The Sacraments at the Service of Communion in Unity with the Eucharist

Abstract

This article explores the theological and celebratory unity of the Eucharist with the sacraments at the service of communion: the sacrament of Holy Orders and the sacrament of Matrimony. The fact that these sacraments are administered in one liturgical celebration is not so much mandated by the rubrics as it is justified by their ontological unity. This is very clear in the case of the sacrament of Holy Orders, since it was instituted together with the Eucharist. The source that links the two sacraments is Jesus Christ as the High Priest and, at the same time, the Sacrifice made on the cross. There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood and no priesthood without the Eucharist. As regards the sacrament of Matrimony, it signifies the New Covenant and, in doing so, also leads to the Eucharist, which celebrates that covenant and makes it present in sacramental signs. Christ’s love manifested in the Eucharist strengthens and sanctifies the love professed by the bride and groom in the sacrament of Matrimony. This means that the Mass should never be treated as a special addition to the celebration of that sacrament, because it is Eucharistic communion that creates and builds up marital communion.