EVANGELIZATION AND THE EUCHARIST Four Reflective Vignettes

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1 EVANGELIZATION AND THE EUCHARIST Four Reflective Vignettes James H. Kroeger, MM The celebration in the Philippines in 2016 of the Fifty-first International Eucharistic Congress is truly a special moment for a uniquely blessed nation with the largest Catholic population in Asia. This occasion invites deep reflection on the intimate relationship between the Eucharist and Evangelization. The chosen theme for the Congress is: Christ in You, Our Hope of Glory; its subtitle is: The Eucharist: Source and Goal of the Church s Mission. This presentation, composed of four brief reflections, can deepen our appreciation of the mutually enriching relationship between the Eucharist and Missionary Evangelization. I. Becoming the Eucharist! As the 2016 International Eucharistic Congress unfolds in Cebu, we can recall that Saint Pope John Paul II endeared himself to Filipinos during his two papal visits (1981 and 1995); he visited Cebu on February 19-20, Another interesting fact is that this pope s message for World Mission Sunday 2005 was the last public document he issued and it is filled with numerous insights to enrich our view of the Eucharist and Christian mission. A Four-fold Dynamic. John Paul II s Mission: Bread Broken for the Life of the World focuses on the relationship between Eucharist and Mission. Recall the four key actions involved in the Eucharist; the bread and wine which become Christ s body and blood are Taken, Blessed, Broken, and Given. During the meal Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples (Mt 26:26). These same four actions are reflected in our call to be Christ s missionaries. We all Christians are taken, chosen for service in the Church. We are selected, not because of our great importance or special abilities. God s choice flows from his gracious love. Ask yourself: How has the Lord called me? Next, we are blessed, enriched with many gifts (family, friends, community, baptism and faith). Again, all flows from the Lord s generosity. Each of us has received so much; stop for a moment and count your blessings. Will we give as freely and generously as God has given to us (cf. Mt 10:8)? Taken and blessed, we must now consent to be broken (the third Eucharistic action). Only when bread is broken can it be offered for the whole of humanity; we must be broken to be in compassionate solidarity with poor and suffering humanity. This is precisely the point made by Saint John Paul II: for its life the world needs broken bread (Christ and Christians). Mother Teresa has said that when we truly recognize Christ broken for us in the Eucharist we will more easily recognize Christ in the broken bodies and lives of our suffering and poor neighbors. The pope asserts that the Eucharist is not merely an expression of communion in the Church s life; it is also a project of solidarity for all of humanity. The fourth element of becoming Eucharist is to be given. In the Eucharist Christ truly gives himself to us. He becomes our food, satisfying our deepest hungers and needs. Now it is our turn to be broken and given, becoming food and life for others, becoming the bread of Christ for the world. Have you ever seen your life as a continuous process of Becoming Eucharist? Whether one is a parent, worker, student or government employee, Christ takes, blesses, breaks and gives us for the life of the world. Each day we are asked to surrender to this four- The Missions Newsletter 5 PMS Newsletter 2016_ indd 5

2 When we leave after the Mass, are we a "true presence" of Christ in the world? fold action. Are we comfortable with being chosen and blessed by Christ, but do we recoil when asked to be broken and given to others? Exhortation by the Pope. The 2005 mission message of Saint John Paul II notes that we, both individually and as communities, must respond with fraternal solicitude to some of the many forms of poverty present in our world, because by our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ. This will be the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged. Catholics receive communion, the true body of Christ. Yes, we become the body of Christ, the Church. When we leave after Sunday Mass, are we a true presence of Christ in the world? Each baptized Christian is called to be a missionary, to be bread broken and shared for the life of the world. Receive the Eucharist. Become the Eucharist! II. Eucharist and Mission Perspectives Allow me to begin this second reflection by narrating a personal experience, because it has helped shape my views on the interrelationship between the Eucharist and the Church s mission of evangelization. A Bangladeshi Beggar. During the Lenten season some few years ago, while I was a visiting professor in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I had a "graced moment," a "defining experience" in my missionary awareness and perspective. It has remained seared in my consciousness and has forced me to ask many foundational questions about mission and my own faith commitment. It involves a Bangladeshi beggar woman. I saw her on the road, in front of the large walled compound of a wealthy family dwelling. I could not clearly see her face, as she was several hundred feet ahead of me. Her tattered clothes covered a malnourished body; she was alone, although other beggars were walking ahead of her on the road. I was proceeding along the same path, leisurely taking a late afternoon walk. Suddenly a luxury car approached with its horn blowing. The driver probably wanted the beggars to disperse and also wanted the gate of the compound opened by the servants. The woman appeared startled as the car turned sharply in front of her and the gate swung open. Within seconds two large dogs emerged from Each baptized Christian is called to be a missionary, to be "bread broken and shared" for the life of the world. the compound and jumped at the woman, knocking her to the ground. She screamed and cried both from fear and the pain caused by the dogs nipping at her. I stood frozen, horrified at the sight. A well-dressed madam promptly emerged from the chauffeur-driven car. She ordered the driver to bring the car into the compound; the dogs were called to return inside; the servants were commanded to close and lock the gate. And, the beggar woman? She was left alone on the ground outside the gate. I stood helpless, gazing at this appalling scene. Only the other frightened beggars came to the aid of the woman. Only they showed mercy and compassion. I stood at a distance and wept at this scene of crucifixion. I admitted to being a guilty bystander. My fears and inadequacies left me paralyzed. I had not one taka coin in my pocket to give; I could not offer one word of consolation in the Bengali language which I did not speak; I did not approach the woman for fear of misinterpretation that a foreign man would touch a 6 The Missions Newsletter PMS Newsletter 2016_ indd 6

3 Bengali woman in public in this strictly Islamic culture. I simply wept in solidarity. I wept long and hard. And, in succeeding years, I have frequently returned to that scene and prayed to God: "Do not let me forget that experience. Allow it to shape my life, my mission, my faith vision. Permit it to remain a 'defining moment' in understanding my mission vocation." Personal Reflection. This experience of the Bangladeshi beggar-woman (each of you could supply additional experiences) forces us to look closely at the large scale of suffering in the contemporary world. Christians are called to embrace the world and suffering humanity. Human brokenness becomes a clear point of insertion for reflection on the meaning of Eucharist and evangelization. Saint John Paul II wrote some penetrating words in Mane Nobiscum Domine (28) for the Year of the Eucharist ( ). After recounting several examples of human suffering, he notes: We cannot delude ourselves: by our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ (cf. Jn 13:35; Mt 25:31-46). This will be the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged. In his Ecclesia de Eucharistia (20) the same pope notes that the Eucharist increases, rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world today. He further challenges Christians by quoting the poignant words of Saint John Chrysostom: Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: This is my body is the same who said: You saw me hungry and you gave me no food, and Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me. What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well. Genuine evangelization and authentic Eucharist mean embracing a broken world and crucified humanity. Christians need an ongoing transformation to the paschal Saint John Paul II asserts that the Eucharist is the principle and plan of mission. view of life. Thus, John Paul II (MND 24) can boldly assert that the Eucharist is the principle and plan of mission. Summary Reflection. This presentation began with the narration of a personal experience of an encounter between a missionary and a Bangladeshi beggar-woman. This "defining experience" has produced much depth reflection on the nature of the Eucharist and missionary evangelization. This missionary remains filled with gratitude for that God-given experience of grace. More reflection needs to be given to the wealth of insights that can still emerge from viewing mission and evangelization through the optic of the Eucharist and the paschal mystery. Finally, relying on God's grace, this missionary looks forward to meeting that Muslim Bangladeshi beggar-woman once again in the resurrected life with Christ the Lord in heaven. Because she so deeply shared the paschal mystery while here on earth, I am most confident she will be there! The Missions Newsletter 7 PMS Newsletter 2016_ indd 7

4 III. Remembering: A Key to the Eucharist Saint Paul, when writing to the Corinthians (I Cor 11:23-27), takes special care to faithfully hand on to them core elements of the faith that he himself has been privileged to receive from the Lord. Describing the Last Supper, Paul narrates what Jesus did on the same night that he was betrayed. He took the bread, thanked God, broke it, and said: This is my body, which is for you; do this in memory of me. Likewise, Jesus took the cup and said: This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in memory of me. Note that the admonition, Do this in memory of me is repeated twice. Paul emphasizes that the very celebration of the Eucharist is a faithful fulfillment of the Lord s command to remember what He, Jesus himself, has done. Memory, a Precious Treasure. Humanly speaking, memory is very important; it is a special gift, involving our entire person (mind, heart, will, emotions). Remembering enables us to link past events and people into our lives; they become present, operative realities. Saint Augustine asserts that we are created in the image and likeness of God; we possess three faculties: the intellect, the will, and the memory, the greatest of these being memory. When we hear about someone who has lost his memory, we are saddened. Amnesia or dementia are life situations that are hard to bear. Essentially, without our memory, we would effectively cease to be ourselves as we know and appreciate our personal identity. For example, if my memory were erased, I could no longer make a phone call or send greetings to a loved one on his birthday or anniversary. Truly, memory is the heart of our relationships; it roots our person, connecting us to one another as father or mother, husband or wife, brother or sister. In fact, for Augustine, everything we touch, smell, hear, see, and do is filtered through this immense womb we call memory. 8 The Missions Newsletter PMS Newsletter 2016_ indd 8

5 We remember how you loved us to your death. And still we celebrate for You are with us here. And we believe that we will see You when You come in Your glory, Lord. We remember, we celebrate, we believe. Song by Marty Haugen We are also aware that memory is not just centered on individuals; memory also lives in human groups. Families, tribes, clans, peoples and nations have a collective memory. Such corporate memory preserves the identity of the community, provides a moral compass, preserves treasured values. This memory allows us to live in community and to tell our collective story. Memory and Eucharist. Faithful to Christ s command, we celebrate the Eucharist in memory of what Jesus has done for us. While recalling the Jewish Passover meal, we now celebrate a new reality: the Lord s own dying and rising. The meal of Jesus followers is no longer focused on the Jewish escape from slavery in Egypt (a passover meal); we now remember the salvific death and resurrection of Jesus, the Paschal Mystery. The Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass are fundamentally prayers of remembrance; expressions like Remember, Lord are frequently employed. For example, Eucharistic Prayer I asks God to remember the living and the dead; it mentions saints and martyrs whose memory we venerate. In Prayer II, we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection. In Prayer III we celebrate the memorial of the saving Passion of your Son. Prayer IV notes that as we now celebrate the memorial of our redemption, we remember Christ s death. Remembering for Christians means infinitely more than a simple calling to mind of something from the past (e.g. a birthday, an anniversary, a person). The Eucharistic action of anamnesis makes the recalled event a present reality. Yes, something from the past is recalled, but that memorialized action becomes actually present and real. In the Eucharist, Christ s Death and Resurrection are recalled and thus, Christ s sacrifice is now sacramentally present. One may say that the Eucharist does not only represent Christ s saving action; the Eucharistic action re-presents (makes present once again in the here and now) Christ s death and resurrection. In the Eucharist we also need to be sensitive to a Christian timelessness ; the past, present, and future all merge into one eternal moment. The bringing together of past, present, and future and the power of Christ s saving action is well expressed in Eucharistic Prayer IV: Therefore, O Lord, as we now celebrate the memorial of our redemption, we remember Christ s Death and his descent to the realm of the dead, we proclaim his Resurrection and his Ascension to your right hand, and, as we await his coming in glory, we offer you his Body and Blood, the sacrifice acceptable to you which brings salvation to the whole world. Note how this prayer beautifully juxtaposes the past (the Christ event of 2000 years ago), the present (this celebration), and the future (Christ s second coming). Conclusion. This reflection has tried to capture the profound meaning of remembering in the Eucharist. The celebration of the Mass plunges us into the very depth of Christ s saving paschal mystery; we experience it in the here-and-now. Indeed, as we engage in remembering, we are re-membered (made members once again of Christ s body, the Church). We are remembered as full participants in the People of God. We share this profound experience with others through missionary evangelization. All these profound insights are well expressed in the popular communion song by Marty Haugen: We remember how you loved us to your death. And still we celebrate for You are with us here. And we believe that we will see You when You come in Your glory, Lord. We remember, we celebrate, we believe. The Missions Newsletter 9 PMS Newsletter 2016_ indd 9

6 IV. Eucharistic Faith: Christ s True Presence Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist in his body and blood, humanity and divinity, under the form of bread and wine. This real presence flows from Christ s total self-gift on the cross; his presence effects communion with His Church through His body and blood. Personal Experience. Some years ago while I served in Saint James Parish in Cateel, Davao Oriental (located in Mindanao, southern Philippines), I had a powerful experience from an unexpected source that reminded me of Christ s Eucharistic presence. It involves Catalino, a man of about thirty years who only had the mind of a child. He liked to be around the parish rectory (convento); no one objected to his presence. He was friendly, liked to talk to everyone, and never caused any disturbance. Catalino would often ask me for some bread, cookies, or crackers, especially if he saw me come home from the nearby bakery. He normally was present at Mass and would always reverently go to communion. One day, after I was in the parish for some months (to satisfy my doubts), I decided to ask: Catalino, when you are in Church and go to get something to eat, what is that? Is it a special cookie or cracker? Immediately, he responded to my question: Oh no, Father. That s Jesus! Then and there, all my doubts were resolved; I had no more reservations about giving communion to Catalino! In fact, I was humbled at his genuine expression of faith! Archbishop Oscar Romero. Recently, on May 23, 2015, Oscar Romero, the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador in Central America, was beatified, setting him on the path to sainthood. Earlier on February 3, 2015 Pope Francis had officially declared Romero a martyr of the Catholic faith. Romero had been murdered on May 24, 1980 as he celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Carmelite Sisters cancer hospital where he lived. As he raised the chalice after the consecration, he was shot and killed by a hired assassin. In the superb film Romero released in 1989, one sees a particularly powerful scene which manifests Romero s Eucharistic faith. The government soldiers had taken over the parish church in a rural village, because this community was very active in seeking social justice. The church had been turned into a military barracks. Romero goes to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament; he is taunted and intimidated by 10 The Missions Newsletter PMS Newsletter 2016_ indd 10

7 the vicious soldiers. When he tells them he has come to get the Blessed Sacrament, the tabernacle is machine-gunned. Romero retreats to his car, but then returns to lovingly pick up the scattered hosts, despite more intimidation and physical abuse. Romero then drives off, only to return a second time. He puts on his vestments and leads the people into the church to say Mass, facing down the soldiers. Romero s Eucharistic faith shines out clearly in these powerful scenes. Catholic Faith in the Real Presence. The two narratives just presented clearly manifest the consistent faith of the Church: we believe that in the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of an ordained priest. The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine. This is what the Church affirms when she speaks of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. At one Sunday Mass a small boy loudly said to his parents at communion time: "Hurry, Mom and Dad, let s go get some Jesus!" of the Eucharist in its tabernacles. She also promotes personal visits to Christ-in-the-Blessed-Sacrament as well as Benediction, Eucharistic processions, and Viaticum for the sick and infirm. All these devotions are based on the fact that Christ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Such is the consistent faith of the Church. A Child s Faith. The true story is told of a five-year-old boy who consistently attended Sunday Mass with his family. At such a tender age he already understood the core teaching of the Church. One Sunday, when the congregation began approaching and receiving the Eucharist at communion time, the boy loudly said to his parents: Hurry, Mom and Dad, let s go get some Jesus! Indeed, out of the mouth of babes, profound wisdom is spoken! This consistent faith of the Church reflects Jesus words in the Gospels: This is my body, which will be given for you (Lk 22:19). I am the living bread that has come down from heaven; anyone who eats this bread will live forever. The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). The words Jesus spoke were very clear to the Jews, because they quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (Jn 6:52). One may ask: Are the consecrated bread and wine merely symbols of Jesus presence? In everyday language we use the word symbol to describe something that points beyond itself to something else. For Catholics, the transformed bread and wine are the true Body and Blood of Christ, not mere symbols. The true presence of Christ remains, even after the celebration of the Eucharist is completed; Christ s presence is not somehow lost after the Mass. Thus, the Church carefully guards the sacred species James H. Kroeger, MM, professor of systematic and mission theology at Loyola School of Theology, East Asian Pastoral Institute, and Mother of Life Catechetical Center in Manila, has recently published Asia s Dynamic Local Churches: Serving Dialogue and Mission (Claretian Publications and Jesuit Communications), Becoming Missionary Disciples (PMS - Philippines), Walking in the Light of Faith and A Vatican II Journey: Fifty Milestones (ST PAULS - Manila). His address is: jhkroeger@gmail.com The Missions Newsletter 11 PMS Newsletter 2016_ indd 11