The Eucharist in the Life and Mission of Secular Franciscans

Giving Thanks

The Way of Solidarity

At the Service of the Least

Giving Thanks

Pope John Paul II points out that the Eucharist literally means “thanksgiving.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church expands this notion when it states that the sacrament of the Lord’s body and blood is called the Eucharist “because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. The Greek words eucharistein and eulogein recall the Jewish blessings that proclaim - especially during a meal - God's works: creation, redemption, and sanctification.” [1] These three Divine actions, so frequently attributed to the essential Trinitarian identity of the Godhead, are enriched and concretized in the unconditional “yes” of Jesus to the will of the Father as he pours out his very self on the Cross and in the Eucharist. The only adequate human response to this tremendous gift is an outpouring of praise and thanksgiving. As the Holy Father points out,

The Church is called to remind men and women of this great truth. This is especially urgent in the context of our secularized culture, characterized as it is by a forgetfulness of God and a vain pursuit of human self-sufficiency. Incarnating the Eucharistic “plan” in daily life, wherever people live and work — in families, schools, the workplace, in all of life’s settings — means bearing witness that human reality cannot be justified without reference to the Creator... [2]

The Eucharist charges the faithful to be forceful witnesses to the reality of God’s presence in the world. As the Holy Father points out, “We should not be afraid to speak about God and to bear proud witness to our faith.” [3] This is a wonderful expression of a profound thanksgiving for what God has done and continues to do for the people he has created, redeemed, and sanctified.

With this in mind, Christian mission - Franciscan mission - can be understood to be a natural out-flowing of thankfulness and praise for God’s presence in every area of our lives: “in families, schools, the workplace, in all of life’s settings.”

In the third chapter of Amos the prophet provides a wonderful insight into the reason why he was a prophet. He writes, “The lion roars, who will not be afraid. The Lord God speaks, who will not prophesy” (Am. 3:8). In other words, to be true to the experience of God’s overwhelming presence in his life Amos could not help but be a prophet. His prophesying was a natural response to the divine words he received from the Lord God. The same dynamic was at work in the life and mission of St. Francis. His personal experience of the Lord impelled Francis to imitate Jesus’ example of obedience and mission.

In this light for Franciscans mission can be understood more as a natural expression of gratitude and thanksgiving than as an obligation required by the Rule or General Constitutions.

The Way of Solidarity

It is clear that John Paul II was a man who was sensitive to the signs of the time and was tireless in promoting justice and peace. He encourages every follower of Christ to do the same. He states that,

more than ever, our troubled world, which began the new Millennium with the specter of terrorism and the tragedy of war, demands that Christians learn to experience the Eucharist as a great school of peace, forming men and women who, at various levels of responsibility in social, cultural and political life, can become promoters of dialogue and communion. [4]

An important aspect of Franciscan mission and life is ongoing conversion and formation. The Holy Father points out that the Eucharist can play an important role in this regard. It is, as he points out, “a great school of peace” that helps form us to be “promoters of dialogue and communion.”

Saint Francis was known as a man of peace. He encouraged his followers to greet each other with words of peace and to live in peace with all of creation. It is not hard to imagine that Francis felt that this is so important because of the example of Christ, the Prince of Peace. To be true to their calling Franciscans need to be bearers of peace in their own families and fraternities and in every area of their daily lives. As the Holy Father points out, the Eucharist provides a school where this can be experienced and learned.

At the Service of the Least

John Paul II concludes his reflections on the Eucharist by highlighting the fact that the sacrament provides an impetus for communal “commitment to building a more just and fraternal society.” [5] He makes an appeal for all diocesan and parish communities to concretely respond with fraternal compassion to some form of poverty. The Holy Father points out that poverty takes on different expressions around the world and that no society is immune from its effects. He writes,

I think for example of the tragedy of hunger which plagues hundreds of millions of human beings, the diseases which afflict developing countries, the loneliness of the elderly, the hardships faced by the unemployed, the struggles of immigrants. These are evils which are present -albeit to a different degree- even in areas of immense wealth. [6]

The Holy Father closes this final section of the Apostolic Letter by pointing out that true followers of Christ are recognized by their love and concern for those in need. He states that “this will be the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged.” [7] In other words, the Eucharist is not something that is celebrated around an altar and then left behind when we exit the church. It should - it must - have an effect in our lives. It makes us sensitive to the needs of others and encourages us to reach out to them with love, mercy, compassion.

I am convinced that Francis would say, “Amen! Let’s get to it!”