Eucharistic community of Christ

I am no theologian or a well-versed person in Catholic teaching but with simplicity I would like to share some of my daily experiences in the Maltese Catholic Church.

I am a wife and mother. I also work as a medical doctor at the state hospital and somehow manage to find some three evenings a week which I dedicate to work in the local church. I believe that, inspite of difficulties and the ups and downs of this hectic life, as we know it today, Church commitments are still possible!

As Christians we are called to live a life of communion. We cannot live Christianity closed in on ourselves or inside our homes, uninterested in what goes on outside or believing that not harming others would be enough. Our call as lay people is to be part and parcel of a living Church, of a community with a heart throbbing with love for others.

As we are well aware, we are - as Christians - expected to join in with our brethren for the Eucharistic celebration on the Lord's Day. I have to admit, first of all, that my experience of the Eucharist celebration as a family differs, depending on the congregation I join for the Sunday Mass. Some communities are alive and I find them quite helpful for my sharing in the mystery of life and death of the Lord, namely, in the Paschal mystery. Other congregations are lifeless and I experience certain emptiness for even when I attempt answering the invitations of the ministering priest, my responses simply echo in the hollow silence around me. I have the impression that many of our communities are too much ingrown; there does not seem to be a communitarian commitment!

I do not believe that the priest alone celebrates the Mass. I believe that each and every member of the congregation shares in this celebration of the Eucharist by offering himself/herself to Christ and to the community by a life of service out of love, particularly towards those mostly in need. We need not go far away to look for these, for we know that we come across these needy people at work, in our neighbourhood or within our own families.

It is not enough that a congregation sings, responds to the responsorial verses of the psalms, stands up or sits as the moment of the celebration demands! The real sharing in the Eucharist involves a true personal and communitarian commitment to a life of love, forgiveness and peace in all our relationships. This commitment surely implies a dying to self and to our deep selfishness. I feel that such a lay congregation, committed to a sharing in the death and resurrection of Christ through a life of a loving service to others, would surely build up or edify the true Eucharistic community of Christ. Moreover, this lay congregation would also help the celebrating priest to be himself more involved in and form part of the same community, against feeling himself a distant person officiating on his own at the altar...

Living the Eucharist day by day means a life of commitment to our daily duties. And this commitment means a conscientious fulfillment of our work and a Christian loving attitude towards our brethren at work or elsewhere. I believe that by the way I carry out my work and the way I relate to my colleagues, I will be contributing to society, I will be a sign of love and light to others. Perhaps only a few may take notice of this positive attitude of mine but that little light will illumine those around me. Witnessing Christian living to others by the love and hope I spread around should be my daily commitment. This is, I presume, what the Lord expects of each of us. All this, though, has to be lived in simplicity and humility and away from any vanity. Consequently, I have to examine all the time my motivations, to see whether I have the right intentions in what I think, want and do!

St Francis of Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church, encouraged his brethren by reminding them that all are called to holiness, no matter what their work or profession is. Each is called to follow faithfully and generously his or her personal vocation. One should not, therefore, try to live the vocation of another: a bishop cannot live the life of a hermit in solitude, while a wife cannot live the poverty of a friar. However, whatever our vocation in life, we have always to live it with devotion, that is, as a witness and as an expression of our love for the Lord and for our brethren. This is the meaning of devotion. If one strives to live one's Christian commitment fully, then the demanding care for one's family is rendered easier, the love between husband and wife becomes more sincere and solid and the service to society more faithful and selfless.

Still, I do not believe that all this is enough! A committed Christian is one who continuously seeks God's will through spiritual discernment. He or she will be ready to listen to God's cry: "Whom shall I send? Who will take up our mission?" And the reply will be: "Here I am! Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8). I am convinced that with this readiness at heart and with this openness and docility, the necessary time will be found, the resources will be provided and the courage and steadfastness will be forthcoming to meet the needs of the individual members of the community, thus integrating the Eucharistic experience with our concrete daily living.