November 28 was the date of Thanksgiving Day back in 2013. In accordance with my custom, I went to Mass that morning at my home parish of Ascension. The heart of the Mass is the Eucharist when we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. "Eucharist" comes from a Greek word that means "Thanksgiving".
On that Thanksgiving Day 2013, I would participate in the Eucharist in a deeper way, by serving as a Eucharistic minister for the first time. Earlier that month, I responded to a note in the church bulletin calling for more ministers, and then came training later that month before serving at Thanksgiving Day Mass. From what I remember, the first people I ministered the consecrated Body of Christ were the altar servers and Dad.
It was wondrous how my first time serving in this ministry came together on a day of Thanksgiving at sacred a meal that is all about Thanksgiving.
Over the past 5 years, serving as a Eucharistic minister has allowed me to be part of the Mass in a more profound way. I spend much more time closer to the altar, which is a chance to behold the Body and Blood of Christ even more so than when in the pews.
And I think about this in regards to last Sunday, when I was asked to be in the role of going up to the tabernacle to bring out the extra supply of consecrated hosts. The tabernacle is adorned so elegantly to befit the glory of Christ's Real Presence within. And it is that Presence that the priest brings to the congregation, as the Eucharistic ministers receive it, and then minister it to others. Upon the end of Mass, we all go forth bearing Christ's Presence into our world.
What a beautiful mantra it is to say over and over, "The Body of Christ" with the constant stream of people, and also, too, with "The Blood of Christ". There have been times when I've thought of it as a prayer.
It's special to connect with the congregation when ministering the Body and Blood of Christ, particularly when someone I know comes up to me in line, particularly one of my current or former RE students. At the end of the 2017-18 RE year, we attended Mass, and I was one of the ministers with the cup of the Precious Blood, and many of my students came up to me during communion. After Mass, a couple of them complimented me for ministering the cup to them, and I used that as a teachable moment: Ministering is a gesture that is an extension of my role of handing on the faith to them, as I facilitate their encounter with the Presence of God, to grow in relationship with Him.
Even as I minister to help others encounter His Presence, I open myself up to encountering His Presence, which fills my heart and makes me worthy before Him so that I may live righteously in the world all through each day.
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