By Carl Peters
“Living the Eucharist,” a new video series, is being produced by the Camden Diocese’s offices of Hispanic Ministry and Evangelization.
The eight-part weekly Spanish-language series will consist of 15-minute videos featuring presentations by local clergy, religious and lay leaders. Each video will also include reflection questions for personal use or small group discussion.
The videos will be presented beginning this month, and in August and September, on the Hispanic Ministry Facebook page (Ministerio Hispano de la Diocesis de Camden).
The new series builds on the success of a previous endeavor, “Road to Pentecost,” which garnered more than 20,000 views, and it is also a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The target audience includes those who have resumed worshipping in church as well as those who continue to watch live-streamed Masses at home. But the hope is also to reach inactive Catholics.
The goal is to emphasize to all Catholics that the Eucharist is, as defined by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the heart and summit of the church’s life.”
“The goal is that we learn more about the Eucharist and live it with more love,” said Andres Arango, Bishop’s Delegate for Hispanic Ministry and Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Camden. “So many people miss receiving Jesus in the Eucharist during the quarantine.”
But, he added, even many Catholics fail to appreciate how vital – how essential – the Eucharist is to the Catholic faith. Catholics should never think of the Eucharist as “routine,” he said. “We want to continue falling in love with Jesus.”
The series will launch with an introduction, followed by “Jesus: Living Bread that comes forth from heaven,” which will focus on the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
In the following weeks:
— “And the Word existed from the beginning,” which examines the Liturgy of the Word, and Jesus as the Word
— “The sacrifice of love on the cross,” which examines the Eucharist as a sacrifice and a commemoration of the Last Supper
— “Who eats my flesh … will have eternal life” will explore how the Eucharist is “Christifying” those who receive the sacrament
— “The Eucharist as communion,” with an emphasis on the community of faith
— “I will be with you till the end,” a discussion of Jesus’ promise to his church
— “Heaven on earth” will explain how believers “enter” heaven at Mass
— “Go in peace …” will be an encouragement to “living the Eucharist permanently”
Organizers hope to follow up in the near future with a series on the Eucharist for English-speaking Catholics.