This morning, I read an excerpt from an article Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago penned regarding the most fitting posture for receiving the Eucharist. The cardinal emphasized the communal nature of our reception of the sacred body of our Lord, which helps us become conformed to Him and His mission. This is an important point for us to meditate upon, especially as we participate in the holy sacrifice with the priest. It is a corporate act of the Church made manifest. His mystical encounter with the cross, the emblem of our liberation, as well as our hope in His mercy.
The Mass is the real and mystical entering into the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. To receive the fruits of this sacrifice involves believing not only in the Real Presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine, but also in our communion with the Lord and with His body, the Church.
When the priest or eucharistic minister poses the question to the communicant, the communicant answers by responding “amen”—swearing that this truly is the body of Christ. Is one posture for receiving the Lord more fitting than others? This is a valuable discussion. However, it is undeniable that no form of reverence can truly match the sacredness of the one who gives Himself to us as food.
Why does He do this? He does this to feed, heal, unite and empower us with Himself, transforming us into missionaries for the Lord. Not only does He associate us with His mission, but He also enables us to become other Christs that He may re-live His life through us. We become living tabernacles, bearing His person into the world in our persons.
Becoming a eucharistic missionary means understanding Jesus’ person and mission. It involves saying yes to everything Jesus is doing to build the Church, build His people and to strengthen each of us. Through His death and resurrection and the gift of Himself, He re-establishes us so that we can re-present Him to the world in our very flesh. As St. Paul stated to the Church at Colossae: “In my own flesh, I fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of His body, the Church.” (cf. Col 1:24)
What is lacking is not the insufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice but rather our part in Christ’s mission. It is truly astonishing to grasp our dignity in Christ, as He even invites you and me to be part of His mission.
Being eucharistic missionaries involves receiving, imitating and participating in Christ’s sacrifice, which transforms us. This allows the new way of living given to us in Christ—the pattern of dying and rising—to take hold and become a transformative power within us, flowing from Jesus’ wounded side as He lay in death upon the cross. It is through His sacrifice that we are saved, healed and united, forming a new pattern of supernatural life. This transformation enables us to become a eucharistic people, forming the entire Church into missionaries who bear the presence of Christ in our flesh, made manifest by our love.
By Most Reverend Gerard W. Battersby, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of La Crosse
Published in the Spring 2025 issue of Catholic Life Magazine