Fr Francis’ Front-Page Reflection

How are you preparing for the Eucharist each Sunday?

This weekend, Jesus’ discourse on the “bread of life” reaches its high point. What began with a miracle of providing physical bread to a hungry crowd, then turned to Jesus emphasising the wisdom he offers-as-bread. This Sunday, that wisdom leads into his eucharist-as-bread. The Mass captures something of that duality in giving us both wisdom and Eucharist each Sunday.

Perhaps, more than anything else, we Catholics make the Eucharist our defining anchor of identity. Also, more than anything, we can make the Eucharist the primary gauge of our faith, as if to say “well if nothing else, I’m receiving the Eucharist!”

The Eucharist, is the great grace in the Church and, yes, there is an automatic element to it: we receive it and God communicates himself to us. And yet, how effectively we receive the Eucharist – how much we get out of it – does rely on some effort on our part in meditating ahead of time. Growing that relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, begins with prayer and Scripture – “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ” (St. Jerome).

A large population of the worshipping parish is freed from the challenge of having to get children ready for Mass – they have grown up and moved out – and so many people have the time to invest in some light reading (the prayers and readings), ahead of Mass. The readings for each Sunday are sent directly in our eNewsletter – do you receive this? The prayers which the priest prays are widely available either through people’s missals, on apps like Universalis, or online. If you would like assistance in getting hold of the Mass prayers and readings, call into the office and we will assist you.

God Bless, Fr Francis