This is the conclusion of the presentation given at the Symposium on the Eucharist for laypersons.

2) Koinonia

The second sense in which the Church understands Eucharist as communion is koinonia or community or association. It is used by Luke for the fellowship of believers who worshipped together and held their possessions in common (Acts 2, 42-47).

The term is also used for fellowship with God (I Jn 1, 3-6) with the Son (I Cor 1, 9), with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13, 13; Phil 2, 1). St Paul uses the term to describe the community that exists among the faithful themselves. (Rom 15, 26; 2 Cor 6, 14).

Koinonia is a very specific form of communion, community and association. It is formed and sustained by Eucharist. Speaking of Eucharist, St John Chrysostom asks: What is the bread? The answer: The body of Christ! He asks again: And what do those who receive it become?

The answer: The body of Christ! The Eucharist is what makes it possible for us to share the unity of the body. The Eucharist speaks to the yearning of the human heart for community. In the Church, authentic solidarity is the result of and a sign of Eucharistic communion.

The absence of solidarity or weakness in solidarity can be an indication of the need for a better understanding of and growth in the concept of Eucharistic communion.

In the various Synods of Bishops, whether ordinary or special assemblies, the call to communion and solidarity has become more and more intense. The call to conversion on the issue of communion is proper because many Particular Churches and Episcopal Conferences have existed in practical isolation from each other.

The Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops was the first ever to have gathered Bishops from the entire continent. This Synod showed the importance of a communion that by its nature transcends individual Conferences of Bishops.

3) Holy Communion

Pope John Paul II calls Holy Communion or sacramental communion “the full sharing in the Eucharist sacrifice”. Eucharistic Communion brings with it a mutual abiding of Christ with his people. Holy Communion is our response to the call of the Lord: “ Take and eat. Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you .”

Receiving Holy Communion is more than a private moment. As we receive the body of Christ, Jesus strengthens our incorporation into the Church already begun in Baptism. It should deepen our awareness of and commitment to the invisible and visible communion we have already discussed.

Receiving Eucharist always affirms personal relationship with the Lord and it leads us out of privacy into ecclesial relationship. The notion of communion is part of every aspect of Eucharist. Therefore, we can never turn in on ourselves when celebrating Eucharist together or when we receive Holy Communion.

Although it is a painful issue pastorally and personally, those who are not in full communion do not have a right to receive Holy Communion. There are some exceptions to this norm for the Eastern Rite Churches. Catholic people are asked not to receive communion in other Christian traditions.

Those who do not obey the teaching of the Church on ethical matters (morality) are also asked not to receive the Eucharist. In these cases, it is an issue of being worthy, objectively speaking, to receive Eucharist although accepting the teaching of the Church is one of the conditions of full communion.

4) Spiritual Communion

The Eucharist perfects our communion with God. The Holy Father quotes the Byzantine tradition on this point in his Encyclical Letter, “in the Eucharist, unlike any other sacrament, the mystery is so perfect…here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, here we attain God and God joins himself to us.”

The Holy Father then states, “it is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the Eucharist. This constant desire for Eucharist, so common among the saints, is the origin of the practice of spiritual communion.”

People who are in love want constant contact with each other – ‘to be in communion with' each other. The saints were in love with the Lord. They not only participated in Mass, but they prayed frequently before the Blessed Sacrament.

When it was not possible to celebrate Mass, participate in Mass or receive Holy Communion, the saints used the practice of spiritual communion to keep in contact with Jesus whom they loved.

5) Communion of Saints

The communion of saints signifies the unity, in Christ, of all the redeemed - those on earth and those who have died. The communion of saints is contained in the Apostles' Creed and reflects the unity of faith and charity that has been achieved through participation in the Eucharist.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “The faithful are fed by the body and blood of the Lord to grow in the communion of the Holy Spirit ( Koinonia ).” As communion among the members of the Church brings us closer to Christ, so our communion with the saints joins us to Christ from whom all grace and life flow.

The Ecclesiology of Communion

The entire fourth Chapter of the Holy Father's Encyclical on the Eucharist is about Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion. We have thoroughly examined the notion of communion in five different contexts and in so doing we have stressed the importance of understanding the nature of the Church as the Sacrament of Salvation.

I want to conclude this presentation by listing five practical conclusions that reflect the Ecclesiology of Communion found in the Apostolic Letter, Novo Millennio Ineuente and the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in America :

1) By its nature, the Church is called to promote communion with the Triune God and communion among the faithful. The Triune God is communion and so are we. Our contribution to a divided world is to become communion, to proclaim communion and to model communion.

2) A spirituality of communion must animate the structures of communion or these structures will serve very little purpose. The Symposium on the Eucharist for the priests, and religious of the Province of Port of Spain and the people of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain are examples of an effort to build a better sense of communion among the Dioceses of the Province and the people of the Archdiocese.

3) Participative dialogue must be cultivated in the life of the Church as a result of the ecclesiology of communion and a spirituality of communion. The dialogue must be characterized by a profound willingness to listen, a respectful sharing of ideas and a trust in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

4) Communication at the service of communion must become a priority. Public communications are frequently dominated by interests contrary to the Church. The Church must learn how to evangelise through media better than at present.

5) Solidarity is the fruit of communion. A culture of solidarity needs to be promoted by the Bishops so that the People of God will live in communion and assume responsibility for developing deeper bonds of communion among dioceses, among parishes within dioceses and among all the vocations represented in the People of God.

Conclusion

Eucharist creates communion and fosters communion. What protects the Church from appearing as an international corporation is the Eucharist. St Paul told the faithful of Corinth that their divisions contradicted what they celebrated in the Lord's Supper.

He encouraged them to reflect on the true reality of the Eucharist in order to return to communion. (1 Cor 11, 17-34) Eucharist as communion challenges us to rise above privacy and to respond to the communal nature of being the People of God.