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Eucharist and Mission
Last April 29, 2004, the Vatican press office presented John Paul II's
message on the topic "Eucharist and Mission", on the occasion of the
78th World Mission Sunday, which will be held on October 24, 2004. The
Pope's message for that World Mission Sunday event is the "Need of
Apostles Who Are 'Experts' in the Eucharist.
With this message by the Holy Father, we can see that there is a call
to integrate the elements of Eucharist and Mission into a spirituality
that will create an apostolic community centered on the Eucharist - people
sent to others to share their experience of God's love in the Eucharist.
The expertise to do so involves many factors. One factor is to really
be familiar with the Eucharist as a mystery and reality in itself. The other
is to be knowledgeable of Christ's mission in the Church through its many
ministries. And third, is to make integrate these two so as to become
"apostles who are 'experts' in the Eucharist who are sent to share the
Good News in deeds of service.
Although when it comes to celebrating the Eucharist, we can see that
mission is integrated in it when the priest says towards the conclusion of
the Mass, "Ite, Missa est" - which is already a commissioning to bring the
spirit of the Eucharist as mission to our homes, our places of work, and
our communities. We are called to go and bring this good news of our salvation
to the very places we are familiar with. We need not go to distant lands.
Nor go to very poor and remote places to tell about the salvation offered
to us by Christ [although this is an important mission too]. Our main task
as communicators on the Net is to bring that Eucharistic spirit we received
in the Mass to all the people and places we will work in and go for the whole
week.
For communicators on the Net, we are called to have a more in-depth study
and a well-lived Eucharistic spirituality in our family-setting or community.
We can start to live a good Eucharistic spirituality as lay faithful by:
- attending the Eucharistic celebration more than just the Sunday Mass
- taking time to pray and contemplate the presence of Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament
- taking the initiative to read more about the Eucharist and the Church's
mission
- responding to a call to be an extraordinary minister of holy communion
- being inspired to have a missionary spirituality through retreats and
recollections
These are but a few. We can also add others which have not been listed.
What is important is that we be attentive to what the Church teaches us
through the Holy Father and our parish priest and the documents that are
being made available to us through the Internet. It is important that we
follow whatever principles or directives the Church gives as guides in our
Christian life.
May the 78th World Mission Sunday heighten not only the awareness but
rather also the consciousness of many of us as regards the importance and
significance of being apostles who are called to live well a Eucharistic
spirituality - to be 'experts on the Eucharist' in simple and ordinary tasks
and responsibilities. This is a call that is given to all of us: clergy,
religious and lay faithful.
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