North American Catholics were encouraged to go deeper by Faith and love into the mystery of mysteries, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Newsroom (22/11/2021 17:00, Gaudium Press) During its Fall General Assembly, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a document entitled “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church.”
Promoting Eucharistic Renewal
Through this document, the US Bishops call on US Catholics to go deeper by Faith and love into the mystery of mysteries, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
According to USCCB President Bishop José Gómez, the document is closely linked to an initiative aimed at promoting Eucharistic renewal, including plans for a National Eucharistic Congress in the summer of 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The gift of Christ in the Eucharist and our response to this gift
Divided into two parts, “The Gift of Christ in the Eucharist” and “Our Response to this Gift,” the document seeks to remind Catholics about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and that God is generous in giving his grace “if we, by his grace, humbly ask Him to give us what we need.”
The bishops’ document reflects at length on the “gift” of the Eucharist and stresses that it should be understood as a sacrifice, a “re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice, through which we are reconciled to the Father.”
Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist
Another essential aspect is the real presence of Christ. “The reality that in the Eucharist bread and wine are truly transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ, without ceasing to appear as bread and wine to our five senses, is one of the central mysteries of the Catholic Faith,” the bishops emphasized.
The Covid-19 pandemic discouraged some Catholics from attending Mass in person, while others felt their desire to adore Christ in the Eucharist strengthened. Through this document, US Catholics are also urged to adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament through adoration, processions, and the forty-hour devotion, as well as receiving Holy Communion. (EPC)