Made Missionaries Through The Eucharist

Through His incarnation the Lord Jesus became Emmanuel, God with us (Mt 1:23). At the end of His ministry, He instituted the Eucharist, the new form of His presence. Thus, the nature of the Eucharist connects to the mission of the Church. St. John Paul II reminds us that, “the Eucharist brings about that unbreakable bond between communion and mission, which makes the Church the sacrament of the unity of the whole human race.”

Eucharist Mission

The mission of the Eucharist can be understood only in the light of the Sacrament`s origins. The Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper but its origins go back to Christ`s ministry. In the Lucan Gospel there are descriptions of the meals of the Lord (Lk 5:27; Lk 7:36; Lk 9:10; Lk 10:38; Lk 11:37; Lk 14:1; Lk 19:1; Lk 24:13; Lk 24:36).The meal was a time of instruction, probably following the Hellenistic practice of inviting guests to dinner when a guest of honour was at home, so that the guest of honour could engage in conversation with them. It had its precedents also in the Eastern hospitality meals. These meals were occasions for Jesus to teach, to challenge, to confront and to transform people. It was at such a meal that the Eucharist was instituted (Lk 22:15-20). Thus, the Eucharist is the memorial of Christ`s ministry. Seen in this perspective, the focus of the Eucharist becomes the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

Eucharist: Summit and Centre

The Constitution on the Liturgy describes the Eucharist as the centre and summit of Christian life. It is instrumental in gathering the faithful as the body of Christ to celebrate the faith and to be nourished and supported to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is the reminder of the covenant relationship between God and His people as a community and as individuals; therefore, the Eucharist becomes central to the Christian community. In John's Gospel, this relationship is expressed in the form of foot washing, a preeminent symbol of service.

The Eucharist challenges people to free themselves from the various shelters that they normally create, as homes away from home, which become their comfort zones, are convenient and private, and enable them to retain control and insulate them against the demands of evangelization. The Eucharist invites the faithful to break themselves for others, rather than to insulate themselves against others.

The Grace that Flows from the Eucharist

The bread that is broken at the altar opens up a Christian`s life to be of service to the world (Jn 6:51). The many table fellowships of the Lord, coupled with the miracles such as the multiplication of the bread reinforce the aspect of sharing that we celebrate in the Eucharist. Thus, the Eucharist is an invitation to be a missionary of Christ. In this way, the Eucharist leads to a missionary involvement in real life. Human realities in need of transformation and healing are brought to Christ through the Eucharist. The Eucharist invites those who receive it in faith to be social prophets and to bear fruits of Christian living. The primary function of the Eucharist is to call people together.

St. John Paul II teaches how the Eucharist is also a permanent school of charity, justice, and peace. From the presence of the risen one, believers draw the courage to be artisans of solidarity and renewal, committing to transforming the structures of sin in which individuals, communities, and nations are entangled. The Eucharist`s mission is to bring people into contact with the world, with its hopes, agonies and aspirations.