The Church's Top Priority

In this week's Register there is an interesting article about the emphasis the church as a whole has been placing on the Eucharist since the turn of the millennium. It is a trend I myself began to notice a few weeks ago when the rumors of an imminent exhortation were flying around so naturally I thought it remarkable that the editors of the National Catholic Register chose to write their editorial this week on the growing emphasis the church is placing on the Most Holy Eucharist. Here are a few snippets:

Two Popes and the major bodies of the Vatican have unmistakably set the church’s top priority for the Church in our time. It’s the Eucharist.

That includes the proper preparation for Mass (especially confession), the proper celebration of Mass (including the translations for Mass) and the proper attitude toward the Eucharist outside of Mass (including adoration and the placement of our tabernacles).

Each year since the Jubilee Year 2000 (which Pope John Paul II called “profoundly Eucharistic”) has seen a major document come from the Vatican on the Eucharist. In fact, the Eucharistic documents have been the only significant ones of the new millennium.

They go on to point out some of the major documents which have been about the Eucharist among them: The GIRM, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Redemptionis Sacramentum, Liturgiam Authenticam, and the most recent Sacramentum Caritatis. They go on to explain why there has been such an emphasis on the Eucharist:

the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. It isn’t a mere symbol of Christ; it is Christ himself among us. The Eucharist must be guarded when it is endangered, defended when it is disrespected and promoted when it is ignored.

And, clearly, at the highest levels, our shepherds see that the Eucharist has not been treated properly.

The end the article simply by stating:

Only Christ in the Eucharist can sharpen Catholic consciences, lead more of us to practice the lay apostolate, feed our life of prayer, and form the basis of a true Catholic community.

These are the prerequisites for building the Kingdom of Christ in the world.

To read the entire article...

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UPDATE: What was I thinking? This is the perfect post to remind everyone that the diocese of Saginaw is also doing its part to promote more veneration of the Blessed Sacrament. This summer from June 8th - 10th there will be a diocesan wide Eucharistic Congress and everyone is invited! More info found on the diocesan website or this previous Seminarians post.