Eucharist - a Mystery

Talk about sharing what your faith means to you! I can grasp why we never talked about religion when I was growing up in Ireland.  Mainly because we couldn't (or at least I couldn't) share our most intimate feelings with someone who might not grasp them. I lived in a parish where our pastor believed that children should receive the sacraments when they could express an understanding of them, not when they arrived at an age established by rules. Consequently, several of my classmates and I received the sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation at the age of seven.

While I agree with his approach in theory, I cannot guarantee that I understood what the words really expressed. How many of us really can say that we understand the mystery of the Eucharist today?  Who can explain the mystery of transubstantiation? Can I explain my belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and wine after the words pronounced over them by the celebrant at Mass?


Various Christian denominations accept this belief on the basis of the words of Christ at the Last Supper, reinforced by Paul's explanation in his letter to the Corinthians. But even then they differ in their precise understanding of how Christ is present there. We talk about a mystery. We try to grasp what God tells us in human terms. It's like trying to use the Chinese alphabet to write Gaelic.

Yet belief in the Eucharistic presence of Christ is one of the strongest elements drawing us to the Church, providing strength in time of need, comfort and assurance in loss and distress. We turn to Christ in many ways, but the confidence of His presence and love in the Eucharist is the most intimate and effective of all.

After all these abstract explanations of the mystery, I still have difficulty in explaining my personal faith in the presence of Jesus. I know that He is there, and I feel myself responding to His love. I know He is there for me because He responded to me in times when I needed Him. I'm also convinced that He has responded particularly when the need was not personal, when my pleas were unselfish.

I also know that He is there in the community of worshippers celebrating His goodness with joy and love in the Mass. This is where I am most conscious of His presence and goodness when His people gather to give thanks for His blessings, His love and His sacrifice on the Cross which we re-enact each time we obey His commend: "Do this in memory of me."