The words of Father Paweł Rytel-Andrianik travel great distances, but last month, it could be said they traveled even farther.

The words spoken by the head of the Polish section of Vatican Radio reached hundreds in the Diocese of Columbus and beyond during Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church’s parish mission.

This year’s mission, titled “This is My Body,” was held March 17-19. Father Rytel-Andrianik gave a series of talks relating to the Eucharist each evening at 7 p.m. in the church.

The talks, which were also live-streamed, reached viewers from Father Rytel-Andrianik’s home country of Poland.

Father Rytel-Andrianik, who also serves as a professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, gave a three-part presentation to a crowd of parishioners and other faithful who gathered to grow closer to Christ through a renewed focus on the Holy Eucharist.

The Eucharist-focused mission took place amid the Church’s National Eucharistic Revival. The three-year revival, which launched in 2022, is a movement intended to restore understanding and devotion to the great mystery of the Eucharist in the United States.

In July 2024, Americans will gather for the first time in 83 years for a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.

On March 18, the second evening of the series of talks, Father Rytel-Andrianik focused on the distinct meaning of each part of the Mass.

The evening began with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and an introduction from Father Jonathan Wilson, the parish’s pastor. The Blessed Sacrament remained exposed on the altar as Father Rytel-Andrianik spoke about the Eucharist.

He reflected on the words spoken by the priest during the consecration: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is My Body, which will be given up for you.” Father Rytel-Andrianik told the audience that those are “words that make miracles” and are given by God.

He said the power comes from Christ Himself. He explained that each priest is ordained by a bishop whose succession traces back to the Apostles, who are appointed by Jesus Christ. 

Father Paweł Rytel-Andrianik speaks from the ambo with the Blessed Sacrament nearby.

Father Rytel-Andrianik noted that “Eucharist” is a Greek word meaning “to thank,” and he said “we cannot thank God enough” for it.

At every Mass, Father Rytel-Andrianik said, those present relive Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. It is the same sacrifice taking place on altars throughout the world.

He said it is not “another sacrifice” or a “repetition” but rather the one sacrifice of Jesus made present. The flesh that Catholics receive in the Eucharist is the “flesh of the resurrected Jesus.”

“It’s not something, it’s Someone,” he said.

He noted that the Mass has two fundamental parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The beginning of the Mass, which opens with a hymn, is symbolic of those gathered being one family. Father Rytel-Andrianik said the congregation sings with one voice because they are one family, one community.

While it is not known exactly when the entrance hymn became a part of the Mass, he said there are records of it dating back as early as the fifth century.

The “kiss at the altar” when the priest enters the sanctuary and bows is a sign of the love between the Church and God, he said. Father Rytel-Andrianik noted that the gesture is done on behalf of everyone, not only between the priest and God.

The collect, the opening prayer read by the priest, “gathers the petitions of us all,” he explained. 

Regarding prayer, Father Rytel-Andrianik said some people object to praying because they assume that God already knows all of their needs. Using the example of Jesus praying, he said Christ prayed and spoke to God the Father, and He gives His people an example to do the same.

He also addressed the Old and New Testament. Father Rytel-Andrianik said some people think the Old Testament does not matter. However, he said both testaments have the same author – God – and the words of the Old Testament still apply.

He recalled the words of St. Augustine, who said the New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. Father Rytel-Andrianik said the New Testament often mentions the word “fulfilled,” as the New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. 

The book of Psalms, located in the Old Testament, is the inspired Word of God, he said, and Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms.

He encouraged the congregation to open their Bibles at home and ask God what He wishes to reveal in a particular reading.

Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church’s three-day mission included Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led by Father Paweł Rytel-Andrianik. Photos courtesy Andy Long.
Father Paweł Rytel-Andrianik puts incense into the thurible during a parish mission at Westerville St. Paul the Apostle Church.
Father Paweł Rytel-Andrianik places the host in the monstrance for Adoration during the parish mission.

Father Rytel-Andrianik then delved deeper into the second part of the Mass – the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Father Rytel-Andrianik said the words prayed at the consecration – “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is My Body” – are “simple words” but “so profound.”

He said the most important moment of Mass takes place at the consecration, as the substances change from bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation, or the miracle of the bread and wine changing into Christ’s Body and Blood, is achieved through the invocation of the Holy Spirit, he said. From the point of view of those gathered, there appears no difference. However, the substances of bread and wine change.

The Body and Blood of Christ on the altar are the same Jesus from 2,000 years ago, he said. The Eucharist is Christ’s real body.

For those who do not believe that, he asked, “What’s the point of going to church?”

Father Rytel-Andrianik told the audience a story of an altar boy who stole some hosts to bring to a Black Mass. The boy did not recognize the difference between the consecrated host – the Body of Christ – and unconsecrated hosts, so, unknowingly, he went into the sacristy and grabbed some of the unconsecrated hosts by mistake.

When the boy brought the hosts to the Black Mass, the evildoers knew the host was not the consecrated Body of Christ. They flicked the host out of their hand, saying, “What is this?”

Father Rytel-Andrianik pointed out that even those who celebrated the Black Mass could recognize the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. He said it is a “shocking story,” but sometimes “it’s good to be shocked to realize what we have here.”

Father Rytel-Andrianik also reflected on the words spoken by the priest, “Go in peace,” at the conclusion of the Mass. He said the congregation can leave in peace because they have met God.

He noted that the congregation is sent forth on a mission. The Mass ends in the church, he said, but the Mass begins in the life of each Catholic.

Father Rytel-Andrianik told the audience that the Mass is a privilege, and priests are not priests for themselves but for each of them. 

The “priesthood is for all of you,” he said.

Father Rytel-Andrianik’s talk was followed by benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and reposition in the tabernacle.