“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.” (CCC.1324)
What does it mean to be the source and summit? At first, as the source the fullness of Christian life flows from the Eucharist. From the Eucharist, as from a fountain, grace is channeled into us; and Christ sanctifies us by forgiving our sins and enabling us to be partakers of the banquet which He prepares for us. It is just like the hub of a wheel, centered on it, the entire wheel rotates and moves. Eucharist is the hub of our lives which enables us to rotate in all directions. On earth we take part in the Eucharistic celebration with our fellow human beings as Jesus with his disciples shared His love for them in the most important meal he had. We gather together to share our unity; to share the love of God, to listen to His word, to pray, to offer our thanks, and to share the meal. We forgive each other and embrace with the peace which Jesus grants us. And when we finish our earthly journey, we partake in the heavenly banquet with the angels in heaven. As the summit, our ultimate goal is to take part in the heavenly banquet which God prepares for us as an award ceremony, for passing through many hurdles of life successfully and reaching heaven (Isaiah 25:6-8). When we witness that amazing scene, praise of God will spring forth from our hearts, knowing His mercy, kindness and the depth of His Love. Tears of joy, awe and wonder of the Almighty, will lead us to join the heavenly choirs to sing together with them Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.
For all manmade problems a Divine remedy
Whatever may be your problem, trouble and worry, you will find a solution in the Eucharist. What you need to do is to set apart time, to spend before the Eucharistic Lord. The Lord will ease your sufferings, bring healing to the broken hearted, will give strength to the weak, and will provide a goal to the disoriented (Matthew 11:28). Eucharist demonstrates and shares God’s love for us. When we speak of God’s love; the bible depicts it as the tender, compassionate, and sacrificial love of the authentic mother (Isaiah 49:15-16, 66: 11, Psalm 36:7).We need Eucharist every day because of our need for remaining in God’s love. Eucharist manifests God’s unconditional love for us. All those who take part in the Eucharist will be transformed; divisions and divisive spirits will disappear.
We can pray from our homes, then why should we pray in the church and before the Blessed Sacrament?
Wherever God is present in a special way, His glory also surrounds that place. Moses on Mount Sinai was filled with the glory of God (Exodus 19:18). When the Ark of the Covenant was brought to the temple, the whole temple was filled with the glory of God (1 Kings 8:13). In prophet Isaiah’s vision, the whole temple was filled with the glory of God (Isaiah 6:4) and on the transfiguration mountain in the presence of Jesus, Peter , James and John had the heavenly experience and Peter expressed in human terms that remarkable experience “ It is wonderful for us to be here( Matthew 17 :4) .
We need to show reverence and teach reverence for the Eucharist. St Philip Neri in a humorous way taught that respect to his parishioners. “One lady used to come to Mass regularly, but she wouldn’t stay to the end; after receiving Holy Communion, she would walk out the door. St Philip noticed this, and was worried that she had forgotten how sacred Holy Communion really was. So he decided to remind her. The next time she came to Mass, he had an altar server get ready with a candle and a little bell, and put him beside the exit that she usually used. After receiving Communion, sure enough, she headed for the door. But as she took her first few steps out onto the street, the acolyte was right on her heels, ringing the bell for all to hear, and holding the bright candle for all to see. Shocked and embarrassed, she turned and asked what he was doing. He answered, ‘Well ma’am, you just received our Lord, so you are like a walking Tabernacle, and we have to show him due honor’. She got the message and humbly returned to Church for the rest of the Mass”.
Prayer before Holy Communion by St. Francis de Sales
“Divine Savior, we come to Your sacred table, to nourish ourselves, not with bread but with Yourself, true Bread of eternal life. Help us daily to make a good and perfect meal of this divine food. Let us be continually refreshed by the perfume of Your kindness and goodness. May the Holy Spirit fill us with His Love. Amen.”