Women’s faith-sharing group at Randolph parish focuses on Year of the Eucharist

RANDOLPH  On Feb. 26, a small women’s faith-sharing and social group at St. Matthew the Apostle Parish here was reminded that the Eucharist is not possible without the Holy Spirit.

In its 8 a.m. meeting that Saturday at St. Matthew’s, members of the Marthas and Marys group came away with a better understanding that the transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place by the power of the Holy Spirit, after they watched “The Spirit and the Eucharist,” a 30-minute video. It’s part of “The Ministry of the Wild Goose: Discover­ing a Deeper Relationship with the Holy Spirit,” a 14-part video series presented by Third Order Regular Franciscan Father Dave Pivonka, president of Franciscan Uni­versity in Steubenville, Ohio.

The group decided to watch the “The Spirit and the Eucharist” video in observance of the Year of the Eucharist in the Diocese, which Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney inaugurated on Jan. 9, to help promote a renewed appreciation, understanding and devotion of the Eucharist. It’s designed to help Catholics in the Diocese explore the Eucharist from liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral perspectives to deepen their understanding of and devotion to the Eucharist, strengthen their relationship with Jesus, and be inspired to evangelize through events and rites on diocesan and parish levels. These include Adora­tion of the Blessed Sacrament and Bene­diction, Eucharistic processions, and faith formation. At the start of the meeting, members of Marys and Marthas watched Bishop Sweeney’s short video that introduced the diocesan Year of the Eucharist.

Father Pivonka says, “The Eucharistic liturgy is saturated with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

“From the moment you decide to go to Mass, the Holy Spirit is active and alive. Sadly, many people don’t experience the Holy Spirit and attending Mass becomes a chore rather than a life-giving encounter with Jesus,” Father Pivonka says. “Jesus makes himself present to us in the Eucharist. [During Mass], we offer up everything to Jesus: our lives, hopes, dreams, fears, and brokenness. He transforms not only the bread and wine, but also us. He makes us whole,” he said.

At the end of Mass, “we are sent forth by the power of the Holy Spirit to a world that desperately needs to hear what we have to say.” We are called to spread the Gospel and perform charitable acts in the name of Jesus, such as feeding the poor. We have the ability to “recognize the Body of Christ and help transform it.” The Eucharist “gives us the strength to love and be patient,” Father Pivonka said.

“At the center of the Church is the Eucharist, where Christ is present and active in humanity and in the whole world by means of the Holy Spirit,” St. Pope John Paul II declared in a general audience in 1989, as quoted by Father Pivonka in the video.

As with the disciples in Jesus’ time, many Christians today have difficulty believing his teaching “Eat my flesh and drink my blood.”

“The Eucharist is not going to change, so something has to change in me. I must pray that the power of the Holy Spirit illuminates my mind [to help me better understand the Eucharist],” Father Pivonka said in the video, which features insights about the Eucha­rist from fellow priests and testimonies on power of the Eucharist from lay people. “It’s the Spirit that moves in our hearts,” he said.

The Holy Spirit starts working even before we enter the church for Mass by helping us to overcome any excuses for not attending. Then, at Mass, we have the opportunity to call on the Holy Spirit for forgiveness of our sins, during the Penitential Act, to get us ready for the rest of the liturgy. Before listening to the proclamation of the Gospel, we can pray to the Spirit to help the priest reach everyone in the congregation with his message. We should also pray to Jesus, asking him, “What do you want to say to me in the Scriptures?” Father Pivonka said.

During the Consecration, the priest calls down the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. In the second Eucharistic Prayer, he prays, “Make Holy, therefore, these gifts we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ,” Father Pivonka said.

After watching Father Pivonka’s video, members of the Marthas and Marys group answered reflection questions, such as “In what part of the liturgy do you most experience God’s presence?” printed on a handout from the “Wild Goose” series. One woman expressed the “wonder of holding the God of the universe in my hands” at Holy Communion and the desire to help more people understand that spiritual reality. Another woman said, “Jesus is present in the Eucharist in a way he is not, during the rest of the week.” Bryn Markovich, one of the three coordinators of the group, said she receives the Eucharist as a way to say “thank you” to Jesus, only to have him “pour more graces” back into her soul.

Marthas & Marys is a women’s social group, united in faith and supporting one another to find the courage to allow God to satisfy their spiritual hunger and to guide their hearts and lives. Meetings are a time for community, reflection, discussion, and fun. There are no assignments or homework to complete. All women are welcome.

At the end of the Feb. 26 session, Beth McNeilly, another Marthas & Marys co-coordinator, praised “The Spirit and the Eucharist” segment.

“Father Dave made the Eucharist more real. He hopes that we experience it the way he does. It was relatable,” McNeilly said.

Another co-coordinator, Ro Peach, called Bishop Sweeney’s inauguration of the diocesan Year of the Eucharist “timely.”

“Many of us [at St. Mathew’s] are in a Bible study, where we are learning more about the Mass and the Creed, which involves the Eucharist,” Peach said. She also said the gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions means that “there are more opportunities to be present at Mass. There is a longing for the Eucharist.”

A page dedicated to the Year of the Eucharist is on the Diocese’s website at rcdop.org/year-of-the-eucharist.

Information on Marthas & Marys, email McNeilly at [email protected]