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2024 UNCHANGING GOD Home January - Unchanging God January -

The Source and Summit

July 2024 Chapter Assembly Topic

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Objectives 2024 UNCHANGING GOD Home January - Unchanging God January -

At the end of the assembly, MFC members are expected to:

1. Realize the value of the Holy Eucharist as the source and summit of one’s Christian life
2. Participate with greater reverence in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Expanded Outline

I. Introduction

The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. It is of crucial importance for the
life of a Catholic. It is a commemoration of the central act of salvation of our Lord Jesus, his
sacrificial death on the cross. It is a sacred mystery whereby bread and wine are transformed
into the body and blood of Jesus. It is a celebration where the Trinity, our Blessed Mother Mary,
all the angels and saints, and the people of God on earth come together as one.

The Holy Mass is both a solemn commemoration and a joyful celebration. As it commemorates
the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for the salvation of his people, the focus is always on Jesus
and not on the people who come to celebrate.

II. The Holy Eucharist

The term ”Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharstia, meaning thanksgiving. Jesus
instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper, when He turned the bread into His body and the
wine in to His blood. The Mass is made up of two major parts: the Liturgy of the Word and
Liturgy of the Eucharist. They are closely connected with each other that they form but one
single act of worship.

A. The Holy Eucharist is Jesus Himself

The Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is real, true, and substantial. We are able to receive
Jesus Himself not only into our lives, but even into our bodies, as we partake of the Holy
Communion. By his Real Presence in the Eucharist, Christ fulfils his promise to be with us
"always, until the end of the age" (Mt 28:20). “Take; this is my body” Mark 14:22
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B. 2024
The Holy UNCHANGING
Eucharist GOD
is Jesus waiting for us Home January - Unchanging God January -

“Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love.” – St. John Paul II

It enables us to participate so intimately with our Lord in His Passion as we receive Him, truly
into ourselves. St. Thomas Aquinas said, “The Eucharist is the sacrament of love: it signifies
love, it produces love.”

C. The Holy Eucharist is giving thanks to God

“It is called: Eucharist because it is an action of thanksgiving to God” – CCC 1328

In the Eucharist, the Church receives the gift of Jesus Christ and expresses gratitude to God
for this blessing. Thanksgiving is the only proper response for such a gift that we receive in
the Holy Eucharist.

D. The Holy Eucharist is the memorial of the Passion of Christ

Eucharist “makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior.” CCC 1330
In the Eucharist, we commemorate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus,
through the priest, offers himself as a sacrifice. St. Thomas Aquinas writes, “O sacred
banquet in which Christ is consumed. The passion is recalled.”

III. The Source and Summit

CCC 1324 The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and
indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and
are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the
Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."

A. The Source

It is the source, because the Eucharist enables us to make present and offer anew Jesus
Christ’s redemptive Sacrifice which began with His Passion. Christian Spirituality flows the
Eucharist as its source, the way light streams forth from the sun. As the source of Christian
spirituality, the Eucharist revealed that our salvation begins not with our selves. The source is
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God who offers Himself to man in Christ first. In our spiritual journey we need to be
connected2024
to the UNCHANGING GOD
Source by receiving the Home with
Holy Eucharist January - Unchanging God January -
reverence.

B. The Summit

It is the summit, because the Eucharist is truly a foretaste of heaven which we partake of The
body and Blood of Christ as heaven and earth become most profoundly one. Christian
spirituality is supremely the Eucharist as its summit or high-point that to which all of our
actions should be ultimately directed. As the Summit of Christian spirituality, the Eucharist is
man’s highest form of worship, grace-enabled, freely given offering of himself back to God
through Jesus. In our spiritual journey everything should be towards the Holy Eucharist.

C. Greater Reverence for the Eucharist

As the Eucharistic celebration is a holy event, since we are in the very presence of the Triune
God, great reverence is due to it. Such reverence is manifested in our attitude, attire, and
actions.

The following are the guidelines of MFC for celebrating the Eucharist in the Philippines. Note:
These guidelines are only for MFC Masses in the Philippines. Our actions in non-MFC Masses
in parishes and other venues can follow the local Church practices. Our actions in MFC
Masses in other parts of the world and in other cultures are to be guided by the practices of
the local Church.

A. Prior to the Mass

We should be predisposed to participate fully in the Mass, and to anticipate the reception of
our Lord in Holy Communion. If we are in a state of mortal sin, we should go to confession
prior to going to Mass.
We should abstain from food and drink, except for water and medicine, at least one hour
before receiving Holy Communion. We should dress appropriately. Do not wear shorts, caps,
compression pants, leggings, sleeveless top, etc. We should not be late for Mass. It is good to
have some minutes of prayerful silence before the Mass actually starts. Upon entering the
church or chapel, we recognize that we have come into a holy place. As such, we should do
the following: Maintain silence. Be in a prayerful posture. Turn off cell phones and other
gadgets. Genuflect before going into the pew.
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B. During the Mass
We should participate actively in the Mass, reciting the prayers, singing with the choir, and
making the appropriate responses in an audible voice. We do not elevate our hands toward
the priest in response to “The Lord be with you.” It is inappropriate to pray the Rosary during
the Mass. During the recitation of the creed, at the point where we say “and by the Holy
Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man,” we do a profound bow to show
great reverence for the Incarnation. We kneel at the Consecration, and remain kneeling until
the Great Amen.
During the Lord’s Prayer, we do not raise our hands. Such orans posture is reserved for the
priest. We also do not hold hands. During the greeting of peace, we do not have to try to
greet as many as we can by moving around and giving a physical handshake or hug. It is
enough to just stay in your place and give a nod to those around you. For the Communion
service, we kneel or do a profound bow right before receiving Communion. The most
reverent way to receive Holy Communion is on the tongue. After receiving Holy Communion,
we maintain a prayerful silence.

C. At the end of the Mass

There is no need to publicly thank the Mass celebrant at the end. We do not clap at the end
of the priest’s homily nor at the end of the Mass. We wait for the priest to leave the altar
before leaving ourselves. We do not look at our cell phones until we are outside the church
or chapel. Great reverence is to be accorded to our Lord Jesus at the celebration of the Holy
Eucharist. As God’s people, as disciples of Jesus, as witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit,
as soldiers in the army of Mary, we as MFC look to the Eucharist as our source of great
mercy, grace and spiritual strength.
“Therefore, we who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should have gratitude, with which we
should offerworship pleasing to God in reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28)

IV. Conclusion

Jesus, in instituting the Eucharist, said that we should do it in remembrance of Him. Loving Him
should draw us more to Him. We must seek His presence as much as we can and receive Him as
often as we can. We always want to be with the ones we love.
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2024
The Eucharist UNCHANGING
is a source of grace as it GOD Home who
is Jesus Himself January - Unchanging
is present not onlyGod January
spiritually but -
even physically and it is the summit of all the sacraments as it is the highlight of our being a
member of the Catholic Church. The Lord invites us to come celebrate with Him in the Eucharist
and take part of it.

Reference: Greater Reverence for the Eucharist by SG

https://missionaryfamiliesofchrist.org/greater-reverence-for-the-eucharist/

Discussion Question

How does the Holy Eucharist sustain and strengthen me in my Spiritual Journey?

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