From Archbishop Donoghue

Rejoice in the Lord, Always!
A Pastoral Letter on the Eucharist
Gaudete Sunday, December 12, 1993
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[See Georgia Bulletin account]

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

On the third Sunday of Advent the Church proclaims our joyful expectation of the fulfillment of God's promise in the prophetic antiphon: "Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near."

Truly, at this time of year, we celebrate through the liturgy, the nearness of the Lord in a twofold way. The approaching feast of Christmas reminds us of all the wonder and glory associated with the coming of the Son of God, through the gentle love of the Virgin Mary. And peering into the wider lens of the Advent season, we also look into the future, to the day when Jesus Christ will return, Judge and Savior, when "all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free." (Revelation 22:17)

In the midst of this season of sacred memory and hopeful awaiting, I write to you in praise of that singular miracle which Jesus Christ has given the Church as the wellspring of our salvation and the ultimate meaning of our individual lives, the Holy Eucharist. This belief has been reasserted for our times in the words of the Second Vatican Council:

the Eucharist is the source and summit of the whole Christian life. (Lumen Gentium, 11)

For we believe, that at every offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is placed on the altar before us. Not just a sign, or a symbol, not just indication or illustration - but the very Body and Blood. Christ's words were these: "This is my body. . . this is my blood." Why should we doubt this, or try to explain it, or attempt to qualify it in any way at all? Do we question the miracle by which life is created, or suppose that life is less miraculous because science has the expertise to describe it? Do we question the feelings that well up inside us when we see a mother nursing her baby, or a father placing his life on the line for the sake of his child? It is the same kind of profound reaction with which we must greet the miraculous words of our Savior, those words which daily bring to life a sacrifice and a triumph enacted in the past but "re-presented" daily in the Holy Mass.

Under the signs of bread and wine, signs that recall the goodness of creation, we are able to enter into the deep and wide mystery of God's presence in humankind. Many events come to mind - the unleavened bread of the Passover, the Manna in the desert, the multiplication of the loaves, the transformation of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana - these events and others reawaken in us some grasp of the pervasive influence of our God. For by partaking in the banquet of this mystery, we are also enabled by the mercy of the Everlasting Father to escape the Angel of Death - to be fed the bread of heaven in the arid desert of our hungering human natures - to be granted the refreshing wine of Love's inspirited libation, our "cup of blessing."

In this way, the Eucharist reawakens in us a sense of the fundamental agreement made between God and mankind - that a woman would bear a child who would erase the sin of Adam and Eve, and restore the flow of grace between the Creator and the created. In the wisdom which is fed to us by the living Word of God, we come to understand that the Eucharist is first a sign of redemption - a sign of God's forgiveness extended to the entire human race.

The Eucharist is also sign of remembrance by which is fulfilled the direct commandment of our Lord to His Apostles: "Do this in memory of me." Thus, sustained by uninterrupted generations of the ordained priesthood, the sacrifice of the Last Supper and the Cross is made alive and present to the Faithful in their celebration of the Mass. In turn, the Faithful are able to unite themselves to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, so that the Church may be drawn together in all places and at all times, through the abiding source of her unity, the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, sufferings, prayers and works, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new worth. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1368, trans. from original)

It is this "new worth" which transforms the Church from simply a human gathering into a living temple inhabited by the actual, real and true presence of Jesus Christ. And where the Son of God dwells, there dwells also His Father whose love offers the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who is Christ present in word and power. It is not irreverent to declare that in the Eucharist, we "have" God, for His presence is true and real. We call this presence real "because it is a presence par excellence, since it is substantial, in the sense that Christ, whole and entire, God and man, becomes present." (Council of Trent, 1551)

In a time such as ours, with the deposit of our faith questioned by many and rejected by some, it is sad to think that the immense wonder of the principal source of God's love should be questioned and rejected as well. It is to arouse the Faithful of the Archdiocese of Atlanta against this tendency exhibited both within and without the Church, that I now write. At such times, when the central mystery of God's redemptive act is assailed, then the Faithful must meet the doubters with renewed conviction and visible witness. God has given us everything by giving us the life and death and resurrection of His Son - now we must respond by giving ourselves devotedly to His real Presence. For who does not desire to sit in the company of a best friend, and to know in advance the joy of heaven, where friends will gather forever around the throne of God - singing, feasting, rejoicing and remembering in such a way as will suffice for eternity.

As a faithful reflection of this vision, and in order to offer a strong and visible witness to the world, particularly to the people of North Georgia, I will establish at the Cathedral Parish of this Archdiocese Perpetual Adoration of Jesus Christ in His most holy Eucharistic Presence, and I encourage all parishes to promote Eucharistic devotions. This initiative is taken in union with and inspired by the example of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, who has written:

The Church and the world have a great need for eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in the sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease. (Dominicae cenae, 3.)

In the tradition of our Holy Church, we call upon the Mother of God to aid us in this undertaking, inspiring us by her maternal example. For after the Annunciation, Mary waited upon the coming of the Lord, protected by the fostering love of her husband Joseph. When He was born, she cared for His childly wants, remaining with her Son as He grew to maturity and wisdom. When His destiny was revealed, there stood the Mother at the foot of the Cross, broken by sorrow, but steadfast in faith. And when finally the Holy Spirit was given to bring life to the Church, Mary, the first model of all Christians was there, always ready to take her place in the meaning of what her Son came to reveal.

Brothers and sisters, through participation in Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist, may we hope to fashion in ourselves the example of Mary, who by accepting the will of God, attained for herself and for all people the "new worth" of the Son of God, and "the merciful and redeeming transformation of the world in the human heart." (Dominicae cenae, 7.) By receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord at Mass, and by adoring His presence in the tabernacle, may we also entreat the Father, "Be it done unto me according to thy word," thus uniting our lives forever to the birth, death and rising of Jesus Christ.

Given, with my blessing, on Gaudete Sunday, December 12, 1993.

+ John F. Donoghue

Archbishop of Atlanta

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