January 1981
"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst" (John 6:35).
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
Come. Everything is ready.
The Eucharist, Pledge of the Eternal Feast
Leaders and animators of Christian communities should not hesitate to insist, always and everywhere, on the faithfulness of the baptized in celebrating the Sunday Eucharist with joy. How could we neglect this encounter, this banquet that Christ prepares for us in his love? Our participation must be both dignified and joyful. It is the crucified and glorified Christ who passes among his disciples, drawing them together into the renewal of his resurrection. It is the summit, here on earth, of the covenant of love between God and his people: a sign and source of Christian joy, a pledge of the Eternal Feast.
Paul VI
Like This Child
In the Eucharist, Jesus presents himself to us as one who does nothing, who speaks not, who answers not. Before we even speak of "remembering him," we must receive him as he truly is: he is there. Like this child, given to me, who seems to understand nothing and can do nothing—I receive him because he is there, real presence, present reality, and therefore alive.
He is the Son of God, and I hold fast to this truth. This is why the Eucharist matters so much to us, shaped as we are by our wounded brothers and sisters. We discover that before we act, we must be; and before we give ourselves, we must receive.
Father Andrea Roberti (Belgium)
"The Place of Thanksgiving"
What binds together communal nourishment and personal nourishment—since it is both at once—is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the celebration, the communal feast par excellence, because it lets us relive the mystery of Jesus who gave his life for us. It is the moment when the entire community gives thanks. This is why, after the consecration, the priest says: "When we have been nourished by his body and blood and filled with the Holy Spirit, grant that we become one body and one spirit in Christ." The Eucharist is the central moment of the mystery of community.
Yet it is also an intimate moment in which each of us is transformed by a personal encounter with Jesus.
Jean Vanier (from The Community as Place of Forgiveness and Feast)