Ways catechists can help the faithful grow in their love of and appreciation of the Eucharist

MADISON  Catholics need to become more comfortable giving testimony about the power of the Eu­charist to transform lives and relationships with God and other people, James C. Pauley, a theology and catechesis professor at Francis­can University in Steuben­ville, Ohio, told a group of 100 catechetical leaders and catechists in the Dio­cese on March 23.

During a Zoom videoconference that night, Pauley talked about how local religious educators can help the faithful grow in their love of and appreciation for Eucharist in a talk titled “Helping Others Encounter Jesus in the Eucharist.” Priests, religious, and laity were among those who attended the virtual conference, which was sponsored by the diocesan Cateche­tical Leaders Associ­ation (CLA) and the diocesan Catechetical Office. The conference was offered through the website of the Evangeli­za­tion Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls here, https://insidethewalls.org.

“Tell your story [about the Eucharist], so people can verify what we are teaching with real human experience,” Pauley said. He urged churchgoers to witness to the liturgy to others after Mass with statements, such as “the Gospel really challenged me today” or “I can’t believe that I received Jesus in the Eucharist” — instead of talking about football or goings-on in town. “Also, witness to the saints. Mother Teresa would not have been who she was without attending daily Mass and a Holy Hour. These are the spiritual fruits that we are most longing for,” he said.

The broadcast from Franciscan University took place during the Year of the Eucharist, which Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney declared in the Diocese for 2022 on Jan. 9, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The yearlong celebration is designed to encourage local Catholics to deepen “their appreciation of Jesus — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in the Eucharist: the “source and summit” of our faith. Catholics are urged to deepen their understanding of and devotion to the Eucha­rist and strengthen their relationship with Jesus through various activities at the diocesan and parish levels. They include Adora­tion of the Blessed Sacrament and Bene­diction, Eucha­ris­tic processions, and faith formation, the Bishop said.

The Catechetical Office has shared an online link to the video of Pauley’s talk with the 109 parishes of the Diocese. Pauley authored two books: “An Evangelizing Cate­chesis: Teaching from Your Encounter with Christ” and “Liturgical Catechesis in the 21st Century: A School of Discipleship.” During his talk, he quoted reflections on the Eucharist by popes and theologians.

In addition to testifying to the power of the Eucharist, the faithful should try the following other three ways to engage people in the Eucharist, as Pauley suggests:

• Encourage people not to be passive receivers at Mass. Help them pay attention to the words and the actions that take place in the liturgy.

• Teach others the “liturgical language.” God gives us sacramental signs — including bread and wine, Holy Chrism, the act of genuflecting, and the words of absolution in the Penitential Rite — to make his love tangible to us. “If we don’t understand the language, it’s easy for us to get bored,” Pauley said.

• Teach people how to disengage from distractions during Mass. You should be early to church, so you do not have to take time to decompress at Mass because you are tardy. Be attentive to God and place yourself in his presence.

But before Catholics can teach anyone, they first must meet Jesus “concretely” in the Eucharist themselves. The Eucharist is an “act of love” by Jesus that enables him to be “present to everyone around the world throughout time.” It also “continues the act of his laying down his life for us and the salvation of the world,” said Pauley, who has served professionally in parish, diocesan, and university catechetical formation for more than 30 years.

At Mass, God fundamentally gives to us himself. He loves us so much that he gave his only Son,” Pauley said. He also said the Mass creates a reciprocal giving and receiving between God and us, which strengthens our “communion and intimacy” with him. In return for the gifts that God gives us at Mass, including love and mercy, “We need to be aware of them and express gratitude. We need to give him our time, prayers, and tithe but the only adequate gift that we can give him is the gift of ourselves — to be a true gift of self,” he said.

After Pauley’s talk, Father Yojaneider Garcia, diocesan director of the Catechetical Office and Faith Formation, said that the speaker encouraged catechists to engage “mystagogical catechesis” while they are teaching: being more conscious of what is happening, during the Eucharist. It’s about how “these signs or symbols lead us to the mystery. We go from the visible signs that we can see at the ceremony to the spiritual realities,” the priest said.

“We need to help people to be more engaged in the Holy Eucharist. When they are more engaged, they could be more open and more disposed to receive God’s grace. Then, they can bear greater fruits to be real witness of God’s love to each other, their families, and the world,” Father Garcia said.

Father Garcia said Pauley’s presentation reminded him that all catechists must be aware that catechesis always has reference to the Sacraments. In his apostolic exhortation, “On Catechesis in Our Time,” Pope St. John Paul II writes, “Catechesis is intrinsically linked with the whole of liturgical and sacramental activity, for it is in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that Christ Jesus works in fullness for the transformation of human beings … Authentic practice of the Sacraments is bound to have a catechetical aspect,” said St. Pope John Paul II, as quoted by Father Garcia.

“This Year of Eucharist is a good opportunity to keep in mind what Pope Benedict XVI said, ‘The best catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself well celebrated,’ ” Father Garcia said. “The art of celebrating is the best way to ensure the active participation of the faithful. This catechesis springs from the liturgical celebration itself, bringing us more deeply into its underlying mystery,” the priest said.

Deirdre Nemeth, director of faith formation at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Stirling, called Pauley’s talk “inspirational” but also filled with “practical advice.

“He talked about the importance of inspiring other people by telling them about the fruits of the Eucharist and the Mass and how they transform our lives,” Nemeth said. To watch the video of Pauley’s talk, visit
https://vimeo.com/692287517