ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

The Eucharist: One Body, One Mission

The word of God speaks to us in the circumstances of our life. Today we gather as the Church, the Church of Philadelphia, the Catholic Church, in our own specific vocations. We gather as a Eucharistic people, therefore as one: with each other, with all our brothers and sisters in this local Church and in our universal Church. We gather to celebrate our mission—which is very important. And we gather to celebrate the power to fulfill this mission, in other words, our Eucharistic power. What we ask for today is to understand our mission and to re-commit ourselves to it. What is this mission? To communicate Christ by word and by example. It is an arduous mission, and we need strength which we get from the Eucharist. We need the unity which we get from the Eucharist.

The word of God today tells us that, in God’s plan, the one Bread that we receive has the power to make us one. There are conditions, however, for us to be able to draw strength from the Eucharist. We must participate in the Eucharist internally and externally.

The disciples on the road to Emmaus asked the Lord to remain with them. Jesus also invites us to remain with Him. We must accept His invitation. We must live according to Christ’s law. We have experienced in the Church of Philadelphia a scandal that weakens the community. We are deeply sorry for the sins that caused this scandal. What we must also accept is the fact that every serious sin of ours, whether it comes to light or not, affects the Body of Christ. It saps the inner energy of the community of the Church and makes her mission more difficult to achieve. Every mortal sin works seriously against the unity of the Church and her effectiveness in the world. On the contrary, every prayer, every act of charity, every sacrifice or suffering patiently endured, every Eucharistic celebration worthily performed increases the effectiveness of the Church, because it increases her holiness. What we hope for in the Church is a new wave of holiness of life: composed of generosity and integrity of life.

In the Gospel, the first disciples experienced more than joy when they were with Jesus. They experienced the fire of zeal. Together in unity and striving for holiness in our personal lives we can draw great strength from Jesus and His Eucharist. This is the only way we can go forward in fulfilling our mission—communicating Christ in our families, our parishes, our communities. To communicate Christ is to communicate His identity, His word, His promises, His challenges and His commandment to love one another. Finally, we are called to communicate the Christ whom we ourselves have encountered, whom we have recognized in the breaking of the bread. Amen.