Chapter 6 of Pope John Paul II’s recent encyclical on the Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia) is entitled, “At the School of Mary, ‘Woman of the Eucharist’.” Like so many theologians who have gone before him, our Holy Father greatly elaborates on the relationship between the Blessed Mother and the Blessed Sacrament, which is nothing short of unique. In addition to enjoying a special communion with the Blessed Sacrament as the Theotokos (from the Greek meaning "Mother of God"), Mary also holds the distinction of being the only human who has been perfectly disposed to receive Jesus Christ into herself. This of course is owing to those special graces that allowed her to be completely free from sin. It is for these reasons that Mary serves as the perfect role model for how we should regard the Eucharist as well as for how we should prepare ourselves to receive the Blessed Sacrament into ourselves.
It has become common practice in recent times to focus on the communal aspect of the Eucharistic celebration during Mass. While it is good and proper to expound upon the sense of fellowship in the act of Communion and how it draws us together into a community, one unfortunate consequence of this increased emphasis has been to divert attention away from the sacrificial aspect of the Eucharistic rite. It was the will of Christ that we commemorate His one and only sacrifice, and each time we go to Mass we partake of this sacrificial offering. In so doing we are reminded of and acknowledge this ultimate act of love by which Jesus Christ redeemed the world. In accepting Christ’s offering with thanks and praise we also acknowledge the need for this most tragic event in the history of the world. In this we look to the example of Mary herself, who was forced to bear witness to the agonizing torture and humiliating death her son endured. One would expect any mother in a similar situation to do everything in her power in order to avert such a tragedy. The Blessed Mother, however, knew even then that the Son's death was part of the divine will. While she may not have been aware of the long-term consequences of Jesus’ actions, as a pious Jew she was no doubt aware of the fact that it was the time of the Passover. She must have known that the events of the Passover were manifesting themselves in such a way as to cast her Son in the role of the Paschal Lamb to be sacrificed (a fact that is lost on many Catholics today is that the Last Supper was itself a Passover meal, and thus the Passover prefigures both the Crucifixion and the Eucharistic rite of the Mass). Her son’s demeanor during this time must have indicated to her that He knew this as well, and that He had been preparing Himself for such a fate. This morbid thought, to say the least, is not a pleasant one for any mother to have. Yet she knew this to be the divine will, and she assented to it despite the terrible price it required of her.
Two thousand years later, Catholics need an act of great faith to see the events that Mary perceived with her senses. Once our faith allows us to see, an even greater act of humility is required for us to acknowledge what Jesus did and why he did it. It is in such a humble state that we must approach the Eucharist. Such humility would pale in comparison to that which was displayed by the Blessed Mother on the first Good Friday. Indeed, it would pale in comparison to the humility expressed by the Blessed Mother every day of her life! Better than anyone, she understood the humility required to accept the ultimate sacrifice.
While Mary’s resignation to her son’s fate exemplifies the need for us to approach the Blessed Sacrament in a state of humble acceptance of the divine will, her experience of the Annunciation has taught us of the need to be pure before partaking of the Eucharist. When the angel of the Lord declared her to be full of grace (Luke 1:28), he was acknowledging her piety and the favor she had with God. Indeed, Mary did enjoy the favor of God. By a singular grace willed by God, she was conceived free from sin and remained sinless her entire life. It was God’s will that His Son enter into the world through a pure vessel. However, Mary still had free will. Though she was given the graces to remain sinless her entire life, it was her choice to make use of those graces (how many of us refuse to make use of God’s graces on a daily basis?). She also had the choice of refusing to be the Theotokos, though God in His wisdom knew that she would not. Despite the potential scandal of being an unwed teenage mother (and the very real threat of death by stoning), she says to the angel with her typical humility, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let what you have said be done to me.” (Luke 1:38) By describing herself as a handmaid, she emphasizes her lowliness and unworthiness to be so honored; and tradition holds that she conceived immediately after making this proclamation. Despite her acknowledgement that she is unworthy of receiving Christ into herself, she accepts this great honor because it is the will of the Father. This theme is echoed by another figure in the New Testament: namely, the centurion who asks Jesus to heal a member of his household. The centurion tells Jesus that he is not worthy to receive the Lord into his house, but that simply by saying the word the healing would occur (Matthew 8:8). It is the basis for our proclamation immediately prior to receiving Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you; but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
Indeed we are unworthy, for we are all tainted by original sin and continue to sin. It is an act of sacrilege to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist while we remain in a state of mortal sin. So we look to Mary’s example. She who was the first to receive Christ into herself was pure, and so it must be with all who receive Christ into themselves. By the grace of God, we are granted another Sacrament that allows for this. And so it is that baptized members of the faithful who are in a state of mortal sin must be absolved of their sins through Confession, so that we are not burdened by sin when receiving the Blessed Sacrament. By receiving absolution for our confessed sins and partaking of the Blessed Sacrament with a clear conscience we recall the example of the Blessed Mother, who alone among us was perfectly disposed to receive her son.
At the center of the Eucharistic mystery is the process of transubstantiation. By the proclamation of the celebrant priest during the act of consecration (“This is my body…This is my blood…Do this in memory of me.”) the bread and the wine cease to be bread and wine (though still maintaining that appearance) and become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Our senses do not perceive this reality, but the Spirit descends upon the bread and the wine and transform their very essence to that of the fully human, fully divine Son of God. Since our senses cannot perceive this, it is only by an act of faith that we hold this truth definitively. Once again, the best example of such faith is the Blessed Mother. Scripture has a precedent for Jesus transforming one substance into another. In the wedding feast at Cana, when Jesus changes the water into wine, He does so at the request of His mother (John 2: 6-7). Mary said to the attendants to do whatever Jesus told them, and she allowed Jesus to take over from there (John 2:5). Once again, we see an example of Mary’s perfect faith leading to the performance of a miracle, as had previously been the case when she consented to the Incarnation. As the Holy Father mentions in Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Chapter 6, paragraphs 53 & 54), this faith prefigures the faith of the Church, which follows her example at Cana in trusting that Christ will perform the miracle of transubstantiation at every valid Mass.
There are many other examples of Mary’s unique relationship with the Eucharist, too numerous to examine within the limited scope of this writing. Mary’s sinless nature, her perfect faith, and her unconditional obedience to the will of God are a living reminder to us of the reverence with which we must approach the Son of God and of the faith we must have to accept those mysteries of our faith which can neither be perceived by the human senses nor explained by the human intellect. Her entire life was one of perfect communion with Jesus Christ. All that is asked of us is that we do our best to refrain from sin, help others without causing scandal, repent and confess when we do sin or cause scandal, be in a state of grace when we receive the Eucharist, and strive to grow in holiness all the while. In light of the example of the Mother of the Eucharist, that does not seem like a great deal to ask.
