing trend among families to forego a funeral Mass for their loved ones; and the “mundane” way some receive Communion or walk in front of the altar without so much as a glance toward the tabernacle. Fewer and fewer Catholics see the Eucharist as a great treasure and source of life. They fail to appreciate its purpose and power. The Saints surely did!

What can we say about the Eucharist? The Eucharist is both a Sacrament and a Sacrifice.

The sacrament comes to us during Mass through a change the Church calls transubstantiation. When the priest pronounces the words of Jesus at the Last Supper over the bread and wine, they are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus—even though their appearance, smell, and taste remain the same.

It is a change that goes beyond what our senses perceive. Faith tells us that before us is not something but Someone, not a symbol but Jesus himself who comes to refresh us in our labors, fortify us in our weakness, and give us hope in times of discouragement.

The Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The piece of furniture in the center of the sanctuary is more than just a table at which we are fed. It is also an altar of sacrifice. Sacrifice is our way of relating to God. Isn’t there within us a desire to offer God some sign of our obedience, gratitude, and love; a desire to offer something to obtain his mercy and pardon?

The Old Testament describes the sacrifices of first fruits and animals. God’s covenant with his people was ratified by the blood of sacrificed animals. But because of sin this covenant was broken again and again. The offerings of old could never rise to the level of divine worship; they could never be pure and unblemished. In time, God the Father would himself provide the sacrifice—his beloved Son. Jesus became the Lamb of sacrifice. His body broken and his blood shed sealed the covenant between God and man.

At the Last Supper, Jesus established the Eucharist as the memorial of His death. The Mass can never be separated from the cross. Bishop Sheen wrote, “The Mass is the application and projection through space and time of the redemptive love of Christ on the cross.” At Mass we participate in an action that reaches back to Calvary and allows us to stand at the foot of the cross.

St. John Vianney said, “If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy” Padre Pio boldly proclaimed: “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without the holy Mass.”

What a treasure, what power we possess in the Eucharist. May our Communion never be routine or unreflective. Let our “Amen” be a true profession of faith. Let us remember that at Mass heaven descends to earth, and we lift up our earth to meet it halfway. At Mass we bring our home to heaven and heaven home to us.” [Scott Hahn: The Lamb’s Supper] A symbol, a nice service? Not at all, my friends—a Treasure far exceeding our imagination!