The priest and the Eucharist (and III)

How to celebrate the Eucharist fruitfully?
Concretely: with regard to the priest and the faithful, what are the priestly and spiritual dispositions required to celebrate and participate fruitfully in the Eucharist? The Epistle to the Philippians recalls the irreproachable and pure character that defines Christian identity. St. Paul exhorts the Philippians by saying to them: "Whatever things you do... so you will be blameless and simple, children of God without blemish, in the midst of a perverse and depraved generation, among whom you shine as luminaries of the world... And if my blood is to be shed, sprinkling the liturgical sacrifice which is your faith, I am glad and associate myself with your joy; on your part be glad and rejoice with me." (Phil 2:14-18). Paul does not ask the Philippian community to rejoice because of the sufferings they endure, nor because of the possibility of dying a violent death, as if for the Apostle this were something good; he asks them to rejoice insofar as their sufferings and all the trials of life are a sign of their real oblation in the Love of the Lord and for Love of him. The priest must accept with joy the sufferings and trials endured in the name of faith in Jesus, and he must be ready to go so far as to give his life for the flock, in union with Christ, who gave his life for our salvation.

Priestly grace in fact gives rise to the priest's pastoral charity. Certainly, the priest validly celebrates the Eucharist by virtue of Holy Orders, of the character he received on the day of his priestly ordination and which remains - because of Christ's unfailing fidelity to his Church - whatever his spiritual situation or the weight of his personal sins. But I repeat: the fruitfulness of his Eucharistic celebrations will be seriously hampered if his spiritual situation is bad. The scandal of the priest can greatly harm the People of God, and his personal sanctification and that of the faithful, which is his purpose, will be seriously hindered.

Sacrament of Orders and sanctity of life
But we cannot separate this sanctifying purpose and the sacrament of Holy Orders. The priest must ardently seek and strive to lead a holy life. He must strive with constancy to become Ipse Christusto know the will of God. And the will of God is our sanctification (cf. 1 Thess 4:3). He must have great veneration for the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and remember that the priesthood is a Sacrament: it communicates sanctifying grace to those who have the privilege of being ordained priests. As Pope Francis said forcefully to the priests and religious of Kenya, "The Church is not a company, it is not an NGO, the Church is a mystery, it is the mystery of the gaze of Jesus on each one, who says: 'Come'. It is clear, the one who calls is Jesus. You enter through the door, not through the window, and you follow the way of Jesus." (26-XI-2015).

In addition, the sacrament of Holy Orders increases baptismal grace by increasing the priest's love for God and pastoral charity, in imitation of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. St. John Paul II has developed this pastoral charity in a clear and admirable way in the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Pastores Dabo Vobis", based on the first Letter of St. Peter: "Through sacramental consecration, the priest is configured to Jesus Christ, as Head and Pastor of the Church, and receives as a gift a 'spiritual power,' which is a participation in the authority with which Jesus Christ, through his Spirit, guides the Church.

Thanks to this consecration worked by the Holy Spirit in the sacramental effusion of Holy Orders, the spiritual life of the priest is characterized, shaped and defined by those attitudes and behaviors that are proper to Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd of the Church and which are summed up in his pastoral charity... The spiritual life of the ministers of the New Testament must be characterized, therefore, by this essential attitude of service to the People of God (cf. Mt 20:24 ff; Mk 10:43-44), free from all presumption and every desire to 'tyrannize' the flock entrusted to them (cf. 1 Pet 5:2-3). A service carried out as God expects and in a good spirit. In this way the ministers, the 'elders' of the community, that is, the priests, will be able to be 'models' of the Lord's flock which, in turn, is called to assume before the whole world this priestly attitude of service to the fullness of man's life and his integral liberation" (Mk 10:43-44). (Pastores dabo vobis, 21).

Selflessness
As Good Shepherds, says Peter, the "elders" (presbyteroi) must maintain the cohesion and fraternal communion of the flock, as well as guaranteeing it security and the necessary nourishment. The difficulties of the task could lead to discouragement or discouragement. We must always return to the resolution to serve in a dedicated and disinterested way. "Everyone who let himself be chosen by Jesus is to serve, to serve the people of God, to serve the poorest, the most discarded, the humblest, to serve the children and the elderly, to serve also the people who are not aware of the pride and sin they carry within, to serve Jesus. To let oneself be chosen by Jesus is to let oneself be chosen to serve, not to be served". (Francis, 26-XI-2015).

Therefore, following the example of the "Supreme Shepherd," Christ himself, who washed the feet of his disciples (Jn 13:15-17), the "elders"-that is, the priests-must avoid every spirit of greed and domination (Mt 20:25-28) and place themselves with simplicity and dedication, instead, at the service of the community entrusted to them, "becoming models of the flock". (1 Pet 5:3). Thus they will receive the reward of him who is the One Shepherd of the Christian community. Therefore, we need to try to conform ourselves to Christ, the Supreme Shepherd. Our configuration to Christ will enable us to act sacramentally in the name of Christ, Head and Shepherd. "Peter calls Jesus the 'supreme Shepherd' (1 Pet 5:4), because his work and mission continue in the Church through the apostles (cf. Jn 21:15-17) and their successors (cf. 1 Pet 5:1ff), and through the presbyters. By virtue of their consecration, priests are configured to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and are called to imitate and revive his same pastoral charity". (Pastores dabo vobis, 22).

Preparation for the celebration
In conclusion, I would like to share a conviction that seems essential to me: since the Eucharist is so vital for every Christian, and particularly for every priest, it is important that we prepare ourselves well before every Eucharistic celebration, in silence and adoration. In our preparation we must involve the whole Christian community.

And when the priest presides at the Eucharistic celebration, he must serve God and the people with dignity and humility, and he must make the faithful feel the living presence of Christ by his way of behaving and pronouncing the divine word. It must take the faithful by the hand and introduce them to the concrete experience of the rite; it must lead them to an encounter with Christ through gestures and prayers. We cannot forget that the liturgy, "being the action of Christ, it impels us from within to clothe ourselves with the same sentiments of Christ, and in this dynamism the whole of reality is transfigured." (Francis, 18-II-014). Hence the priest, exercising the task of mystagogue-for liturgical catechesis aims to introduce the faithful to the mystery of Christ and to initiate them into the riches that the sacraments signify and bring about in every Christian-does not speak in his own name, but echoes the words of Christ and of the Church.

Great astonishment and admiration "must always permeate the Church gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist. But in a special way it must accompany the minister of the Eucharist. Indeed, it is he who, thanks to the faculty granted by the Sacrament of Priestly Ordination, performs the consecration. With the power that comes to him from Christ in the Upper Room, he says: 'This is my body, which will be given for you... This is the cup of my blood, which will be poured out for you'. The priest pronounces these words, or rather, he puts his mouth and his voice at the disposal of the One who pronounced them in the Upper Room and willed that they should be repeated from generation to generation by all those who in the Church participate ministerially in his priesthood." (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 5).

Let us take time to prepare ourselves, before and after each Eucharistic celebration, and allow ourselves a few precious moments to give thanks and adore. As Pope Francis reminded us to live the Holy Mass "it helps us, it introduces us, to be in adoration before the Eucharistic Lord in the tabernacle and to receive the sacrament of reconciliation." (30-V-2013). In reality, Eucharistic Adoration is the contemplation of the radiant Face of the Risen Christ, and through the Risen One we can contemplate the beauty of the Trinity and the divine sweetness present in our midst. Let there be a time of silence and intense prayer before and after each Eucharistic celebration, to converse with Christ. And by reclining on the breast of Jesus, like the disciple whom he loved, we will experience the depth of his heart (cf. Jn 13:25). Then we will sing with the psalmist: "Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord, let us exalt his name together... Behold him and you will be radiant, your face will not be ashamed. Taste and see how good the Lord is, blessed is he who welcomes him." (Ps 34, 4.6.9).