By Fr. Marco Benini, July 24, 2026
In this weekly series, Fr. Benini invites the reader to join him in a prayerful exploration of Eucharistic celebration as a daily encounter with Christ. Used with permission of Paulist Press, www.paulistpress.com.
EASTER IN US
When two lovers are separated for a while, they take a photo of the other person with them: a picture of the spouse or children at work, photos of the girlfriend on the cell phone. But the separation remains. The photo remains a photo and is not the loved one.
In the Eucharist, Christ transcends the distance of space and time. Unlike during his earthly life, as the Risen One he is no longer bound to one place but can be present anywhere at any time, especially in the form of bread and wine that he chooses and transforms into his body and blood.
When we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection, as the Eucharistic Prayer says after the institution narrative, Christ enters into our midst as the Risen Lord and gives us “the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation” (see John 6:35–58; Ps 116:13). The gifts are the “holy and living sacrifice” because Christ, crucified and alive, is present in them.
The Mass is always a paschal event, as Jesus demonstrated to the disciples at Emmaus. In communion, the Risen Christ himself comes to us, and we share in the power of his resurrection, in his divine life. In the Mass, Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension are celebrated in one; his entire life and saving action become present. Moreover, the liturgy looks forward to the eternal fulfillment: “We await his coming in glory” (Eucharistic Prayer IV). We are already stretching ourselves toward what awaits us. “We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again.” We look forward to Christ’s second coming, to the great, eternal feast with all the angels and saints.
The liturgical constitution of the Second Vatican Council Sacrosanctum Concilium aptly calls the Eucharist “a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” (SC 47). Every Mass is an Easter in us!
From: Marco Benini, Were Not Our Hearts Burning? Understanding the Mass – Living the Eucharist, Paulist Press: New York / Mahwah, NJ, 2026, p. 62 f.
Marco Benini is ordinary professor of liturgical studies at the German Liturgical Institute in Trier and research professor at The Catholic University of America.
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