In what way is the Eucharist a story?

This is part three of a three-part series of questions-and-answers on the Eucharist.

Q: In what way is the Eucharist a story?

A: The Eucharist is a story in several ways. We obviously tell stories in the Liturgy of the Word. The eucharistic prayer contains a succinct story of our faith. But most important, liturgy is a story in its ritual structure. All good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the liturgy, the Introductory Rites are the beginning.

In the Introductory Rites, we come together as a community. That is the first part of our story. God sees us as a community of people.

The middle of our story is two parts: a call and a response. In the Liturgy of the Word, God calls us as a community. God calls us to faith – faith in Christ, faith in the Gospel, faith in the mission of the Lord. This is an important part of our story. We are not called as individuals so much as we are called as a community. And it is God’s call – God’s word – that forms us as community. We know that whenever God speaks, creation happens. God’s word creates us as a people of faith. Inf aith, we are moved to respond. Our response is to gather around the table and share a meal. In faith, we respond to God’s Word by sharing in the body and blood of Jesus. In that sharing, we become the body of Christ. We know that Christ is the fundamental sacrament, or story, of God. We become the sacrament, or story, of Christ. And we know that the story of Christ is one of solidarity with the marginalized and outcast of society.

Therefore the final part of the story is going out from the Eucharist to tell the story of Good News, salvation, and liberation to the world. At the end of Mass, we are sent out into the world to gather people together and tell them the story. In that way, the story never ends. The everlasting reign of God becomes the story for all time.

These are only a few of the ways of understanding Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists at least twenty images and titles for the Eucharist. The rich symbolism of the Eucharist is inexhaustible.

- taken from “Modern Liturgy Answers – the 101 Most-Asked Questions about Liturgy” by Nick Wagner, Pauline Publications

Related articles:

- In what way is the Eucharist a sacrifice?

- In what way is the Eucharist a meal?