Liturgy in Context

The relationship between the assembly of the faithful and the Eucharist can only be rightly understood in terms of a sense of shared sacramentality. The assembly and the Eucharist are in fact one sacramental entity, inseparable in their connection to the paschal mystery. Each is incomplete without the other, and in the liturgy this combined sacrament has a visible form. The assembly may in fact be described in active terms as it manifests its identity as the living Body of Christ. Mark Searle describes the assembly as “the primary sacrament of Christ, the outward and visible sign of the presence of Christ in and to the world, the medium of his own continuing mediatorship for the glorification of God and the sanctification of the human race.” The call to worship is the call to action for the assembly, charging believers with the duty to do the work of the Gospel. By actively participating in the eucharistic liturgy, we are nourished, strengthened, encouraged, and sent forth to do the work of the kingdom. In anamnesis, we rediscover the mystery we own and claim our identity as the Body of Christ in the world.

In this discovery of mystery, the intimacy of the relationship between assembly and Eucharist is revealed. In the sacrament that is liturgy, the human assembly exposes its divine nature as the humanity of Christ is embraced. In that timeless moment, the two become one in an act of love that ultimately gives birth to a transformed state of life. In liturgy, that inner experience is not only visible but is reflected in every person assembled at that common prayer; in that reflection is the very real presence of Christ. This gathering, then, can be correctly called “sacrament” because the presence of God and the wonder of God’s grace are revealed in a profound and unique way.

In this sacramental gathering, being and life are drawn by the Eucharist, which unifies all its members with God through Christ. In liturgy, the assembly is the embodiment of sacrament, for all sacraments are celebrations of the relationship between God and God’s people. “The liturgy … is thus the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 2). The celebration of the Eucharist is at the core of the life of the church; it defines the Christian life as being fully integrated into the death and resurrection of Christ. The Eucharist is the action by which we participate in the paschal mystery and, in so doing, are connected in communion through eternity with all believers past and future. “From ancient times, the Church’s teaching has clearly stated that the Eucharist is the center of Christian existence.¹ The Eucharist constitutes the very life of the Church” (This Holy and Living Sacrifice 1). In the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup, those who are the Body of Christ encounter the living God amidst the journey of their own lives. “Thus from celebration to celebration, as they proclaim the Paschal mystery of Jesus ‘until he comes,’ the pilgrim People of God advances, ‘following the narrow way of the cross,’ toward the heavenly banquet, when all the elect will be seated at the table of the kingdom” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1344).

Each gathering of believers contains within it the nature of Eucharist by the very presence of the assembly. Scripture speaks clearly of this. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). So the relationship between Eucharist and assembly is one of mutual inclusivity, as one cannot exist without the other; they are, in fact, one and the same. The understanding of this relationship has evolved and continues to develop as the assembly claims a more active role both in liturgy and in life. That evolution has led to a hunger for ways to explore the vision of God. This hunger is a sign of growth; it is fed in the Eucharist and draws those who believe deeper into the mystery. In the words of Archbishop Rembert Weakland, “We are Eucharist in the way we love, challenge, and support one another in living our faith in God. We are Eucharist when we become Christ’s presence daily to our family members, our neighbors, our co-workers — to all whom we encounter in every realm of our lives.”

Note

1. “The Church lives by the Eucharist, by the fullness of this Sacrament, the stupendous content and meaning of which have often been expressed in the Church’s Magisterium from the most distant times down to our own days” (Pope John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis (RH), [March 4, 1979] 20). See also Pope Paul VI, Mysterium Fidei (MF), “On the Holy Eucharist” (September 3, 1965) 57.

Works cited

Searle, Mark. “Collecting and Recollecting: The Mystery of the Gathered Church.” Assembly (September 1984).

Weakland, Rembert. “Eucharist without Walls: A Vision of the Church for the Year 2000.” Pastoral letter by Rembert G. Weakland, OSB, Archbishop of Milwaukee, Nov. 30, 1997, First Sunday of Advent. ML

Donna Cole is the editor of Ministry & Liturgy.

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