The Sacrament of Unity
Just a few weeks ago, a very significant event occurred in Indianapolis, Indiana, when the National Eucharistic Congress took place. During this time, well over 50,000 faithful gathered to adore the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, to reflect upon talks on the Eucharist and to celebrate Mass. The Congress represented the climax of the Eucharistic Revival taking place at this time within our nation and reminded us, in a powerful manner, of the centrality of the Eucharist within the life of the Church.
It is very appropriate that, in the readings for Sunday Mass this year, the Gospel of St. John has interrupted the Gospel of St. Mark with a very important insertion. It is the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John which centers on Jesus’ teaching on the Eucharist. The Sunday cycle of readings is divided into three years, labeled A, B and C. In Year A, we read from the Gospel of St. Matthew, and in Year C from the Gospel of St. Luke. We are currently in Year B, during which we read from the Gospel of St. Mark, with the exception of a five-week break, which we are currently in, when we read from the Gospel of St. John. The Gospel of St. John is also read during the Sundays of the season of Easter as well as on certain Sundays of Advent and Lent. It is important for us to realize that the Sunday Gospels before us at this present time point to the central action of the Church and of the teaching of Jesus, which is that of His Presence in the Eucharist.
The sixth Chapter of St. John’s Gospel presents us with the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. After performing this miracle, Jesus then begins to open the mystery of another miracle which He would give us at the Last Supper, one that would transform the world. To the crowd of 5,000 present before Him, who had been satisfied with the loaves and fishes, Jesus teaches that they should not be looking for perishable food but for food that remains for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give them. He says, “I myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to me shall ever be hungry, no one who believes in me shall thirst again” (Jn 6:35). He also assures them, “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:48-51). When the people object that this teaching is hard to accept and turn from the Lord, He does not in any way change or soften His teaching. In fact, He turns to His apostles and asks them if they want to leave as well. So central is the teaching of Jesus on the Eucharist that it is what will define a follower of Him. It is Peter, the leader of the apostles to whom the popes are successors, who answers, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:68-69).
At the same time that the Eucharistic Congress was taking place in Indianapolis, another huge gathering of over 500,000 people was taking place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Convention. A similar gathering will take place this month in Chicago, Illinois, for the Democratic Convention. These conventions are meant to raise the minds and hearts of people to reflect upon the need for good leadership and the communion we need to have with one another as fellow citizens in seeking the best for our nation. Our country cannot exist unless a spiritual element is at the core of who we are, and the Eucharistic Congress was impressive evidence of that reality. The awesome silence of the huge crowds before the Blessed Sacrament spoke loudly in this regard.
During his opening talk for the Eucharistic Congress, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, spoke on the Eucharist as an immense gift of unity. In the very divided political context within our nation today, as we anticipate the election of its president in November, there has been a call on all sides for a greater unity. The Eucharist is the celebration of unity for us as Catholics, and it is here that we encounter the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in our union with each other through Him. The Eucharist is the perfect opportunity to pray for unity within our nation, especially as we acknowledge we are made in the image and likeness of God and that He became one of us to save us. As Cardinal Pierre expressed so well, “Why does our engagement with Eucharist impel us towards unity? Because, when we celebrate the Eucharist, we experience the One who built the first bridge, who crossed the distance and made Himself one with us, and even when we had become separated from Him. This is the One who was with us, making Himself present in the complex but concrete realities of our daily lives.”
At this time of Eucharist Revival and revival within our nation, it is essential for us to reflect upon the centrality of the Eucharist as followers of Jesus Christ. It is the Eucharist that is able to transform our lives and unite us more to Christ in the joys and sufferings of everyday life. Nothing else has the power of the Eucharist to help us experience the love of God and the meaning of life. As we experience so many devout men and women in churches celebrating the Eucharist each day in quiet and humble ways, we truly experience that the Eucharist is a gift for everyone, and it is only those who are open to receiving it who experience its joys. Jesus let people walk away from Him because He knew He could not bestow this joy upon them in any other way. As we listen to the Gospel readings from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel at this time of year, may we reflect more deeply upon the great gift God has given us, one that transforms the world and can transform our nation through us.
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
