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This is the text of a talk that Steve Bevans gave on October 28, 2011 at the annual meeting of the United States Catholic Mission Association (USCMA) in Miami, Florida. It was printed in the USCMA's newsletter Mission Update as the Winter, 2011 "USCMA Paper."
Click here to download the pdf of the article:
Who are your heroes? Who is it that inspires you in the daily endeavors of your life? With the challenges that life presents, all of us stand in need of inspiration in order to face the tasks at hand and to remain faithful to our commitments. It seems that often we discover that inspiration in the memory of people - past and present-whom we think of as "heroic."
Catholics are on call. That is the very meaning of being Church, ecclesia, an assembly convoked by God. Our preeminent gathering is for celebration of the Eucharist. Implementation of the revised Roman Missal offers us an excellent opportunity to reflect on our calling in light of the Eucharist. What is the deeper meaning of what we do at Mass, and what does that have to do with daily Christian life in the world? To what does Eucharist call us?
6. Called Together to Be Sent
To be Church is to be those called by God. Our calling is renewed every time we gather for the Eucharist. Implementation of the revised Roman Missal offers us an excellent opportunity to reflect on that calling. What is the deeper meaning of what we do at Mass, and what does that have to do with daily Christian life in the world? To what does Eucharist call us?
5. Called Together to Receive
God's calling first given to us in Baptism is renewed every time we gather for the Eucharist. Implementation of the revised Roman Missal offers us an excellent opportunity to reflect on that calling. What is the deeper meaning of what we do at Mass, and what does that have to do with daily Christian life in the world? To what does Eucharist call us?
4. Called Together to Remember and Offer
The New Testament name for the Church, ecclesia, means “those called forth, summoned for an assembly.” The preeminent gathering to which God calls us is the celebration of the Eucharist. Implementation of the revised Roman Missal offers us an excellent opportunity to reflect on our calling in light of the Eucharist. What is the deeper meaning of what we do at Mass, and what does that have to do with daily Christian life in the world? To what does Eucharist call us?
3. Called Together to Present Gifts
Being called together is at the heart of being Church. Its very name, ecclesia, means “those called forth, duly summoned for an assembly.” It is God who summons the Church together, and our preeminent gathering is for celebration of the Eucharist. Implementation of the revised Roman Missal offers us an excellent opportunity to reflect on our calling in light of the Eucharist. What is the deeper meaning of what we do at Mass, and what does that have to do with daily Christian life in the world? To what does Eucharist call us?
