Why not celebrate in the Church.

First of all, the purpose of my blog is not to debate fellow Catholics about the Neocatechumenal Way, but to give some information from the perspective and experience of one walking in the Way.  

Some people have asked why isn't the Neocatechumenal Way celebrating their Eucharist in the Church like everyone else. And then there are those who already judge the members of the Way as separating themselves from the Parish Church simply because of the fact that their celebrations are not held in the church building. 

The answer to that question is because the Way celebrates the Eucharist as a family gathered at a banquet meal.  The Eucharist is a sacrifice, but it is also a meal. A clear example of this is seen in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 where St. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for behaving inappropriately at the Meal.  There is no doubt that the Catholic Church today still views the Eucharist as a sacrifice. The Eucharist as a sacrifice has been drummed into our heads so much that we now have forgotten that it's also a meal.  (I might add, tongue in cheek how Catholics know what a sacrifice it is to come to Sunday Mass when they could be at home sleeping in late.)  Just recalling the words used in the Liturgy of the Eucharist is enough to remind us all that the Eucharist is a sacrifice.  But what is often forgotten is that the Eucharist is also a meal, which is about the people. In fact, the whole liturgy is about the people of God coming together to worship God. Therefore, members of the Way celebrate the Eucharist in a way where the assembly gathers around a banquet meal.  

Catholic opponents against the Way often say that we are in violation because we don't celebrate inside the Church, and they cite Canon Law 932, which states that the Eucharistic celebration is to be held in a sacred place. While it is true that the Eucharist is to be held in a sacred place, it appears that the critics of the Way interprets and limits "sacred place" to mean only the "church building".  

Today, there are Christians being persecuted in the Middle East.  Their church buildings are being bomb, and people are being killed because of their religious beliefs.  Where do persecuted Catholics in China, Syria, and Egypt go to celebrate their Eucharist when they no longer have a church building?  Persecuted Catholics in China celebrate the Eucharist "underground." And we all know that the Early Christians of the first century hid in catacombs and celebrated the Eucharist there. Are the catacombs not considered "sacred places"?  

So, what makes the church building sacred?  Is it not the presence of God in which the people gather together to worship Him that makes it sacred? 

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 

Wherever Catholics are gathered together for worship, there also is Christ.  The place where the Neocatechumenal Way celebrates their Mass is also "sacred" because the presence of God is also there among His people.  The mystical Body of Christ consist of the Pilgrim Church on earth, the Suffering Church in Purgatory, and the Triumph Church in Heaven.  Death cannot separated us from our brothers and sisters in Heaven for we believe in the communion of saints.  The walls of a church building also cannot separate us from our Parish brothers and sisters who are not walking in the Way.