In a Nutshell
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The Eucharist encompasses "the reality both of being loved and of loving others in turn. A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented," Pope Benedict XVI said in his 2006 encyclical "God Is Love." The Eucharist dynamically connects people to the world around them with all its profound needs and challenges, the pope indicated. He said: "In sacramental Communion I become one with the Lord, like all the other communicants. ... Union with Christ is also union with all those to whom he gives himself." Pope Benedict said: "I cannot possess Christ just for myself." In the Eucharist, love of God and love of neighbor are "truly united." God's love "comes to us bodily in order to continue his work in us and through us." The pope continued this discussion later in the encyclical when he said, "The saints -- consider the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta -- constantly renewed their capacity for love of neighbor from their encounter with the eucharistic Lord." Conversely, "this encounter acquired its realism and depth in their service to others. Love of God and love of neighbor are thus inseparable." |
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The Eucharist, the world and all that it contains
By James M. SchellmanCatholic News Service
The gathering of the Catholic community of faith for the Eucharist on Sunday is as ancient as the resurrection itself.
The Gospel narratives differ in a number of details regarding the final days of our Lord's life. They agree, however, in placing the resurrection on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week, what came to be called Sunday.
How to pray for the world's specific needs
By Father Robert L. KinastCatholic News Service
Karl Barth (1886-1968), the great evangelical theologian, once was asked how a Christian should pray for the world. Barth reportedly answered, "With the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other."
A Catholic variation on Barth's advice might be to pray for the world in the eucharistic liturgy, which, of course, includes the Bible.
Conveying eucharistic hope to the world
By Father Herbert WeberCatholic News Service
For five years I celebrated Mass each Friday with inmates on Ohio's death row. It became an exceptionally holy experience for me.
That's not to say it wasn't also an awkward setting for liturgy. Inmates were moved by guards from their cells to the indoor recreation cage. Once they were there, I was allowed to set up for Mass outside the cage, in the passageway.
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Faith in the Marketplace | |
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 This Week's Discussion Point: Do you ever pray for the world you live in? What is your prayer for the world? |
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Selected Response From Readers: |
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