I do a mass followed by class ("Mass & Class") on Tuesday mornings at St. Mark's which has been very well attended and very successful, thanks be to God. The last little series we are doing in the class portion before I move is on the Holy Eucharist. I am basing it on the book "Christ, The Christian, and The Church" by E.L. Mascall. Some parishioners have a daughter who was brought up Anglican but now attends a non-denominational church in Texas, and they suggested that we study something to help people equip themselves to explain and defend the liturgy, and the centrality of the Holy Eucharist to such folk. No doubt there are many people out there like that.
The Holy Eucharist is rooted in the life of the Trinity. Within the Blessed Trinity exists the only true, acceptable, and perfect worship of God: God offering God to God. Humanity is brought into this via the incarnation. The Eucharistic sacrifice is the sacramental manifestation of this. The sacramental Body of Christ is offered to God through the mystical Body of Christ; Jesus, the ascended Lord, worships God the Father through His all aspects of His glorified body. As St. Augustine said: "The mystery of yourselves is laid upon the altar."
What we need to do as Anglicans is develop a stronger eucharistic devotion. The mass is the most sacred and wonderful mystery in the world, and it gets neglected, and put aside all too often in favor of gimmicks, church marketing techniques, etc. I really believe that we need to preach and teach more on the Holy Eucharist, and promote other forms of eucharistic devotion (such as prayer vigils before the Blessed Sacrament) in order to revitalize classical Anglicanism. Doing so not only will help people appreciate and understand that doctrine, but also related doctrines, such as the apostolic succession, the sacramental priesthood, the Church, and more.
