Let's give the Eucharist the respect it deserves.

In running open forums on dreams and visions for the church as part of Parish Renewal Missions that I preach, inevitably someone will share the hope for greater respect for the Eucharist. This means they would like to see genuflections, proper attire, more Benediction, bells at the Consecration, and, especially, no talking in church.

In responding to these hopes I always have to question what Eucharist we are respecting--the one Jesus gave us or the one that evolved when the church in the fourth century adopted the manners of the imperial courts? The two are vastly different. The Eucharist that Jesus gave us was a meal, a prayerful fellowship of friends in table unity, where everyone shared real bread and wine transformed into his Body and Blood.

At the first Eucharist Jesus called his apostles (and, through them, he asked us) to do this in his memory. Doing this in his memory is not just saying magic words, but it is entering into foot-washing service of those at the table and sacrificing lives for the salvation of the world. Jesus' meal was not silent--there was camaraderie, sung psalms of praise, and the challenging call to intimacy, not adoration. There were no bells, genuflections, or incense.

All of this is very different from many of our expectations, but it is solidly rooted in the gospel accounts of the Last Supper. So how are we reverent to the Eucharist? We are reverent when we do what Jesus did rather than what we want to do. And true reverence demands more than many of us ever thought.

We were all trained to be quiet in church because it was Jesus' house. But do we really think Jesus does not want us to talk in his presence? I'm not suggesting that the church should sound like the bleachers at a basketball game. There are times for quiet reflection, other times for attentive listening, others for joining in prayer and song. But as the family gathers and departs, there ought to be a gentle rumble in the house. The ministry of extending warm greeting is not just for a few people at the church door but for every person who walks through those doors.

We also show reverence at the Eucharist when we join in the songs and prayers. The apostles did not bring in a music group for the Last Supper. They sang psalms. Members of the celebrating community are not showing reverence to the Eucharist unless they are singing and praying with some enthusiasm. We don't need music at Mass. We need a singing community. That's what Jesus had. Silence is irreverent at a celebration.

It is also irreverent at the Eucharist for lectors not to proclaim God's saving word as if it really means something and can change the lives of the people hearing it. God's word has infinite power--power to create, redeem, heal, and make holy. If someone is not letting that power through, they have gifts for something other than lectoring. The whole parish needs to be convinced of and actually experience the power of the Sunday scriptures. This happens as parish staff and committee members share life, faith, and prayer together based on the Sunday scriptures. We show reverence to the Eucharist as we prepare for it through reflection on the scriptures in parish groups, in parish religious instruction, and in families and neighborhood groups.

The presider should also lead a community in celebrating the magnificent saving works of God--rather than just "say Mass." It's irreverent to rush people in and out of Mass. (And we should also do more than just joke about the irreverence of those coming late and leaving early.)

St. Maurice Parish in Fort Lauderdale, Florida celebrates some of the best liturgies I have experienced anywhere. People talk with one another before Mass. They sing enthusiastically, even putting body motions into some of the sung prayers. They receive Communion by name. Each liturgy lasts at least an hour and a quarter. The liturgy is so engrossing that nobody even needs to be told not to leave early. Wouldn't it be nice if liturgies everywhere were of this quality?

Someone once said that it takes two acts of faith to go to Communion: one to believe that it's bread, and the other to believe that it's the body of Christ. Every day in almost every church in the world we are irreverent to the Eucharist as we continue using wafers that have no resemblance to the real bread that Jesus broke and shared with all those at the table. Many parishes, in clear violation of the requirements of the sacramentary, still continue the irreverence of using preconsecrated hosts from the tabernacle rather than bread consecrated at the Eucharist in which it is shared.

Reverence is also shown for the Eucharist when we really follow what Jesus asked us to do: take and eat and take and drink. This is not an option. It's integral to a meal to both eat and drink. Not everyone initially avails himself or herself of this opportunity, and we need to love and respect those who do not. At the same time, we must continue to educate people on the value of doing what Jesus himself asked us to do at his meal.

Among other things, the Eucharist celebrates forgiveness. We receive forgiveness, and we are to give as we receive. And so it is the height of irreverence to sit at the Lord's table and to harbor ill will toward people different from us, whether by race, color, age, or theological position.

And as we are fed at the Lord's table, it is irreverent not to be willing to join him in his sacrifice for the world. Doing this in Jesus' memory involves being the broken bread and the wine poured out. We don't reverently celebrate the Eucharist when we receive the very life blood of Jesus and give him back a dollar, or five, or ten, or anything less than a truly sacrificial share of the time, treasure, and talent he has given us. If he is Lord, all we have is from and for him. Reverently celebrating the Eucharist involves coming to him with thankful hearts for what has been given us and being willing to direct what we have to building the kingdom for which we pray at the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is reverently celebrated only when we are doing something serious about the 40,000 children who starve to death every day we celebrate that Eucharist. It is a scandal in the truest sense of the word that the more generous God has become to us Catholics in the United States, the cheaper we have become. No longer at the bottom, but at the top of the economic scale, we are at the bottom in percentage of income given to charity--a ridiculous 1.1 percent.

Moreover, the Eucharist is not shown when the shepherd entrusted with the ministry of feeding the family and caring for the flock denies the Eucharist to two thirds of the family. That, according to the statistics of Consolata Missionary Father Tony Bellagamba, is the number of our sisters and brothers who are not able to celebrate the Eucharist because they have no ordained priest to lead them.

The church maintains a celibate and male priesthood--which our Lord never asked for--yet we are no longer doing what Jesus asked us to do in his memory. The Spirit gives the church all the vocations it needs. But our leaders refuse to recognize the vocations that are given.

Reverence for the Eucharist is not shown when bishops entrusted with the care of local churches do not have the courage to demand and make the changes needed to feed the flock. And members of the church will begin showing respect for the Eucharist when they start loudly and forcibly influencing their bishops to provide the eucharistic meal for all of God's people and eliminate the sin of discrimination that bars half of the members of the church from eucharistic leadership because they are women.

Reverence for the Eucharist is also shown in our concern to fill the table. Jesus tells the story of those who are invited but do not come to the wedding banquet. Those are more than 50 percent of the people registered in any parish. To these we add the Catholics who do not even register. We need to do more than bemoan the fact that many do not regularly celebrate the Eucharist. We who do celebrate, who are concerned about reverence for the Eucharist, need to show this reverence by taking the responsibility for reaching out to those who do not celebrate regularly. We need to invite them to come with us to the Eucharist, maybe adding an invitation to join us for breakfast or brunch at our homes afterward.

Many active Catholic parents are broken hearted over grown children who have stopped practicing the faith their parents have sacrificed so much to share with them. These parents often have little effect in moving their children to return. They may be more effective with total strangers. Perhaps if they reach out to someone else's children, the Lord will send someone else to reach out to theirs.

The U.S. bishops in their 1992 National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization call for a conversion that will show itself in enthusiasm. With enthusiasm, Catholics can invite others to join them at Eucharist and in turn influence the society in which we live.

Would that we could show reverence to the magnificent sacrament of the Eucharist by ringing bells and genuflecting. Much, much more is required if we are really to do this in the Lord's memory.

Feedback

Each month, advance copies of Sounding Board are mailed to a representative sample of U.S. CATHOLIC subscribers. Their answers to questions about Sounding Board and a balanced selection of their comments about the article as a whole appear in Feedback.

1. More than as a meal, I consider Mass a time for

worshiping God.

81% agree

4% disagree

15% other

2. People coming late to Mass and leaving early

are problems in my parish.

39% agree

50% disagree

11% other

3. I invite inactive Catholics to the Eucharist.

62% agree

27% disagree

11% other

4. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament diminishes

people's sense of their identity as the Body of

Christ.

19% agree

72% disagree

9% other

5. Restricting the priesthood to celibate males is

disrespectful to the Eucharist.

53% agree

34% disagree

13% other

6. To fully partake in the Eucharist, one must eat

and drink the Body and Blood of Christ.

44% agree

45% disagree

11% other

7. Too much socializing at Mass keeps people

from appreciating the sacredness of the

Consecration and Communion.

31% agree

59% disagree

10% other

8. One hour is not enough time for proper worship.

30% agree

52% disagree

18% other

9. Most important to me during Eucharist is:

31% hearing the Word proclaimed with

enthusiasm.

5% proper attire.

2% listening while a choir sings.

25% everyone participating by singing and

praying aloud.

12% a certain amount of decorum by

participants.

4% formal rituals and practices (such as bells,

genuflections, and incense).

17% time to worship alone in silence at

Communion.

4% other

10. I don't feel comfortable partaking in the Blood of

Christ because of health and hygiene concerns.

26% agree

72% disagree

2% other

11. I do not receive Communion if I have unresolved

ill feelings toward others or if I am upset by my

own actions.

25% agree

62% disagree

13% other

12. I prepare for Eucharist during the week by:

6% attending parish prayer groups.

2% attending religious instruction.

23% putting aside personal time for silent

reflection.

17% reading scripture.

19% spending valued time with loved ones 

and family members.

28% living my daily life as a Christian in the

world.

5% other

13. Along with Father Ron Luka, C.M.F., I don't

think we give the Eucharist the type of respect

it deserves.

79% agree

13% disagree

8% other

ONE THING THAT I FIND MOST IRREVERENT AT MASS IS:

People engaging in private conversations when the Word of God is being proclaimed by the lector or priest.

Curt Boddie Port Washington, N.Y.

A crying room for families with babies. Sometimes babies are cranky, but to shut them off in a glassed-in space so they are separated from the community denies the fellowship that the Eucharist brings.

Maryellen Harper Eliot, Me.

Singing during Communion. It is a distraction when one is attempting to be one with Jesus.

Michael A. O'Donnell Cinnaminson, N.J.

That we keep away people who really need the Eucharist. I have a friend who is divorced and leads a life of love and service but who is not allowed to receive the Eucharist. I know racists, bigots, and judgmental people who receive the Eucharist every week. I don't get it. All sinners need the Eucharist for the healing and love of Christ and community. Singling out people is irreverent.

Jeffrey Wentz Dunkirk, N.Y.

When the Word is not proclaimed but stumbled over. People have a right to hear God's word in a way that moves them to seek understanding and action in their lives.

E. Ryan St. Louis, Mo.

Parishioners in a well-to-do, predominantly Anglo Catholic community who make an obvious change in Communion lines to avoid receiving the Body and Blood of Christ from a Nigerian celebrant, who is struggling to belong to and fit in the parish family he is serving.

Peter Struble Newton, N.J.

The reluctance one occasionally finds on the part of some people to participate in the exchange of peace. They stand rigidly and look stonily ahead while this important greeting is taking place.

Gurney A. Sills Clinton, N.J.

Bringing beepers and mobile phones, which can be heard throughout the church. Also people wearing scant summer outfits when most churches have air conditioning. We wouldn't dress this way if we were meeting the president or a king or queen. Why would we dress this way to meet our Lord?

Dolores A. Troyer Goshen, Ind.

Girl Mass servers, priests not genuflecting twice at the Eucharist, the congregation not kneeling during the Eucharist, and Mass servers running around as if they were in a public place. The church doesn't seem to be a place of reverence anymore.

Eli Hesprick Lomira, Wis.

I object to people leaving Mass early--especially immediately after receiving the Eucharist. If it is rude when we invite people to our homes and they eat and run, isn't it more rude to do the same to God? I think so.

Jacaline J. O'Brien Acushnet, Mass.

The young male attending the liturgy with his cap on.

Father Theodore Cavanaugh, O.F.M. Brant Beach, N.J.

THE MOST IMPORTANT SIGN OF RESPECT FOR THE EUCHARIST IS:

To approach the divine banquet with a contrite heart--sorry for our past sins, asking forgiveness, and trusting Our Lord's infinite mercy.

Joseph A. Fuentes Chicago, Ill.

Being Eucharist to others after we leave the liturgy. If we allow the Eucharist to die within us at the doors of the church, we show the greatest disrespect. When we consume the Eucharist, we must become what we eat and bring this loving gift of Christ to the world.

Ed Whelan Dover, N.J.

Living as Jesus taught us.

Bernice Elwell Hill City, Minn.

Reverence, as reflected in genuflection; decent clothing; and participation in prayers and songs.

Pat Henry East Longmeadow, Mass.

Joyfully participating in the Mass. The Mass is a celebration, not a funeral. When I walk through church on Sunday, I see so many sour, almost angry, faces in the pews. People ought to see themselves on camera--they look like they are ready for a fight. I feel that Our Lord would have people enjoy life and be happy everywhere, especially at Mass.

Marilee C. Williams Pontiac, Ill.

Acceptance of God's creation with all of its diversity.

Dolores Ullstrom Independence, Minn.

Focusing on the Eucharist physically and mentally, with adoration, joy, love, and thanksgiving.

Maureen Palamero Atlantic Beach, Fla.

A well-presented homily is a sign of respect for the Eucharist, the priesthood, and the faithful in attendance. I know that some priests will say that they do not have enough time, but this is one of the most important ministries. Other duties can be delegated, the Eucharist should be given a high priority.

Steven A. Carr Carlinville, Ill.

Not just the signs we use toward each of those with whom we are celebrating (the handshakes, hugs, and smiles) but the action of extending ourselves to others in the family, community, and the whole world. If we truly respect the Eucharist, we cannot leave the celebration feeling good and keep that feeling to ourselves.

Joanne Mosier Kersey, Pa.

To receive it with total love for Christ. Approach the Eucharist prayerfully, take time to reflect after receiving, and never, never take it for granted.

Maureen Miller Muncie, Ind.

A nonjudgmental attitude toward all those present, a sincere welcome to everyone. To come to the Lord's table and take and eat, remembering that Jesus died on the cross to forgive us our sins before we were ever born and committed them.

Dona Cannon Churchville, Md.

When I bring Communion with two sisters of Mother Teresa's order once every two months to about ten people in a nursing home. My respect for the Eucharist grows each time I bring Jesus to one of these people.

Peter Schmit St. Louis, Mo.

GENERAL COMMENTS

I see the Mass as the focal point of my spiritual life--the best way to begin the day. Here we best praise God; here we recall and celebrate our oneness with one another and with all people. Here we find direction and strength to show the compassion and forgiveness of Christ to others through the rest of the day.

Father Eugene J. Faucher Morton Grove, Ill.

I feel that time alone in silence to worship at Communion is important. I love music and singing, but I feel we need these few moments to privately give thanks and intercede for God's blessings.

Rita Norander Westford, Mass.

If the hierarchy of the Catholic Church truly respected the Eucharist, some inroads would be made in addressing the shameful lack of priests. The situation will only get worse unless we allow priests to marry and/or ordain women to the priesthood.

J. Hagan Fairfield, Conn.

Changing old patterns is most difficult and slow. Changing that old, quiet, obligatory, silent respect to joyous, lightearted, loving receiving is happening--but it's slow going.

Marianne Boyle Union Hall, Va.

The Eucharist sustains my faith, gives me hope, and strengthens my love for my fellowman.

Annemarie Grimm Morgantown., W. Va.

Denying members of the flock the Eucharist because of no ordained priest--relates to the fact that the church bars eucharistic leadership from women and married clergy. I have always maintained that the Spirit has given the church vocations, but as Luka states, these vocations are not recognized.

Susan J. Gravely Louisville, Ky.

As a community, we have a need to refocus on the Eucharist. We are in need of ongoing update, prayer, and reflection on the sacred mysteries we celebrate, both individually and as a community.

Sister Anna Marie Saltzman, R.S.M. Cinnaminson, N.J.

We use preconsecrated hosts for Word and Communion services. These are conducted by lay ministers. We are trying to prepare for the possibility of priests not residing in our parish. We feel that it is important to have Eucharist available as often as possible.

Cindy Sowa Glendive, Mont.

The bells, the incense, the quiet time during Mass are part of our heritage as Catholics. I feel less at home when I attend Mass at churches that have eliminated these practices.

Glenn Heister Kamp Onawa, Iowa 

Is God continually present in the consecrated bread and wine, or does He die after the last communicant receives Him? If He remains alive, then why has Benediction become a lost art among a lot of newly ordained priests? I agree with the gist of the article, but at the same time, it's difficult to agree with the clergy who cannot state at every Mass with conviction, "This is the Body and Blood of Jesus, our Lord."

Wayne Morton Richton Park, Ill.

PERSONAL TOUCH

To me it is clear that the devotionalism of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries tends to make the Eucharist into a thing. Jesus becomes an object to be adored, rather than a person to be in a relationship with through knowledge, love, and service.

Father Samuel I. Palmer Des Moines, Iowa 

Father Luka's article gives a new slant on reverence. I believe evangelization of inactive Catholics would be helped if more parishes mirrored Father Luka's model and fewer parishioners saw reverence only in Council-of-Trent ceremonial terms.

Jean Ann Holwell Islip, N.Y.

Catholics need to make the switch from going to church to being church before the various expressions of reverence cited by Father Luka become the norm in our parishes. Vatican II has not been assimilated by many pew persons. The need for ongoing education is paramount.

Judy Virnig Little Falls, Minn.

It bothers me that Father Luka calls me disrespectful for attending Mass while others are starving. If I waited till all the poor had been fed and clothed, the lonely consoled, women ordained, and all Catholics returned, would I go again in my lifetime? What would give me strength in the meantime to do these good works? Attending Mass is a sign of respect. It also gives us the encouragement to correct the injustices caused by other human failings.

Name withheld New Windsor, Md.

When I was a youth and was required to fast from midnight, people took receiving Communion much more seriously, and they took more effort to prepare.

Robert Lebrun Langdon, N.D.

I don't like the cold stares I get when my two children, ages 1 and 3, talk during Mass. With only one Mass on Sunday and one on Saturday night, sometimes my husband and I must attend the same Mass. We feel like second-class citizens when we bring our children.

Florence Belnap Arlington, Vt.

We moved recently, leaving a parish where we knew many people and were very active. Suddenly we were the "strangers among you." Our minds know that the living God present in the Eucharist is the same at both parishes, but we realized that Sunday liturgy is more than "me and God." It is very important to feel part of the worshiping community, to be accepted, be welcomed, not to feel like the stranger or outsider. We need to be Christ's hands to everyone we encounter.

Dolly Thompson Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

I wish more attention in my parish were paid to the meal--and less to the trappings.

Edward Berra Arlington, Mass.

We should look at the model of a family preparing a holiday meal. Everyone, regardless of abilities, has a task and is appreciated. Offertory at Mass should be as chaotic as when a family sets the table and slices the turkey--everyone with specific tasks. We should all be involved in some way in the meal preparation.

Maryanne Perry Fayetteville, N.C.