Legion of Mary Catholic Faith
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS
Benedict XVI, Issued in 2007
POST-SYNODAL
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS
OF THE HOLY FATHER
BENEDICT XVI
TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY,
CONSECRATED PERSONS
AND THE LAY FAITHFUL
ON THE EUCHARIST
AS THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT
OF THE CHURCH'S LIFE AND MISSION
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INTRODUCTION
1. The sacrament of charity (1), the Holy Eucharist is the gift that
Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God's infinite love
for every man and woman. This wondrous sacrament makes manifest that
"greater" love which led him to "lay down his life for his friends" (Jn
15:13). Jesus did indeed love them "to the end" (Jn 13:1). In those
words the Evangelist introduces Christ's act of immense humility:
before dying for us on the Cross, he tied a towel around himself and
washed the feet of his disciples. In the same way, Jesus continues, in
the sacrament of the Eucharist, to love us "to the end," even to
offering us his body and his blood. What amazement must the Apostles
have felt in witnessing what the Lord did and said during that Supper!
What wonder must the eucharistic mystery also awaken in our own hearts!
The food of truth
2. In the sacrament of the altar, the Lord meets us, men and women
created in God's image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:27), and becomes our
companion along the way. In this sacrament, the Lord truly becomes food
for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom. Since only the
truth can make us free (cf. Jn 8:32), Christ becomes for us the food of
truth. With deep human insight, Saint Augustine clearly showed how we
are moved spontaneously, and not by constraint, whenever we encounter
something attractive and desirable. Asking himself what it is that can
move us most deeply, the saintly Bishop went on to say: "What does our
soul desire more passionately than truth?" (2) Each of us has an innate
and irrepressible desire for ultimate and definitive truth. The Lord
Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), speaks to our
thirsting, pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for the source of life,
our hearts longing for truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth in person,
drawing the world to himself. "Jesus is the lodestar of human freedom:
without him, freedom loses its focus, for without the knowledge of
truth, freedom becomes debased, alienated and reduced to empty caprice.
With him, freedom finds itself." (3) In the sacrament of the Eucharist,
Jesus shows us in particular the truth about the love which is the very
essence of God. It is this evangelical truth which challenges each of
us and our whole being. For this reason, the Church, which finds in the
Eucharist the very centre of her life, is constantly concerned to
proclaim to all, opportune importune (cf. 2 Tim 4:2), that God is
love.(4) Precisely because Christ has become for us the food of truth,
the Church turns to every man and woman, inviting them freely to accept
God's gift.
The development of the eucharistic rite
3. If we consider the bimillenary history of God's Church, guided by
the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we can gratefully admire the orderly
development of the ritual forms in which we commemorate the event of
our salvation. From the varied forms of the early centuries, still
resplendent in the rites of the Ancient Churches of the East, up to the
spread of the Roman rite; from the clear indications of the Council of
Trent and the Missal of Saint Pius V to the liturgical renewal called
for by the Second Vatican Council: in every age of the Church's history
the eucharistic celebration, as the source and summit of her life and
mission, shines forth in the liturgical rite in all its richness and
variety. The Eleventh Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops, held from 2-23 October 2005 in the Vatican, gratefully
acknowledged the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this rich history. In a
particular way, the Synod Fathers acknowledged and reaffirmed the
beneficial influence on the Church's life of the liturgical renewal
which began with the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (5). The Synod
of Bishops was able to evaluate the reception of the renewal in the
years following the Council. There were many expressions of
appreciation. The difficulties and even the occasional abuses which
were noted, it was affirmed, cannot overshadow the benefits and the
validity of the liturgical renewal, whose riches are yet to be fully
explored. Concretely, the changes which the Council called for need to
be understood within the overall unity of the historical development of
the rite itself, without the introduction of artificial
discontinuities.(6)
The Synod of Bishops and the Year of the Eucharist
4. We should also emphasize the relationship between the recent Synod
of Bishops on the Eucharist and the events which have taken place in
the Church's life in recent years. First of all, we should recall the
Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, with which my beloved Predecessor, the
Servant of God John Paul II, led the Church into the third Christian
millennium. The Jubilee Year clearly had a significant eucharistic
dimension. Nor can we forget that the Synod of Bishops was preceded,
and in some sense prepared for, by the Year of the Eucharist which John
Paul II had, with great foresight, wanted the whole Church to
celebrate. That year, which began with the International Eucharistic
Congress in Guadalajara in October 2004, ended on 23 October 2005, at
the conclusion of the XI Synodal Assembly, with the canonization of
five saints particularly distinguished for their eucharistic piety:
Bishop Józef Bilczewski, Fathers Gaetano Catanoso, Zygmunt
Gorazdowski and Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, and the Capuchin Fra Felice
da Nicosia. Thanks to the teachings proposed by John Paul II in the
Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine (7) and to the helpful
suggestions of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline
of the Sacraments,(8) many initiatives were undertaken by Dioceses and
various ecclesial groups in order to reawaken and increase eucharistic
faith, to improve the quality of eucharistic celebration, to promote
eucharistic adoration and to encourage a practical solidarity which,
starting from the Eucharist, would reach out to those in need. Finally,
mention should be made of the significance of my venerable
Predecessor's last Encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (9), in which he
left us a sure magisterial statement of the Church's teaching on the
Eucharist and a final testimony of the central place that this divine
sacrament had in his own life.
The purpose of this Exhortation
5. This Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation seeks to take up the
richness and variety of the reflections and proposals which emerged
from the recent Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
– from the Lineamenta to the Propositiones, along the way of the
Instrumentum Laboris, the Relationes ante and post disceptationem, the
interventions of the Synod Fathers, the auditores and the fraternal
delegates – and to offer some basic directions aimed at a renewed
commitment to eucharistic enthusiasm and fervour in the Church.
Conscious of the immense patrimony of doctrine and discipline
accumulated over the centuries with regard to this sacrament,(10) I
wish here to endorse the wishes expressed by the Synod Fathers (11) by
encouraging the Christian people to deepen their understanding of the
relationship between the eucharistic mystery, the liturgical action,
and the new spiritual worship which derives from the Eucharist as the
sacrament of charity. Consequently, I wish to set the present
Exhortation alongside my first Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, in
which I frequently mentioned the sacrament of the Eucharist and
stressed its relationship to Christian love, both of God and of
neighbour: "God incarnate draws us all to himself. We can thus
understand how agape also became a term for the Eucharist: there God's
own agape comes to us bodily, in order to continue his work in us and
through us" (12).
PART ONE
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE BELIEVED
"This is the work of God: that you believe
in him whom he has sent" (Jn 6:29)
The Church's eucharistic faith
6. "The mystery of faith!" With these words, spoken immediately after
the words of consecration, the priest proclaims the mystery being
celebrated and expresses his wonder before the substantial change of
bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, a reality
which surpasses all human understanding. The Eucharist is a "mystery of
faith" par excellence: "the sum and summary of our faith." (13) The
Church's faith is essentially a eucharistic faith, and it is especially
nourished at the table of the Eucharist. Faith and the sacraments are
two complementary aspects of ecclesial life. Awakened by the preaching
of God's word, faith is nourished and grows in the grace-filled
encounter with the Risen Lord which takes place in the sacraments:
"faith is expressed in the rite, while the rite reinforces and
strengthens faith." (14) For this reason, the Sacrament of the Altar is
always at the heart of the Church's life: "thanks to the Eucharist, the
Church is reborn ever anew!" (15) The more lively the eucharistic faith
of the People of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in
steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his
disciples. The Church's very history bears witness to this. Every great
reform has in some way been linked to the rediscovery of belief in the
Lord's eucharistic presence among his people.
The Blessed Trinity and the Eucharist
The bread come down from heaven
7. The first element of eucharistic faith is the mystery of God
himself, trinitarian love. In Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus, we find
an illuminating expression in this regard: "God so loved the world that
he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to
condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (Jn
3:16-17). These words show the deepest source of God's gift. In the
Eucharist Jesus does not give us a "thing," but himself; he offers his
own body and pours out his own blood. He thus gives us the totality of
his life and reveals the ultimate origin of this love. He is the
eternal Son, given to us by the Father. In the Gospel we hear how
Jesus, after feeding the crowds by multiplying the loaves and fishes,
says to those who had followed him to the synagogue of Capernaum: "My
Father gives you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is he
who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world" (Jn 6:32-33),
and even identifies himself, his own flesh and blood, with that bread:
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of
this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for
the life of the world is my flesh" (Jn 6:51). Jesus thus shows that he
is the bread of life which the eternal Father gives to mankind.
A free gift of the Blessed Trinity
8. The Eucharist reveals the loving plan that guides all of salvation
history (cf. Eph 1:10; 3:8- 11). There the Deus Trinitas, who is
essentially love (cf. 1 Jn 4:7-8), becomes fully a part of our human
condition. In the bread and wine under whose appearances Christ gives
himself to us in the paschal meal (cf. Lk 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26),
God's whole life encounters us and is sacramentally shared with us. God
is a perfect communion of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At
creation itself, man was called to have some share in God's breath of
life (cf. Gen 2:7). But it is in Christ, dead and risen, and in the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, given without measure (cf. Jn 3:34),
that we have become sharers of God's inmost life. (16) Jesus Christ,
who "through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God"
(Heb 9:14), makes us, in the gift of the Eucharist, sharers in God's
own life. This is an absolutely free gift, the superabundant fulfilment
of God's promises. The Church receives, celebrates and adores this gift
in faithful obedience. The "mystery of faith" is thus a mystery of
trinitarian love, a mystery in which we are called by grace to
participate. We too should therefore exclaim with Saint Augustine: "If
you see love, you see the Trinity." (17)
The Eucharist: Jesus the true Sacrificial lamb
The new and eternal covenant in the blood of the Lamb
9. The mission for which Jesus came among us was accomplished in the
Paschal Mystery. On the Cross from which he draws all people to himself
(cf. Jn 12:32), just before "giving up the Spirit," he utters the
words: "it is finished" (Jn 19:30). In the mystery of Christ's
obedience unto death, even death on a Cross (cf. Phil 2:8), the new and
eternal covenant was brought about. In his crucified flesh, God's
freedom and our human freedom met definitively in an inviolable,
eternally valid pact. Human sin was also redeemed once for all by God's
Son (cf. Heb 7:27; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). As I have said elsewhere, "Christ's
death on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against
himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save
him. This is love in its most radical form." (18) In the Paschal
Mystery, our deliverance from evil and death has taken place. In
instituting the Eucharist, Jesus had spoken of the "new and eternal
covenant" in the shedding of his blood (cf. Mt 26:28; Mk 14:24; Lk
22:20). This, the ultimate purpose of his mission, was clear from the
very beginning of his public life. Indeed, when, on the banks of the
Jordan, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him, he cried out:
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn
1:29). It is significant that these same words are repeated at every
celebration of Holy Mass, when the priest invites us to approach the
altar: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Happy are those who are called to his supper." Jesus is the true
paschal lamb who freely gave himself in sacrifice for us, and thus
brought about the new and eternal covenant. The Eucharist contains this
radical newness, which is offered to us again at every celebration. (19)
The institution of the Eucharist
10. This leads us to reflect on the institution of the Eucharist at the
Last Supper. It took place within a ritual meal commemorating the
foundational event of the people of Israel: their deliverance from
slavery in Egypt. This ritual meal, which called for the sacrifice of
lambs (cf. Ex 12:1-28, 43-51), was a remembrance of the past, but at
the same time a prophetic remembrance, the proclamation of a
deliverance yet to come. The people had come to realize that their
earlier liberation was not definitive, for their history continued to
be marked by slavery and sin. The remembrance of their ancient
liberation thus expanded to the invocation and expectation of a yet
more profound, radical, universal and definitive salvation. This is the
context in which Jesus introduces the newness of his gift. In the
prayer of praise, the Berakah, he does not simply thank the Father for
the great events of past history, but also for his own "exaltation." In
instituting the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus anticipates and makes
present the sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the resurrection.
At the same time, he reveals that he himself is the true sacrificial
lamb, destined in the Father's plan from the foundation of the world,
as we read in The First Letter of Peter (cf. 1:18-20). By placing his
gift in this context, Jesus shows the salvific meaning of his death and
resurrection, a mystery which renews history and the whole cosmos. The
institution of the Eucharist demonstrates how Jesus' death, for all its
violence and absurdity, became in him a supreme act of love and
mankind's definitive deliverance from evil.
Figura transit in veritatem
11. Jesus thus brings his own radical novum to the ancient Hebrew
sacrificial meal. For us Christians, that meal no longer need be
repeated. As the Church Fathers rightly say, figura transit in
veritatem: the foreshadowing has given way to the truth itself. The
ancient rite has been brought to fulfilment and definitively surpassed
by the loving gift of the incarnate Son of God. The food of truth,
Christ sacrificed for our sake, dat figuris terminum. (20) By his
command to "do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:25), he
asks us to respond to his gift and to make it sacramentally present. In
these words the Lord expresses, as it were, his expectation that the
Church, born of his sacrifice, will receive this gift, developing under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit the liturgical form of the sacrament.
The remembrance of his perfect gift consists not in the mere repetition
of the Last Supper, but in the Eucharist itself, that is, in the
radical newness of Christian worship. In this way, Jesus left us the
task of entering into his "hour." "The Eucharist draws us into Jesus'
act of self-oblation. More than just statically receiving the incarnate
Logos, we enter into the very dynamic of his self-giving." (21) Jesus
"draws us into himself." (22) The substantial conversion of bread and
wine into his body and blood introduces within creation the principle
of a radical change, a sort of "nuclear fission," to use an image
familiar to us today, which penetrates to the heart of all being, a
change meant to set off a process which transforms reality, a process
leading ultimately to the transfiguration of the entire world, to the
point where God will be all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:28).
The Holy Spirit and the Eucharist
Jesus and the Holy Spirit
12. With his word and with the elements of bread and wine, the Lord
himself has given us the essentials of this new worship. The Church,
his Bride, is called to celebrate the eucharistic banquet daily in his
memory. She thus makes the redeeming sacrifice of her Bridegroom a part
of human history and makes it sacramentally present in every culture.
This great mystery is celebrated in the liturgical forms which the
Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, develops in time and space. (23) We
need a renewed awareness of the decisive role played by the Holy Spirit
in the evolution of the liturgical form and the deepening understanding
of the sacred mysteries. The Paraclete, Christ's first gift to those
who believe, (24) already at work in Creation (cf. Gen 1:2), is fully
present throughout the life of the incarnate Word: Jesus Christ is
conceived by the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt
1:18; Lk 1:35); at the beginning of his public mission, on the banks of
the Jordan, he sees the Spirit descend upon him in the form of a dove
(cf. Mt 3:16 and parallels); he acts, speaks and rejoices in the Spirit
(cf. Lk 10:21), and he can offer himself in the Spirit (cf. Heb 9:14).
In the so-called "farewell discourse" reported by John, Jesus clearly
relates the gift of his life in the paschal mystery to the gift of the
Spirit to his own (cf. Jn 16:7). Once risen, bearing in his flesh the
signs of the passion, he can pour out the Spirit upon them (cf. Jn
20:22), making them sharers in his own mission (cf. Jn 20:21). The
Spirit would then teach the disciples all things and bring to their
remembrance all that Christ had said (cf. Jn 14:26), since it falls to
him, as the Spirit of truth (cf. Jn 15:26), to guide the disciples into
all truth (cf. Jn 16:13). In the account in Acts, the Spirit descends
on the Apostles gathered in prayer with Mary on the day of Pentecost
(cf. 2:1-4) and stirs them to undertake the mission of proclaiming the
Good News to all peoples. Thus it is through the working of the Spirit
that Christ himself continues to be present and active in his Church,
starting with her vital centre which is the Eucharist.
The Holy Spirit and the eucharistic celebration
13. Against this backdrop we can understand the decisive role played by
the Holy Spirit in the eucharistic celebration, particularly with
regard to transubstantiation. An awareness of this is clearly evident
in the Fathers of the Church. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, in his
Catecheses, states that we "call upon God in his mercy to send his Holy
Spirit upon the offerings before us, to transform the bread into the
body of Christ and the wine into the blood of Christ. Whatever the Holy
Spirit touches is sanctified and completely transformed" (25). Saint
John Chrysostom too notes that the priest invokes the Holy Spirit when
he celebrates the sacrifice: (26) like Elijah, the minister calls down
the Holy Spirit so that "as grace comes down upon the victim, the souls
of all are thereby inflamed" (27). The spiritual life of the faithful
can benefit greatly from a better appreciation of the richness of the
anaphora: along with the words spoken by Christ at the Last Supper, it
contains the epiclesis, the petition to the Father to send down the
gift of the Spirit so that the bread and the wine will become the body
and blood of Jesus Christ and that "the community as a whole will
become ever more the body of Christ" (28). The Spirit invoked by the
celebrant upon the gifts of bread and wine placed on the altar is the
same Spirit who gathers the faithful "into one body" and makes of them
a spiritual offering pleasing to the Father (29).
The Eucharist and the Church
The Eucharist, causal principle of the Church
14. Through the sacrament of the Eucharist Jesus draws the faithful
into his "hour;" he shows us the bond that he willed to establish
between himself and us, between his own person and the Church. Indeed,
in the sacrifice of the Cross, Christ gave birth to the Church as his
Bride and his body. The Fathers of the Church often meditated on the
relationship between Eve's coming forth from the side of Adam as he
slept (cf. Gen 2:21-23) and the coming forth of the new Eve, the
Church, from the open side of Christ sleeping in death: from Christ's
pierced side, John recounts, there came forth blood and water (cf. Jn
19:34), the symbol of the sacraments (30). A contemplative gaze "upon
him whom they have pierced" (Jn 19:37) leads us to reflect on the
causal connection between Christ's sacrifice, the Eucharist and the
Church. The Church "draws her life from the Eucharist" (31). Since the
Eucharist makes present Christ's redeeming sacrifice, we must start by
acknowledging that "there is a causal influence of the Eucharist at the
Church's very origins" (32). The Eucharist is Christ who gives himself
to us and continually builds us up as his body. Hence, in the striking
interplay between the Eucharist which builds up the Church, and the
Church herself which "makes" the Eucharist (33), the primary causality
is expressed in the first formula: the Church is able to celebrate and
adore the mystery of Christ present in the Eucharist precisely because
Christ first gave himself to her in the sacrifice of the Cross. The
Church's ability to "make" the Eucharist is completely rooted in
Christ's self-gift to her. Here we can see more clearly the meaning of
Saint John's words: "he first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). We too, at every
celebration of the Eucharist, confess the primacy of Christ's gift. The
causal influence of the Eucharist at the Church's origins definitively
discloses both the chronological and ontological priority of the fact
that it was Christ who loved us "first." For all eternity he remains
the one who loves us first.
The Eucharist and ecclesial communion
15. The Eucharist is thus constitutive of the Church's being and
activity. This is why Christian antiquity used the same words, Corpus
Christi, to designate Christ's body born of the Virgin Mary, his
eucharistic body and his ecclesial body.(34) This clear datum of the
tradition helps us to appreciate the inseparability of Christ and the
Church. The Lord Jesus, by offering himself in sacrifice for us, in his
gift effectively pointed to the mystery of the Church. It is
significant that the Second Eucharistic Prayer, invoking the Paraclete,
formulates its prayer for the unity of the Church as follows: "may all
of us who share in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in
unity by the Holy Spirit." These words help us to see clearly how the
res of the sacrament of the Eucharist is the unity of the faithful
within ecclesial communion. The Eucharist is thus found at the root of
the Church as a mystery of communion (35).
The relationship between Eucharist and communio had already been
pointed out by the Servant of God John Paul II in his Encyclical
Ecclesia de Eucharistia. He spoke of the memorial of Christ as "the
supreme sacramental manifestation of communion in the Church" (36). The
unity of ecclesial communion is concretely manifested in the Christian
communities and is renewed at the celebration of the Eucharist, which
unites them and differentiates them in the particular Churches, "in
quibus et ex quibus una et unica Ecclesia catholica exsistit" (37). The
fact that the one Eucharist is celebrated in each Diocese around its
own Bishop helps us to see how those particular Churches subsist in and
ex Ecclesia. Indeed, "the oneness and indivisibility of the eucharistic
body of the Lord implies the oneness of his mystical body, which is the
one and indivisible Church. From the eucharistic centre arises the
necessary openness of every celebrating community, of every particular
Church. By allowing itself to be drawn into the open arms of the Lord,
it achieves insertion into his one and undivided body." (38)
Consequently, in the celebration of the Eucharist, the individual
members of the faithful find themselves in their Church, that is, in
the Church of Christ. From this eucharistic perspective, adequately
understood, ecclesial communion is seen to be catholic by its very
nature (39). An emphasis on this eucharistic basis of ecclesial
communion can also contribute greatly to the ecumenical dialogue with
the Churches and Ecclesial Communities which are not in full communion
with the See of Peter. The Eucharist objectively creates a powerful
bond of unity between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches,
which have preserved the authentic and integral nature of the
eucharistic mystery. At the same time, emphasis on the ecclesial
character of the Eucharist can become an important element of the
dialogue with the Communities of the Reformed tradition (40).
The Eucharist and the Sacraments
The sacramentality of the Church
16. The Second Vatican Council recalled that "all the sacraments, and
indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are
bound up with the Eucharist and are directed towards it. For in the
most blessed Eucharist is contained the entire spiritual wealth of the
Church, namely Christ himself our Pasch and our living bread, who gives
life to humanity through his flesh – that flesh which is given
life and gives life by the Holy Spirit. Thus men and women are invited
and led to offer themselves, their works and all creation in union with
Christ." (41) This close relationship of the Eucharist with the other
sacraments and the Christian life can be most fully understood when we
contemplate the mystery of the Church herself as a sacrament. (42) The
Council in this regard stated that "the Church, in Christ, is a
sacrament – a sign and instrument – of communion with God
and of the unity of the entire human race." (43) To quote Saint
Cyprian, as "a people made one by the unity of the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit," (44) she is the sacrament of trinitarian communion.
The fact that the Church is the "universal sacrament of salvation" (45)
shows how the sacramental economy ultimately determines the way that
Christ, the one Saviour, through the Spirit, reaches our lives in all
their particularity. The Church receives and at the same time expresses
what she herself is in the seven sacraments, thanks to which God's
grace concretely influences the lives of the faithful, so that their
whole existence, redeemed by Christ, can become an act of worship
pleasing to God. From this perspective, I would like here to draw
attention to some elements brought up by the Synod Fathers which may
help us to grasp the relationship of each of the sacraments to the
eucharistic mystery.
I. The Eucharist and Christian initiation
The Eucharist, the fullness of Christian initiation
17. If the Eucharist is truly the source and summit of the Church's
life and mission, it follows that the process of Christian initiation
must constantly be directed to the reception of this sacrament. As the
Synod Fathers said, we need to ask ourselves whether in our Christian
communities the close link between Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist
is sufficiently recognized. (46) It must never be forgotten that our
reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist.
Accordingly, our pastoral practice should reflect a more unitary
understanding of the process of Christian initiation. The sacrament of
Baptism, by which we were conformed to Christ,(47) incorporated in the
Church and made children of God, is the portal to all the sacraments.
It makes us part of the one Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13), a
priestly people. Still, it is our participation in the Eucharistic
sacrifice which perfects within us the gifts given to us at Baptism.
The gifts of the Spirit are given for the building up of Christ's Body
(1 Cor 12) and for ever greater witness to the Gospel in the world.
(48) The Holy Eucharist, then, brings Christian initiation to
completion and represents the centre and goal of all sacramental life.
(49)
The order of the sacraments of initiation
18. In this regard, attention needs to be paid to the order of the
sacraments of initiation. Different traditions exist within the Church.
There is a clear variation between, on the one hand, the ecclesial
customs of the East (50) and the practice of the West regarding the
initiation of adults, (51) and, on the other hand, the procedure
adopted for children. (52) Yet these variations are not properly of the
dogmatic order, but are pastoral in character. Concretely, it needs to
be seen which practice better enables the faithful to put the sacrament
of the Eucharist at the centre, as the goal of the whole process of
initiation. In close collaboration with the competent offices of the
Roman Curia, Bishops' Conferences should examine the effectiveness of
current approaches to Christian initiation, so that the faithful can be
helped both to mature through the formation received in our communities
and to give their lives an authentically eucharistic direction, so that
they can offer a reason for the hope within them in a way suited to our
times (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).
Initiation, the ecclesial community and the family
19. It should be kept in mind that the whole of Christian initiation is
a process of conversion undertaken with God's help and with constant
reference to the ecclesial community, both when an adult is seeking
entry into the Church, as happens in places of first evangelization and
in many secularized regions, and when parents request the sacraments
for their children. In this regard, I would like to call particular
attention to the relationship between Christian initiation and the
family. In pastoral work it is always important to make Christian
families part of the process of initiation. Receiving Baptism,
Confirmation and First Holy Communion are key moments not only for the
individual receiving them but also for the entire family, which should
be supported in its educational role by the various elements of the
ecclesial community. (53) Here I would emphasize the importance of
First Holy Communion. For many of the faithful, this day continues to
be memorable as the moment when, even if in a rudimentary way, they
first came to understand the importance of a personal encounter with
Jesus. Parish pastoral programmes should make the most of this highly
significant moment.
II. The Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Their intrinsic relationship
20. The Synod Fathers rightly stated that a love for the Eucharist
leads to a growing appreciation of the sacrament of Reconciliation.
(54) Given the connection between these sacraments, an authentic
catechesis on the meaning of the Eucharist must include the call to
pursue the path of penance (cf. 1 Cor 11:27-29). We know that the
faithful are surrounded by a culture that tends to eliminate the sense
of sin (55) and to promote a superficial approach that overlooks the
need to be in a state of grace in order to approach sacramental
communion worthily. (56) The loss of a consciousness of sin always
entails a certain superficiality in the understanding of God's love.
Bringing out the elements within the rite of Mass that express
consciousness of personal sin and, at the same time, of God's mercy,
can prove most helpful to the faithful.(57) Furthermore, the
relationship between the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation
reminds us that sin is never a purely individual affair; it always
damages the ecclesial communion that we have entered through Baptism.
For this reason, Reconciliation, as the Fathers of the Church would
say, is laboriosus quidam baptismus; (58) they thus emphasized that the
outcome of the process of conversion is also the restoration of full
ecclesial communion, expressed in a return to the Eucharist. (59)
Some pastoral concerns
21. The Synod recalled that Bishops have the pastoral duty of promoting
within their Dioceses a reinvigorated catechesis on the conversion born
of the Eucharist, and of encouraging frequent confession among the
faithful. All priests should dedicate themselves with generosity,
commitment and competency to administering the sacrament of
Reconciliation. (60) In this regard, it is important that the
confessionals in our churches should be clearly visible expressions of
the importance of this sacrament. I ask pastors to be vigilant with
regard to the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation, and to
limit the practice of general absolution exclusively to the cases
permitted, (61) since individual absolution is the only form intended
for ordinary use. (62) Given the need to rediscover sacramental
forgiveness, there ought to be a Penitentiary in every Diocese. (63)
Finally, a balanced and sound practice of gaining indulgences, whether
for oneself or for the dead, can be helpful for a renewed appreciation
of the relationship between the Eucharist and Reconciliation. By this
means the faithful obtain "remission before God of the temporal
punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven." (64) The
use of indulgences helps us to understand that by our efforts alone we
would be incapable of making reparation for the wrong we have done, and
that the sins of each individual harm the whole community. Furthermore,
the practice of indulgences, which involves not only the doctrine of
Christ's infinite merits, but also that of the communion of the saints,
reminds us "how closely we are united to each other in Christ ... and
how the supernatural life of each can help others." (65) Since the
conditions for gaining an indulgence include going to confession and
receiving sacramental communion, this practice can effectively sustain
the faithful on their journey of conversion and in rediscovering the
centrality of the Eucharist in the Christian life.
III. The Eucharist and the Anointing of the sick
22. Jesus did not only send his disciples forth to heal the sick (cf.
Mt 10:8; Lk 9:2, 10:9); he also instituted a specific sacrament for
them: the Anointing of the Sick.(66) The Letter of James attests to the
presence of this sacramental sign in the early Christian community (cf.
5:14-16). If the Eucharist shows how Christ's sufferings and death have
been transformed into love, the Anointing of the Sick, for its part,
unites the sick with Christ's self-offering for the salvation of all,
so that they too, within the mystery of the communion of saints, can
participate in the redemption of the world. The relationship between
these two sacraments becomes clear in situations of serious illness:
"In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who
are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum." (67) On their
journey to the Father, communion in the Body and Blood of Christ
appears as the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection:
"Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I
will raise him up on the last day" (Jn 6:54). Since viaticum gives the
sick a glimpse of the fullness of the Paschal Mystery, its
administration should be readily provided for. (68) Attentive pastoral
care shown to those who are ill brings great spiritual benefit to the
entire community, since whatever we do to one of the least of our
brothers and sisters, we do to Jesus himself (cf. Mt 25:40).
IV. The Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders
In persona Christi capitis
23. The intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and the sacrament
of Holy Orders clearly emerges from Jesus' own words in the Upper Room:
"Do this in memory of me" (Lk 22:19). On the night before he died,
Jesus instituted the Eucharist and at the same time established the
priesthood of the New Covenant. He is priest, victim and altar: the
mediator between God the Father and his people (cf. Heb 5:5-10), the
victim of atonement (cf. 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10) who offers himself on the
altar of the Cross. No one can say "this is my body" and "this is the
cup of my blood" except in the name and in the person of Christ, the
one high priest of the new and eternal Covenant (cf. Heb 8-9). Earlier
meetings of the Synod of Bishops had considered the question of the
ordained priesthood, both with regard to the nature of the ministry
(69) and the formation of candidates.(70) Here, in the light of the
discussion that took place during the last Synod, I consider it
important to recall several important points about the relationship
between the sacrament of the Eucharist and Holy Orders. First of all,
we need to stress once again that the connection between Holy Orders
and the Eucharist is seen most clearly at Mass, when the Bishop or
priest presides in the person of Christ the Head.
The Church teaches that priestly ordination is the indispensable
condition for the valid celebration of the Eucharist.(71) Indeed, "in
the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself
who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his
flock, High Priest of the redemptive sacrifice." (72) Certainly the
ordained minister also acts "in the name of the whole Church, when
presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering
the eucharistic sacrifice." (73) As a result, priests should be
conscious of the fact that in their ministry they must never put
themselves or their personal opinions in first place, but Jesus Christ.
Any attempt to make themselves the centre of the liturgical action
contradicts their very identity as priests. The priest is above all a
servant of others, and he must continually work at being a sign
pointing to Christ, a docile instrument in the Lord's hands. This is
seen particularly in his humility in leading the liturgical assembly,
in obedience to the rite, uniting himself to it in mind and heart, and
avoiding anything that might give the impression of an inordinate
emphasis on his own personality. I encourage the clergy always to see
their eucharistic ministry as a humble service offered to Christ and
his Church. The priesthood, as Saint Augustine said, is amoris
officium, (74) it is the office of the good shepherd, who offers his
life for his sheep (cf. Jn 10:14-15).
The Eucharist and priestly celibacy
24. The Synod Fathers wished to emphasize that the ministerial
priesthood, through ordination, calls for complete configuration to
Christ. While respecting the different practice and tradition of the
Eastern Churches, there is a need to reaffirm the profound meaning of
priestly celibacy, which is rightly considered a priceless treasure,
and is also confirmed by the Eastern practice of choosing Bishops only
from the ranks of the celibate. These Churches also greatly esteem the
decision of many priests to embrace celibacy. This choice on the part
of the priest expresses in a special way the dedication which conforms
him to Christ and his exclusive offering of himself for the Kingdom of
God. (75) The fact that Christ himself, the eternal priest, lived his
mission even to the sacrifice of the Cross in the state of virginity
constitutes the sure point of reference for understanding the meaning
of the tradition of the Latin Church. It is not sufficient to
understand priestly celibacy in purely functional terms. Celibacy is
really a special way of conforming oneself to Christ's own way of life.
This choice has first and foremost a nuptial meaning; it is a profound
identification with the heart of Christ the Bridegroom who gives his
life for his Bride. In continuity with the great ecclesial tradition,
with the Second Vatican Council (76) and with my predecessors in the
papacy, (77) I reaffirm the beauty and the importance of a priestly
life lived in celibacy as a sign expressing total and exclusive
devotion to Christ, to the Church and to the Kingdom of God, and I
therefore confirm that it remains obligatory in the Latin tradition.
Priestly celibacy lived with maturity, joy and dedication is an immense
blessing for the Church and for society itself.
The clergy shortage and the pastoral care of vocations
25. In the light of the connection between the sacrament of Holy Orders
and the Eucharist, the Synod considered the difficult situation that
has arisen in various Dioceses which face a shortage of priests. This
happens not only in some areas of first evangelization, but also in
many countries of long-standing Christian tradition. Certainly a more
equitable distribution of clergy would help to solve the problem.
Efforts need to be made to encourage a greater awareness of this
situation at every level. Bishops should involve Institutes of
Consecrated Life and the new ecclesial groups in their pastoral needs,
while respecting their particular charisms, and they should invite the
clergy to become more open to serving the Church wherever there is
need, even if this calls for sacrifice. (78) The Synod also discussed
pastoral initiatives aimed at promoting, especially among the young, an
attitude of interior openness to a priestly calling. The situation
cannot be resolved by purely practical decisions. On no account should
Bishops react to real and understandable concerns about the shortage of
priests by failing to carry out adequate vocational discernment, or by
admitting to seminary formation and ordination candidates who lack the
necessary qualities for priestly ministry (79). An insufficiently
formed clergy, admitted to ordination without the necessary
discernment, will not easily be able to offer a witness capable of
evoking in others the desire to respond generously to Christ's call.
The pastoral care of vocations needs to involve the entire Christian
community in every area of its life. (80) Obviously, this pastoral work
on all levels also includes exploring the matter with families, which
are often indifferent or even opposed to the idea of a priestly
vocation. Families should generously embrace the gift of life and bring
up their children to be open to doing God's will. In a word, they must
have the courage to set before young people the radical decision to
follow Christ, showing them how deeply rewarding it is.
Gratitude and hope
26. Finally, we need to have ever greater faith and hope in God's
providence. Even if there is a shortage of priests in some areas, we
must never lose confidence that Christ continues to inspire men to
leave everything behind and to dedicate themselves totally to
celebrating the sacred mysteries, preaching the Gospel and ministering
to the flock. In this regard, I wish to express the gratitude of the
whole Church for all those Bishops and priests who carry out their
respective missions with fidelity, devotion and zeal. Naturally, the
Church's gratitude also goes to deacons, who receive the laying on of
hands "not for priesthood but for service." (81) As the Synod Assembly
recommended, I offer a special word of thanks to those Fidei Donum
priests who work faithfully and generously at building up the community
by proclaiming the word of God and breaking the Bread of Life, devoting
all their energy to serving the mission of the Church. (82) Let us
thank God for all those priests who have suffered even to the sacrifice
of their lives in order to serve Christ. The eloquence of their example
shows what it means to be a priest to the end. Theirs is a moving
witness that can inspire many young people to follow Christ and to
expend their lives for others, and thus to discover true life.
V. The Eucharist and Matrimony
The Eucharist, a nuptial sacrament
27. The Eucharist, as the sacrament of charity, has a particular
relationship with the love of man and woman united in marriage. A
deeper understanding of this relationship is needed at the present
time. (83) Pope John Paul II frequently spoke of the nuptial character
of the Eucharist and its special relationship with the sacrament of
Matrimony: "The Eucharist is the sacrament of our redemption. It is the
sacrament of the Bridegroom and of the Bride." (84) Moreover, "the
entire Christian life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and
the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a
nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial bath which precedes the
wedding feast, the Eucharist." (85) The Eucharist inexhaustibly
strengthens the indissoluble unity and love of every Christian
marriage. By the power of the sacrament, the marriage bond is
intrinsically linked to the eucharistic unity of Christ the Bridegroom
and his Bride, the Church (cf. Eph 5:31-32). The mutual consent that
husband and wife exchange in Christ, which establishes them as a
community of life and love, also has a eucharistic dimension. Indeed,
in the theology of Saint Paul, conjugal love is a sacramental sign of
Christ's love for his Church, a love culminating in the Cross, the
expression of his "marriage" with humanity and at the same time the
origin and heart of the Eucharist. For this reason the Church manifests
her particular spiritual closeness to all those who have built their
family on the sacrament of Matrimony. (86) The family – the
domestic Church (87) – is a primary sphere of the Church's life,
especially because of its decisive role in the Christian education of
children. (88) In this context, the Synod also called for an
acknowledgment of the unique mission of women in the family and in
society, a mission that needs to be defended, protected and promoted.
(89) Marriage and motherhood represent essential realities which must
never be denigrated.
The Eucharist and the unicity of marriage
28. In the light of this intrinsic relationship between marriage, the
family and the Eucharist, we can turn to several pastoral problems. The
indissoluble, exclusive and faithful bond uniting Christ and the
Church, which finds sacramental expression in the Eucharist,
corresponds to the basic anthropological fact that man is meant to be
definitively united to one woman and vice versa (cf. Gen 2:24, Mt
19:5). With this in mind, the Synod of Bishops addressed the question
of pastoral practice regarding people who come to the Gospel from
cultures in which polygamy is practised. Those living in this situation
who open themselves to Christian faith need to be helped to integrate
their life-plan into the radical newness of Christ. During the
catechumenate, Christ encounters them in their specific circumstances
and calls them to embrace the full truth of love, making whatever
sacrifices are necessary in order to arrive at perfect ecclesial
communion. The Church accompanies them with a pastoral care that is
gentle yet firm, (90) above all by showing them the light shed by the
Christian mysteries on nature and on human affections.
The Eucharist and the indissolubility of marriage
29. If the Eucharist expresses the irrevocable nature of God's love in
Christ for his Church, we can then understand why it implies, with
regard to the sacrament of Matrimony, that indissolubility to which all
true love necessarily aspires. (91) There was good reason for the
pastoral attention that the Synod gave to the painful situations
experienced by some of the faithful who, having celebrated the
sacrament of Matrimony, then divorced and remarried. This represents a
complex and troubling pastoral problem, a real scourge for contemporary
society, and one which increasingly affects the Catholic community as
well. The Church's pastors, out of love for the truth, are obliged to
discern different situations carefully, in order to be able to offer
appropriate spiritual guidance to the faithful involved.(92) The Synod
of Bishops confirmed the Church's practice, based on Sacred Scripture
(cf. Mk 10:2- 12), of not admitting the divorced and remarried to the
sacraments, since their state and their condition of life objectively
contradict the loving union of Christ and the Church signified and made
present in the Eucharist. Yet the divorced and remarried continue to
belong to the Church, which accompanies them with special concern and
encourages them to live as fully as possible the Christian life through
regular participation at Mass, albeit without receiving communion,
listening to the word of God, eucharistic adoration, prayer,
participation in the life of the community, honest dialogue with a
priest or spiritual director, dedication to the life of charity, works
of penance, and commitment to the education of their children.
When legitimate doubts exist about the validity of the prior
sacramental marriage, the necessary investigation must be carried out
to establish if these are well-founded. Consequently there is a need to
ensure, in full respect for canon law (93), the presence of local
ecclesiastical tribunals, their pastoral character, and their correct
and prompt functioning (94). Each Diocese should have a sufficient
number of persons with the necessary preparation, so that the
ecclesiastical tribunals can operate in an expeditious manner. I repeat
that "it is a grave obligation to bring the Church's institutional
activity in her tribunals ever closer to the faithful" (95). At the
same time, pastoral care must not be understood as if it were somehow
in conflict with the law. Rather, one should begin by assuming that the
fundamental point of encounter between the law and pastoral care is
love for the truth: truth is never something purely abstract, but "a
real part of the human and Christian journey of every member of the
faithful" (96). Finally, where the nullity of the marriage bond is not
declared and objective circumstances make it impossible to cease
cohabitation, the Church encourages these members of the faithful to
commit themselves to living their relationship in fidelity to the
demands of God's law, as friends, as brother and sister; in this way
they will be able to return to the table of the Eucharist, taking care
to observe the Church's established and approved practice in this
regard. This path, if it is to be possible and fruitful, must be
supported by pastors and by adequate ecclesial initiatives, nor can it
ever involve the blessing of these relations, lest confusion arise
among the faithful concerning the value of marriage (97).
Given the complex cultural context which the Church today encounters in
many countries, the Synod also recommended devoting maximum pastoral
attention to training couples preparing for marriage and to
ascertaining beforehand their convictions regarding the obligations
required for the validity of the sacrament of Matrimony. Serious
discernment in this matter will help to avoid situations where
impulsive decisions or superficial reasons lead two young people to
take on responsibilities that they are then incapable of honouring.
(98) The good that the Church and society as a whole expect from
marriage and from the family founded upon marriage is so great as to
call for full pastoral commitment to this particular area. Marriage and
the family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from
every possible misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever
is injurious to them is injurious to society itself.
The Eucharist and Eschatology
The Eucharist: a gift to men and women on their journey
30. If it is true that the sacraments are part of the Church's
pilgrimage through history (99) towards the full manifestation of the
victory of the risen Christ, it is also true that, especially in the
liturgy of the Eucharist, they give us a real foretaste of the
eschatological fulfilment for which every human being and all creation
are destined (cf. Rom 8:19ff.). Man is created for that true and
eternal happiness which only God's love can give. But our wounded
freedom would go astray were it not already able to experience
something of that future fulfilment. Moreover, to move forward in the
right direction, we all need to be guided towards our final goal. That
goal is Christ himself, the Lord who conquered sin and death, and who
makes himself present to us in a special way in the eucharistic
celebration. Even though we remain "aliens and exiles" in this world (1
Pet 2:11), through faith we already share in the fullness of risen
life. The eucharistic banquet, by disclosing its powerful
eschatological dimension, comes to the aid of our freedom as we
continue our journey.
The eschatological banquet
31. Reflecting on this mystery, we can say that Jesus' coming responded
to an expectation present in the people of Israel, in the whole of
humanity and ultimately in creation itself. By his self-gift, he
objectively inaugurated the eschatological age. Christ came to gather
together the scattered People of God (cf. Jn 11:52) and clearly
manifested his intention to gather together the community of the
covenant, in order to bring to fulfilment the promises made by God to
the fathers of old (cf. Jer 23:3; Lk 1:55, 70). In the calling of the
Twelve, which is to be understood in relation to the twelve tribes of
Israel, and in the command he gave them at the Last Supper, before his
redemptive passion, to celebrate his memorial, Jesus showed that he
wished to transfer to the entire community which he had founded the
task of being, within history, the sign and instrument of the
eschatological gathering that had its origin in him. Consequently,
every eucharistic celebration sacramentally accomplishes the
eschatological gathering of the People of God. For us, the eucharistic
banquet is a real foretaste of the final banquet foretold by the
prophets (cf. Is 25:6-9) and described in the New Testament as "the
marriage-feast of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7-9), to be celebrated in the joy
of the communion of saints (100).
Prayer for the dead
32. The eucharistic celebration, in which we proclaim that Christ has
died and risen, and will come again, is a pledge of the future glory in
which our bodies too will be glorified. Celebrating the memorial of our
salvation strengthens our hope in the resurrection of the body and in
the possibility of meeting once again, face to face, those who have
gone before us marked with the sign of faith. In this context, I wish,
together with the Synod Fathers, to remind all the faithful of the
importance of prayers for the dead, especially the offering of Mass for
them, so that, once purified, they can come to the beatific vision of
God. (101) A rediscovery of the eschatological dimension inherent in
the Eucharist, celebrated and adored, will help sustain us on our
journey and comfort us in the hope of glory (cf. Rom 5:2; Tit 2:13).
The Eucharist and the Virgin Mary
33. From the relationship between the Eucharist and the individual
sacraments, and from the eschatological significance of the sacred
mysteries, the overall shape of the Christian life emerges, a life
called at all times to be an act of spiritual worship, a self-offering
pleasing to God. Although we are all still journeying towards the
complete fulfilment of our hope, this does not mean that we cannot
already gratefully acknowledge that God's gifts to us have found their
perfect fulfilment in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother.
Mary's Assumption body and soul into heaven is for us a sign of sure
hope, for it shows us, on our pilgrimage through time, the
eschatological goal of which the sacrament of the Eucharist enables us
even now to have a foretaste.
In Mary most holy, we also see perfectly fulfilled the "sacramental"
way that God comes down to meet his creatures and involves them in his
saving work. From the Annunciation to Pentecost, Mary of Nazareth
appears as someone whose freedom is completely open to God's will. Her
immaculate conception is revealed precisely in her unconditional
docility to God's word. Obedient faith in response to God's work shapes
her life at every moment. A virgin attentive to God's word, she lives
in complete harmony with his will; she treasures in her heart the words
that come to her from God and, piecing them together like a mosaic, she
learns to understand them more deeply (cf. Lk 2:19, 51); Mary is the
great Believer who places herself confidently in God's hands,
abandoning herself to his will. (102) This mystery deepens as she
becomes completely involved in the redemptive mission of Jesus. In the
words of the Second Vatican Council, "the blessed Virgin advanced in
her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with
her Son until she stood at the Cross, in keeping with the divine plan
(cf. Jn 19:25), suffering deeply with her only-begotten Son,
associating herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and
lovingly consenting to the immolation of the victim who was born of
her. Finally, she was given by the same Christ Jesus, dying on the
Cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: ‘Woman,
behold your Son."' (103) From the Annunciation to the Cross, Mary is
the one who received the Word, made flesh within her and then silenced
in death. It is she, lastly, who took into her arms the lifeless body
of the one who truly loved his own "to the end" (Jn 13:1).
Consequently, every time we approach the Body and Blood of Christ in
the eucharistic liturgy, we also turn to her who, by her complete
fidelity, received Christ's sacrifice for the whole Church. The Synod
Fathers rightly declared that "Mary inaugurates the Church's
participation in the sacrifice of the Redeemer." (104) She is the
Immaculata, who receives God's gift unconditionally and is thus
associated with his work of salvation. Mary of Nazareth, icon of the
nascent Church, is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift
that Jesus makes of himself in the Eucharist.
PART TWO
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY
TO BE CELEBRATED
"Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven" (Jn 6:32)
Lex orandi and lex credendi
34. The Synod of Bishops reflected at length on the intrinsic
relationship between eucharistic faith and eucharistic celebration,
pointing out the connection between the lex orandi and the lex
credendi, and stressing the primacy of the liturgical action. The
Eucharist should be experienced as a mystery of faith, celebrated
authentically and with a clear awareness that "the intellectus fidei
has a primordial relationship to the Church's liturgical action." (105)
Theological reflection in this area can never prescind from the
sacramental order instituted by Christ himself. On the other hand, the
liturgical action can never be considered generically, prescinding from
the mystery of faith. Our faith and the eucharistic liturgy both have
their source in the same event: Christ's gift of himself in the Paschal
Mystery.
Beauty and the liturgy
35. This relationship between creed and worship is evidenced in a
particular way by the rich theological and liturgical category of
beauty. Like the rest of Christian Revelation, the liturgy is
inherently linked to beauty: it is veritatis splendor. The liturgy is a
radiant expression of the paschal mystery, in which Christ draws us to
himself and calls us to communion. As Saint Bonaventure would say, in
Jesus we contemplate beauty and splendour at their source. (106) This
is no mere aestheticism, but the concrete way in which the truth of
God's love in Christ encounters us, attracts us and delights us,
enabling us to emerge from ourselves and drawing us towards our true
vocation, which is love. (107) God allows himself to be glimpsed first
in creation, in the beauty and harmony of the cosmos (cf. Wis 13:5; Rom
1:19- 20). In the Old Testament we see many signs of the grandeur of
God's power as he manifests his glory in his wondrous deeds among the
Chosen People (cf. Ex 14; 16:10; 24:12-18; Num 14:20- 23). In the New
Testament this epiphany of beauty reaches definitive fulfilment in
God's revelation in Jesus Christ: (108) Christ is the full
manifestation of the glory of God. In the glorification of the Son, the
Father's glory shines forth and is communicated (cf. Jn 1:14; 8:54;
12:28; 17:1). Yet this beauty is not simply a harmony of proportion and
form; "the fairest of the sons of men" (Ps 45[44]:3) is also,
mysteriously, the one "who had no form or comeliness that we should
look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him" (Is 53:2). Jesus
Christ shows us how the truth of love can transform even the dark
mystery of death into the radiant light of the resurrection. Here the
splendour of God's glory surpasses all worldly beauty. The truest
beauty is the love of God, who definitively revealed himself to us in
the paschal mystery.
The beauty of the liturgy is part of this mystery; it is a sublime
expression of God's glory and, in a certain sense, a glimpse of heaven
on earth. The memorial of Jesus' redemptive sacrifice contains
something of that beauty which Peter, James and John beheld when the
Master, making his way to Jerusalem, was transfigured before their eyes
(cf. Mk 9:2). Beauty, then, is not mere decoration, but rather an
essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an attribute of
God himself and his revelation. These considerations should make us
realize the care which is needed, if the liturgical action is to
reflect its innate splendour.
The Eucharistic celebration, the work of "Christus Totus"
Christus totus in capite et in corpore
36. The "subject" of the liturgy's intrinsic beauty is Christ himself,
risen and glorified in the Holy Spirit, who includes the Church in his
work. (109) Here we can recall an evocative phrase of Saint Augustine
which strikingly describes this dynamic of faith proper to the
Eucharist. The great Bishop of Hippo, speaking specifically of the
eucharistic mystery, stresses the fact that Christ assimilates us to
himself: "The bread you see on the altar, sanctified by the word of
God, is the body of Christ. The chalice, or rather, what the chalice
contains, sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ. In
these signs, Christ the Lord willed to entrust to us his body and the
blood which he shed for the forgiveness of our sins. If you have
received them properly, you yourselves are what you have received."
(110) Consequently, "not only have we become Christians, we have become
Christ himself." (111) We can thus contemplate God's mysterious work,
which brings about a profound unity between ourselves and the Lord
Jesus: "one should not believe that Christ is in the head but not in
the body; rather he is complete in the head and in the body." (112)
The Eucharist and the risen Christ
37. Since the eucharistic liturgy is essentially an actio Dei which
draws us into Christ through the Holy Spirit, its basic structure is
not something within our power to change, nor can it be held hostage by
the latest trends. Here too Saint Paul's irrefutable statement applies:
"no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid,
which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 3:11). Again it is the Apostle of the
Gentiles who assures us that, with regard to the Eucharist, he is
presenting not his own teaching but what he himself has received (cf. 1
Cor 11:23). The celebration of the Eucharist implies and involves the
living Tradition. The Church celebrates the eucharistic sacrifice in
obedience to Christ's command, based on her experience of the Risen
Lord and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, from the
beginning, the Christian community has gathered for the fractio panis
on the Lord's Day. Sunday, the day Christ rose from the dead, is also
the first day of the week, the day which the Old Testament tradition
saw as the beginning of God's work of creation. The day of creation has
now become the day of the "new creation," the day of our liberation,
when we commemorate Christ who died and rose again (113).
Ars celebrandi
38. In the course of the Synod, there was frequent insistence on the
need to avoid any antithesis between the ars celebrandi, the art of
proper celebration, and the full, active and fruitful participation of
all the faithful. The primary way to foster the participation of the
People of God in the sacred rite is the proper celebration of the rite
itself. The ars celebrandi is the best way to ensure their actuosa
participatio. (114) The ars celebrandi is the fruit of faithful
adherence to the liturgical norms in all their richness; indeed, for
two thousand years this way of celebrating has sustained the faith life
of all believers, called to take part in the celebration as the People
of God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (cf. 1 Pet 2:4-5, 9) (115).
The Bishop, celebrant par excellence
39. While it is true that the whole People of God participates in the
eucharistic liturgy, a correct ars celebrandi necessarily entails a
specific responsibility on the part of those who have received the
sacrament of Holy Orders. Bishops, priests, and deacons, each according
to his proper rank, must consider the celebration of the liturgy as
their principal duty (116). Above all, this is true of the Diocesan
Bishop: as "the chief steward of the mysteries of God in the particular
Church entrusted to his care, he is the moderator, promoter, and
guardian of the whole of its liturgical life" (117). This is essential
for the life of the particular Church, not only because communion with
the Bishop is required for the lawfulness of every celebration within
his territory, but also because he himself is the celebrant par
excellence within his Diocese (118). It is his responsibility to ensure
unity and harmony in the celebrations taking place in his territory.
Consequently the Bishop must be "determined that the priests, the
deacons, and the lay Christian faithful grasp ever more deeply the
genuine meaning of the rites and liturgical texts, and thereby be led
to an active and fruitful celebration of the Eucharist" (119). I would
ask that every effort be made to ensure that the liturgies which the
Bishop celebrates in his Cathedral are carried out with complete
respect for the ars celebrandi, so that they can be considered an
example for the entire Diocese (120).
Respect for the liturgical books and the richness of signs
40. Emphasizing the importance of the ars celebrandi also leads to an
appreciation of the value of the liturgical norms. (121) The ars
celebrandi should foster a sense of the sacred and the use of outward
signs which help to cultivate this sense, such as, for example, the
harmony of the rite, the liturgical vestments, the furnishings and the
sacred space. The eucharistic celebration is enhanced when priests and
liturgical leaders are committed to making known the current liturgical
texts and norms, making available the great riches found in the General
Instruction of the Roman Missal and the Order of Readings for Mass.
Perhaps we take it for granted that our ecclesial communities already
know and appreciate these resources, but this is not always the case.
These texts contain riches which have preserved and expressed the faith
and experience of the People of God over its two-thousand-year history.
Equally important for a correct ars celebrandi is an attentiveness to
the various kinds of language that the liturgy employs: words and
music, gestures and silence, movement, the liturgical colours of the
vestments. By its very nature the liturgy operates on different levels
of communication which enable it to engage the whole human person. The
simplicity of its gestures and the sobriety of its orderly sequence of
signs communicate and inspire more than any contrived and inappropriate
additions. Attentiveness and fidelity to the specific structure of the
rite express both a recognition of the nature of Eucharist as a gift
and, on the part of the minister, a docile openness to receiving this
ineffable gift.
Art at the service of the liturgy
41. The profound connection between beauty and the liturgy should make
us attentive to every work of art placed at the service of the
celebration. (122) Certainly an important element of sacred art is
church architecture, (123) which should highlight the unity of the
furnishings of the sanctuary, such as the altar, the crucifix, the
tabernacle, the ambo and the celebrant's chair. Here it is important to
remember that the purpose of sacred architecture is to offer the Church
a fitting space for the celebration of the mysteries of faith,
especially the Eucharist. (124) The very nature of a Christian church
is defined by the liturgy, which is an assembly of the faithful
(ecclesia) who are the living stones of the Church (cf. 1 Pet 2:5).
This same principle holds true for sacred art in general, especially
painting and sculpture, where religious iconography should be directed
to sacramental mystagogy. A solid knowledge of the history of sacred
art can be advantageous for those responsible for commissioning artists
and architects to create works of art for the liturgy. Consequently it
is essential that the education of seminarians and priests include the
study of art history, with special reference to sacred buildings and
the corresponding liturgical norms. Everything related to the Eucharist
should be marked by beauty. Special respect and care must also be given
to the vestments, the furnishings and the sacred vessels, so that by
their harmonious and orderly arrangement they will foster awe for the
mystery of God, manifest the unity of the faith and strengthen devotion
(125).
Liturgical song
42. In the ars celebrandi, liturgical song has a pre-eminent place.
(126) Saint Augustine rightly says in a famous sermon that "the new man
sings a new song. Singing is an expression of joy and, if we consider
the matter, an expression of love" (127). The People of God assembled
for the liturgy sings the praises of God. In the course of her
two-thousand-year history, the Church has created, and still creates,
music and songs which represent a rich patrimony of faith and love.
This heritage must not be lost. Certainly as far as the liturgy is
concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic
improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to
respect the meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of
the liturgy, song should be well integrated into the overall
celebration (128). Consequently everything – texts, music,
execution – ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery
being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons
(129). Finally, while respecting various styles and different and
highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in accordance with the
request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant be suitably
esteemed and employed (130) as the chant proper to the Roman liturgy
(131).
The structure of the Eucharistic Celebration
43. After mentioning the more significant elements of the ars
celebrandi that emerged during the Synod, I would now like to turn to
some specific aspects of the structure of the eucharistic celebration
which require special attention at the present time, if we are to
remain faithful to the underlying intention of the liturgical renewal
called for by the Second Vatican Council, in continuity with the great
ecclesial tradition.
The intrinsic unity of the liturgical action
44. First of all, there is a need to reflect on the inherent unity of
the rite of Mass. Both in catechesis and in the actual manner of
celebration, one must avoid giving the impression that the two parts of
the rite are merely juxtaposed. The liturgy of the word and the
Eucharistic liturgy, with the rites of introduction and conclusion,
"are so closely interconnected that they form but one single act of
worship." (132) There is an intrinsic bond between the word of God and
the Eucharist. From listening to the word of God, faith is born or
strengthened (cf. Rom 10:17); in the Eucharist the Word made flesh
gives himself to us as our spiritual food. (133) Thus, "from the two
tables of the word of God and the Body of Christ, the Church receives
and gives to the faithful the bread of life." (134) Consequently it
must constantly be kept in mind that the word of God, read and
proclaimed by the Church in the liturgy, leads to the Eucharist as to
its own connatural end.
The liturgy of the word
45. Together with the Synod, I ask that the liturgy of the word always
be carefully prepared and celebrated. Consequently I urge that every
effort be made to ensure that the liturgical proclamation of the word
of God is entrusted to well- prepared readers. Let us never forget that
"when the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks
to his people, and Christ, present in his own word, proclaims the
Gospel"(135). When circumstances so suggest, a few brief words of
introduction could be offered in order to focus the attention of the
faithful. If it is to be properly understood, the word of God must be
listened to and accepted in a spirit of communion with the Church and
with a clear awareness of its unity with the sacrament of the
Eucharist. Indeed, the word which we proclaim and accept is the Word
made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14); it is inseparably linked to Christ's person
and the sacramental mode of his continued presence in our midst. Christ
does not speak in the past, but in the present, even as he is present
in the liturgical action. In this sacramental context of Christian
revelation (136), knowledge and study of the word of God enable us
better to appreciate, celebrate and live the Eucharist. Here too, we
can see how true it is that "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of
Christ" (137).
To this end, the faithful should be helped to appreciate the riches of
Sacred Scripture found in the lectionary through pastoral initiatives,
liturgies of the word and reading in the context of prayer (lectio
divina). Efforts should also be made to encourage those forms of prayer
confirmed by tradition, such as the Liturgy of the Hours, especially
Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer, and vigil
celebrations. By praying the Psalms, the Scripture readings and the
readings drawn from the great tradition which are included in the
Divine Office, we can come to a deeper experience of the Christ-event
and the economy of salvation, which in turn can enrich our
understanding and participation in the celebration of the Eucharist
(138).
The homily
46. Given the importance of the word of God, the quality of homilies
needs to be improved. The homily is "part of the liturgical action"
(139), and is meant to foster a deeper understanding of the word of
God, so that it can bear fruit in the lives of the faithful. Hence
ordained ministers must "prepare the homily carefully, based on an
adequate knowledge of Sacred Scripture" (140). Generic and abstract
homilies should be avoided. In particular, I ask these ministers to
preach in such a way that the homily closely relates the proclamation
of the word of God to the sacramental celebration (141) and the life of
the community, so that the word of God truly becomes the Church's vital
nourishment and support (142). The catechetical and paraenetic aim of
the homily should not be forgotten. During the course of the liturgical
year it is appropriate to offer the faithful, prudently and on the
basis of the three-year lectionary, "thematic" homilies treating the
great themes of the Christian faith, on the basis of what has been
authoritatively proposed by the Magisterium in the four "pillars" of
the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the recent Compendium, namely:
the profession of faith, the celebration of the Christian mystery, life
in Christ and Christian prayer (143).
The presentation of the gifts
47. The Synod Fathers also drew attention to the presentation of the
gifts. This is not to be viewed simply as a kind of "interval" between
the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. To do so
would tend to weaken, at the least, the sense of a single rite made up
of two interrelated parts. This humble and simple gesture is actually
very significant: in the bread and wine that we bring to the altar, all
creation is taken up by Christ the Redeemer to be transformed and
presented to the Father. (144) In this way we also bring to the altar
all the pain and suffering of the world, in the certainty that
everything has value in God's eyes. The authentic meaning of this
gesture can be clearly expressed without the need for undue emphasis or
complexity. It enables us to appreciate how God invites man to
participate in bringing to fulfilment his handiwork, and in so doing,
gives human labour its authentic meaning, since, through the
celebration of the Eucharist, it is united to the redemptive sacrifice
of Christ.
The Eucharistic Prayer
48. The Eucharistic Prayer is "the centre and summit of the entire
celebration" (145). Its importance deserves to be adequately
emphasized. The different Eucharistic Prayers contained in the Missal
have been handed down to us by the Church's living Tradition and are
noteworthy for their inexhaustible theological and spiritual richness.
The faithful need to be enabled to appreciate that richness. Here the
General Instruction of the Roman Missal can help, with its list of the
basic elements of every Eucharistic Prayer: thanksgiving, acclamation,
epiclesis, institution narrative and consecration, anamnesis, offering,
intercessions and final doxology (146). In a particular way,
eucharistic spirituality and theological reflection are enriched if we
contemplate in the anaphora the profound unity between the invocation
of the Holy Spirit and the institution narrative (147) whereby "the
sacrifice is carried out which Christ himself instituted at the Last
Supper" (148). Indeed, "the Church implores the power of the Holy
Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be consecrated, that is,
become Christ's Body and Blood, and that the spotless Victim to be
received in communion be for the salvation of those who will partake of
it" (149).
The sign of peace
49. By its nature the Eucharist is the sacrament of peace. At Mass this
dimension of the eucharistic mystery finds specific expression in the
sign of peace. Certainly this sign has great value (cf. Jn 14:27). In
our times, fraught with fear and conflict, this gesture has become
particularly eloquent, as the Church has become increasingly conscious
of her responsibility to pray insistently for the gift of peace and
unity for herself and for the whole human family. Certainly there is an
irrepressible desire for peace present in every heart. The Church gives
voice to the hope for peace and reconciliation rising up from every man
and woman of good will, directing it towards the one who "is our peace"
(Eph 2:14) and who can bring peace to individuals and peoples when all
human efforts fail. We can thus understand the emotion so often felt
during the sign of peace at a liturgical celebration. Even so, during
the Synod of Bishops there was discussion about the appropriateness of
greater restraint in this gesture, which can be exaggerated and cause a
certain distraction in the assembly just before the reception of
Communion. It should be kept in mind that nothing is lost when the sign
of peace is marked by a sobriety which preserves the proper spirit of
the celebration, as, for example, when it is restricted to one's
immediate neighbours (150).
The distribution and reception of the Eucharist
50. Another moment of the celebration needing to be mentioned is the
distribution and reception of Holy Communion. I ask everyone,
especially ordained ministers and those who, after adequate preparation
and in cases of genuine need, are authorized to exercise the ministry
of distributing the Eucharist, to make every effort to ensure that this
simple act preserves its importance as a personal encounter with the
Lord Jesus in the sacrament. For the rules governing correct practice
in this regard, I would refer to those documents recently issued on the
subject. (151) All Christian communities are to observe the current
norms faithfully, seeing in them an expression of the faith and love
with which we all must regard this sublime sacrament. Furthermore, the
precious time of thanksgiving after communion should not be neglected:
besides the singing of an appropriate hymn, it can also be most helpful
to remain recollected in silence. (152)
In this regard, I would like to call attention to a pastoral problem
frequently encountered nowadays. I am referring to the fact that on
certain occasions – for example, wedding Masses, funerals and the
like – in addition to practising Catholics there may be others
present who have long since ceased to attend Mass or are living in a
situation which does not permit them to receive the sacraments. At
other times members of other Christian confessions and even other
religions may be present. Similar situations can occur in churches that
are frequently visited, especially in tourist areas. In these cases,
there is a need to find a brief and clear way to remind those present
of the meaning of sacramental communion and the conditions required for
its reception. Wherever circumstances make it impossible to ensure that
the meaning of the Eucharist is duly appreciated, the appropriateness
of replacing the celebration of the Mass with a celebration of the word
of God should be considered. (153)
The dismissal: "Ite, missa est"
51. Finally, I would like to comment briefly on the observations of the
Synod Fathers regarding the dismissal at the end of the eucharistic
celebration. After the blessing, the deacon or the priest dismisses the
people with the words: Ite, missa est. These words help us to grasp the
relationship between the Mass just celebrated and the mission of
Christians in the world. In antiquity, missa simply meant "dismissal."
However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The
word "dismissal" has come to imply a "mission." These few words
succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. The People of
God might be helped to understand more clearly this essential dimension
of the Church's life, taking the dismissal as a starting- point. In
this context, it might also be helpful to provide new texts, duly
approved, for the prayer over the people and the final blessing, in
order to make this connection clear (154).
Actuosa participatio
Authentic participation
52. The Second Vatican Council rightly emphasized the active, full and
fruitful participation of the entire People of God in the eucharistic
celebration (155). Certainly, the renewal carried out in these past
decades has made considerable progress towards fulfilling the wishes of
the Council Fathers. Yet we must not overlook the fact that some
misunderstanding has occasionally arisen concerning the precise meaning
of this participation. It should be made clear that the word
"participation" does not refer to mere external activity during the
celebration. In fact, the active participation called for by the
Council must be understood in more substantial terms, on the basis of a
greater awareness of the mystery being celebrated and its relationship
to daily life. The conciliar Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium
encouraged the faithful to take part in the eucharistic liturgy not "as
strangers or silent spectators," but as participants "in the sacred
action, conscious of what they are doing, actively and devoutly" (156).
This exhortation has lost none of its force. The Council went on to say
that the faithful "should be instructed by God's word, and nourished at
the table of the Lord's Body. They should give thanks to God. Offering
the immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the priest but
also together with him, they should learn to make an offering of
themselves. Through Christ, the Mediator, they should be drawn day by
day into ever more perfect union with God and each other" (157).
Participation and the priestly ministry
53. The beauty and the harmony of the liturgy find eloquent expression
in the order by which everyone is called to participate actively. This
entails an acknowledgment of the distinct hierarchical roles involved
in the celebration. It is helpful to recall that active participation
is not per se equivalent to the exercise of a specific ministry. The
active participation of the laity does not benefit from the confusion
arising from an inability to distinguish, within the Church's
communion, the different functions proper to each one. (158) There is a
particular need for clarity with regard to the specific functions of
the priest. He alone, and no other, as the tradition of the Church
attests, presides over the entire eucharistic celebration, from the
initial greeting to the final blessing. In virtue of his reception of
Holy Orders, he represents Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, and,
in a specific way, also the Church herself. (159) Every celebration of
the Eucharist, in fact, is led by the Bishop, "either in person or
through priests who are his helpers."(160) He is helped by a deacon,
who has specific duties during the celebration: he prepares the altar,
assists the priest, proclaims the Gospel, preaches the homily from time
to time, reads the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, and
distributes the Eucharist to the faithful. (161) Associated with these
ministries linked to the sacrament of Holy Orders, there are also other
ministries of liturgical service which can be carried out in a
praiseworthy manner by religious and properly trained laity. (162)
The eucharistic celebration and inculturation
54. On the basis of these fundamental statements of the Second Vatican
Council, the Synod Fathers frequently stressed the importance of the
active participation of the faithful in the eucharistic sacrifice. In
order to foster this participation, provision may be made for a number
of adaptations appropriate to different contexts and cultures. (163)
The fact that certain abuses have occurred does not detract from this
clear principle, which must be upheld in accordance with the real needs
of the Church as she lives and celebrates the one mystery of Christ in
a variety of cultural situations. In the mystery of the Incarnation,
the Lord Jesus, born of woman and fully human (cf. Gal 4:4), entered
directly into a relationship not only with the expectations present
within the Old Testament, but also with those of all peoples. He thus
showed that God wishes to encounter us in our own concrete situation. A
more effective participation of the faithful in the holy mysteries will
thus benefit from the continued inculturation of the eucharistic
celebration, with due regard for the possibilities for adaptation
provided in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, (164)
interpreted in the light of the criteria laid down by the Fourth
Instruction of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline
of the Sacraments Varietates Legitimae of 25 January 1994 (165) and the
directives expressed by Pope John Paul II in the Post-Synodal
Exhortations Ecclesia in Africa, Ecclesia in America, Ecclesia in Asia,
Ecclesia in Oceania and Ecclesia in Europa (166). To this end, I
encourage Episcopal Conferences to strive to maintain a proper balance
between the criteria and directives already issued and new adaptations
(167), always in accord with the Apostolic See.
Personal conditions for an "active participation"
55. In their consideration of the actuosa participatio of the faithful
in the liturgy, the Synod Fathers also discussed the personal
conditions required for fruitful participation on the part of
individuals. (168) One of these is certainly the spirit of constant
conversion which must mark the lives of all the faithful. Active
participation in the eucharistic liturgy can hardly be expected if one
approaches it superficially, without an examination of his or her life.
This inner disposition can be fostered, for example, by recollection
and silence for at least a few moments before the beginning of the
liturgy, by fasting and, when necessary, by sacramental confession. A
heart reconciled to God makes genuine participation possible. The
faithful need to be reminded that there can be no actuosa participatio
in the sacred mysteries without an accompanying effort to participate
actively in the life of the Church as a whole, including a missionary
commitment to bring Christ's love into the life of society.
Clearly, full participation in the Eucharist takes place when the
faithful approach the altar in person to receive communion (169). Yet
true as this is, care must be taken lest they conclude that the mere
fact of their being present in church during the liturgy gives them a
right or even an obligation to approach the table of the Eucharist.
Even in cases where it is not possible to receive sacramental
communion, participation at Mass remains necessary, important,
meaningful and fruitful. In such circumstances it is beneficial to
cultivate a desire for full union with Christ through the practice of
spiritual communion, praised by Pope John Paul II (170) and recommended
by saints who were masters of the spiritual life (171).
Participation by Christians who are not Catholic
56. The subject of participation in the Eucharist inevitably raises the
question of Christians belonging to Churches or Ecclesial Communities
not in full communion with the Catholic Church. In this regard, it must
be said that the intrinsic link between the Eucharist and the Church's
unity inspires us to long for the day when we will be able to celebrate
the Holy Eucharist together with all believers in Christ, and in this
way to express visibly the fullness of unity that Christ willed for his
disciples (cf. Jn 17:21). On the other hand, the respect we owe to the
sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood prevents us from making it a mere
"means" to be used indiscriminately in order to attain that unity.
(172) The Eucharist in fact not only manifests our personal communion
with Jesus Christ, but also implies full communio with the Church. This
is the reason why, sadly albeit not without hope, we ask Christians who
are not Catholic to understand and respect our conviction, which is
grounded in the Bible and Tradition. We hold that eucharistic communion
and ecclesial communion are so linked as to make it generally
impossible for non-Catholic Christians to receive the former without
enjoying the latter. There would be even less sense in actually
concelebrating with ministers of Churches or ecclesial communities not
in full communion with the Catholic Church. Yet it remains true that,
for the sake of their eternal salvation, individual non-Catholic
Christians can be admitted to the Eucharist, the sacrament of
Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. But this is possible only
in specific, exceptional situations and requires that certain precisely
defined conditions be met (173). These are clearly indicated in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church (174) and in its Compendium (175).
Everyone is obliged to observe these norms faithfully.
Participation through the communications media
57. Thanks to the remarkable development of the communications media,
the word "participation" has taken on a broader meaning in recent
decades. We all gladly acknowledge that the media have also opened up
new possibilities for the celebration of the Eucharist. (176) This
requires a specific preparation and a keen sense of responsibility on
the part of pastoral workers in the sector. When Mass is broadcast on
television, it inevitably tends to set an example. Particular care
should therefore be taken to ensure that, in addition to taking place
in suitable and well-appointed locations, the celebration respects the
liturgical norms in force.
Finally, with regard to the value of taking part in Mass via the
communications media, those who hear or view these broadcasts should be
aware that, under normal circumstances, they do not fulfil the
obligation of attending Mass. Visual images can represent reality, but
they do not actually reproduce it.(177) While it is most praiseworthy
that the elderly and the sick participate in Sunday Mass through radio
and television, the same cannot be said of those who think that such
broadcasts dispense them from going to church and sharing in the
eucharistic assembly in the living Church.
Active participation by the sick
58. In thinking of those who cannot attend places of worship for
reasons of health or advanced age, I wish to call the attention of the
whole Church community to the pastoral importance of providing
spiritual assistance to the sick, both those living at home and those
in hospital. Their situation was often mentioned during the Synod of
Bishops. These brothers and sisters of ours should have the opportunity
to receive sacramental communion frequently. In this way they can
strengthen their relationship with Christ, crucified and risen, and
feel fully involved in the Church's life and mission by the offering of
their sufferings in union with our Lord's sacrifice. Particular
attention needs to be given to the disabled. When their condition so
permits, the Christian community should make it possible for them to
attend the place of worship. Buildings should be designed to provide
ready access to the disabled. Finally, whenever possible, eucharistic
communion should be made available to the mentally handicapped, if they
are baptized and confirmed: they receive the Eucharist in the faith
also of the family or the community that accompanies them. (178)
Care for prisoners
59. The Church's spiritual tradition, basing itself on Christ's own
words (cf. Mt 25:36), has designated the visiting of prisoners as one
of the corporal works of mercy. Prisoners have a particular need to be
visited personally by the Lord in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Experiencing the closeness of the ecclesial community, sharing in the
Eucharist and receiving holy communion at this difficult and painful
time can surely contribute to the quality of a prisoner's faith journey
and to full social rehabilitation. Taking up the recommendation of the
Synod, I ask Dioceses to do whatever is possible to ensure that
sufficient pastoral resources are invested in the spiritual care of
prisoners. (179)
Migrants and participation in the Eucharist
60. Turning now to those people who for various reasons are forced to
leave their native countries, the Synod expressed particular gratitude
to all those engaged in the pastoral care of migrants. Specific
attention needs to be paid to migrants belonging to the Eastern
Catholic Churches; in addition to being far from home, they also
encounter the difficulty of not being able to participate in the
eucharistic liturgy in their own rite. For this reason, wherever
possible, they should be served by priests of their rite. In all cases
I would ask Bishops to welcome these brothers and sisters with the love
of Christ. Contacts between the faithful of different rites can prove a
source of mutual enrichment. In particular, I am thinking of the
benefit that can come, especially for the clergy, from a knowledge of
the different traditions. (180)
Large-scale concelebrations
61. The Synod considered the quality of participation in the case of
large-scale celebrations held on special occasions and involving not
only a great number of the lay faithful, but also many concelebrating
priests. (181) On the one hand, it is easy to appreciate the importance
of these moments, especially when the Bishop himself celebrates,
surrounded by his presbyterate and by the deacons. On the other hand,
it is not always easy in such cases to give clear expression to the
unity of the presbyterate, especially during the Eucharistic Prayer and
the distribution of Holy Communion. Efforts need to be made lest these
large-scale concelebrations lose their proper focus. This can be done
by proper coordination and by arranging the place of worship so that
priests and lay faithful are truly able to participate fully. It should
be kept in mind, however, that here we are speaking of exceptional
concelebrations, limited to extraordinary situations.
The Latin language
62. None of the above observations should cast doubt upon the
importance of such large-scale liturgies. I am thinking here
particularly of celebrations at international gatherings, which
nowadays are held with greater frequency. The most should be made of
these occasions. In order to express more clearly the unity and
universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the
Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican
Council, (182) that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and
the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in
Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers (183) of the Church's
tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of
Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that
future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the
preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and
also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we
forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common
prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian
chant. (184)
Eucharistic celebrations in small groups
63. A very different situation arises when, in the interest of more
conscious, active and fruitful participation, pastoral circumstances
favour small group celebrations. While acknowledging the formative
value of this approach, it must be stated that such celebrations should
always be consonant with the overall pastoral activity of the Diocese.
These celebrations would actually lose their catechetical value if they
were felt to be in competition with, or parallel to, the life of the
particular Church. In this regard, the Synod set forth some necessary
criteria: small groups must serve to unify the community, not to
fragment it; the beneficial results ought to be clearly evident; these
groups should encourage the fruitful participation of the entire
assembly, and preserve as much as possible the unity of the liturgical
life of individual families. (185)
Interior participation in the celebration
Mystagogical catechesis
64. The Church's great liturgical tradition teaches us that fruitful
participation in the liturgy requires that one be personally conformed
to the mystery being celebrated, offering one's life to God in unity
with the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of the whole world. For
this reason, the Synod of Bishops asked that the faithful be helped to
make their interior dispositions correspond to their gestures and
words. Otherwise, however carefully planned and executed our liturgies
may be, they would risk falling into a certain ritualism. Hence the
need to provide an education in eucharistic faith capable of enabling
the faithful to live personally what they celebrate. Given the vital
importance of this personal and conscious participatio, what methods of
formation are needed? The Synod Fathers unanimously indicated, in this
regard, a mystagogical approach to catechesis, which would lead the
faithful to understand more deeply the mysteries being celebrated.
(186) In particular, given the close relationship between the ars
celebrandi and an actuosa participatio, it must first be said that "the
best catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself, celebrated
well." (187) By its nature, the liturgy can be pedagogically effective
in helping the faithful to enter more deeply into the mystery being
celebrated. That is why, in the Church's most ancient tradition, the
process of Christian formation always had an experiential character.
While not neglecting a systematic understanding of the content of the
faith, it centred on a vital and convincing encounter with Christ, as
proclaimed by authentic witnesses. It is first and foremost the witness
who introduces others to the mysteries. Naturally, this initial
encounter gains depth through catechesis and finds its source and
summit in the celebration of the Eucharist. This basic structure of the
Christian experience calls for a process of mystagogy which should
always respect three elements:
a) It interprets the rites in the light of the events of our salvation,
in accordance with the Church's living tradition. The celebration of
the Eucharist, in its infinite richness, makes constant reference to
salvation history. In Christ crucified and risen, we truly celebrate
the one who has united all things in himself (cf. Eph 1:10). From the
beginning, the Christian community has interpreted the events of Jesus'
life, and the Paschal Mystery in particular, in relation to the entire
history of the Old Testament.
b) A mystagogical catechesis must also be concerned with presenting the
meaning of the signs contained in the rites. This is particularly
important in a highly technological age like our own, which risks
losing the ability to appreciate signs and symbols. More than simply
conveying information, a mystagogical catechesis should be capable of
making the faithful more sensitive to the language of signs and
gestures which, together with the word, make up the rite.
c) Finally, a mystagogical catechesis must be concerned with bringing
out the significance of the rites for the Christian life in all its
dimensions – work and responsibility, thoughts and emotions,
activity and repose. Part of the mystagogical process is to demonstrate
how the mysteries celebrated in the rite are linked to the missionary
responsibility of the faithful. The mature fruit of mystagogy is an
awareness that one's life is being progressively transformed by the
holy mysteries being celebrated. The aim of all Christian education,
moreover, is to train the believer in an adult faith that can make him
a "new creation", capable of bearing witness in his surroundings to the
Christian hope that inspires him.
If we are to succeed in carrying out this work of education in our
ecclesial communities, those responsible for formation must be
adequately prepared. Indeed, the whole people of God should feel
involved in this formation. Each Christian community is called to be a
place where people can be taught about the mysteries celebrated in
faith. In this regard, the Synod Fathers called for greater involvement
by communities of consecrated life, movements and groups which, by
their specific charisms, can give new impetus to Christian formation.
(188) In our time, too, the Holy Spirit freely bestows his gifts to
sustain the apostolic mission of the Church, which is charged with
spreading the faith and bringing it to maturity. (189)
Reverence for the Eucharist
65. A convincing indication of the effectiveness of eucharistic
catechesis is surely an increased sense of the mystery of God present
among us. This can be expressed in concrete outward signs of reverence
for the Eucharist which the process of mystagogy should inculcate in
the faithful. (190) I am thinking in general of the importance of
gestures and posture, such as kneeling during the central moments of
the Eucharistic Prayer. Amid the legitimate diversity of signs used in
the context of different cultures, everyone should be able to
experience and express the awareness that at each celebration we stand
before the infinite majesty of God, who comes to us in the lowliness of
the sacramental signs.
Adoration and Eucharistic devotion
The intrinsic relationship between celebration and adoration
66. One of the most moving moments of the Synod came when we gathered
in Saint Peter's Basilica, together with a great number of the
faithful, for eucharistic adoration. In this act of prayer, and not
just in words, the assembly of Bishops wanted to point out the
intrinsic relationship between eucharistic celebration and eucharistic
adoration. A growing appreciation of this significant aspect of the
Church's faith has been an important part of our experience in the
years following the liturgical renewal desired by the Second Vatican
Council. During the early phases of the reform, the inherent
relationship between Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was
not always perceived with sufficient clarity. For example, an objection
that was widespread at the time argued that the eucharistic bread was
given to us not to be looked at, but to be eaten. In the light of the
Church's experience of prayer, however, this was seen to be a false
dichotomy. As Saint Augustine put it: "nemo autem illam carnem
manducat, nisi prius adoraverit; peccemus non adorando – no one
eats that flesh without first adoring it; we should sin were we not to
adore it." (191) In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and
desires to become one with us; eucharistic adoration is simply the
natural consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the
Church's supreme act of adoration. (192) Receiving the Eucharist means
adoring him whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with
him, and are given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the
heavenly liturgy. The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and
intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration
itself. Indeed, "only in adoration can a profound and genuine reception
mature. And it is precisely this personal encounter with the Lord that
then strengthens the social mission contained in the Eucharist, which
seeks to break down not only the walls that separate the Lord and
ourselves, but also and especially the walls that separate us from one
another." (193)
The practice of eucharistic adoration
67. With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily recommend to the
Church's pastors and to the People of God the practice of eucharistic
adoration, both individually and in community. (194) Great benefit
would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the importance of
this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience the
liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever
possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated
areas, to set aside specific churches or oratories for perpetual
adoration. I also recommend that, in their catechetical training, and
especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be
taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and
helped to cultivate a sense of awe before his presence in the Eucharist.
Here I would like to express appreciation and support for all those
Institutes of Consecrated Life whose members dedicate a significant
amount of time to eucharistic adoration. In this way they give us an
example of lives shaped by the Lord's real presence. I would also like
to encourage those associations of the faithful and confraternities
specifically devoted to eucharistic adoration; they serve as a leaven
of contemplation for the whole Church and a summons to individuals and
communities to place Christ at the centre of their lives.
Forms of eucharistic devotion
68. The personal relationship which the individual believer establishes
with Jesus present in the Eucharist constantly points beyond itself to
the whole communion of the Church and nourishes a fuller sense of
membership in the Body of Christ. For this reason, besides encouraging
individual believers to make time for personal prayer before the
Sacrament of the Altar, I feel obliged to urge parishes and other
church groups to set aside times for collective adoration. Naturally,
already existing forms of eucharistic piety retain their full value. I
am thinking, for example, of processions with the Blessed Sacrament,
especially the traditional procession on the Solemnity of Corpus
Christi, the Forty Hours devotion, local, national and international
Eucharistic Congresses, and other similar initiatives. If suitably
updated and adapted to local circumstances, these forms of devotion are
still worthy of being practised today. (195)
The location of the tabernacle
69. In considering the importance of eucharistic reservation and
adoration, and reverence for the sacrament of Christ's sacrifice, the
Synod of Bishops also discussed the question of the proper placement of
the tabernacle in our churches. (196) The correct positioning of the
tabernacle contributes to the recognition of Christ's real presence in
the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, the place where the eucharistic
species are reserved, marked by a sanctuary lamp, should be readily
visible to everyone entering the church. It is therefore necessary to
take into account the building's architecture: in churches which do not
have a Blessed Sacrament chapel, and where the high altar with its
tabernacle is still in place, it is appropriate to continue to use this
structure for the reservation and adoration of the Eucharist, taking
care not to place the celebrant's chair in front of it. In new
churches, it is good to position the Blessed Sacrament chapel close to
the sanctuary; where this is not possible, it is preferable to locate
the tabernacle in the sanctuary, in a sufficiently elevated place, at
the centre of the apse area, or in another place where it will be
equally conspicuous. Attention to these considerations will lend
dignity to the tabernacle, which must always be cared for, also from an
artistic standpoint. Obviously it is necessary to follow the provisions
of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in this regard. (197) In
any event, final judgment on these matters belongs to the Diocesan
Bishop.
PART THREE
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE LIVED
"As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,
so he who eats me will live because of me" (Jn 6:57)
The Eucharistic form of the Christian life
Spiritual worship – logiké latreía (Rom 12:1)
70. The Lord Jesus, who became for us the food of truth and love,
speaks of the gift of his life and assures us that "if any one eats of
this bread, he will live for ever" (Jn 6:51). This "eternal life"
begins in us even now, thanks to the transformation effected in us by
the gift of the Eucharist: "He who eats me will live because of me" (Jn
6:57). These words of Jesus make us realize how the mystery "believed"
and "celebrated" contains an innate power making it the principle of
new life within us and the form of our Christian existence. By
receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ we become sharers in the
divine life in an ever more adult and conscious way. Here too, we can
apply Saint Augustine's words, in his Confessions, about the eternal
Logos as the food of our souls. Stressing the mysterious nature of this
food, Augustine imagines the Lord saying to him: "I am the food of
grown men; grow, and you shall feed upon me; nor shall you change me,
like the food of your flesh, into yourself, but you shall be changed
into me." (198) It is not the eucharistic food that is changed into us,
but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ nourishes
us by uniting us to himself; "he draws us into himself."(199)
Here the eucharistic celebration appears in all its power as the source
and summit of the Church's life, since it expresses at once both the
origin and the fulfilment of the new and definitive worship of God, the
logiké latreía. (200) Saint Paul's exhortation to the
Romans in this regard is a concise description of how the Eucharist
makes our whole life a spiritual worship pleasing to God: "I appeal to
you therefore, my brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship" (Rom 12:1). In these words the new worship appears
as a total self-offering made in communion with the whole Church. The
Apostle's insistence on the offering of our bodies emphasizes the
concrete human reality of a worship which is anything but disincarnate.
The Bishop of Hippo goes on to say that "this is the sacrifice of
Christians: that we, though many, are one body in Christ. The Church
celebrates this mystery in the sacrament of the altar, as the faithful
know, and there she shows them clearly that in what is offered, she
herself is offered." (201) Catholic doctrine, in fact, affirms that the
Eucharist, as the sacrifice of Christ, is also the sacrifice of the
Church, and thus of all the faithful. (202) This insistence on
sacrifice – a "making sacred" – expresses all the
existential depth implied in the transformation of our human reality as
taken up by Christ (cf. Phil 3:12).
The all-encompassing effect of eucharistic worship
71. Christianity's new worship includes and transfigures every aspect
of life: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the
glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31). Christians, in all their actions, are
called to offer true worship to God. Here the intrinsically eucharistic
nature of Christian life begins to take shape. The Eucharist, since it
embraces the concrete, everyday existence of the believer, makes
possible, day by day, the progressive transfiguration of all those
called by grace to reflect the image of the Son of God (cf. Rom
8:29ff.). There is nothing authentically human – our thoughts and
affections, our words and deeds – that does not find in the
sacrament of the Eucharist the form it needs to be lived to the full.
Here we can see the full human import of the radical newness brought by
Christ in the Eucharist: the worship of God in our lives cannot be
relegated to something private and individual, but tends by its nature
to permeate every aspect of our existence. Worship pleasing to God thus
becomes a new way of living our whole life, each particular moment of
which is lifted up, since it is lived as part of a relationship with
Christ and as an offering to God. The glory of God is the living man
(cf. 1 Cor 10:31). And the life of man is the vision of God. (203)
Iuxta dominicam viventes – living in accordance with the Lord's Day
72. From the beginning Christians were clearly conscious of this
radical newness which the Eucharist brings to human life. The faithful
immediately perceived the profound influence of the eucharistic
celebration on their manner of life. Saint Ignatius of Antioch
expressed this truth when he called Christians "those who have attained
a new hope," and described them as "those living in accordance with the
Lord's Day" (iuxta dominicam viventes). (204) This phrase of the great
Antiochene martyr highlights the connection between the reality of the
Eucharist and everyday Christian life. The Christians' customary
practice of gathering on the first day after the Sabbath to celebrate
the resurrection of Christ – according to the account of Saint
Justin Martyr(205) – is also what defines the form of a life
renewed by an encounter with Christ. Saint Ignatius' phrase –
"living in accordance with the Lord's Day" – also emphasizes that
this holy day becomes paradigmatic for every other day of the week.
Indeed, it is defined by something more than the simple suspension of
one's ordinary activities, a sort of parenthesis in one's usual daily
rhythm. Christians have always experienced this day as the first day of
the week, since it commemorates the radical newness brought by Christ.
Sunday is thus the day when Christians rediscover the eucharistic form
which their lives are meant to have. "Living in accordance with the
Lord's Day" means living in the awareness of the liberation brought by
Christ and making our lives a constant self-offering to God, so that
his victory may be fully revealed to all humanity through a profoundly
renewed existence.
Living the Sunday obligation
73. Conscious of this new vital principle which the Eucharist imparts
to the Christian, the Synod Fathers reaffirmed the importance of the
Sunday obligation for all the faithful, viewing it as a wellspring of
authentic freedom enabling them to live each day in accordance with
what they celebrated on "the Lord's Day." The life of faith is
endangered when we lose the desire to share in the celebration of the
Eucharist and its commemoration of the paschal victory. Participating
in the Sunday liturgical assembly with all our brothers and sisters,
with whom we form one body in Jesus Christ, is demanded by our
Christian conscience and at the same time it forms that conscience. To
lose a sense of Sunday as the Lord's Day, a day to be sanctified, is
symptomatic of the loss of an authentic sense of Christian freedom, the
freedom of the children of God. (206) Here some observations made by my
venerable predecessor John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Dies Domini
(207) continue to have great value. Speaking of the various dimensions
of the Christian celebration of Sunday, he said that it is Dies Domini
with regard to the work of creation, Dies Christi as the day of the new
creation and the Risen Lord's gift of the Holy Spirit, Dies Ecclesiae
as the day on which the Christian community gathers for the
celebration, and Dies hominis as the day of joy, rest and fraternal
charity.
Sunday thus appears as the primordial holy day, when all believers,
wherever they are found, can become heralds and guardians of the true
meaning of time. It gives rise to the Christian meaning of life and a
new way of experiencing time, relationships, work, life and death. On
the Lord's Day, then, it is fitting that Church groups should organize,
around Sunday Mass, the activities of the Christian community: social
gatherings, programmes for the faith formation of children, young
people and adults, pilgrimages, charitable works, and different moments
of prayer. For the sake of these important values – while
recognizing that Saturday evening, beginning with First Vespers, is
already a part of Sunday and a time when the Sunday obligation can be
fulfilled – we need to remember that it is Sunday itself that is
meant to be kept holy, lest it end up as a day "empty of God." (208)
The meaning of rest and of work
74. Finally, it is particularly urgent nowadays to remember that the
day of the Lord is also a day of rest from work. It is greatly to be
hoped that this fact will also be recognized by civil society, so that
individuals can be permitted to refrain from work without being
penalized. Christians, not without reference to the meaning of the
Sabbath in the Jewish tradition, have seen in the Lord's Day a day of
rest from their daily exertions. This is highly significant, for it
relativizes work and directs it to the person: work is for man and not
man for work. It is easy to see how this actually protects men and
women, emancipating them from a possible form of enslavement. As I have
had occasion to say, "work is of fundamental importance to the
fulfilment of the human being and to the development of society. Thus,
it must always be organized and carried out with full respect for human
dignity and must always serve the common good. At the same time, it is
indispensable that people not allow themselves to be enslaved by work
or to idolize it, claiming to find in it the ultimate and definitive
meaning of life." (209) It is on the day consecrated to God that men
and women come to understand the meaning of their lives and also of
their work. (210)
Sunday assemblies in the absence of a priest
75. Rediscovering the significance of the Sunday celebration for the
life of Christians naturally leads to a consideration of the problem of
those Christian communities which lack priests and where, consequently,
it is not possible to celebrate Mass on the Lord's Day. Here it should
be stated that a wide variety of situations exists. The Synod
recommended first that the faithful should go to one of the churches in
their Diocese where the presence of a priest is assured, even when this
demands a certain sacrifice. (211) Wherever great distances make it
practically impossible to take part in the Sunday Eucharist, it is
still important for Christian communities to gather together to praise
the Lord and to commemorate the Day set apart for him. This needs,
however, to be accompanied by an adequate instruction about the
difference between Mass and Sunday assemblies in the absence of a
priest. The Church's pastoral care must be expressed in the latter case
by ensuring that the liturgy of the word – led by a deacon or a
community leader to whom this ministry has been duly entrusted by
competent authority – is carried out according to a specific
ritual prepared and approved for this purpose by the Bishops'
Conferences. (212) I reiterate that only Ordinaries may grant the
faculty of distributing holy communion in such liturgies, taking
account of the need for a certain selectiveness. Furthermore, care
should be taken that these assemblies do not create confusion about the
central role of the priest and the sacraments in the life of the
Church. The importance of the role given to the laity, who should
rightly be thanked for their generosity in the service of their
communities, must never obscure the indispensable ministry of priests
for the life of the Church. (213) Hence care must be taken to ensure
that such assemblies in the absence of a priest do not encourage
ecclesiological visions incompatible with the truth of the Gospel and
the Church's tradition. Rather, they should be privileged moments of
prayer for God to send holy priests after his own heart. It is
touching, in this regard, to read the words of Pope John Paul II in his
Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1979 about those places where the
faithful, deprived of a priest by a dictatorial regime, would meet in a
church or shrine, place on the altar a stole which they still kept and
recite the prayers of the eucharistic liturgy, halting in silence "at
the moment that corresponds to the transubstantiation," as a sign of
how "ardently they desire to hear the words that only the lips of a
priest can efficaciously utter." (214) With this in mind, and
considering the incomparable good which comes from the celebration of
the Eucharist, I ask all priests to visit willingly and as often as
possible the communities entrusted to their pastoral care, lest they
remain too long without the sacrament of love.
A eucharistic form of Christian life, membership in the Church
76. The importance of Sunday as the Dies Ecclesiae brings us back to
the intrinsic relationship between Jesus' victory over evil and death,
and our membership in his ecclesial body. On the Lord's Day, each
Christian rediscovers the communal dimension of his life as one who has
been redeemed. Taking part in the liturgy and receiving the Body and
Blood of Christ intensifies and deepens our belonging to the one who
died for us (cf. 1 Cor 6:19ff; 7:23). Truly, whoever eats of Christ
lives for him. The eucharistic mystery helps us to understand the
profound meaning of the communio sanctorum. Communion always and
inseparably has both a vertical and a horizontal sense: it is communion
with God and communion with our brothers and sisters. Both dimensions
mysteriously converge in the gift of the Eucharist. "Wherever communion
with God, which is communion with the Father, with the Son and with the
Holy Spirit, is destroyed, the root and source of our communion with
one another is destroyed. And wherever we do not live communion among
ourselves, communion with the Triune God is not alive and true
either."(215) Called to be members of Christ and thus members of one
another (cf. 1 Cor 12:27), we are a reality grounded ontologically in
Baptism and nourished by the Eucharist, a reality that demands visible
expression in the life of our communities.
The eucharistic form of Christian life is clearly an ecclesial and
communitarian form. Through the Diocese and the parish, the fundamental
structures of the Church in a particular territory, each individual
believer can experience concretely what it means to be a member of
Christ's Body. Associations, ecclesial movements and new communities
– with their lively charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit for the
needs of our time – together with Institutes of Consecrated Life,
have a particular responsibility for helping to make the faithful
conscious that they belong to the Lord (cf. Rom 14:8). Secularization,
with its inherent emphasis on individualism, has its most negative
effects on individuals who are isolated and lack a sense of belonging.
Christianity, from its very beginning, has meant fellowship, a network
of relationships constantly strengthened by hearing God's word and
sharing in the Eucharist, and enlivened by the Holy Spirit.
Spirituality and eucharistic culture
77. Significantly, the Synod Fathers stated that "the Christian
faithful need a fuller understanding of the relationship between the
Eucharist and their daily lives. Eucharistic spirituality is not just
participation in Mass and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. It
embraces the whole of life." (216) This observation is particularly
insightful, given our situation today. It must be acknowledged that one
of the most serious effects of the secularization just mentioned is
that it has relegated the Christian faith to the margins of life as if
it were irrelevant to everyday affairs. The futility of this way of
living – "as if God did not exist" – is now evident to
everyone. Today there is a need to rediscover that Jesus Christ is not
just a private conviction or an abstract idea, but a real person, whose
becoming part of human history is capable of renewing the life of every
man and woman. Hence the Eucharist, as the source and summit of the
Church's life and mission, must be translated into spirituality, into a
life lived "according to the Spirit" (Rom 8:4ff.; cf. Gal 5:16, 25). It
is significant that Saint Paul, in the passage of the Letter to the
Romans where he invites his hearers to offer the new spiritual worship,
also speaks of the need for a change in their way of living and
thinking: "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what
is good and acceptable and perfect" (12:2). In this way the Apostle of
the Gentiles emphasizes the link between true spiritual worship and the
need for a new way of understanding and living one's life. An integral
part of the eucharistic form of the Christian life is a new way of
thinking, "so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Eph 4:14).
The Eucharist and the evangelization of cultures
78. From what has been said thus far, it is clear that the eucharistic
mystery puts us in dialogue with various cultures, but also in some way
challenges them. (217) The intercultural character of this new worship,
this logiké latreía, needs to be recognized. The presence
of Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit are events
capable of engaging every cultural reality and bringing to it the
leaven of the Gospel. It follows that we must be committed to promoting
the evangelization of cultures, conscious that Christ himself is the
truth for every man and woman, and for all human history. The Eucharist
becomes a criterion for our evaluation of everything that Christianity
encounters in different cultures. In this important process of
discernment, we can appreciate the full meaning of Saint Paul's
exhortation, in his First Letter to the Thessalonians, to "test
everything; and hold fast to what is good" (5:21).
The Eucharist and the lay faithful
79. In Christ, Head of his Body, the Church, all Christians are "a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people he claims for
his own, to declare his wonderful deeds" (1 Pet 2:9). The Eucharist, as
a mystery to be "lived", meets each of us as we are, and makes our
concrete existence the place where we experience daily the radical
newness of the Christian life. The eucharistic sacrifice nourishes and
increases within us all that we have already received at Baptism, with
its call to holiness, (218) and this must be clearly evident from the
way individual Christians live their lives. Day by day we become "a
worship pleasing to God" by living our lives as a vocation. Beginning
with the liturgical assembly, the sacrament of the Eucharist itself
commits us, in our daily lives, to doing everything for God's glory.
And because the world is "the field" (Mt 13:38) in which God plants his
children as good seed, the Christian laity, by virtue of their Baptism
and Confirmation, and strengthened by the Eucharist, are called to live
out the radical newness brought by Christ wherever they find
themselves. (219) They should cultivate a desire that the Eucharist
have an ever deeper effect on their daily lives, making them convincing
witnesses in the workplace and in society at large. (220) I encourage
families in particular to draw inspiration and strength from this
sacrament. The love between man and woman, openness to life, and the
raising of children are privileged spheres in which the Eucharist can
reveal its power to transform life and give it its full meaning. (221)
The Church's pastors should unfailingly support, guide and encourage
the lay faithful to live fully their vocation to holiness within this
world which God so loved that he gave his Son to become its salvation
(cf. Jn 3:16).
The Eucharist and priestly spirituality
80. The eucharistic form of the Christian life is seen in a very
special way in the priesthood. Priestly spirituality is intrinsically
eucharistic. The seeds of this spirituality are already found in the
words spoken by the Bishop during the ordination liturgy: "Receive the
oblation of the holy people to be offered to God. Understand what you
do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of
the Lord's Cross." (222) In order to give an ever greater eucharistic
form to his existence, the priest, beginning with his years in the
seminary, should make his spiritual life his highest priority. (223) He
is called to seek God tirelessly, while remaining attuned to the
concerns of his brothers and sisters. An intense spiritual life will
enable him to enter more deeply into communion with the Lord and to let
himself be possessed by God's love, bearing witness to that love at all
times, even the darkest and most difficult. To this end I join the
Synod Fathers in recommending "the daily celebration of Mass, even when
the faithful are not present." (224) This recommendation is consistent
with the objectively infinite value of every celebration of the
Eucharist, and is motivated by the Mass's unique spiritual
fruitfulness. If celebrated in a faith-filled and attentive way, Mass
is formative in the deepest sense of the word, since it fosters the
priest's configuration to Christ and strengthens him in his vocation.
The Eucharist and the consecrated life
81. The relationship of the Eucharist to the various ecclesial
vocations is seen in a particularly vivid way in "the prophetic witness
of consecrated men and women, who find in the celebration of the
Eucharist and in eucharistic adoration the strength necessary for the
radical following of Christ, obedient, poor and chaste." (225) Though
they provide many services in the area of human formation and care for
the poor, education and health care, consecrated men and women know
that the principal purpose of their lives is "the contemplation of
things divine and constant union with God in prayer." (226) The
essential contribution that the Church expects from consecrated persons
is much more in the order of being than of doing. Here I wish to
reaffirm the importance of the witness of virginity, precisely in
relation to the mystery of the Eucharist. In addition to its connection
to priestly celibacy, the eucharistic mystery also has an intrinsic
relationship to consecrated virginity, inasmuch as the latter is an
expression of the Church's exclusive devotion to Christ, whom she
accepts as her Bridegroom with a radical and fruitful fidelity.(227 In
the Eucharist, consecrated virginity finds inspiration and nourishment
for its complete dedication to Christ. From the Eucharist, moreover, it
draws encouragement and strength to be a sign, in our own times too, of
God's gracious and fruitful love for humanity. Finally, by its specific
witness, consecrated life becomes an objective sign and foreshadowing
of the "wedding- feast of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7-9) which is the goal of
all salvation history. In this sense, it points to that eschatological
horizon against which the choices and life decisions of every man and
woman should be situated.
The Eucharist and moral transformation
82. In discovering the beauty of the eucharistic form of the Christian
life, we are also led to reflect on the moral energy it provides for
sustaining the authentic freedom of the children of God. Here I wish to
take up a discussion that took place during the Synod about the
connection between the eucharistic form of life and moral
transformation. Pope John Paul II stated that the moral life "has the
value of a 'spiritual worship' (Rom 12:1; cf. Phil 3:3), flowing from
and nourished by that inexhaustible source of holiness and
glorification of God which is found in the sacraments, especially in
the Eucharist: by sharing in the sacrifice of the Cross, the Christian
partakes of Christ's self-giving love and is equipped and committed to
live this same charity in all his thoughts and deeds" (228). In a word,
"'worship' itself, eucharistic communion, includes the reality both of
being loved and of loving others in turn. A Eucharist which does not
pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically
fragmented" (229).
This appeal to the moral value of spiritual worship should not be
interpreted in a merely moralistic way. It is before all else the
joy-filled discovery of love at work in the hearts of those who accept
the Lord's gift, abandon themselves to him and thus find true freedom.
The moral transformation implicit in the new worship instituted by
Christ is a heartfelt yearning to respond to the Lord's love with one's
whole being, while remaining ever conscious of one's own weakness. This
is clearly reflected in the Gospel story of Zacchaeus (cf. Lk 19:1-10).
After welcoming Jesus to his home, the tax collector is completely
changed: he decides to give half of his possessions to the poor and to
repay fourfold those whom he had defrauded. The moral urgency born of
welcoming Jesus into our lives is the fruit of gratitude for having
experienced the Lord's unmerited closeness.
Eucharistic consistency
83. Here it is important to consider what the Synod Fathers described
as eucharistic consistency, a quality which our lives are objectively
called to embody. Worship pleasing to God can never be a purely private
matter, without consequences for our relationships with others: it
demands a public witness to our faith. Evidently, this is true for all
the baptized, yet it is especially incumbent upon those who, by virtue
of their social or political position, must make decisions regarding
fundamental values, such as respect for human life, its defence from
conception to natural death, the family built upon marriage between a
man and a woman, the freedom to educate one's children and the
promotion of the common good in all its forms (230). These values are
not negotiable. Consequently, Catholic politicians and legislators,
conscious of their grave responsibility before society, must feel
particularly bound, on the basis of a properly formed conscience, to
introduce and support laws inspired by values grounded in human nature
(231). There is an objective connection here with the Eucharist (cf. 1
Cor 11:27-29). Bishops are bound to reaffirm constantly these values as
part of their responsibility to the flock entrusted to them (232).
The Eucharist, a mystery to be proclaimed
The Eucharist and mission
84. In my homily at the eucharistic celebration solemnly inaugurating
my Petrine ministry, I said that "there is nothing more beautiful than
to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is
nothing more beautiful than to know him and to speak to others of our
friendship with him." (233) These words are all the more significant if
we think of the mystery of the Eucharist. The love that we celebrate in
the sacrament is not something we can keep to ourselves. By its very
nature it demands to be shared with all. What the world needs is God's
love; it needs to encounter Christ and to believe in him. The Eucharist
is thus the source and summit not only of the Church's life, but also
of her mission: "an authentically eucharistic Church is a missionary
Church." (234) We too must be able to tell our brothers and sisters
with conviction: "That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to
you, so that you may have fellowship with us" (1 Jn 1:3). Truly,
nothing is more beautiful than to know Christ and to make him known to
others. The institution of the Eucharist, for that matter, anticipates
the very heart of Jesus' mission: he is the one sent by the Father for
the redemption of the world (cf. Jn 3:16-17; Rom 8:32). At the Last
Supper, Jesus entrusts to his disciples the sacrament which makes
present his self-sacrifice for the salvation of us all, in obedience to
the Father's will. We cannot approach the eucharistic table without
being drawn into the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God,
is meant to reach all people. Missionary outreach is thus an essential
part of the eucharistic form of the Christian life.
The Eucharist and witness
85. The first and fundamental mission that we receive from the sacred
mysteries we celebrate is that of bearing witness by our lives. The
wonder we experience at the gift God has made to us in Christ gives new
impulse to our lives and commits us to becoming witnesses of his love.
We become witnesses when, through our actions, words and way of being,
Another makes himself present. Witness could be described as the means
by which the truth of God's love comes to men and women in history,
inviting them to accept freely this radical newness. Through witness,
God lays himself open, one might say, to the risk of human freedom.
Jesus himself is the faithful and true witness (cf. Rev 1:5; 3:14), the
one who came to testify to the truth (cf. Jn 18:37). Here I would like
to reflect on a notion dear to the early Christians, which also speaks
eloquently to us today: namely, witness even to the offering of one's
own life, to the point of martyrdom. Throughout the history of the
Church, this has always been seen as the culmination of the new
spiritual worship: "Offer your bodies" (Rom 12:1). One thinks, for
example, of the account of the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, a
disciple of Saint John: the entire drama is described as a liturgy,
with the martyr himself becoming Eucharist. (235) We might also recall
the eucharistic imagery with which Saint Ignatius of Antioch describes
his own imminent martyrdom: he sees himself as "God's wheat" and
desires to become in martyrdom "Christ's pure bread." (236) The
Christian who offers his life in martyrdom enters into full communion
with the Pasch of Jesus Christ and thus becomes Eucharist with him.
Today too, the Church does not lack martyrs who offer the supreme
witness to God's love. Even if the test of martyrdom is not asked of
us, we know that worship pleasing to God demands that we should be
inwardly prepared for it. (237) Such worship culminates in the joyful
and convincing testimony of a consistent Christian life, wherever the
Lord calls us to be his witnesses.
Christ Jesus, the one Saviour
86. Emphasis on the intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and
mission also leads to a rediscovery of the ultimate content of our
proclamation. The more ardent the love for the Eucharist in the hearts
of the Christian people, the more clearly will they recognize the goal
of all mission: to bring Christ to others. Not just a theory or a way
of life inspired by Christ, but the gift of his very person. Anyone who
has not shared the truth of love with his brothers and sisters has not
yet given enough. The Eucharist, as the sacrament of our salvation,
inevitably reminds us of the unicity of Christ and the salvation that
he won for us by his blood. The mystery of the Eucharist, believed in
and celebrated, demands a constant catechesis on the need for all to
engage in a missionary effort centred on the proclamation of Jesus as
the one Saviour. (238) This will help to avoid a reductive and purely
sociological understanding of the vital work of human promotion present
in every authentic process of evangelization.
Freedom of worship
87. In this context, I wish to reiterate the concern expressed by the
Synod Fathers about the grave difficulties affecting the mission of
those Christian communities in areas where Christians are a minority or
where they are denied religious freedom. (239) We should surely give
thanks to the Lord for all those Bishops, priests, consecrated persons
and laity who devote themselves generously to the preaching of the
Gospel and practise their faith at the risk of their lives. In not a
few parts of the world, simply going to church represents a heroic
witness that can result in marginalization and violence. Here too, I
would like to reaffirm the solidarity of the whole Church with those
who are denied freedom of worship. As we know, wherever religious
freedom is lacking, people lack the most meaningful freedom of all,
since it is through faith that men and women express their deepest
decision about the ultimate meaning of their lives. Let us pray,
therefore, for greater religious freedom in every nation, so that
Christians, as well as the followers of other religions, can freely
express their convictions, both as individuals and as communities.
The Eucharist, a mystery to be offered to the world
The Eucharist, bread broken for the life of the world
88. "The bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world" (Jn
6:51). In these words the Lord reveals the true meaning of the gift of
his life for all people. These words also reveal his deep compassion
for every man and woman. The Gospels frequently speak of Jesus'
feelings towards others, especially the suffering and sinners (cf. Mt
20:34; Mk 6:34; Lk 19:41). Through a profoundly human sensibility he
expresses God's saving will for all people – that they may have
true life. Each celebration of the Eucharist makes sacramentally
present the gift that the crucified Lord made of his life, for us and
for the whole world. In the Eucharist Jesus also makes us witnesses of
God's compassion towards all our brothers and sisters. The eucharistic
mystery thus gives rise to a service of charity towards neighbour,
which "consists in the very fact that, in God and with God, I love even
the person whom I do not like or even know. This can only take place on
the basis of an intimate encounter with God, an encounter which has
become a communion of will, affecting even my feelings. Then I learn to
look on this other person not simply with my eyes and my feelings, but
from the perspective of Jesus Christ." (240) In all those I meet, I
recognize brothers or sisters for whom the Lord gave his life, loving
them "to the end" (Jn 13:1). Our communities, when they celebrate the
Eucharist, must become ever more conscious that the sacrifice of Christ
is for all, and that the Eucharist thus compels all who believe in him
to become "bread that is broken" for others, and to work for the
building of a more just and fraternal world. Keeping in mind the
multiplication of the loaves and fishes, we need to realize that Christ
continues today to exhort his disciples to become personally engaged:
"You yourselves, give them something to eat" (Mt 14:16). Each of us is
truly called, together with Jesus, to be bread broken for the life of
the world.
The social implications of the eucharistic mystery
89. The union with Christ brought about by the Eucharist also brings a
newness to our social relations: "this sacramental ‘mysticism' is
social in character." Indeed, "union with Christ is also union with all
those to whom he gives himself. I cannot possess Christ just for
myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those who have
become, or who will become, his own."(241) The relationship between the
eucharistic mystery and social commitment must be made explicit. The
Eucharist is the sacrament of communion between brothers and sisters
who allow themselves to be reconciled in Christ, who made of Jews and
pagans one people, tearing down the wall of hostility which divided
them (cf. Eph 2:14). Only this constant impulse towards reconciliation
enables us to partake worthily of the Body and Blood of Christ (cf. Mt
5:23-24). (242) In the memorial of his sacrifice, the Lord strengthens
our fraternal communion and, in a particular way, urges those in
conflict to hasten their reconciliation by opening themselves to
dialogue and a commitment to justice. Certainly, the restoration of
justice, reconciliation and forgiveness are the conditions for building
true peace.(243) The recognition of this fact leads to a determination
to transform unjust structures and to restore respect for the dignity
of all men and women, created in God's image and likeness. Through the
concrete fulfilment of this responsibility, the Eucharist becomes in
life what it signifies in its celebration. As I have had occasion to
say, it is not the proper task of the Church to engage in the political
work of bringing about the most just society possible; nonetheless she
cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the struggle for
justice. The Church "has to play her part through rational argument and
she has to reawaken the spiritual energy without which justice, which
always demands sacrifice, cannot prevail and prosper." (244)
In discussing the social responsibility of all Christians, the Synod
Fathers noted that the sacrifice of Christ is a mystery of liberation
that constantly and insistently challenges us. I therefore urge all the
faithful to be true promoters of peace and justice: "All who partake of
the Eucharist must commit themselves to peacemaking in our world
scarred by violence and war, and today in particular, by terrorism,
economic corruption and sexual exploitation." (245) All these problems
give rise in turn to others no less troubling and disheartening. We
know that there can be no superficial solutions to these issues.
Precisely because of the mystery we celebrate, we must denounce
situations contrary to human dignity, since Christ shed his blood for
all, and at the same time affirm the inestimable value of each
individual person.
The food of truth and human need
90. We cannot remain passive before certain processes of globalization
which not infrequently increase the gap between the rich and the poor
worldwide. We must denounce those who squander the earth's riches,
provoking inequalities that cry out to heaven (cf. Jas 5:4). For
example, it is impossible to remain silent before the "distressing
images of huge camps throughout the world of displaced persons and
refugees, who are living in makeshift conditions in order to escape a
worse fate, yet are still in dire need. Are these human beings not our
brothers and sisters? Do their children not come into the world with
the same legitimate expectations of happiness as other children?" (246)
The Lord Jesus, the bread of eternal life, spurs us to be mindful of
the situations of extreme poverty in which a great part of humanity
still lives: these are situations for which human beings bear a clear
and disquieting responsibility. Indeed, "on the basis of available
statistical data, it can be said that less than half of the huge sums
spent worldwide on armaments would be more than sufficient to liberate
the immense masses of the poor from destitution. This challenges
humanity's conscience. To peoples living below the poverty line, more
as a result of situations to do with international political,
commercial and cultural relations than as a result of circumstances
beyond anyone's control, our common commitment to truth can and must
give new hope" (247).
The food of truth demands that we denounce inhumane situations in which
people starve to death because of injustice and exploitation, and it
gives us renewed strength and courage to work tirelessly in the service
of the civilization of love. From the beginning, Christians were
concerned to share their goods (cf. Acts 4:32) and to help the poor
(cf. Rom 15:26). The alms collected in our liturgical assemblies are an
eloquent reminder of this, and they are also necessary for meeting
today's needs. The Church's charitable institutions, especially
Caritas, carry out at various levels the important work of assisting
the needy, especially the poorest. Inspired by the Eucharist, the
sacrament of charity, they become a concrete expression of that
charity; they are to be praised and encouraged for their commitment to
solidarity in our world.
The Church's social teaching
91. The mystery of the Eucharist inspires and impels us to work
courageously within our world to bring about that renewal of
relationships which has its inexhaustible source in God's gift. The
prayer which we repeat at every Mass: "Give us this day our daily
bread," obliges us to do everything possible, in cooperation with
international, state and private institutions, to end or at least
reduce the scandal of hunger and malnutrition afflicting so many
millions of people in our world, especially in developing countries. In
a particular way, the Christian laity, formed at the school of the
Eucharist, are called to assume their specific political and social
responsibilities. To do so, they need to be adequately prepared through
practical education in charity and justice. To this end, the Synod
considered it necessary for Dioceses and Christian communities to teach
and promote the Church's social doctrine. (248) In this precious legacy
handed down from the earliest ecclesial tradition, we find elements of
great wisdom that guide Christians in their involvement in today's
burning social issues. This teaching, the fruit of the Church's whole
history, is distinguished by realism and moderation; it can help to
avoid misguided compromises or false utopias.
The sanctification of the world and the protection of creation
92. Finally, to develop a profound eucharistic spirituality that is
also capable of significantly affecting the fabric of society, the
Christian people, in giving thanks to God through the Eucharist, should
be conscious that they do so in the name of all creation, aspiring to
the sanctification of the world and working intensely to that end.(249)
The Eucharist itself powerfully illuminates human history and the whole
cosmos. In this sacramental perspective we learn, day by day, that
every ecclesial event is a kind of sign by which God makes himself
known and challenges us. The eucharistic form of life can thus help
foster a real change in the way we approach history and the world. The
liturgy itself teaches us this, when, during the presentation of the
gifts, the priest raises to God a prayer of blessing and petition over
the bread and wine, "fruit of the earth," "fruit of the vine" and "work
of human hands." With these words, the rite not only includes in our
offering to God all human efforts and activity, but also leads us to
see the world as God's creation, which brings forth everything we need
for our sustenance. The world is not something indifferent, raw
material to be utilized simply as we see fit. Rather, it is part of
God's good plan, in which all of us are called to be sons and daughters
in the one Son of God, Jesus Christ (cf. Eph 1:4-12). The justified
concern about threats to the environment present in so many parts of
the world is reinforced by Christian hope, which commits us to working
responsibly for the protection of creation. (250) The relationship
between the Eucharist and the cosmos helps us to see the unity of God's
plan and to grasp the profound relationship between creation and the
"new creation" inaugurated in the resurrection of Christ, the new Adam.
Even now we take part in that new creation by virtue of our Baptism
(cf. Col 2:12ff.). Our Christian life, nourished by the Eucharist,
gives us a glimpse of that new world – new heavens and a new
earth – where the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven, from God,
"prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 21:2).
The usefulness of a Eucharistic Compendium
93. At the conclusion of these reflections, in which I have taken up a
number of themes raised at the Synod, I also wish to accept the
proposal which the Synod Fathers advanced as a means of helping the
Christian people to believe, celebrate and live ever more fully the
mystery of the Eucharist. The competent offices of the Roman Curia will
publish a Compendium which will assemble texts from the Catechism of
the Catholic Church, prayers, explanations of the Eucharistic Prayers
of the Roman Missal and other useful aids for a correct understanding,
celebration and adoration of the Sacrament of the Altar (251). It is my
hope that this book will help make the memorial of the Passover of the
Lord increasingly the source and summit of the Church's life and
mission. This will encourage each member of the faithful to make his or
her life a true act of spiritual worship.
CONCLUSION
94. Dear brothers and sisters, the Eucharist is at the root of every
form of holiness, and each of us is called to the fullness of life in
the Holy Spirit. How many saints have advanced along the way of
perfection thanks to their eucharistic devotion! From Saint Ignatius of
Antioch to Saint Augustine, from Saint Anthony Abbot to Saint Benedict,
from Saint Francis of Assisi to Saint Thomas Aquinas, from Saint Clare
of Assisi to Saint Catherine of Siena, from Saint Paschal Baylon to
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, from Saint Alphonsus Liguori to Blessed
Charles de Foucauld, from Saint John Mary Vianney to Saint
Thérèse of Lisieux, from Saint Pius of Pietrelcina to
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, from Blessed Piergiorgio Frassati to
Blessed Ivan Mertz, to name only a few, holiness has always found its
centre in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
This most holy mystery thus needs to be firmly believed, devoutly
celebrated and intensely lived in the Church. Jesus' gift of himself in
the sacrament which is the memorial of his passion tells us that the
success of our lives is found in our participation in the trinitarian
life offered to us truly and definitively in him. The celebration and
worship of the Eucharist enable us to draw near to God's love and to
persevere in that love until we are united with the Lord whom we love.
The offering of our lives, our fellowship with the whole community of
believers and our solidarity with all men and women are essential
aspects of that logiké latreía, spiritual worship, holy
and pleasing to God (cf. Rom 12:1), which transforms every aspect of
our human existence, to the glory of God. I therefore ask all pastors
to spare no effort in promoting an authentically eucharistic Christian
spirituality. Priests, deacons and all those who carry out a
eucharistic ministry should always be able to find in this service,
exercized with care and constant preparation, the strength and
inspiration needed for their personal and communal path of
sanctification. I exhort the lay faithful, and families in particular,
to find ever anew in the sacrament of Christ's love the energy needed
to make their lives an authentic sign of the presence of the risen
Lord. I ask all consecrated men and women to show by their eucharistic
lives the splendour and the beauty of belonging totally to the Lord.
95. At the beginning of the fourth century, Christian worship was still
forbidden by the imperial authorities. Some Christians in North Africa,
who felt bound to celebrate the Lord's Day, defied the prohibition.
They were martyred after declaring that it was not possible for them to
live without the Eucharist, the food of the Lord: sine dominico non
possumus. (252) May these martyrs of Abitinae, in union with all those
saints and beati who made the Eucharist the centre of their lives,
intercede for us and teach us to be faithful to our encounter with the
risen Christ. We too cannot live without partaking of the sacrament of
our salvation; we too desire to be iuxta dominicam viventes, to reflect
in our lives what we celebrate on the Lord's Day. That day is the day
of our definitive deliverance. Is it surprising, then, that we should
wish to live every day in that newness of life which Christ has brought
us in the mystery of the Eucharist?
96. May Mary Most Holy, the Immaculate Virgin, ark of the new and
eternal covenant, accompany us on our way to meet the Lord who comes.
In her we find realized most perfectly the essence of the Church. The
Church sees in Mary – "Woman of the Eucharist," as she was called
by the Servant of God John Paul II (253) – her finest icon, and
she contemplates Mary as a singular model of the eucharistic life. For
this reason, the priest, standing in the presence of the verum Corpus
natum de Maria Virgine on the altar and speaking in the name of the
liturgical assembly, says in the words of the canon: "We honour Mary,
the ever- virgin mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God." (254) Her
holy name is also invoked and venerated in the canons of the Eastern
Christian traditions. The faithful, for their part, "commend to Mary,
Mother of the Church, their lives and the work of their hands. Striving
to have the same sentiments as Mary, they help the whole community to
become a living offering pleasing to the Father." (255) She is the tota
pulchra, the all- beautiful, for in her the radiance of God's glory
shines forth. The beauty of the heavenly liturgy, which must be
reflected in our own assemblies, is faithfully mirrored in her. From
Mary we must learn to become men and women of the Eucharist and of the
Church, and thus to present ourselves, in the words of Saint Paul,
"holy and blameless" before the Lord, even as he wished us to be from
the beginning (cf. Col 1:22; Eph 1:4). (256)
97. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may the Holy
Spirit kindle within us the same ardour experienced by the disciples on
the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35) and renew our "eucharistic wonder"
through the splendour and beauty radiating from the liturgical rite,
the efficacious sign of the infinite beauty of the holy mystery of God.
Those disciples arose and returned in haste to Jerusalem in order to
share their joy with their brothers and sisters in the faith. True joy
is found in recognizing that the Lord is still with us, our faithful
companion along the way. The Eucharist makes us discover that Christ,
risen from the dead, is our contemporary in the mystery of the Church,
his body. Of this mystery of love we have become witnesses. Let us
encourage one another to walk joyfully, our hearts filled with wonder,
towards our encounter with the Holy Eucharist, so that we may
experience and proclaim to others the truth of the words with which
Jesus took leave of his disciples: "Lo, I am with you always, until the
end of the world" (Mt 28:20).
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 22 February, the Feast of the Chair
of Peter, in the year 2007, the second of my Pontificate.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
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(1) Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, q. 73, a. 3.
(2) Saint Augustine, In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus, 26,5: PL 35, 1609.
(3) Benedict XVI, Address to Participants in the Plenary Assembly of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (10 February 2006): AAS
98 (2006), 255.
(4) Benedict XVI, Address to the Members of the Ordinary Council of the
General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops (1 June 2006):
L'Osservatore Romano, 2 June 2006, p. 5.
(5) Cf. Propositio 2.
(6) I am referring here to the need for a hermeneutic of continuity
also with regard to the correct interpretation of the liturgical
development which followed the Second Vatican Council: cf. Benedict
XVI, Address to the Roman Curia (22 December 2005): AAS 98 (2006),
44-45.
(7) Cf. AAS 97 (2005), 337-352.
(8) The Year of the Eucharist: Suggestions and Proposals (15 October 2004): L'Osservatore Romano, 15 October 2004, Supplement.
(9) Cf. AAS 95 (2003), 433-475. Also, the Instruction of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March 2004): AAS 96 (2004), 549-601,
expressly desired by John Paul II.
(10) To name only the more important documents: Ecumenical Council of
Trent, Doctrina et canones de ss. Missae sacrificio, DS 1738-1759; Leo
XIII, Encyclical Letter Mirae Caritatis (28 May 1902): ASS (1903),
115-136; Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei (20 November 1947):
AAS 39 (1947), 521-595; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Mysterium Fidei (3
September 1965): AAS 57 (1965), 753-774; John Paul II, Encyclical
Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003): AAS 95 (2003), 433-475;
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments,
Instruction Eucharisticum Mysterium (25 May 1967): AAS 59 (1967),
539-573; Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam (28 March 2001): AAS 93
(2001), 685-726.
(11) Cf. Propositio 1.
(12) No. 14: AAS 98 (2006), 229.
(13) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1327.
(14) Propositio 16.
(15) Benedict XVI, Homily at the Mass of Installation in the Cathedral of Rome (7 May 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 752.
(16) Cf. Propositio 4.
(17) De Trinitate, VIII, 8, 12: CCL 50, 287.
(18) Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 12: AAS 98 (2006), 228.
(19) Cf. Propositio 3.
(20) Roman Breviary, Hymn for the Office of Readings of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
(21) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 13: AAS 98 (2006), 228.
(22) Benedict XVI, Homily at Marienfeld Esplanade (21 August 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 891-892.
(23) Cf. Propositio 3.
(24) Cf. Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer IV.
(25) Cat. XXIII, 7: PG 33, 1114ff.
(26) Cf. De Sacerdotio, VI, 4: PG 48, 681.
(27) Ibid., III, 4: PG 48, 642.
(28) Propositio 22.
(29) Cf. Propositio 42: "This eucharistic encounter takes place in the
Holy Spirit, who transforms and sanctifies us. He re- awakens in the
disciple the firm desire to proclaim boldly to others all that he has
heard and experienced, to bring them to the same encounter with Christ.
Thus the disciple, sent forth by the Church, becomes open to a mission
without frontiers."
(30) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 3; for an example, see: Saint John
Chrysostom, Catechesis 3, 13-19: SC 50, 174-177.
(31) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003), 1: AAS 95 (2003), 433.
(32) Ibid., 21: AAS 95 (2003), 447.
(33) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (4 March
1979), 20: AAS 71 (1979), 309-316; Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae (24
February 1980), 4: AAS 72 (1980), 119-121.
(34) Cf. Propositio 5.
(35) Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 80, a. 4.
(36) No. 38: AAS 95 (2003), 458.
(37) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 23.
(38) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter on Some Aspects
of the Church Understood as Communion Communionis Notio (28 May 1992),
11: AAS 85 (1993), 844-845.
(39) Propositio 5: "The term ‘catholic' expresses the
universality deriving from the unity that the Eucharist, celebrated in
each Church, fosters and builds up. The particular Churches in the
universal Church thus have, in the Eucharist, the duty to make visible
their own unity and diversity. This bond of fraternal love allows the
trinitarian communion to become apparent. The Councils and Synods
express in history this fraternal aspect of the Church."
(40) Cf. ibid.
(41) Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.
(42) Cf. Propositio 14.
(43) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 1.
(44) De Orat. Dom., 23: PL 4, 553.
(45) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 48, cf. ibid., 9.
(46) Cf. Propositio 13.
(47) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 7.
(48) Cf. ibid., 11; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity Ad Gentes, 9, 13.
(49) Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae (24 February
1980), 7: AAS 72 (1980), 124-127; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council,
Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.
(50) Cf. Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, can. 710.
(51) Cf. Rite of the Christian Initiation of Adults, General Introduction, 34-36.
(52) Cf. Rite of Baptism for Children, Introduction, 18-19.
(53) Cf. Propositio 15.
(54) Cf. Propositio 7; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003), 36: AAS 95 (2003), 457-458.
(55) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio
et Paenitentia (2 December 1984), 18: AAS 77 (1985), 224-228.
(56) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1385.
(57) For example, the Confiteor, or the words of the priest and people
before receiving Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but
only say the word and I shall be healed." Not insignificantly does the
liturgy also prescribe certain very beautiful prayers for the priest,
handed down by tradition, which speak of the need for forgiveness, as,
for example, the one recited quietly before inviting the faithful to
sacramental communion: "By the mystery of your body and blood, free me
from all my sins and from every evil. Keep me always faithful to your
teachings and never let me be parted from you."
(58) Cf. Saint John Damascene, Exposition of the Faith, IV, 9: PG 94,
1124C; Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Oratio 39, 17: PG 36, 356A; Ecumenical
Council of Trent, Doctrina de sacramento paenitentiae, Chapter 2: DS
1672.
(59) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 11; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (2 December 1984), 30: AAS 77
(1985), 256-257.
(60) Cf. Propositio 7.
(61) Cf. John Paul II, Motu Proprio Misericordia Dei (7 April 2002): AAS 94 (2002), 452-459.
(62) Together with the Synod Fathers I wish to note that the
non-sacramental penitential services mentioned in the ritual of the
sacrament of Reconciliation can be helpful for increasing the spirit of
conversion and of communion in Christian communities, thereby preparing
hearts for the celebration of the sacrament: cf. Propositio 7.
(63) Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 508.
(64) Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution Indulgentiarum Doctrina (1 January 1967), Norms, No. 1: AAS 59 (1967), 21.
(65) Ibid., 9: AAS 59 (1967), 18-19.
(66) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1499-1532.
(67) Ibid., 1524.
(68) Cf. Propositio 44.
(69) Cf. Synod of Bishops, Second General Assembly, Document on the
Ministerial Priesthood Ultimis Temporibus (30 November 1971): AAS 63
(1971), 898-942.
(70) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 42-69: AAS 84 (1992), 729-778.
(71) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 10; Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, Letter on Certain Questions Concerning the Minister of the
Eucharist Sacerdotium Ministeriale (6 August 1983): AAS 75 (1983),
1001-1009.
(72) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1548.
(73) Ibid., 1552.
(74) Cf. In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus, 123, 5: PL 35, 1967.
(75) Cf. Propositio 11.
(76) Cf. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 16.
(77) Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia (1
August 1959): AAS 51 (1959), 545-579; Paul VI, Encyclical Letter
Sacerdotalis Coelibatus (24 June 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 657-697; John
Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25
March 1992), 29: AAS 84 (1992), 703-705; Benedict XVI, Address to the
Roman Curia (22 December 2006): L'Osservatore Romano, 23 December 2006,
p. 6.
(78) Cf. Propositio 11.
(79) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on Priestly
Formation Optatam Totius, 6; Code of Canon Law, can. 241, § 1 and
can. 1029; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, can. 342 § 1
and can. 758; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores
Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 11, 34, 50: AAS 84 (1992), 673-675;
712-714; 746-748; Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the
Ministry and Life of Priests Dives Ecclesiae (31 March 1994), 58;
Congregation for Catholic Education, Instruction Concerning the
Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with
Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to
Holy Orders (4 November 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 1007-1013.
(80) Cf. Propositio 12; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 41: AAS 84 (1992),
726-729.
(81) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 29.
(82) Cf. Propositio 38.
(83) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (22 November 1981), 57: AAS 74 (1982), 149-150.
(84) Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem (15 August 1988), 26: AAS 80 (1988), 1715-1716.
(85) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1617.
(86) Cf. Propositio 8.
(87) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 11.
(88) Cf. Propositio 8.
(89) Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem (15 August
1988): AAS 80 (1988), 1653-1729; Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the
Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World (31 May
2004): AAS 96 (2004), 671-687.
(90) Cf. Propositio 9.
(91) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1640.
(92) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris
Consortio (22 November 1981), 84: AAS 74 (1982), 184- 186; Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic
Church concerning the Reception of Holy Communion by Divorced and
Remarried Members of the Faithful Annus Internationalis Familiae (14
September 1994): AAS 86 (1994), 974-979.
(93) Cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Instruction on the
Norms to be Observed at Ecclesiastical Tribunals in Matrimonial
Proceedings Dignitas Connubii (25 January 2005), Vatican City, 2005.
(94) Cf. Propositio 40.
(95) Benedict XVI, Address to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota for the
Inauguration of the Judicial Year (28 January 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 138.
(96) Cf. Propositio 40.
(97) Cf. ibid.
(98) Cf. ibid.
(99) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 48.
(100) Cf. Propositio 3.
(101) Here I would recall the words filled with hope and consolation
found in Eucharistic Prayer II: "Remember our brothers and sisters who
have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again. Bring them and all
the departed into the light of your presence."
(102) Cf. Benedict XVI, Homily (8 December 2005): AAS 98 (2006), 15-16.
(103) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 58.
(104) Propositio 4.
(105) Relatio post disceptationem, 4: L'Osservatore Romano, 14 October 2005, p. 5.
(106) Cf. Serm. 1, 7; 11, 10; 22, 7; 29, 76: Sermones dominicales ad
fidem codicum nunc denuo editi, Grottaferrata, 1977, pp. 135, 209ff.,
292ff.; 337; Benedict XVI, Message to Ecclesial Movements and New
Communities (22 May 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 463.
(107) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 22.
(108) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 2, 4.
(109) Propositio 33.
(110) Sermo 227, 1: PL 38, 1099.
(111) In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus, 21, 8: PL 35, 1568.
(112) Ibid., 28, 1: PL 35, 1622.
(113) Cf. Propositio 30. Weekday Masses, which the faithful are
encouraged to attend, find their proper form on the day of the Lord,
the day of Christ's resurrection; Propositio 43.
(114) Cf. Propositio 2.
(115) Cf. Propositio 25.
(116) Cf. Propositio 19. Propositio 25 states: "An authentic liturgical
action expresses the sacredness of the eucharistic mystery. This should
be evident from the words and actions of the priest who celebrates, as
he intercedes to God the Father both with the faithful and on their
behalf."
(117) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 22; Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum
Concilium, 41; cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline
of the Sacraments, Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March
2004), 19-25: AAS 96 (2004), 555-557.
(118) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Pastoral
Office of Bishops in the Church Christus Dominus, 14; Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 41.
(119) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 22.
(120) Cf. ibid.
(121) Cf. Propositio 25.
(122) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112-130.
(123) Cf. Propositio 27.
(124) Cf. ibid.
(125) In these matters the provisions of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 319-351, are to be faithfully observed.
(126) Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 39-41; Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112-118.
(127) Sermo 34, 1: PL 38, 210.
(128) Cf. Propositio 25: "Like every artistic expression, singing must
be closely adapted to the liturgy and contribute effectively to its
aim; in other words, it must express faith, prayer, wonder and love of
Jesus present in the Eucharist."
(129) Cf. Propositio 29.
(130) Cf. Propositio 36.
(131) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 116; General Instruction of the Roman
Missal, 41.
(132) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 28; cf. Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum
Concilium, 56; Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instruction Eucharisticum
Mysterium (25 May 1967), 3: AAS 57 (1967), 540-543.
(133) Cf. Propositio 18.
(134) Ibid.
(135) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 29.
(136) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio (14 September 1998), 13: AAS 91 (1999), 15-16.
(137) Saint Jerome, Comm. in Is., Prol.: PL 24, 17; cf. Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei
Verbum, 25.
(138) Cf. Propositio 31.
(139) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 29; cf. Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum
Concilium, 7, 33, 52.
(140) Cf. Propositio 19.
(141) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 52.
(142) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 21.
(143) To this end the Synod has called for the preparation of pastoral
aids based on the three-year lectionary, to help connect the
proclamation of the readings with the doctrine of the faith; cf.
Propositio 19.
(144) Cf. Propositio 20.
(145) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 78.
(146) Cf. ibid., 78-79.
(147) Cf. Propositio 22.
(148) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 79d.
(149) Ibid., 79c.
(150) Taking into account ancient and venerable customs and the wishes
expressed by the Synod Fathers, I have asked the competent curial
offices to study the possibility of moving the sign of peace to another
place, such as before the presentation of the gifts at the altar. To do
so would also serve as a significant reminder of the Lord's insistence
that we be reconciled with others before offering our gifts to God (cf.
Mt 5:23 ff.); cf. Propositio 23.
(151) Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments, Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March 2004),
80-96: AAS 96 (2004), 574-577.
(152) Cf. Propositio 34.
(153) Cf. Propositio 35.
(154) Cf. Propositio 24.
(155) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred
Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14-20; 30ff.; 48ff; Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction
Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March 2004), 36-42: AAS 96 (2004), 561-564.
(156) No. 48.
(157) Ibid.
(158) Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Instruction on Certain Questions
Regarding the Collaboration of the Non- Ordained Faithful in the
Ministry of Priests Ecclesiae de Mysterio (15 August 1997): AAS 89
(1997), 852-877.
(159) Cf. Propositio 33.
(160) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 92.
(161) Cf. ibid., 94.
(162) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Apostolate
of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem, 24; General Instruction of the
Roman Missal, 95-111; Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (25
March 2004), 43-47: AAS 96 (2004), 564-566; Propositio 33: "These
ministries must be introduced in accordance with a specific mandate and
in accordance with the real needs of the celebrating community. Those
entrusted with these liturgical services must be chosen with care, well
prepared, and provided with ongoing formation. Their appointment must
be for a limited term. They must be known to the community and be
gratefully acknowledged by the community."
(163) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 37-42.
(164) Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 386-399.
(165) Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments, Instruction on the Roman Liturgy and Inculturation
Varietates Legitimae (25 January 1994): AAS 87 (1995), 288-314.
(166) Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa (14
September 1995), 55-71: AAS 88 (1996), 34-47; Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Ecclesia in America (22 January 1999), 16, 40, 64, 70-72:
AAS 91 (1999), 752-753, 775-776, 799, 805-809; Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (6 November 1999), 21ff.: AAS 92 (2000),
482-487; Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Oceania (22
November 2001), 16: AAS 94 (2002), 382-384; Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa (28 June 2003), 58-60: AAS 95 (2003),
685-686.
(167) Cf. Propositio 26.
(168) Cf. Propositio 35; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 11.
(169) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1388; Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum
Concilium, 55.
(170) Cf. Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003), 34: AAS 95 (2003), 456.
(171) See, for example, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q.
LXXX, a. 1, 2; Saint Teresa of Jesus, The Way of Perfection, Chapter
35. The doctrine was authoritatively confirmed by the Council of Trent,
Session XIII, c. VIII.
(172) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint (25 May 1995), 8: AAS 87 (1995), 925-926.
(173) Cf. Propositio 41; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on
Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 8, 15; John Paul II, Encyclical
Letter Ut Unum Sint (25 May 1995), 46: AAS 87 (1995), 948; Encyclical
Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003), 45-46: AAS 95 (2003),
463-464; Code of Canon Law, can. 844 §§ 3-4; Code of Canons
of the Eastern Churches, can. 671 §§ 3-4; Pontifical Council
for Promoting Christian Unity, Directoire pour l'application des
principes et des normes sur l'œcuménisme (25 March 1993),
125, 129-131: AAS 85 (1993), 1087, 1088-1089.
(174) Cf. Nos. 1398-1401.
(175) Cf. No. 293.
(176) Cf. Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Pastoral
Instruction on Social Communications on the Twentieth Anniversary of
"Communio et Progressio" Aetatis Novae (22 February 1992): AAS 84
(1992), 447-468.
(177) Cf. Propositio 29.
(178) Cf. Propositio 44.
(179) Cf. Propositio 48.
(180) Candidates for the priesthood can be introduced to these traditions as part of their seminary training: cf. Propositio 45.
(181) Cf. Propositio 37.
(182) Cf. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36, 54.
(183) Propositio 36.
(184) Cf. ibid.
(185) Cf. Propositio 32.
(186) Cf. Propositio 14.
(187) Propositio 19.
(188) Cf. Propositio 14.
(189) Cf. Benedict XVI, Homily at First Vespers of Pentecost (3 June 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 509.
(190) Cf. Propositio 34.
(191) Enarrationes in Psalmos 98:9, CCL XXXIX, 1385; cf. Benedict XVI,
Address to the Roman Curia (22 December 2005): AAS 98 (2006), 44-45.
(192) Cf. Propositio 6.
(193) Benedict XVI, Address to the Roman Curia (22 December 2005): AAS 98 (2006), 45.
(194) Cf. Propositio 6; Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and the
Liturgy (17 December 2001), Nos. 164-165, Vatican City, 2002; Sacred
Congregation of Rites, Instruction Eucharisticum Mysterium (25 May
1967): AAS 57 (1967), 539-573.
(195) Cf. Relatio post disceptationem, 11: L'Osservatore Romano, 14 October 2005, p. 5.
(196) Cf. Propositio 28.
(197) Cf. No. 314.
(198) VII, 10, 16: PL 32, 742.
(199) Benedict XVI, Homily at Marienfeld Esplanade (21 August 2005):
AAS 97 (2005), 892; cf. Homily for the Vigil of Pentecost (3 June
2006): AAS 98 (2006), 505.
(200) Cf. Relatio post disceptationem, 6, 47: L'Osservatore Romano, 14 October 2005, pp. 5-6; Propositio 43.
(201) De Civitate Dei, X, 6: PL 41, 284.
(202) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1368.
(203) Cf. Saint Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., IV, 20, 7: PG 7, 1037.
(204) Ad Magnes., 9, 1: PG 5, 670.
(205) Cf. I Apologia, 67, 1-6; 66: PG 6, 430ff., 427, 430.
(206) Cf. Propositio 30.
(207) Cf. AAS 90 (1998), 713-766.
(208) Propositio 30.
(209) Homily (19 March 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 324.
(210) The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 258, rightly
notes in this regard: "For man, bound as he is to the necessity of
work, this rest opens to the prospect of a fuller freedom, that of the
eternal Sabbath (cf. Heb 4:9-10). Rest gives men and women the
possibility to remember and experience anew God's work, from Creation
to Redemption, to recognize themselves as his work (cf. Eph 2:10), and
to give thanks for their lives and for their subsistence to him who is
their author."
(211) Cf. Propositio 10.
(212) Cf. ibid.
(213) Cf. Benedict XVI, Address to the Bishops of Canada – Quebec
during their Visit ad Limina (11 May 2006): cf. L'Osservatore Romano,
12 May 2006, p. 5.
(214) No. 10: AAS 71 (1979), 414-415.
(215) Benedict XVI, General Audience of 29 March 2006: L'Osservatore Romano, 30 March 2006, p. 4.
(216) Propositio 39.
(217) Cf. Relatio post disceptationem, 30: L'Osservatore Romano, 14 October 2005, p. 6.
(218) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 39-42.
(219) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
Christifideles Laici (30 December 1988), 14, 16: AAS 81 (1989),
409-413; 416-418.
(220) Cf. Propositio 39.
(221) Cf. ibid.
(222) The Roman Pontifical, Rites of Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests and of Deacons, Ordination of a Priest, No. 163.
(223) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores
Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 19-33; 70-81: AAS 84 (1992), 686-712;
778-800.
(224) Propositio 38.
(225) Propositio 39. Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Vita Consecrata (25 March 1996), 95: AAS 88 (1996), 470-471.
(226) Code of Canon Law, can. 663 § 1.
(227) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (25 March 1996), 34: AAS 88 (1996), 407-408.
(228) Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6 August 1993), 107: AAS 85 (1993), 1216-1217.
(229) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 14: AAS 98 (2006), 229.
(230) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (25 March
1995): AAS 87 (1995), 401-522; Benedict XVI, Address to the Pontifical
Academy for Life (27 February 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 264-265.
(231) Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal Note on
Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political
Life (24 November 2002): AAS 96 (2004), 359-370.
(232) Cf. Propositio 46.
(233) AAS 97 (2005), 711.
(234) Propositio 42.
(235) Cf. Mart. Polycarp., XV, 1: PG 5, 1039, 1042.
(236) Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Ad. Rom., IV, 1: PG 5, 690.
(237) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 42.
(238) Cf. Propositio 42; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
Declaration on the Unicity and Salvific Universality of Jesus Christ
and the Church Dominus Iesus (6 August 2000), 13- 15: AAS 92 (2000),
754-755.
(239) Cf. Propositio 42.
(240) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 18: AAS 98 (2006), 232.
(241) Ibid., 14.
(242) During the Synod sessions we heard very moving and significant
testimonies about the effectiveness of the Eucharist in peacemaking. In
this regard, Propositio 49 states that: "Thanks to eucharistic
celebrations, peoples engaged in conflict have been able to gather
around the word of God, hear his prophetic message of reconciliation
through gratuitous forgiveness, and receive the grace of conversion
which allows them to share in the same bread and cup."
(243) Cf. Propositio 48.
(244) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 28: AAS 98 (2006), 239.
(245) Propositio 48.
(246) Benedict XVI, Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See (9 January 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 127.
(247) Ibid.
(248) Cf. Propositio 48. In this regard, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church has proved most helpful.
(249) Cf. Propositio 43.
(250) Cf. Propositio 47.
(251) Cf. Propositio 17.
(252) Martyrium Saturnini, Dativi et aliorum plurimorum, 7, 9, 10: PL 8, 707, 709-710.
(253) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003), 53: AAS 95 (2003), 469.
(254) Eucharistic Prayer I (Roman Canon).
(255) Propositio 50.
(256) Cf. Benedict XVI, Homily (8 December 2005): AAS 98 (2006), 15.
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