PERSONAL
In his introductory remarks to his latest encyclical letter "Ecclesia de Eucharistia" ("On the Eucharist and Its Relationship to the Church"), Pope John Paul II illustrates how, in the words of many observers, this encyclical is among the most personal of the official documents he has issued during his pontificate. The Holy Father at the beginning notes, "I cannot let this Holy Thursday, 2003, pass without halting before the Eucharistic face of Christ, and pointing out with new force to the Church the centrality of the Eucharist. From it the Church draws her life. From this Living Bread she draws her nourishment. How could I not feel the need to urge everyone to experience it anew?"

The Pope remarks, "When I think of the Eucharist and look at my life as a priest, as a Bishop, and as the Successor of Peter, I naturally recall the many times and places in which I was able to celebrate it. I remember the parish church of Niegowic, where I had my first pastoral assignment, the collegiate church of Saint Florian in Krakow, Wawel Cathedral, Saint Peter's Basilica, and so many basilicas and churches in Rome and throughout the world. I have been able to celebrate Holy Mass in chapels built along mountain paths, on lakeshores and seacoasts. I have celebrated it on altars built in stadiums and in city squares. This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic, because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation."

CONTINUITY
One of the features of this encyclical, as found in so many of our Holy Father's works, is its emphasis on consistency and continuity with the great traditions which always carry the weight of Catholic truth. For example, he writes about his "great admiration" for "the doctrinal expositions of the decrees of the Council of Trent on the most holy Eucharist and on the holy Sacrifice of the Mass." He says, "For centuries those decrees guided theology and catechesis, and they are still a dogmatic reference point for the continual growth and renewal of God's People in faith and love for the Eucharist." The Ecumenical Council of Trent, of course, took place in the sixteenth and early seventeenth century.

The Pope makes it clear that he intends in his Eucharistic teaching to apply and amplify what his recent predecessors taught. He cites specifically encyclical letters "in times closer to our own" by
Pope Leo XIII ("Mirae Caritatis" of 1902), by Pius XII ("Mediator Dei" of 1947), and by Pope Paul VI ("Mysterium Fidei" of 1965). He also sees his present recent encyclical as deriving from the documents of the Second Vatican Council, especially the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church ("Lumen Gentium") and the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ("Sacrosanctum Concilium"). Finally, he says that his intention in writing the encyclical is to "take up anew the thread" of what he had previously written concerning the Holy Eucharist (in the Apostolic Letter, "Dominicae Cenae" of 1980) and to do so "with even greater emotion and gratitude" in his heart.

SHADOWS
The Supreme Pontiff mentions in the encyclical various "positive signs of Eucharistic faith and love." He says, "The Magisterium's commitment to proclaiming the Eucharistic mystery has been matched by interior growth with the Christian Community. Certainly, the liturgical reform inaugurated by the Council has greatly contributed to a more conscious, active, and fruitful participation in the holy sacrifice of the altar on the part of the faithful. In many places adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is also an important daily practice and becomes an inexhaustible source of holiness."

However, the Bishop of Rome ruefully says that "unfortunately, alongside these lights there are also shadows" and he hopes "that the present encyclical letter will effectively help to banish the dark clouds of unacceptable doctrine and practice, so that the Eucharist will continue to shine forth in all its radiant mystery." "The Eucharist is too great a Gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation."

The Supreme Pontiff then writes about his "profound grief" at some of the evils he observes: "In some places the practice of Eucharistic adoration has been almost completely abandoned. In various parts of the Church abuses have occurred, leading to confusion with regard to sound faith and Catholic doctrine concerning this wonderful sacrament. At times one encounters an extremely reductive understanding of the Eucharistic mystery. Stripped of its sacrificial meaning, it is celebrated as if it were simply a fraternal banquet. Furthermore, the necessity of the ministerial priesthood, grounded in apostolic succession, is at times obscured and the sacramental nature of the Eucharist is reduced to its mere effectiveness as a form of proclamation. This has led here and there to ecumenical initiatives which, albeit well-intentioned, indulge in Eucharistic practices contrary to the discipline by which the Church expresses her faith."

GIFT
The Holy Father reiterates the Catholic Church's ancient faith and unbroken tradition, linking the Holy Eucharist to the dying and rising of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:23), and thus to God's supreme act of self-giving, Christ's sacrifice of His human life voluntarily for our salvation (John 10:18). "The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift, however precious, among so many others, but as the Gift "par excellence" for it is the Gift of Himself, of His Person in His sacred humanity, as well as the Gift of His saving work. Nor does it remain confined to the past, since all that Christ is, all that He did and suffered for all men, participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times."

The Holy Eucharist also involves the Gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Father says, "Through our Holy Communion in His Body and Blood, Christ also grants us His Spirit. Saint Ephrem writes, He called the Bread His living Body and He filled it with Himself and His Spirit. He who eats it with faith eats Fire and Spirit...Thus, by the Gift of His Body and Blood, Christ increases within us the Gift of His Spirit, already poured out in Baptism and bestowed as a seal in the sacrament of Confirmation." The Pope also says, "By giving the Eucharist the prominence it deserves and by being careful not to diminish any of its dimensions or demands, we show that we are truly conscious of the greatness of this Gift."