New encyclical on the Eucharist

On Maundy Thursday the Pope will make public a new encyclical on the Eucharist. This document "is expected to underline the fundamental importance of the Eucharist for Christian life", according to a report in The Catholic Herald. "It is also likely," stated the UK weekly, "to call on Catholics to show greater reverence for the Sacrament."

When speaking to Brazilian bishops in January John Paul II described the Eucharist as "the supreme spiritual good of the Church", adding that the spiritual strength of the Eucharist "must infuse the Church's evangelisation, catechisis and charitable works... But to give its full efficacy to the Eucharistic sacrifice," the Pope continued, "it must always be marked by the worthy and genuine celebration of the mystery according to the doctrine and directions of the Church."

During a recent general audience the Pope challenged Catholics to make an examination of conscience over the state of the liturgy in parish churches. He made particular reference to "sloppy" playing and "clumsy" music and said that these are distracting worshippers from the beauty of the Mass.

John Paul II reiterated that music and song could assist believers in prayer which he described as the "channel of communication between God and His creatures". He also said that the "highest music is that which rises from our hearts. It is precisely this harmony which God wants to hear in our liturgies."

The Pope's words should make us all stop and reflect on how the liturgy is being celebrated in most of our churches. How many members of the congregation take up the hymn books and join in the singing during Mass? And what about the music itself? How often does it help the worshipper to enter into communication with God? And can we, in all honesty, say that the celebration by the priest of the Mass itself is faultless?

Many local worshippers rightly almost always refer to the homily when asked to comment on the Sunday Mass as they did in the questionnaire which was distributed to all households a couple of years ago. But there is more to the liturgy than the homily.

One hopes that the new encyclical will make us all conscious of the need to examine our whole attitude to and participation in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. And what better time can there be than Maundy Thursday, when we commemorate the day when Our Lord instituted the great mystery of our faith?