Guess who’s coming to dinner?

By Joann Heaney-Hunter

Twenty-five years ago, Pope John Paul II reminded families that they were called not only to find Christ in the family, but to become Christ (Familiaris Consortio, 49); in other words, families are to be “sacraments” of Christ in the world. Augustine in the early fifth century reminded all Christians of their vocation to “become what they receive”—the Eucharist, the body of Christ. Christian families have the same vocation—to become Eucharist.

How to become Eucharist
How do families do this? In two important ways:

1. Families can become Eucharist each day by remembering to thank God for all the gifts they’ve received. “Eucharist” means “to give thanks.”
2. Families can also pay attention to the Eucharistic actions of blessing, breaking, and sharing in their lives, which are also blessed, broken, and shared.

Families become Eucharist thanking God for all we are and all we have. A couple’s affection, a baby’s smile, a child’s first day at school, a teen’s growing independence, a grandparent’s sharing of time are gifts from God who blesses us so richly. Even our sufferings can be redemptive if we try to find meaning in them. As family life itself grows as a prayer of thanksgiving, it becomes Eucharist. Family life also can embody Eucharistic blessing, breaking, and sharing.

Blessing
One blessing we don’t often think of is commitment. But just as we depend on Christ’s commitment to be with us always, we count on Eucharistic families to be committed to each other and to the community as well. No family will be completely faithful, but we are called to try each day.

Breaking
All families understand sacrifice and suffering, and in their struggles, they become mirrors of Christ, broken for us.

Sharing
As the body and blood of Christ are shared within the faith community, families share themselves in intimacy and generosity and build up the reign of God in the world. We face significant challenges as we try to help families become Eucharist in their daily lives. As we know all to well, religious educators work with many who have busy schedules, stress, and weak connections to faith communities. One task is to help these families see how parish life supports their vocation to become Eucharist.

Getting parents involved
At the heart of this task is parental involvement. We know that many parents with whom we work need religious education as much as their children do, yet frequently complain that they have no time to take on additional activities. The 1999 U.S. bishops’ document Our Hearts Were Burning Within us, reminds us that the resources we devote to adult faith formation will strengthen and invigorate the entire church (no. 39). We must take every possible opportunity to reconnect adults to their life of faith. A child’s participation in religious education can be an opportunity to enhance the faith development of his or her parents as well.

As we help parents understand the Eucharistic dimensions of their lives, we are limited only by our resources, our imaginations, and the creativity of people working together to build up families of faith.

Conclusion
When we celebrate Eucharist, the church gives thanks for Christ in our midst and for the people who make up the body of Christ. Doesn’t the family, the church of the home, have the privilege and responsibility to do the same? In the spirit of Eucharistic sharing, families are called to create a culture of generosity in their homes. While we live in a society that emphasizes the importance of material things, the Eucharist demands that we become aware of God’s loving presence in every encounter with others and that we share the experience of God’s love in the midst of our homes and beyond them. God makes our imperfect family lives the body of Christ. Recognizing this is the first step toward developing a Eucharistic spirituality of family time.

Joann Heaney-Hunter

Joann Heaney-Hunter, PhD, is an associate professor of theology and director of the University Core Curriculum at St. John’s University, New York. Her primary area of expertise is the theology and practice of Christian marriage and family life. She is the co-author of Unitas: Preparing for Sacramental Marriage (Crossroad Publishing, 1998).