It’s interesting that the last of our ten YoE teachings which we take this Sunday is “Eucharist and Priesthood.” What’s the connection between the Eucharist and the Priesthood?

St. Pope John Paul II stated in 2003, “The Catholic Church is the Church of the Eucharist.” (Encyclical ecclesia de eucharistia, Pope John Paul II, 2003)

And Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 said, “Without the Eucharist, the Church simply does not exist.”

So, no Eucharist, no Church.

But are we able to have the Eucharist without the ordained priesthood? Can we celebrate this most precious Sacrament without an ordained priest?

The answer is No. No Eucharist, no Church. No priest, no Eucharist. This appears a simple yet profound statement.

There’s this popular exclamation of St. Augustine, “O wonderful the dignity of priests; in whose hands the Son of God is made flesh as in the womb of the Virgin.”

What is the Eucharist? What is the Priesthood?

In the solemn language of the Council of Trent, the Eucharist is Jesus Christ. Once the words of consecration are pronounced by the priest, what had been bread and wine cease to be bread and wine. Their substance becomes the whole Christ (totus Christus). Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who became incarnate in Mary’s womb at Nazareth, was born in a stable at Bethlehem, died on the cross in Jerusalem, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, is Eucharist. Eucharist is Jesus Christ, with all that makes Christ, Christ, the whole Jesus Christ, God and man.

What is the priesthood? The priesthood is the sacrament which Christ instituted at the Last Supper.

What actually happened at the Lord’s Supper on that first Holy Thursday? What did Jesus do at the Supper?

We can correctly say that at the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday night, Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist. That is true, but it is true only because, at the Supper, Christ also instituted the Priesthood without which there would be no Eucharist. No Eucharist, no Church; and no Priest, no Eucharist.

Putting it succinctly, the ministerial priesthood was instituted by Jesus when he asked his apostles to continue the ministries that he began on Holy Thursday at his Last Supper. On Holy Thursday nightwhen Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he told his apostles, “Do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19). It is this awesome power that Jesus gave to the Apostles and, through them, to bishops and priests. At the last Supper, Christ conveyed the powers of ministerial priesthood on the Apostles and their successors.

“Jesus took the bread in his venerable hands and said…He took the chalice in his venerable hands and said... (you know what he said). To “do this in memory of me”, on the altar at consecration, the hands of the priest are the Hands of Jesus, and the words of the priest are the words of Jesus.

So, if there’s no priest, there’s no Eucharist.

St. John Vianney: “Where there is no priest, there is no sacrifice”

It’s the holy Will of Christ, therefore, that his Church must continue to have priests through whom He continues to give us the Eucharist, the Sacrament of His Holy Body and precious Blood. If we must continue to have priests, the big challenge for usis to ensure that vocation to the priesthood continues in the Church. No catholic should be indifferent to the need for priests in the Church. We must all be concerned and involved. Pray, therefore, for vocations to the Priesthood. Encourage vocations to the Priesthood. Support your priests in the worthy exercise of their ministry, in celebrating the Eucharist and in promoting Eucharistic devotions. Pray for your priests, give them your love and respect, and assist them however you can.

May our Priests lead us continually into God’s holy presence so that we may continually enjoy divine blessings. Amen!

Fr. JT

Pastor