Christmas and the Eucharist
Is there some kind of a connection between Christmas and the Eucharist? As we continue to look at many aspects of the Eucharist during this parish year of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival, let’s examine the connection between the season we are about to enter, and the Real Presence of the Lord.
Right off the bat, we can sense there is a connection because of the word “Christmas” itself. It means “Christ’s Mass.” Perhaps there is something about the celebration of the Mass, and specifically the Eucharist, that is tied to Christmas.
Note that both Christmas and the Eucharist are facts. Jesus was born in human history, an actual person documented to be born in an actual place. The Word did indeed become Flesh (cf. John 1:14). Eucharist is a fact as well. The Eucharist is Christmas repeated over and over again at every Mass. Wherever there is a Catholic Church and a Mass and a tabernacle, Christ is present. It’s our Bethlehem. And in a connection to the bread of the Eucharist, the word “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.”
Yet both Christmas and the Eucharist reveal a mystery. God became man at Christmas. He did this out of love to redeem us from sin and death. So he sent his only Son. It is a mystery to be pondered in that in Jesus, he is truly God and also truly man (what theologians call the hypostatic union). The Eucharist is another sign of how much God loves us. Jesus' presence continues among us. How Jesus could be completely contained in the Eucharist is a mystery to be pondered. Though we cannot fully explain it in mere human terms, we can enter into the mystery knowing that the Eucharist, like Christmas, is given to us as a gift and a sign of God’s love for us.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the Church sees every Communion as a Christmas — the advent of the Savior — and every Christmas as a Eucharistic feast. Merry Christmas!
“Venite adoremus Dominum (O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord)” – Adeste Fideles. Latin text from the 18th Century.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact me at eucharist@stmli.org.
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