In last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a merchant searching for the finest pearl and, when he finds it, he sells everything he has in order to buy it. It’s interesting that after reflecting on that image of God’s kingdom, the Gospel for this Sunday talks about the multiplication of the bread, which is oftentimes alluded to the Eucharist. What a wonderful story to connect it to last Sunday’s parables. For us Catholics, the pearl of great price in this world is the Eucharist, which is the foretaste of the heavenly banquet. The Eucharistic celebration contains everything that we profess as truth about our faith. This is the very reason why the Catechism refers to it as “source and summit of Christian life.” It is the lifeblood of the Church; without it, there is no Church. Saint John Paul II beautifully opens his encyclical “Ecclesia De Eucharistia” with these profound words “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church.”
If the Eucharist is so central to who we are, then the way we celebrate the liturgy must always express its primordial importance in our faith life. This can be seen starting by how we prepare for the Mass (includes sacristy preparation, purification of vessels and music selection), by how we participate during the Mass, and by how we live out the Eucharistic mysteries in our day to day life. The Eucharist, as the pearl of great price, must always be celebrated according to the mind of the Church. In this way, we truly give the utmost reverence that is due to it as the foretaste of eternity with God.
Let us keep in our prayers our teens who are attending the Steubenville Northwest Conference in Spokane, Washington to reignite the fire of faith. They will also be doing service projects on their way home, a testimony that our Eucharistic identity is always propelled by genuine charity, especially to those who are in great need. May we also never get weary in our prayers for the Christians in Iraq in their very difficult struggle to live out their faith freely and safely. And, as we pray for peace in our hearts, may we not forget our brothers and sisters who are caught up in the fight in the Holy Land. St. Cecilia, pray for us. – Fr. Cary