THE EUCHARIST AS THE EMBODIMENT OF LOVE

The American bishops have called for an extensive period of three years for Eucharistic revival.

This will culminate with a Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in the summer of 2024. In

preparation for this congress, two presentations in the parish of St. Michael will focus on three

dimensions: the Eucharist as a mystery to be celebrated, to be believed, and to be lived.

In the past twenty-five years, the Eucharist has been a prominent theme in official Catholic documents,

especially from the last three popes. Pope Francis in his exhortation The Joy of the Gospel

writes: “God’s word, listened to and celebrated, above all in the Eucharist, nourishes and

inwardly strengthens Christians, enabling them to offer an authentic witness to the Gospel in

daily life.” These talks attempt to find the connection between cult, creed, and code, to the extent

that how we pray shapes what we believe and how we act as Christians living in the world.

On Sunday, we will examine the developments over the past three decades, then look at the liturgical

dimension. We will explore why good celebrations foster deep faith and good ethical practice.

On Monday, we will explore the doctrinal dimension basing it on the numerous Eucharistic

prayers contained in the Roman Missal. Finally, we will see how the Eucharist celebrations must

translate into our lived experience, most notably social justice.

Rev. Michael S. Driscoll is a priest of the Diocese of Helena in Montana and since 2017

professor emeritus in theology at the University of Notre Dame where he has taught sacramental

theology and liturgy since 1994. He is the founding director of the graduate program in Sacred

Music (MSM) and the Interdisciplinary Minor in Liturgical Music Ministry at Notre Dame. He is

an active member of several professional groups having served in the leadership of each: North

American Academy of Liturgy (NAAL), the Societas Liturgica, and the Catholic Academy of

Liturgy (CAL). He has published two books, many book chapters, and numerous articles in

journals such as Worship, Ecclesia Orans and Traditio.

Thank you to all who joined us for our

Lenten Mission with Steve Angrisano