Dear faithful of the Eparchy of St. Maron - clergy, religious and laity,

I write you this pastoral letter, my first, on the Mystery of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life. In October the Holy Father will inaugurate a year dedicated to the Eucharist. I would like all of our parishes, missions and institutions to enter fully into the joy and spirit of this year to deepen our love and devotion to our Eucharistic Lord.

This year affords us the opportunity to reflect on this great mystery, and what it means to us that our Lord washed the feet of his disciples, then at super he took the bread, broke and gave it to his disciples saying “take and eat of this, this is my body”, and in like manner he took the cup blessed it and said “take and drink this is my blood, do this in memory of me”.

For two thousand years every Sunday, in fact, every day, we have fulfilled the command of the Lord which we never take for granted. Thus, to deepen our understanding of all that the Church believes about the Eucharist, the Holy Father has asked that we make every effort to appreciate, reverence, and adore our hidden Lord truly present in the Bread of Life.

In the Anaphora of the Twelve Apostles, just after the Syriac Words of the Institution of the Eucharist we hear: “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, do so in memory of Me, until I come again”. Thus begins the dialogue prayers between priest and people, and we proclaim that we are a pilgrim people, awaiting the Lord’s second coming, and in the mean time doing all that he commands us to do.

At the same time of the Liturgy in the Anaphora of St John Maron, we have an awesome reflection on the real presence of our Lord in this Mystery:

“Every time you are enriched by this sacrifice, I am among you. Though seated upon the throne, I am dwelling in the bread and the cup. When you are gathered to observe this Mystery, remember my death and proclaim my resurrection until I come again.”

The Anaphora continues to describe in poetic yet real terms the reality of the Eucharistic Liturgy (Qorbono) and just who is Jesus Christ to us personally and as a Church:

“O Lord when we celebrate this Mystery we do not sacrifice sheep, nor do we sprinkle ashes (Old Testament sacrifices) for the purification of your gathering. In the presence of the Father we offer you O divine Son, for you are acceptable with Him and the Holy Spirit. You are the Priest, the Sacrifice, and the Refresher of the Dead. You are offered by us and you receive the offering. For this reason we implore you and your Father, saying…have mercy on us Almighty Father, have mercy on us”.

Christ, raised up and seated at the right hand of the Father, is the same Christ present sacramentally to each of us. This mystery of His abiding presence evokes in us great wonder as reflected in the Holy Father’s Encyclical on the Eucharist. He says that receiving Christ in Holy Communion, and worshipping Him in the Mystery of the bread and the cup is “directed towards communion, both sacramental and spiritual…the Eucharist is a priceless treasure…not only by celebration, but also by praying before this Mystery outside of Mass, are we able to make contact with the very wellspring of grace”.

We naturally ask whether we are worthy of such a communion with God who is love, especially since we are so far from living this Christian faith and all it holds for us. We know that union with God requires that we fulfill all that he asks of us.

St. Paul roundly criticizes the early Christian community of Corinth for not fully respecting and appreciating the Mystery of the Eucharist. They did not wait for each other; each would eat his own supper, and neglect the dignity of the communal Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:21). Likewise, he said that many partook of the bread and the cup unworthily, not discerning what it was that they partook (1Cor. 11:29). His criticism is just as valid today as it was then.

The Evangelist John, with his profound treatment of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, in chapter 6, does not mention in chapter 13 the account of the cup and the bread at the Last Supper.

Did the Evangelist think that since the other three gospel writers recorded this account, he did not need to repeat it? Or, since the other evangelists left out the story of the washing of the feet, did John decide to include it and intentionally exclude the story of the cup and the bread?

Whatever the reason, to this day whenever I celebrate the Washing of the Feet and the Eucharist together on Holy Thursday, I am filled with awe and trembling.

The Evangelist John fully believed that the bread we break is truly the body of Christ, the cup we share is truly his blood poured out. There is no question of his faith in the Eucharist, and in Jesus’ command to do this in his memory. However, I believe that like St Paul, the Evangelist wanted to teach us something essential by his account of the Last Supper, namely that our ritual observance of the Eucharist must be intrinsically bound to humble and loving service, and a faith that seeks Jesus more than ourselves (Jn. 6: 14,26).

This year is special, my brothers and sisters; we enter into it at our Holy Father’s request. Thus, I would like to make the following requests of the faithful - clergy, religious and laity - of the Eparchy of St Maron of Brooklyn, so as to increase our respect and appreciation of the Mystery of unity and charity that we celebrate at each liturgy and reserve in each of our churches:

We prepare ourselves properly for the celebration of the Eucharist, the readings, the music, the fast before, the silence after, the proper dignity due the Liturgy of the Word and Eucharist, and the ritual itself, abiding by the canonical and liturgical norms of the Church.
We examine our consciences before receiving Communion, taking full advantage of the ordinary ways that we can live in closer union with Christ, i.e. confession, spiritual reading, spiritual direction, retreats, rosary, scripture readings, the devotions of the Maronite Church.
We discern the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist as all Catholic and Orthodox Churches have appreciated over the ages, and we live this reverence and respect for our Lord’s abiding presence with us.
We pray and work for Church unity, especially praying for the Holy Father, and his Petrine ministry of unity for all Christians.
Each one of us to spend some quiet time outside of Liturgy adoring the Lord wherever the Eucharist is reserved. We encourage quiet visits to our Lord, hidden and present there.
Every parish, mission and institution in the Eparchy fosters Eucharistic Adoration once a week for vocations and for the needs of the Church and the world, and we celebrate the Christmas Novena with renewed reverence and respect.
We read the Holy Father’s encyclical on the Eucharist.
We memorize the Arabic/English hymn O Bread of Life.
We review our church architecture so as to place the tabernacle, if not in the center, then in a prominent place in the sanctuary, all the Eastern Churches place the tabernacle in the center of the sanctuary.
We honor our family, see our work as an extension of the Eucharistic call to service, we see our suffering and our anxieties as a participation in the sufferings of Christ, we live moral and ethical lives consistent with the teaching of the Church and the Eucharistic we share. We live our lives as if Jesus is truly Lord for us, present in His Church in the cup and the bread.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, if we can accomplish these small requests, then we can say that we have entered into the spirit of this special year of the Eucharist.

We have been given a special grace. As Christians we have a privileged place in God’s loving plan for the world. We are familiar with the problems of the world, but we also possess Jesus Christ, the answer to whatever ails this world.

In this Eucharistic Year, we ask the help of Mary, whose “womb received Him like good earth a grain of wheat” and whose heart embraced Him, and we honor the saints and the just who over the years have taught us how to adore and reverence Christ in the Mystery of the Eucharist. May our Lord find in us a worthy temple for His dwelling.

Yours in Christ,

+ Gregory John Mansour

2004