Year of the Eucharist!

Today signifies the arrival of a very important occasion. Aside from the fact that it's my birthday, the Pope will inaugurate a Year of the Eucharist in Guadalajara, Mexico at the 48th Annual International Eucharistic Congress, which will run until the 17th of this month. The Year will officially conclude in 2005 at the 11th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Just this week, His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, presented the Pope's apostolic letter on the subject, titled Mane Nobiscum Domine (Stay With Us, Lord). As reported by Zenit, Cardinal Arinze said, "The Holy Father prays that this Year of the Eucharist will be for all a precious opportunity to reach a renewed awareness of the incomparable treasure that Christ entrusted to his Church." In this document, the Pope speaks of the Eucharist as Mystery, Manifestation, and Mission of the Church. He entrusts this project to Mary, his model and protector. The Pope hopes all the faithful will achieve a two-fold objective: "to value Sunday Mass and to intensify Eucharistic adoration."

I, for my part, will take this opportunity to present links and resources pertaining to the Eucharist which I have found to be the most helpful, or which I discover as the Year progresses. Stay tuned for the English translation of the aforementioned apostolic letter. In case you don't know, an apostolic letter is different from a papal encyclical. Letters usually precede an important event or occasion and serve to introduce that event. Encyclicals are lengthy teaching documents that expound on a particular subject or theme. Other terms you may encounter are exhortations (usually addressed to fellow bishops or local churches) and motu proprio.

Though most of JPII's encyclicals have a Eucharistic theme, one in particular springs to mind as especially relevant to the Year (and which I mentioned in a previous posting), Ecclesia de Eucharistia. This is the Pope's most recent encyclical, and it examines at length how this one sacrament is the source and summit of the Christian faith.

You could also link to the Catholic Encyclopedia to get a thorough definition of the sacrament.
Or check out what EWTN has to offer. If you find yourself taking an apologetical stance, seek out Catholic Answers and what they have to say. For a more accessible, down-to-earth treatment, visit American Catholic's collection of Catholic Update articles on the topic. Our Sunday Visitor has much to say about the Year in general, while one bold outfit decided to devote an entire website to the topic-- www.yearoftheeucharist.com!

In all of your wanderings, reflect on what being Christian means to you. Consider why you go to Mass each Sunday; what is it that motivates or compels you? What do you remember learning about the sacrament of Eucharist? What do you wish to know more about? Now is as good a time as any to educate yourself. Even the Pope keeps discovering more to write about the subject! Surely none of us has a total grasp on what it means to receive Communion.

I have decided to abstain from receiving the sacrament until Easter 2005. I hope that denying myself Communion will deepen my appreciation for it. I will continue to partake of the Eucharist by going to Mass and ingesting the Word and being in the Real Presence. But I will not go up for Communion until Easter. I find it interesting to note that the Church only requires that you receive Communion during that season. The Sunday obligation remains in effect, but noone is forcing you to get in line every Sunday. I also feel the need to reflect on my sins, and this will be part of my penance leading up to Lent, when I will make a full confession before I partake once more in the Holy Banquet. I am using this Year as an opportunity to explore what the Sacraments truly mean to me, what it is I'm willing to sacrifice for the One who sacrificed so much for me. This Year could not have come along at a better time, and serves to demonstrate once more why October is the BEST month ever!