Pop-Up Catechesis: The “Scandal” of Sharing the Eucharist with Others

Pop-Up Catechesis with Joe Paprocki

A popular online matchmaking and dating service in Chicago is called “It’s Just Lunch.” The name captures a common line used by people who try to deny that there is any level of seriousness or “scandal” in getting together with someone over a meal. If sharing food with another person did not suggest relationship, we wouldn’t feel the need to use a phrase such as, “It’s just lunch.” The truth is, even in our contemporary, fast-food society, sharing a meal with someone usually does suggest a relationship. When we want to deepen or solidify a relationship, we invite the other person to a meal. The more formal the food and the presentation of said food, the more formal the relationship. To be spotted at a Eucharistic meal should make people talk about us, because it indicates that we are in a relationship that some may see as scandalous in some ways. Through the act of celebrating Eucharist, we are proclaiming an intimacy with God and with one another. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore the connection between meals and relationships.

For more information about the Eucharist and meals, check out the following links:

About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

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