Testo originale del articolo in inglese qui
In this article we propose to reflect on Eucharistic Christocentrism, in continuity with the Christocentrism defended by authors such as Ratzinger, according to which: "Non si si comincia ad essere cristiani per decisione etica o per una grande idea, ma attraverso l'incontro con un evento, con una Persona, che dona un nuovo orizzonte alla vita e, con essa, un orientamento decisivo" (Benedetto XVI, Deus caritas est, n. 1).
In short, it can be said that Christocentrism is a vision in which Christianity is seen as a religion of contact with a person rather than as a religion of doing or acting. The original essence of Christianity comes to be the personal encounter in faith with God who has become man.
It cannot be said that this question is an absolute novelty, because the Eucharistic accent of the Christocentric approach goes in the same direction as what has always been taught by the Church. In this sense it is not very original because the Church has constantly and insistently underlined the central value of the Eucharist.
However, at this time it seems opportune to give impetus to a new effort that facilitates a closer acquaintance with Jesus Christ and, above all, with the Eucharist.
The starting point: a frequent occurrence.
First of all, it should be noted that Eucharistic Christocentrism is not the result of a theoretical analysis. The purely rational and reflexive vision of the question does not allow to understand it in its true dimension. The common fact of today is that churches are almost universally used, at least in some countries with greater economic development and also in those where there has been a strong Catholic tradition.
It is not a matter of keeping the number of faithful participating in the Mass at a low level, a fact that is accompanied by the regular presence of many others who see in the Mass the central act of their relationship with God, which is in itself very positive.
The problem is not in the Messa but outside of it.
Unfortunately, it is often expected that in the churches, outside the liturgical celebrations, there is practically no one. This scarcity of presences has caused that the churches were not very safe places, that sometimes it is better to remain closed to avoid worse evils.
This fact should make us reflect because it can have important achievements. If the churches were only a few temples that preserve a series of objects of worship, or art, the emptying of the churches would not have much relevance.
However, in the churches, in addition to all the objects that can be found there, the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is also guarded.
The Eucharist is not just another of the things that are inside a temple as a statue or a painting could be.
The Eucharist is the center of the season and the reason for its existence. The seasons serve to celebrate the Eucharist, and so that the Eucharist is reserved for the worship of men.
The personal encounter with the Eucharist
When Christ set foot on earth about two thousand years ago, I asked the people to accept Him and to restore their faith in Him. If Christ comes today on earth as a man, as that man who lived there in a part of this world, we have the obligation to go to Him.
In other words, for those who have faith in the fact that Christ is God, his earthly presence should be an imperative call to see him in flesh and blood, with his watchfulness, his words, his actions, etc.
Ebbene, since Christ is now physically present in the Eucharist, he is aspiring us with the same desire as when he lived on earth.
Christocentrism, therefore, affirms our need to encounter Christ-God because He is the Person who represents the essence of religion.
For now we add that the encounter with Christ-God must take place in the Eucharist, and not only in the celebration of the Mass. We are certain that God is truly present in the Eucharist with his humanity and his divinity.
If Christ remains in the Eucharist it is because he wants to be with us. That is why the fact that our churches are empty outside of liturgical events should not leave us indifferent; it is the sign that for us Christ-Eucharist does not have much value. Perhaps our faith is shaken and we believe only, with effective faith, in the presence of Christ in the sacrifice of the Mass, but we do not think that this implies his constant real presence in the Tabernacle.
Accompanying the Gesù-Eucharist
It is clear that when it is a matter of accompanying Jesus in the Eucharist, it is not a matter of the need for more acts of adoration, expositions with the Blessed Sacrament, etc., all very good things, but not those to which this article refers.
Much less the solitude of the Tabernacoli is solved by the presence of those few who are always in the church because it is not always empty. The problem does not go in that direction, it is not in this.
On the contrary, it is about the need that many refuse in front of the tabernacles of their churches because there is Jesus who aspires them with an unlimited peace. It can be said that this obligation governs the entire community of believers. Whoever thinks to be understood by this duty shows already to have little faith in the Eucharist.
Christ is risen in the Eucharist because we can walk with Him. And what should we do before the Eucharist? In the first place, simply to stand; in the second place, to speak to Him, and finally, in the third place, to worship Him.
Christ, who is the God of the living and not of the dead, is alive and is ready to listen to us and speak to us. Can we talk to Jesus then? Of course, but we need to do it preferably where He prefers, where He is physically present.
It is clear that with a person we love we can also talk on the phone, but who prefers to talk on the phone rather than in the presence of this love would not show it. That is why Christ prefers to talk to us face to face, physically.
And if we ask ourselves how many times should we stay with Jesus-Eucharist? Or for how long? Well, logically, there is no fixed rule: it depends on the family, social, etc., obligations that Jesus himself wants us to adhere to.
In any case, it is advisable to visit the Tabernacolo every day. The duration? What God inspires each one and what gives us his generosity. It is not necessary to spend many hours before Jesus in the Tabernacle. No, it is a matter of going to visit him many times (in many days), according to the possibilities and the circumstances of each one of us, in order to have a dialogue with the Signore (in many cases only a few minutes are enough).
In the Eucharistic relationship there are two dimensions to consider. The first is permanent and has to do with our personal relationship with Jesus. In this relationship it is essential to understand that Jesus wants to be with each one of us and it doesn't matter if one day or the next we are absent from Him.
The second dimension has a temporary character and is related to the mass abandonment of Jesus in the Eucharist. It should be a strong stimulus for us to try to walk to comfort Jesus in his solitude. And here, even if the personal contribution may seem insignificant in the face of the indifference of so many, we must think that ours gives Him solitude. because Jesus does not want the love of many, but the love of each one, to begin with us.
We think that we Christians alone are rooted in the Church through the parishes. Ebbene, a commitment that we can assume as believers is to see how we take care of that Jesus-Eucharist that is present in the Tabernacle of our parish.
To be with God in the Eucharist is the best investment we can make in our time.
Whether we speak of obligation or necessity, in this commitment to accompany the Eucharist there is no other obligation than that of our love. It is love, not the fulfillment of a duty.
