Goldie Ann E. Donceraas
Sr. Perseveranda U. Jagmis, MSLT
Ateneo de Manila University
MA in Religious Education
A Theological Understanding of the Eucharist as Presence- Sacrament, a basis for
explaining why families should go to Mass.
INTRODUCTION
Eucharist as Presence- Sacrament
Within the Eucharistic celebration itself, Christ “is really present in the
assembly itself, gathered in his name, in the person of the minister, in
his Word [since he speaks when the holy scriptures are read], and
indeed substantially and unceasingly under the Eucharistic species
(SC7; Instr. Rom. Missal 7)…. Christ’s presence in the consecrated
bread and wine is called ‘real’ not to exclude all other types of presence,
but because it is presence in the fullest sense, a substantial presence by
which Christ, the God-Man, is wholly and entirely present (MF 39; cf.
CCC1374) 1
It is through the presence of Christ in our lives that we are nourished and strengthened spiritually
with the help of the grace that we receive from the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Our family’s
constant encounter with him through the Holy Eucharist will gradually transform us to be Christlike and help us to become witnesses to Christ’s presence in the world. Moreover, in carrying out
the mission to become witnesses to Christ’s presence, it is important to consider the role of the
family especially the parents in engaging every member to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. “The
family as the “first school of discipleship” (PCP II Decrees, Art. 48; PCP II Doc. 421, 576) is
where we come to exercise the daily Christian virtues of generous self-giving in active charity, in
mutual forgiveness and obedience, in prayer and thanksgiving.” 2
1
cf. Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education, Catechism for Filipino Catholics;
(CBCP, July 1,1997): 1722
2
Ibid., 1014.
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BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Catholic Families need to understand the value of the Eucharist. Often times we observe
that some families prioritize their work to be able to provide for their family even on a Sunday,
some tend to look at it as a mere obligation that they have to attend to, while others prefer to
have an out of town trip and do other things rather than attend mass. These are just some of the
disturbing realities in some Catholic families which show that there are several challenges that
pastoral leaders have to face in engaging families towards Church activities like Eucharistic
celebration. Their attention is being diverted into other activities and priorities. They also tend to
compartmentalize their faith so that it is seen as an extra-curricular activity. This is one of the
reasons why there are lesser number of people attending mass every Sunday compared when
there’s a special occasion like Christmas. To be able to encourage them to attend mass, we plan
to elaborate how Christ is present in the Eucharistic celebration.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The challenge for Catholic families is to understand Christ’s presence in the Eucharistic
celebration that they may be able to see its relevance for them and inspire their witnessing. This
witnessing should start in their family itself by “bringing up their children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord”, as Bushnell insisted, that the “atmosphere of the home” is the key to
Christian nurture.3 Their way of life should radiate Christ’s presence to other people. We need
the grace of God coming from the Eucharist (one of the sources) to nourish and strengthen our
spirituality, to help us combat with everyday challenges.
3
Thomas H.Groome, Will There Be Faith? A New Version for Educating and Growing Disicpples (WY.
HarporOne, 2011), 203-204
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However, considering how people see the sacrament nowadays, we can say that they will
miss to receive the “grace” that they need from the Eucharist, simply because they fail to
recognize the essence of the Holy Eucharist. The liturgy, “through which the work of our
redemption is accomplished,” most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the
outstanding means whereby the faithful can express their lives and manifest to others, the
mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.” 4 Hence, there is a need to emphasize
that Christ is really present in the celebration through the Word being proclaimed, Holy Bread,
assembly and the One being celebrated is Christ himself so that they will be motivated to attend
mass and hopefully be able to make present the Risen Christ to other people through their
witnessing. From here, this study seeks to respond to the problem: How can the Eucharist as
Presence- Sacrament serve as a basis for explaining why families should go to mass?
SCOPE AND LIMITATION
This study will discuss the Eucharist as Presence- Sacrament as a basis for explaining
why a Catholic family should go to mass, particularly in the rural area, with the help of selected
online journals about the Catholic family and Eucharistic celebration which were read and
reflected upon, we also cited some Church teachings from Familiaris Consortio and
Sacrosanctum Concilium, Catechism of Filipino Catholics, The Catholic Faith and the Holy
Bible. This will not discuss about the history of the Holy Eucharist and will not cover other
dimensions of the Eucharist as Sacrifice-Sacrament and Communion-Sacrament, so as to give
emphasis on the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
4
J.Neuner,S.J., J. Dupuis, S.J., The Christian Faith, (Theological Publications in India, 2001), 1574
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This study will focus on the presence of Christ in the assembly, the minister, in the Word
being proclaimed, in the bread and wine (body and blood of Christ) and in the Catholic family
itself and their witnessing.
The researchers will explore texts from the Sacred Scripture, Church Documents, books
and other related articles on the theology of the Eucharist as Presence-Sacrament and of Family
life.
OBJECTIVE SIGNIFICANCE
The Eucharist is the mystery of Christ’s “real” presence because He becomes
substantially present, whole and entire, in the reality of His Body and Blood. But it is
through his complete hiddenness that He becomes a mystery of light, if only we open
ourselves up to the dimension of the mystery. It is also Jesus’ way of inviting everyone
to a moment of deeper relationship with Him, allowing space and time for God’s grace
to be revealed and to be shared by all. Therefore, Catholic families should attend mass to be
able to witness to Christ’s presence.
SUBJECTIVE SIGNIFICANCE
The Holy Eucharist must be at the heart of every Christian family which desires to
give witness to the loving presence of Christ. The presence of Christ in the lives of the
members of the family nourishes and strengthens the familys’ spirituality. Therefore, this
study is of great help for Catholic families so that they may be able to realize that celebrating the
Eucharist is to: 1) encounter Christ in the Eucharist and to strengthen the bond of unity,
worship together and to help the members of the family to become Christ’s presence
wherever they may be. 2) live out daily the christian virtues of generous self- giving in
active charity, in mutual forgiveness and obedience, in prayer and thanksgiving. 3)
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educate their children about their faith and to draw them closer to Christ by teaching
them how to pray and to participate in the celebration of the Sacraments 4) emulate the
examples of Christ 5) witness to the truth and 6) exercise their proper vocation in the
Spirit of the Gospel by the testimony of their lives as they emanate the radiance of their
faith, hope and charity.
METHODOLOGY
The following steps have been taken by the researchers in the attempt to
discuss the Eucharist as Presence-Sacrament in the context of the family’s witnessing to
the presence of Christ.
In order to obtain the data needed, the researchers first made an Internet
research of the materials in connection with the Eucharist and Family Catechesis and
consulted some books related to it. Reflective and critical reading of the materials gathered
was made to come up with the necessary data requisite to the study.
Secondly, the basic written sources of the Church were explored, namely: the
Sacred Scriptures, the Documents of the Vatican Council II ( Vat II ), the
Acts and
Decrees of the Plenary Council of the Philippines ( PCP II ), the Apostolic Exhortion of
St. Pope Paul II on the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World ( Familiaris
Consortio ),
Thirdly, other sources were also consulted like The Catechism of the Catholic
Faith 1014 and 1722, Catechism of the Catholic Church ( CCC ), and other books and
articles about Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.
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Christ’s Multiple Presences
Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to be able to give grace to the
people , as one of the sources, that we may be able to feel God’s presence in our lives. In return,
we express our gratitude for the grace we receive by radiating His presence to others. The
following are the reasons why a Catholic family should attend mass.
In the Eucharist
Within the Eucharistic celebration itself, Christ “is really present
in the assembly itself, gathered in his name, in the person of the
minister, in his Word [since he speaks when the holy scriptures
are read], and indeed substantially and unceasingly under the
Eucharistic species” (SC7; Instr. Rom. Missal 7)…. Christ’s
presence in the consecrated bread and wine is called ‘real’ not to
exclude all other types of presence, but because it is presence in
the fullest sense, a substantial presence by which Christ, the GodMan, is wholly and entirely present (MF 39; cf. CCC1374) 5
Christ is present in the Eucharist in many ways. First, he dwells at the center of the people
(assembly) celebrating the Eucharist. The spirit of God animates and helps the Catholic family
and other poeple to participate in the celebration. They get to share the grace that everyone
receives.“The Lord Jesus is present in the midst of those who gather in his name. It is not any
gathering of Christians which is assured of this special presence of Christ, but only a gathering in
faith. It is the Holy Spirit who enables Christians to believe in the Lord Jesus.”6 Second, he is
also present in the One celebrating the Eucharist. “The Lord is present in the person of the priest
or the bishop presiding over the celebration. But a priest or bishop is one who by ordination has
received a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit and has been set by the same Spirit over the
5
cf. Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education, Catechism for Filipino Catholics;
(new ed., enl.,: Manila: Word and Life Publications, July 1,1997)1722
6
Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, JR., D. D, The Eucharist and The Filipino, (Makati: Salesiana Publishers Inc.,
June 21, 1987), 105
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flock of christ ( cf. 2 Tim. 1: 6; Acts 20: 28 ),7 which means that he is present through the actions
and words of the minister, hence, the Catholic family will also hear the salvific message of God
through the homily of the priest. Third, the One being proclaimed is Christ himself when we hear
the scriptures as a community, where God constantly reveal Himself and His salvific message to
the people. “When the Scriptures are read in the Church, Christ is present and it is he himself
who speaks to the faithful.”8 Moreover, they need to experience this both alone and in the
community because, “hearing the scripture in community is a way of deepening as well as
safeguarding our experience of God’s communication with us.”9 Doing so will also help the
Catholic family clarify their misconceptions about the Word being proclaimed and allow them to
share their faith experiences to the people in the community, so that they may learn from it. That
is also their way of communicating with God so they can strengthen their relationship with Him,
leading them to know and love Him more deeply. As they strengthen their relationship with God,
they gradually emulate Christ’s examples through the Word being proclaimed in the scriptures,
therefore if they repeatedly hear the Word being proclaimed, it becomes a part of who they are,
shaping them to be truly Christians. In response to that ,their words and actions should testify to
the Word that they constantly hear for “if we celebrate faithfully, we ought to be conforming
more and more to the image and generosity of the One, because the final test of whether the mass
works is: “By their fruits shall you know them.”10 Fourth,when they celebrate mass they also
express their desire to “share in the most intimate experience of self-giving—Holy Communion-- and recognize him in the brothers and sisters with whom we are sharing the act of self-
7
Ibid.
Sacrosanctum Concilium 7.
9
John F. Baldovin, S.J., Why Go to Mass? (America; May 10, 2004): 13-15.
10
Ibid.
8
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giving.”11 They make other people feel and see Christ’s presence through their act of kindness
especially those people in dire need and hopefully influence them the way Christ did, when he
had table-fellowship with the outcasts, forgave the sinners, loved without exception and the like.
As what Mahatma Gandhi said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” Thus, an act
grounded in Christ will make flesh the Word being proclaimed in the celebration of the
Eucharist. Finally, “At the last supper, Christ broke the customary silence of the Paschal meal by
identifying the bread and wine with his own body and blood, which means that they are
receiving the whole PERSON of Jesus Christ when they receive the consecrated bread and wine
in the Eucharist.”12 However, if Christ’s presence satisfies spiritual hunger, same goes with
physical hunger, how? Through the people moved by the grace of God, to share what they have
and to support organizations which cater to the needs of the poor, downtrodden and the
marginalized. Hence, when they celebrate they do not only bring their own personal intentions
but the whole world’s intentions as well, in which the realities of our world (bread, wine, men
and women) with all it needs, joys and struggles are transformed into the body and blood of
Christ. Being aware of the World with all its concerns helps us to make the mass the experience
of Christian life in a consecrated way. 13
In the Catholic Family
Moreover, Christ is also present in the Catholic family celebrating the mass. When they
teach their children the importance of each part of the mass and the values that they learn from
them through the following : (1) Christ through the parents, awakens the consciousness of the
11
Ibid.
cf. Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education, Catechism for Filipino Catholics;
(new ed., enl.,: Manila: Word and Life Publications, July 1,1997), 1716
13
Baldovin, 13.
12
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children about their faith and leads them closer to the Eucharist by answering and clarifying
some of their queries about the mass, (2) teach them the value of sharing during the offertory,
respect for the one being celebrated by observing the proper behavior while inside the church,
unity with other parishioners like when they hold hands together when praying The Lord’s
Prayer, when they respond to the priest as a family of God and sing with the choir, humility to
reconcile with other people by sharing God’s peace as we say, “Peace be with you” (3) explain
the importance of partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ through the Holy Communion and
how they participate in the mission entrusted to us, “Go in peace”, which is to share Christ’s
presence to other people because “to eat his body is to assent to his mission to bring good news
to the lowly”. All these radiate Christ’s presence in the celebration.
Effects of Christ’s Presence
Hence, Catholic families should regularly attend mass to be able to witness to the
mentioned various presences of Christ in the Eucharist. In return, Catholic families should
cooperate with the grace that they received by sharing the presence of Christ to other people, so
that even those who haven’t heard mass may witness to it. “By sharing in the Eucharist, a
Catholic commits himself or herself to what Jesus calls each to—making Jesus present in the
world. All one’s actions become united with the Lord. One dies to oneself so that one can rise
with Christ in the world.”14 Therefore, witnessing to Christ’s does not stop in the Eucharistic
celebration. Catholic families are to bring the presence of Christ first to their families and to the
community where they belong. As Paul VI says:
The family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the Gospel is transmitted
and from which the Gospel radiates. In a family which is conscious of this
mission, all the members evangelize and are evangelized. The parents not only
14
Altemose, Why do Catholics…? (Makati: Salesiana Publisher Inc.; 1989), 55
37
communicate the Gospel to their children, but from their children they can
themselves receive the same Gospel as deeply lived by them. And such a family
becomes the evangelizer of many other families, and of the neighborhood of
which it forms part. (123)15
Christ’s presence should be seen in the family through the way they live out God’s Word being
proclaimed in the Holy Eucharist, with the way they relate with others and the way they live their
lives. As Vatican II has taught us, “having experienced the presence and love of the Lord in
prayer and worship, the Christian has to go forth and bear witness to Him.”16 However, we do
not only make Christ present in the assembly, minister, scripture, bread and wine, and in the
Catholic family but also in their witnessing grounded in Christ’s ministry.
Jesus liberates those he encounters. Just as it is remarkable how accessible Jesus
is, it is equally remarkable that Jesus does not enter intrusively into the lives of
those he encounters. He visits their houses but does not become part of their
family. He remains in a very real sense the stranger, even as he gains astonishing
intimacy. He is present to them; it appears in order that they might be truly
present to themselves.17
Through the Catholic family’s witnessing they can also bring the liberating presence of Christ
that they received in the Eucharist by influencing them to have the courage to stand for what is
true and just, so that they may be able to help lessen some of the injustices in our society today
and give hope to those who were enslaved by fear, discrimination and tragic experiences due to
the failure of recognizing Christ’s presence around us. Hence, they need the Eucharist to be able
to witness to Christ’s presence that they may be nourished and strengthened in fulfilling the
mission entrusted to us by God which is to witness to the Truth. Altemose cited Vatican II in his
book Why do Catholics…?, which challenges Catholics to consider the mass in its deepest
theological dimensions as a precious heritage, the sacramental presence of the Lord in word,
15
Familiaris Consortio 52
Vatican II ( Acts and Decrees of the Second Plenary CouncilL of the Philippines # 78 )
(20 January – 17 February 1991)
17
Johnson, Luke Timothy, The Eucharist and the identity of Jesus (Priest People; June 15, 2001):232
16
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sacrament, priest and people. The mass is Jesus living on.
18
His presence should be manifested
in the Catholic family’s everyday life as they relate to people from all walks of life because
Christ is for everyone. The presence of Christ should inspire the Catholic families to live out
daily the “Christian virtues of generous self-giving in active charity, in mutual forgiveness and
obedience, in prayer and thanksgiving,”19 making other people recognize who he is through their
works and deeds. As a result, we hope that even those who haven’t heard mass will radiate the
presence of Christ that they received from the Catholic families that they encountered.
18
19
Altemose, Why do Catholics…? (Makati: Salesiana Publisher Inc.;1989), 55
CFC 1722
39
Implementation Material
Type of Activity: Half-day Recollection
Audience: Catholic Parents in the rural area
Size: 40 participants
Objectives:
At the end of the whole day recollection the Catholic family
should be able to;
A. recognize Christ’s various presence in the Eucharist and
in a Catholic family’s experiences.
B. witness to Christ’s presence in the celebration of the
Eucharist by having a full, conscious and active
participation.
C. celebrate mass as a way of experiencing Christ’s
presence that the Catholic family may be nourished and
strengthened by it.
AM
Part I
8:00-8:30
Registration
8:30-8:35
Opening Prayer: You Are Mine (Video Presentation)
8:35-8:45
Short Introduction: Discuss the purpose of the activity and
their expectations.
8:45-9:10
Introductory Activity: “Foot Signing”
This introductory activity will help the participants be
acquainted and be at ease to each other. It will give also the
participants the opportunity to experience how Jesus showed
humility by washing of the Feet of his apostles found in the
scripture as a way of witnessing to Christ’s presence.
1. Let the participants form a circle and prepare their pen.
2. Participants are expected to approach one another and
mark their signature on the sole of the foot. (Each
participant is only allowed to sign one signature at the
40
foot of each individual.)
3. To encourage them to be at ease to one another, at the end
of the activity they must count the signature written on
their feet. (Signatures must be clear and full, no initials or
shortcut signatures)
4. The goal of the activity is to experience how Jesus
showed humility when he washed the feet of his apostles.
Play music. After 2 songs let the participants go back to
their seats and count the signatures.
Processing
9:10-9:30
9:30-10:00
10:00- 12:00
BREAK
Session 1: Getting to know Christ
Activity 1: My Family’s Crossroads
This activity aims to help the participants stir their
hearts into reflection of their life situation and recognize
Christ’s presence within the situation.
Instructions:
The participants will be given handouts where they can fill up
guide questions per signage. Each direction will correspond to
a particular question, such as:
a. 1st direction – What are my family’s values in
life?
b. 2nd direction – How do we find our family at the
moment?
c. 3rd direction – What is really important for us?
d. 4th direction – How do we recognize Christ’s
presence in every situation that we experience
as a family?
A. Plenary Sharing (2 - 4 sharers)
B. Deepening/Integration
B.1 Scripture reading: Matthew 18: 20
"For where two or three have gathered together
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in My name, I am there in their midst."
B.2 Discuss the importance of the Eucharist as a way of
experiencing Christ’s multiple presences in the
celebration and in the family itself.
Prayer Integration: Pray for one another as a way of radiating
Christ’s presence. (Play Music: Lauds )
(1) place your hands over your chest – pray about the
values and things/persons important to self
(2) place your right hand over the shoulder of the
person to your right - pray for the concerns of the
person and his hopes
(3) place your left hand over the shoulder of the person
to your left - pray for the concerns of the person
and his hopes
AVP: Hesus
ng Aking
Buhay
Closing song: Hesus ng Aking Buhay
12:00nn1:00pm
PM
LUNCH BREAK
Session II: FAMILY’S WITNESSING
1:00-2:00
Eucharistic Celebration
42