Lent 2005 for the parishioners of St Benedict's and Holy Innocents RC was a journey to remember, as we were all invited once more to put the Lord Jesus first in our lives.

Busy as we were, we made a conscious decision to celebrate the Year of the Eucharist just as our deceased Holy Father said in “Remain with us Lord” (October 7, 2004): “…concentrate on Christ in whom we see not only the mystery of God, but in whom the mystery of the human being becomes more intelligible.”

On four Tuesdays preceding Easter we were privy to an audio-visual four-part series on the Eucharist, which highlighted the Holy Eucharist as the high point of our Catholic Christian worship – “The Holy Eucharist is the greatest treasure the Church has because it is Christ himself.”

The well-informed presentations by Monsignor Michael de Verteuil were arranged with valued commentaries by our parish priest Fr Brennan, Fr Sirju and Fr Assing, parish priests of Princes Town and Chaguanas, respectively.

They were very clear in stressing that beyond the Holy Eucharist, the Church has nothing richer, nothing greater and nothing higher in our worship of God. The Holy Eucharist is the apex of Christian worship.

We looked at the message of the Holy Eucharist and the grace that the Holy Eucharist gives us, both of which promote reconciliation. Christ died on the cross to reconcile humanity to God, offended by sin. Christ gave this sacrifice to His Church: Do this in memory of me.

The Holy Eucharist sends us on mission; it gives us strength to carry out our apostolate ñ priests, religious, lay people, married people and single people. The Holy Eucharist also sends us to evangelise, to share the good news of Christ.

This must include the promotion of justice and peace and it must include solidarity with those in need – the sick, the lonely, the hungry, the underdeveloped, the poor - whether individuals or countries.

All were reminded that if we celebrate the Holy Eucharist well and get its message, we will go out to live it and share it.

The Holy Eucharist is so central to our lives! As we relate to this we are encouraged to spend quality time in quiet intimacy with our Eucharistic Lord, who is always there for the faithful to adore.

Our Lenten retreat, so aptly given by Sr Paul Clarke's team from La Brea parish, highlighted the relationship between the Eucharist and the family, encouraging us to persevere in prayer, to raise our children in faith and to nurture our spirit of penitence and works of penance in order to receive the grace of God.

On reflection it was a week of sustenance in faith and hope.

Against this rich Eucharistic background, we were invited to the Seder meal held in our parish hall, which promoted a sort of spiritual digestion, reminding us of our spiritual inheritance and the life made available to all of us. Sharing this meal promoted joy, which is our heritage as redeemed children of God.

As our parish community continues its Eucharistic journey we remember that St Teresa of Avila once said, when she compared our souls to a beautiful crystal, “The crystal is unspeakably beautiful but its beauty can be covered over by a layer of tar.”

This tar, for Teresa, stood for our sins which can obscure the light and beauty of our souls and which God wants to peel away.

This Eucharistic Year, Jesus is passionate about you and me as well. Let us therefore fix our eyes on the grace and love flowing from the Eucharistic table because we know that the beauty within us shines a lot more brightly and gives God more pleasure when we are connected to Jesus, and are in a state of grace.