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December 16, 2023During the Passover meal with His disciples, He stated, Do this in remembrance of Me. As what has been handed on to us since ancient times, we remember the sacrifice of the Lord and is fed and nourished by this sacred meal by a ritual gathering, the Eucharist, known throughout the years as “breaking of the bread”, the “Lord’s Supper”, the “Eucharist”, the “Mass” and the “Divine Liturgy”. This sacred celebration, the Eucharist, in which we partake was declared by Pope Benedict XVI as the meal that “binds us all together, not just with one another, but with Christ which makes us , ‘Church’.”
This the season of Advent, we celebrate the birth of the Lord in Bethlehem (the House of Bread). During Jesus’ life He teaches us that He is the Bread of Life. The central practice of Christian worship, the Eucharist, has its origin in ancient times growing out of a foundation built in Sacred Scripture and tradition and handed down from Jesus Christ Himself and through His chosen apostles. From the beginning of recorded time, the Old Testament noted God’s self-communication to His people and revealed to humans His presence and unfolded His plan of creation and salvation for all. Throughout time, Lord, a personal God, took care of His people in their need. For example, He nourished His people giving them sustained life. As one example, He provided for them as they were liberated and fled Egypt, freed from slavery by their God. He gave them manna in the desert, feeding them with the bread of angels so they would survive and give them hope. The Hebrew people, celebrated and remembered this event and the many times that God intervened on their behalf by celebrating the Passover meal that included types of unleavened bread (e.g., matzah) and the staple of wine and other foods in their seder meals. Specifically, in the Last Supper, the Passover of the Lord, described in Exodus 12:1-14 and 21-28, is believed to be the major scriptural passage for understanding the context in which Jesus instituted the Eucharist. In the New Testament, the initial story of the Eucharist, the sacred meal with foundations found in the feeding and nourishing of many with a new “bread,” began in the teachings of Jesus within His ministry in Galilee and culminating in His death and resurrection in Jerusalem. The breaking of the bread and sharing of the wine was a “sign” of friendship, of unity in celebration of His life, death, and resurrection. It became the heart and soul of every future Mass.
In order for Jesus to give of Himself and to help them be nourished with new life, He established the Eucharist in the context of table-fellowship, a meal. This meal then developed as a ritual, and eventually became a sacred rite and part of worship. As a Jew, Jesus knew that His people often met as family and groups at a celebration of a meal because it was what was practiced and a very important cultural custom. The early Christians did the same. On the night before He died before He was to experience His passion, death and eventual resurrection, He established a “last will and testament,” a lasting meal of thanksgiving. one another, but with Christ who makes us, ‘Church’.”
The journey of the early church was forever changed from a small Christian community of followers and transformed into an ever-growing number -- of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions and now into over a billion of disciples of which we are a part – a holy Church, and the Body of Christ. During this Gaudete Sunday, we Rejoice, we celebrate Our Lord, the Bread of Life. We celebrate and remember always His birth, life, death and resurrection and His great gift to all humanity. We celebrate the Eucharist, the source of life, the nourishing source of our eternal salvation.
Fr. John
