Nourished by Christ to nourish others” was the theme of the National Eucharistic Congress held in Mumbai last weekend. The four Indian cardinals, over 70 bishops, and hundreds of Christians from every corner of India actively participated in this mega-event, which reiterated the message: “Disciples of Christ must love and serve all people.” The central act of worship for Catholics is the Eucharist, from Greek, meaning “thanksgiving”. At every Eucharist, believers gratefully remember and celebrate two actions that Lord Jesus did at his Last Supper before his death: (a) He washed his disciples’ feet as a sign of his love and a new order of relationships based on equality and service; and (b) He shared a loaf of bread with them, saying, “Take, eat, this is my body, broken for you.”
These two actions of Jesus have animated Christian practice over centuries, leading to the celebration of the Eucharist, also called the “Mass” — Latin for “sending forth”. In sum, the Eucharist or Mass calls for two dispositions from Christ’s disciples: thankfulness and altruistic love and service. This Eucharistic Congress created awareness of God feeding us at three symbolic tables: of the word; of the holy bread; of the world. The first table is scripture — when read and reflected upon with reverence, the Bible nourishes us.
The second table is the altar — by sharing bread, called “holy communion”, which is blessed with Jesus’ mandate, believers receive spiritual food. Third, as outcome of being nourished by scripture and holy bread, believers are empowered to proceed to the “world table” to serve others. Though the frameworks of the Eucharistic Congress were catholic, its message could apply to believers of all religions. Every believer seeks food from three tables: (a) from scripture — which can be called “table of the word” (sabda or vak in Hinduism, and kalima in Islam); (b) from meditation, prayer and ritual activity — which can include dhyana, puja, namaz and other sadhanas; and (c) from works of love and compassion — like making a daan and doing seva for community welfare. At this third “table of the world”, the more we give of ourselves, the more we receive.
This Eucharistic Congress marks 50 years since Pope Paul VI visited India and the closing of the Second Vatican Council, which engendered the Church’s aggiornamento — Italian for “updating” or “awakening” — that encouraged Christians to dialogue with other religions and secular disciplines. From 2005, every third Thursday of November (i.e. today) is celebrated as “World Philosophy Day” with the avowed aim of fostering “a better understanding of the world and promoting tolerance and peace.” May our religions nourish us as we strive to nourish all others.
Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology. He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com
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