I well remember the story Cardinal Hume told when he returned from a visit to Ethiopia in 1983. As he got out of the helicopter, a small boy came up and took his hand. He was aged 9 or 10 and wore a simple loin cloth. The whole of the Cardinal’s time there, the boy would not let go of his hand. He had two gestures: with one hand he pointed to his mouth to indicate his need for food. The other was a strange gesture; he took the Cardinal’s hand and rubbed it on his cheek.

The small boy was indicating in quite a special way those two profound and fundamental needs: for food and for love. The Cardinal later said that through that incident, taught by that young boy, he saw in a new light what is the heart of the Eucharist – the Lord’s love given to us in this most remarkable Sacrament: His Body and His Blood. For indeed there is no life without food, and no life worth living without love.

The Eucharist stands at the centre of our Catholic lives. The word ‘Eucharist’ refers to the Mass. The Mass is the means given to us by Our Lord to enable us to be involved in His sacrifice on Calvary. At the Last Supper, Jesus said: “Do this in memory of me”. These words are important. The Eucharistic action celebrated by priests will make present in every Christian generation the work accomplished by Christ. Whenever the Eucharist is celebrated, the sacrifice of Calvary will be made present; there Christ Himself, the Redeemer of the World, will be present.

The late Holy Father in his letter on the Eucharist called us to renew our devotion to the abiding presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and our prayerful attentiveness in our celebration of the Mass. Let me indicate some ways of doing this.

1) To be conscious that Sunday is indeed the day of the Lord – the day of the Resurrection and so different from other days. We mark it by going to Church and by the celebration of Mass.

2) To do everything possible to celebrate Mass in a dignified and worthy manner in accordance with the Norms of the Church.

3) I suggest that you observe a moment of reflective silence after the Readings, Homily and after Holy Communion.

4) At Holy Communion, I encourage you always to receive under both Kinds since in that way the sign is expressed more fully and fulfils the Lord’s words: “Take this all of you and drink from it…..” We are also asked in the General Instruction on the Roman Missal to receive the Lord’s Body from hosts consecrated at the same Mass rather than from the tabernacle (No.85).

5) I invite those who are not receiving Holy Communion to come forward for a blessing and to indicate this by a deep bow of the head.

6) Music is an integral part of the Mass and good music enhances the celebration.

7) Sacred art too, whether in church or repository, should always be worthy and of good quality.

8) I encourage the practice of Eucharistic Adoration which now takes place in many of our parishes.

9) I commend further teaching on the Eucharist during this year and you may find helpful a book recently published by the Bishops’ Conference called ‘Celebrating the Mass’

In our diocesan Vision document we began by saying that we want to be a Church built upon holiness. In that section we recall that from the earliest days Christians have affirmed that every celebration of Mass offers us the means to grow in holiness, to become more Christ-like. St. Justin the Martyr writing in about 150 A.D. wrote ‘Jesus Christ our Saviour was made flesh through the Word of God and took on flesh and blood for our salvation. So, through the Word of Prayer that comes from Him, the food over which thanksgiving has been spoken becomes the flesh and blood of Jesus in order to nourish and transform our flesh and blood’.

Let me return to the young boy in Ethiopia. He reminds us that we cannot live without food, without love. This is why Christ gave Himself to us in the Eucharist. He meets that deep need within us for spiritual food. Like the young boy, we approach empty handed and quite lost and ask that He might give us His love; and He says ‘This is my Body, this is my Blood – eat and drink’. Amen

+ Thomas

Bishop of Brentwood