In their Lenten pastoral letter, being read in all churches today, the Archbishop, Mgr Joseph Mercieca, and the Bishop of Gozo, Mgr Nikol Cauchi, deal with the importance of the Eucharist, to which the Church has dedicated the current year according to Pope John Paul II's wishes.

The pastoral letter continues:

The Eucharist is closely connected with two significant events that happened at the end of Christ's life on earth, that is the last supper and his death on the Cross.

At his last meal "on the night he was to suffer", Christ instituted the Eucharist as the Sacrifice and Sacrament of the New Law. On Calvary, Jesus brought to culmination the unique sacrifice of the Christian religion, the sacrifice consummated by the shedding of his blood and in which Jesus himself is, at one and the same time, priest and victim sacrificed for the redemption of man from the slavery of sin.

The Sacrifice of the New Law

As in other religions, in the Jewish religion different types of sacrifices used to be offered often and in them the victims offered to God used to be animals, such as lambs or calves, as well as agricultural produce. Thus, Abel used to offer lambs from his flock and Melchisedek, Priest and King of Salem, used to offer bread and wine.

However, the great sacrifice which was truly pleasing to God was that of Christ, His Son. Under the New Law, Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross for us, and in his infinite mercy wanted this sacrifice to be re-presented and renewed in the Mass.

Sacrifice is an act by which man acknowledges God as Lord and Creator of everything, while at the same time wanting to worship and adore Him. The victim, killed or destroyed in the sacrifice, represents the offering of himself in reparation for his sins and to bring his prayers before the Lord.

The sacrifice of the New Law is the sacrifice of the cross, which began during the last supper that Jesus had with his Apostles when, at the time that he changed the bread into his Holy Body, he told them: "This is my Body, which is given up for you", "This is the cup of My Blood" and went on to say "which has been shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins".

The Holy Body through which Jesus suffered his passion, and the Blood he shed in the sacrifice on Calvary, were also present under the species of the bread and wine he consecrated in the cenacle and offered up as the victim of his sacrifice.

This same sacrifice, initiated in the cenacle and consummated on the cross, is re-presented and renewed in a sacramental way and without the shedding of blood in every Mass which is celebrated, with the words "Do this in memory of me" (Lk 22, 19), Jesus clearly showed that he wanted this to continue until the end of time and instructed the Apostles and their successors to carry out his command.

This was to be done not only by the Apostles throughout their lives on earth; Jesus Christ also gave the same power to their successors the bishops, and to all priests, that is, the power to change bread into His Body and wine into His Blood and to offer his unique sacrifice as he himself did.

This wonderful transformation occurs during the Mass at the moment of consecration when the priest says the words "This is my body", "This is the cup of my blood". After consecration, therefore, there are no longer bread and wine on the altar, but under the species or their appearance there is present the Body and Blood of the Lord.

This change is a great miracle that we believe in fervently because Christ revealed it to us and the Church teaches it. Jesus, with his glorious Body, is as real and alive in the Eucharist as he is in heaven, true God and true man, the very same Jesus who performed this miracle during the Last Supper, who died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and who rose from the dead by his own divine power. Jesus is totally and fully present under the species of the bread and the species of the wine, in every consecrated host, and indeed in every part of it.

The Mass is, therefore, the action of Christ and of the Church, which together with him carries out her priestly office and, together with Christ, offers herself up to God the Father. The Mass is the centre of the Church's life and it is fitting that it should be at the centre of the life of each and every one of its children as well.

The Sacrifice of the New Law is the supreme act carried out by Christ on earth because, with his passion and death, he gave the greatest glory to his heavenly Father and obtained salvation for us. This same sacrifice is renewed for us in a sacramental way in the Mass.

This, therefore, is not just a remembrance or symbol of the sacrifice of the passion and death of Our Lord, but that sacrifice that once took place on Calvary is made present every time the Eucharistic sacrifice is celebrated. It is for this reason, then, that we say that the Mass is the same sacrifice of the cross, because there is in both the same priest and the same offering: Christ.

The liturgy with which the Church celebrates Mass consists of two sections called the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The first section is a preparation for the second, and also serves the purpose of the Christian formation of the participants. At the same time as we are listening attentively to readings from Sacred Scripture, we are joyfully learning the word of God revealed to us, so that it will illuminate our faith and be like rich food for our spiritual life.

In the second section, the Eucharistic Liturgy, there are three moments: the offering of the bread and wine, the consecration and Holy Communion.

While the celebrant is offering the host on the paten and the chalice with the wine, it is fitting that the participants in the Mass should make an offering of themselves and their work to God. The Mass reaches its climax in the consecration because, at that moment, Christ, our offering, becomes truly present for us under the Eucharistic species and we, the members of his Mystical Body, together with him, offer the divine sacrifice to God the Father.

After the priest's communion, it would be a good thing, if we are suitably prepared, to receive communion as well so that the Eucharist will be even more evident as the mystery of our communion with Christ and with the rest of mankind.

We can offer up the Mass for the living and the dead. It is the greatest prayer the Church has and the great suffrage we can offer to the souls in Purgatory.

The greatest Sacrament

St Thomas Aquinas refers to the Eucharist as the greatest of the sacraments because it is the one in which the Son of God himself is present, with his body, blood, soul and divinity.

It is the sacrament directly related to the sanctification of man.

The Eucharist brings about communion between Christ and the communicant and also with our neighbour, that is, with the members of the Mystical Body of Christ; it is the best nourishment for the spiritual life of the communicant. Communion is a social sacrament as those who take part in this meal grow nearer to Christ and, at the same time, grow in unity among themselves.

To receive Communion we must be well prepared. First of all, we need to be in a state of grace, that is, we should not have any mortal sin on our conscience. Therefore, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1385) tells us "we must prepare ourselves for such a great and sacred moment".

St Paul urges us to examine our conscience closely: "Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be behaving unworthily towards the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to recollect himself before eating this bread and drinking this cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognising the Body is eating and drinking his own condemnation" (1 Cor. 11, 27-29). Whoever is guilty of a grave sin should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion.

Moreover, we should receive Christ in Communion with fervent faith, humility and appropriate recollection, but it is not possible to arouse such sentiments in ourselves if we do not recollect ourselves a little to reflect on this mystery of love.

In itself, the Mass, with the readings from Sacred Scriptures and the beautiful liturgical prayers and, given that we take full and active part in it, can serve as an appropriate preparation for Communion, but when we pray and sing with others at Mass we should be certain that our prayers and all our behaviour are inspired by love of Christ and our devotion to him in the Eucharist, while feeling the need that, through the Eucharist, we become one with Christ and grow more to be like him spiritually.

Catholics who receive Communion strongly believe that Christ, truly present in the sacred host they receive at Communion, remains in them for a time and it is appropriate for them to give thanks and ask for the graces they need.

It is not fitting for a communicant to leave church immediately after Communion and totally forget that which has taken place within him through Communion. Thus, after Communion there should be some moments of silent reflection and prayers of thanksgiving. The hymns sung during Communion should be chosen with the specific purpose of arousing sentiments of gratitude for Jesus in the Eucharist.

When it is not possible to pray and reflect at length after Communion, some short prayers and invocations, which can even be said mentally, can help keep the communicant in a state of union with Christ. When we cannot actually receive Communion, a spiritual form of Communion in which there is the desire to receive the Eucharist, is highly recommended.

Jesus has remained with us in the Eucharist

Even after the Mass ends, Jesus remains with us under the species of the consecrated Host, which is kept in the tabernacle in our churches. As Pope Paul VI tells us in the Declaration of Faith of June 30, 1968: "After the Sacrifice, this existence remains present in the sacred Sacrament which is kept in the tabernacle, as the beating heart of our churches. Therefore, it is indeed a sweet duty for us to honour and worship in the Sacred Host that we see with our eyes, the incarnate Word himself that we cannot see and who, without leaving heaven, has become present to us."

Apart from seeing that our altars and churches are kept with the appropriate decorum, our clothes and behaviour need to be suited to the sacred place we may find ourselves in. We should never forget that our churches are God's house on earth and when we are in them, we are in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Eucharistic congress

As bishops, it is our intention to organise a National Eucharistic Congress in our islands for the purpose of helping each other to better understand the greatness of the Eucharistic miracle, and to grow further in our love and worship of the Eucharist.

The Catholic Church regards the Eucharist as its greatest treasure and constantly gives it the greatest veneration. She also wishes her children to adore, with profound worship and strong faith, Jesus, present in the Eucharist, so that they can find in him their spiritual strength.

Christ wanted to remain with us until the end of time in the sacrament of his love so that the faithful may visit him, adore him, and open up their hearts to him just as one does with one's best friend, so that they can embrace his invitation: "Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11,28).

Therefore we should visit him often and, at least for a short while, stay near him as he wanted the Apostles to do when he told them "stay awake with me". Throughout this Eucharistic Year we should strengthen the beautiful custom of attending for Sacramental Benediction, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, as well as Eucharistic processions and other acts of worship towards the Blessed Sacrament.

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