The Intercessory Power of the Eucharist
by Fr. John Grigus, ofm conv.
Webster's dictionary defines the word, to "intercede"
(inter + cedere) as to "go between." So an intercessor
is one who "goes" or "intervenes" between
two parties with a view to reconciling differences. A synonym
is "to mediate," allowing the intercessor also to be
referred to as a "mediator."
Jesus as Prime Intercessor between
God and Humanity
When we identify the "two parties" as being God and
ourselves, we see that the prime reference of Intercessor can
only be given to Jesus Christ for, as the Catechism states, in
being "true God and true man, in the unity of his divine
person... he is the one and only mediator between God and men"
(CCC 481). Therefore, he alone can act as the true "Go-Between"
or "Intercessor" between God and ourselves.
And as Intercessor he establishes that unity between ourselves
and God through the offering of his own self on the Cross for
us in perfect, loving obedience to the Father's will.
Consequently, it is only by uniting our offerings to his offerings,
our humanity with his humanity, that the sacrifice of our own
selves to the Father and all that is part of us in this world
can also find its merit and perfection (cf. CCC 1350). In other
words, in and through Christ, we now also can be real intercessors
with God on behalf of ourselves and others.
Intercession and the Eucharist
This ministry of intercession is most fully reflected in and
through the Eucharist precisely because "the Eucharist is
the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the
sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice..." (CCC 1362).
In and through the liturgy of the Eucharist, Christ continues
to perpetuate that offering he made of himself to the Father
at Calvary but now in a bloodless manner through the sacrifice
of the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ at
the hands of a validly ordained priest.
And through that same offering, the faithful can now also continue
to make the sacrifice of "their own body and blood,"
that is, of all that is human and created which touches their
lives on behalf of themselves and others.
Consequently, it is also at the Eucharistic sacrifice that the
priesthood of the ordained and the ministerial priesthood of
the baptized find their deepest unity, identity and expression.
This unity of sacrifice is reflected in the very liturgical movement
present at the Offertory and Consecration of the Mass where the
offerings of bread and wine are brought to the altar by the faithful
to then be offered by the priest to become the sacrifice of Christ's
Body and Blood on behalf of all.
The Testimony of Saints
This makes the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist the chief
source of intercessory grace for the Church. As the angelic doctor
of the faith, St. Thomas Aquinas, says, "No other sacrament
accomplishes more for our souls. It takes away sin, strengthens
virtue and enriches the soul with the abundance of all spiritual
gifts....There is no language adequate to describe the joy one
experiences through this sacrament which draws sweetness from
its very source and keeps alive in us the memory of the love,
of which Christ gave proof during his passion."
St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, is of the same opinion
in offering the following response to the question, What does
Jesus Christ do in the Eucharist? "It is God who, as our
Savior, offers himself each day for us....If you are in difficulties
and sorrows, he will comfort and relieve you. If you are sick,
he will either cure you or give you strength to suffer so as
to merit Heaven. If the devil, the world, and the flesh are making
war upon you, he will give you the weapons with which to fight,
to resist, and to win victory."
But because Christ is the sole Mediator for all, not only is
this grace given to the faithful who take part in the sacrifice
of the Mass but through that sacrifice being repeated in all
parts of the world where the Church is established, the whole
world is in some mysterious way preserved in grace. This is the
conviction which led
St. Padre Pio to proclaim, "It would be easier for the world
to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass."
How We Serve as Intercessors
But how is that done? How is the world sustained in grace and
being through the Eucharist? We must remember that the Eucharist
is not only the sacrifice of Christ but "also the sacrifice
of the Church" (CCC 1367).
It is the Church as a whole and each of its members uniting their
prayers, their offerings and their good works with the self-sacrifice
of Christ commemorated in the Eucharist that permits that grace
to flow even upon those who may otherwise not deserve or be open
to it. It is here where our power as intercessors of Christ on
behalf of others obtains its fullest degree of significance and
strength.
Intercession and Eucharistic
Adoration
This is true not only with the sacrifice of the Mass but with
prayers offered for the needs of others before the Eucharistic
presence of our Lord in adoration as well. Why? Because as our
faith teaches us, the "Eucharistic presence of Christ [which]
begins at the moment of the consecration... endures as long as
the Eucharistic species subsist"(CCC 1377 ).
Our time of adoration before the Eucharistic presence of Our
Lord outside of Mass then complements our full participation
at Mass. That is why, as Pope John Paul exclaims, "The Church
and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus
awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time
to go meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith,
and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes
of the world. Let our adoration never cease" (Dominicae
cenae, no. 3).
It is necessary for all who have made a commitment to spending
at least one Holy Hour a week in prayer before the Eucharistic
presence of Our Lord to realize this profound truth and to know
that united with all the faithful by their common Baptism, each
represents the whole Church at prayer for the salvation of all
-for the sick, those in need of healing, for family and world
peace, and especially for those who have fallen away from the
practice of their Faith and those who do not yet know Christ.
Consequently, when adorers excuse themselves from fulfilling
their commitment, they deprive not only themselves but the Church
and world as well of that added intercessory power that Christ
has made available to us in and through the Eucharist.
Intercession and Prayers for
Vocations
In a future article, I hope to show how such intercession before
the Eucharistic presence of Our Lord is especially needed today
for priests and religious and for an increase of vocations to
the priesthood and religious life. So stay tuned!
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of the Immaculata. All rights reserved.
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