THE HOLY EUCHARIST: One of the great reminders the Church received from the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) was the document on the Sacred Liturgy. The document reminded us of the central truth of our faith: that the litugy is the foundation and summit of our every activity. That every thing we do flows from our participation in the Mass; and that every thing we do is directed towards the Mass! It’s an incredible thought, if you take the time to reflect on it a wee bit. It re-echoes the entire history of the Church’s teaching with regards to the ‘saving action’ we encounter in the celebration of the Mass. Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel constitutes the collective reflections of a part of the early Christian Church. Chapter 6 along with other scriptural and non-scriptural texts make up our Church’s understanding of what the Holy Eucharist is: the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ; Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity. The Eucharist is the very foundation of our faith life as individuals and as part of the faith community. The great French  theologian Henri de Lubac (1896-1991), describing the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church tells us that “without the Church there can be no Eucharist and without the Eucharist there can be no Church”. Some of us are so familiar with the Holy Communion we don’t give it a second thought—it’s like just part of our daily or weekly routine, the way we take a multi vitamin. It’s just something we do. The hope is that in the midst of this routine and familiarity the profound truth of the Eucharist will somehow seep into the fabric of our being. That maybe we’ll catch a glimpse of the profound depths of God’s love for us in giving us this most incredible gift to sustain our faith. That we receive the very life of Christ! In this health conscious society the maxim of Saint Augustine takes on greater meaning when he teaches us, in regard to the Eucharist, ‘we become what we eat’. If you can imagine the full impact of that teaching. Every time we receive Holy Communion we become the living Body of Jesus Christ! Justin the Martyr in the First Century teaches us, as he was preparing the early Christian converts for Baptism: “For we do not receive the Eucharist as common bread or common drink. But since Jesus Christ our Saviour being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the word of prayer that comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that of incarnate Jesus”. That in the reception of Holy Communion we become a people who are in the process of actual ‘transformation’. We cease living the ‘old way’ and take on the ‘new way’: the life of Jesus Christ! All this happens—not as an act of magic or witchcraft but as an act of love!

      How To Receive Holy Communion: Some of you may be well aware that when His Holiness Benedict XVI is giving Communion to people they are kneeling and receive the Sacred Host on the tongue. Needless to say there has been endless speculation about the possibility of a Papal Decree telling us to revert back to a practice that was once an innovation itself: Communion on the tongue! In our part of the Universal Church (the ‘Latin Rite’) we have two options in the manner in which we receive Holy Communion: on the palm of our right hand and directly onto our tongue. Some people would hold that reception on the tongue “helps the devotion of the faithful and introduces the sense of mystery more easily”. Reception of Communion on the tongue rather than in the hands is a comparatively late introduction (maybe about the eleventh-century). Whereas the depiction of the apostles receiving Communion in the hand is seen on two silver patens made in Constantinople in the sixth century. I know you have just been dying to learn all this stuff! Right? Anyway on the question of how to receive Holy Communion let the great Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem (315-336) speak: “Make your left hand a throne for your right, since your right hand is about to welcome a king. Cup your palm and receive in it Christ’s body, saying in response, Amen.” Whether we receive Our Lord’s Body and Blood on the tongue or the hand may we become more aware of the scared mystery we are being called to share in!

      Beatrice of Nazareth (1200-1268): Recently I came across a lovely quote from the book Seven Ways of Holy Love by Beatrice of Nazareth: The soul seeks God in his majesty; she follows him there and gazes upon him with heart and spirit. She knows him, she loves him, and she so burns with desire for him that she cannot pay heed to any saints or sinners, angels or creatures, except with that all comprehending love of him by whom she loves all things. She has chosen him alone in love above all, beneath all, and within all, and so she desires to see God, to possess and to enjoy him with all the longing of her heart and with all the strength of her soul.

With the ending of August coming into view we are fast approaching the time when the parish will resume a whole host of activities. The time when I need to start looking at my installation as your Pastor, meet with the staff and talk about the life of the parish. I will need to listen to their experience, their history and love for the parish. A major part of the Pastor’s ministry is to listen, seek advice, pray and to give direction to the parish. I would ask you to keep the parish staff and myself in your prayers. With every blessing.

Father Rooney.