1)
The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. (#1)
The Eucharist stands at the heart of the Church, and throughout
its history the Divine Sacrament has traveled with the Church,
filling it with hope, even in the most difficult of times. As
the Pope says later in his letter, "Every commitment to holiness,
every activity aimed at carrying out the Church's mission, every
work of pastoral planning, must draw the strength it needs from
the Eucharistic mystery." (#60)
2)
To contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize him wherever
he manifests himself, in his many forms of presence, but above
all in the living sacrament of his body and his blood. (#6)
Christ is present in many ways when the liturgy is celebrated
- in the Word, in the assembly, and in the priest, for example.
But the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is very special, is
called "real" - not because the other means of presence are not
real, but because it is a presence in the fullest sense: a substantial,
abiding presence in which Jesus Christ the Son of God is wholly
present.
3)
The liturgical reform inaugurated by the Council has greatly xontributed
to a more conscious, active and fruitful participation in the
Holy Sacrifice of the Altar on the part of the faithful. (#10)
Full and active participation continues to be the ultimate goal
of the liturgical renewal. At the same time, however, liturgical
renewal involves a great deal more than exterior changes of language
and posture. It calls for an authentic interior renewal that helps
us receive worthily all the blessings and graces offered by the
sacred liturgy.
4)
The Eucharist is too great a gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation.
(#10)
The Pope talks about the "shadows" that have also accompanied
the liturgical renewal of recent years. These include the disappearance
of Eucharistic adoration in some places; confusion over sound
faith and Catholic doctrine about the Eucharist; a "reductive"
interpretation of the Eucharist that strips it of its sacrificial
meaning; and unhealthy ecumenical practices.
5) The Eucharist spurs us on our journey through history
and plants a seed of living hope in our daily commitment to the
work before us. (#20)
Devotion to the Eucharist is much more than a personal spiritual
exercise. The Eucharist has profound apostolic implications that
lead us to evangelization and service. We cannot worthily receive
the Body of Christ and at the same time neglect the needs of his
brothers and sisters. The celebration of the Eucharist "increases,
rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world
today," the Pope insists.
6) The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is
of inestimable value for the life of the Church. (#25)
Eucharistic adoration is strictly linked to the Eucharistic Sacrifice,
the Pope reminds us. He urges pastors to encourage Eucharistic
exposition and adoration in their parishes, even by their personal
example. And he quotes Saint Alphonsus Liguori who wrote: "Of
all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and
the one most helpful to us."
7) If the Eucharist is the centre and summit of the Church's
life, it is likewise the centre and summit of priestly ministry.
(#31)
Throughout the Encyclical, the Holy Father reminds us of the intrinsic
connection between the Eucharist and the Ministerial Priesthood.
He points out that a parish always "requires the presence of a
presbyter who alone is qualified to offer the Eucharist." (#32)
And the Eucharist is essential to the priest himself. Without
it, priests run a very real risk of losing their spiritual focus.
And he emphasizes that priests should celebrate the Eucharist
daily, "for even if the faithful are unable to be present, it
is an act of Christ and the Church."
8) The celebration of the Eucharist cannot be the starting-point
for communion; it presupposes that communion already exists, a
communion which it seeks to consolidate and bring to perfection.
(#35)
Here the Pope teaches that the Eucharist always presumes a "bond
of communion" that is both invisible and visible. The invisible
bond refers to the spiritual, and it is for that reason that only
those who are in the state of grace are disposed to receive the
Eucharist. The visible bond refers to the structure of the Church.
Therefore, only those who are "fully incorporated into the Church"
are permitted to receive the Eucharist. In simple terms, to receive
Holy Communion, an individual must be a Catholic, and must be
free of grave sin!
9)
Mary is a "woman of the Eucharist" in her whole life. (#53)
At first glance the Scriptures are silent about the relationship
between Mary and the Eucharist, the Pope acknowledges. But everything
about Mary's life relates her to the reality of the Eucharist.
In the mystery of the Incarnation, Mary was the first to welcome
the Body of Christ. Her Fiat is a prelude to the Amen every Catholic
says in receiving Holy Communion. In bearing the Son of God in
her womb, Mary became the first tabernacle. In witnessing her
Son's sacrifice on Calvary, Mary experienced the sacrificial meaning
of the Eucharist. And is there any doubt that Mary participated
with the first disciples in the "Breaking of the Bread?"
10) By giving the Eucharist the prominence it deserves,
and by being careful not to diminish any of its dimensions or
demands, we show that we are truly conscious of the greatness
of this gift. (#61)
An authentic appreciation of the Eucharist requires us always
to preserve all the dimensions of the Eucharist - sacrifice, sacramental
presence and banquet. And along with maintaining the essential
doctrinal elements, we should be conscious of the personal blessing
it is for us! "In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed
into his body and blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength
and our food for the journey, and he enables us to become, for
everyone, witnesses of hope." (#62).