Catholic churches around the country will celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi tomorrow. Many parishes will hold the traditional Corpus Christi procession to honour the body and blood of Christ.
The Eucharist is at the heart of Christian belief but it is also an area of dogma that has over the centuries caused division and controversy. When President McAleese received communion in St Patrick's Cathedral there was an immediate uproar. And then last month at Katholikentag in Hamburg there was an ecumenical Gottesdienst (service), which was considered by many to be a great step forward. Some conservative bishops expressed grave concern about it.
The debate goes back to the Reformation and the different understandings the churches have concerning the Eucharist. Catholics believe that Christ is really present, body and blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist. For most Protestants, however, the Eucharist is more a sign of the presence of Christ than a reality.
For the majority of people such arguments are of little concern in their daily lives and they must sometimes look like theological hair-splitting. It is a pity that these arguments arise, as the Churches have much in common. The Eucharist is above all a force for unity.
We need food to survive but breaking bread is also an act of social cohesion. We celebrate the major events in our lives with a meal. A meal is an intrinsic part of the wedding feast, the Christmas dinner is central to our nativity celebrations. And when people want to celebrate a special occasion they often do so by having a meal together. Food is a sign of our union with each other and it is also an ingredient in bringing people closer together.
Celebratory meals are about sharing with those we love and cherish. But they are also an occasion for us to grow in our understanding of one another. It is seldom we invite strangers to our table. Great state banquets are another sign of the importance of sharing our food and drink with one another.
Family meals can be a great opportunity to talk to one another and maybe, with less and less talking at meals, we are damaging the cohesion and unity in the family.
The Eucharist is a powerful sign for nurturing unity and love within the Christian community. But it also helps to create that unity and love. Like all the sacraments, the Eucharist uses natural and ordinary elements and turns them into supernatural and extraordinary powers for bringing about the Kingdom of God.
Some years ago the archdiocese of Dublin ran a campaign promoting the Eucharist. On the cover of the explanatory leaflet was a pair of hands breaking a loaf of bread. It was a live and real expression of people breaking bread together - a sign of our union with one another. But it is a pity that the celebration of Mass so often fails to create an atmosphere whereby we are conscious of the powerful meaning of the breaking of bread.
Theologians might well be aware of all the theological niceties but it is a shame that so often we underestimate and indeed make banal what we do at the Eucharistic celebration.
The Eucharist is a pivotal reality in the economy of the Christian faith. It is also a prayer, it is a devotional exercise. But most of all it is a powerful sign and source of God's presence in the midst of the Christian community. There seems to be a real need right now to get away from an etherised and formal approach to the Eucharist. The Eucharist is a celebration, it is the making present of God in our midst. Are we really aware and confident about what we celebrate? The feast of Corpus Christi is a reminder of the powerful reality that is the Eucharist.