Thanksgiving and Worship

Eucharistic Adoration helps us to recognize the real presence of Jesus...

Reverend Father Luis Lopez

Reverend Father Luis Lopez
Corpus Christi Church, Fremont, CA

One of the manifestations of our worship of God is gratitude. By praying and offering the sacrifice of the Holy Mass, in remembrance of the unique sacrifice offered by His Son on the Cross for our salvation, we thank God for the favors we have received in our lives.

Sanctified by the Holy Eucharist, we are called to offer our gratitude to God for the gift received. The Common Preface VI reminds us of this reality by stating that “For, although you have no need of our praise, yet our thanksgiving is itself your gift.” Gratitude is therefore a gift from God that takes advantage of us for our salvation, as the same Preface affirms later. The Eucharist, whose original meaning in Greek means “thanksgiving” therefore becomes the best way to offer God our gratitude for the gifts received.

The Second Vatican Council teaches us that in order to take full advantage of the spiritual benefits of Holy Mass, our participation in the Mass must be “full, conscious and active”; that is, we must be aware that what we receive is the Lord Himself, who is given to us in His Body and Blood. The Council itself tells us that “we are aware of this gift when we actively involve our mind, heart and body in all parts of the liturgy, allowing God through His words, actions, gestures, even in moments of silence, to communicate to us.”

The gratitude that inspires us to give thanks to God and adore Him in the Eucharist is nourished and enriched by the beauty of the liturgy. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the bishops and priests to prepare and celebrate the Holy Mass with the solemnity and decorum that it requires, following the liturgical books approved for this purpose, avoiding practices that could lead to confusion or abuse.

Another form of our expression of gratitude to God is Eucharistic Adoration, with which we not only adore Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament, but also join ourselves in a more intimate way to the unique sacrifice of Christ that we celebrate and remember in the Eucharist. Eucharistic Adoration, therefore, helps us to recognize the real presence of Jesus, under the species of bread and wine, not as a simple memory or symbol, but as a reality of His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.