“It is great to be able to share amongst friends. Practice among the believers so we can be bold and brave to share beyond.” That was the response of Timothy Maynard, a member of the Order of Malta’s Boston Area, to the first online workshop for the new Year of the Eucharist series.

The Boston Area is presenting the online, three-part program in partnership with Liturgy Training Publications, a leading publisher of liturgical and other materials for the Catholic faithful, based in Chicago. These workshops are designed to provide an opportunity for participants to grow in a profound way through the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

In the first session, presenters Michael Ruzicki and Christina Condyles looked at how we might better recognize, welcome, and revere the presence of Christ in our liturgical celebrations. The presentation focused on the fourfold presence of Christ in the Liturgy. Christ is in:

• The person of His minister, who convenes the Church, who calls the Church to its heart, to consciousness to its relationship to Christ crucified and risen;
• The Sacraments, which when administered by the priest are administered by Christ;
• The Eucharistic elements, where Christ whole and entire, God and man, becomes fully present; and
• His Word, when the Holy Scriptures are proclaimed in the Church. All evangelization is based on the Word.

The presentation described how each of us is called to be an active, participating part of the assembly. The whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is by the priest and the members of the congregation. Christ has the power to change, to transform, to unite us in communion.

Attendees were encouraged to actively participate in this event as well. They were given questions to reflect upon and to share their responses with one another:

• How would you introduce Jesus to a friend who didn’t know him?
• How has your relationship with Christ changed in the last year?

Comments from participants included that the platform was easy to follow; the presenters were terrific with the right blend of effervescence and spirituality; and that it is valuable for lay people to express understanding, passion, and faith with one another.