Pope to Brazilian bishops:
Promote the Eucharist as
'the heart of Christian life'
VATICAN CITY, 15 APRIL 2010 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received the prelates of the North II Region of the Brazilian National Conference of Bishops on the conclusion of their ad limina visit.
Speaking of the Eucharist, the Pope recalled that it constitutes "the centre and permanent source of the Petrine ministry, the heart of the Christian life, source and summit of the Church's mission of evangelization. You can thus understand the concern of the Successor of Peter for all that can obfuscate this most essential point of the Catholic faith: that today, Jesus Christ continues alive and truly present in the consecrated host and the chalice."
"Paying less attention at times to the rite of the Most Holy Sacrament constitutes," he said, "a sign and a cause of the darkening of the Christian sense of mystery, such as when Jesus is not the centre of the Mass, but rather a community preoccupied with other things instead of being taken up and drawn to the only one necessary: their Lord."
Benedict XVI emphasized that
"if the figure of Christ does not emerge from the liturgy ... it is not a Christian liturgy". This is why, he added, "we find those who, in the name of inculturation, fall into syncretism, introducing rites taken from other religions or cultural particularities into the celebration of the Mass."
As Venerable John Paul II wrote,
"the mystery of the Eucharist is 'too great a gift' to admit of ambiguities or reductions, above all when, 'stripped of its sacrificial meaning, it is celebrated as if it were simply a fraternal banquet'."
The Pope highlighted that "behind many alleged motives, there exists a mentality that is incapable of accepting the real possibility of divine intervention in this world to assist human beings. ... Admitting God's redeeming intervention to change our situation of alienation and sin is seen as fundamentalism by those who share a deist vision and the same can be said about the sacramental sign that makes the salvific sacrifice present. For such persons, the celebration of a sign that corresponds to a vague sentiment of community would be more acceptable."
"Worship, however," he continued, "cannot come from our imagination: that would be a cry in the darkness or mere self-affirmation. True liturgy supposes that God responds and shows us how we can adore Him. ... The Church lives in His presence and its reason for being and existing is to expand His presence in the world."
The Holy Father concluded, recalling that within a month the 16th National Eucharistic Congress will be celebrated in Brazil. In this context he asked that Jesus in the Eucharist "truly be the heart of Brazil, from which comes the strength for all Brazilian men and women to recognize themselves and help one another as brothers and sisters and as members of Christ. Whoever wishes to live, has a place to live, has something to live for. Let them draw near, create and begin to form part of the Body of Christ and they will be given life."
The group of Brazilian bishops seen today by the Pope represent the dioceses north of the Amazon River.
Coincidentally, or better yet, consistent with the above, although the timing is entirely fortuitous, Ignatius Press is coming out with this book about the Holy Father and the liturgy of the Eucharistic Sacrifice:
The blurb from
The celebration of the Eucharist, in which Jesus Christ becomes present, is the center of the Catholic faith. This volume brings together substantive texts of the Holy Father on the many aspects and dimensions of the Mass and the Mystery of the Eucharist, a rich source for every Christian and a spur to reflection and personal prayer.
Delivered in addresses and homilies to a wide variety of audiences , these reflections reveal the depth and breadth of Pope Benedict XVI’s profound and life-long love for the Holy Eucharist.
A major theme throughout the works of Joseph Ratzinger, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is the Church’s source of life, unity and fruitfulness. This theme has been carried deeply into his pontificate, as can be seen in this collection, which challenges the faithful to believe that by receiving Christ in Holy Communion, they are drawn not only into the very life of God, but into the community that is Christ’s Body, the Church.
“In the institution of the Eucharist we see the very foundational act of the Church. Through the Eucharist the Lord not only gives himself to his own, but gives the reality of a new community ‘until he comes’ (cf. 1 Cor 11:26). Through the Eucharist the disciples become his living house that grows through history as the living Temple of God in this world.”
— Pope Benedict XVI
"Ignatius Press has done a remarkable service by drawing these talks and homilies by Benedict XVI into one rewarding volume on the importance of the Eucharist. Clear, deep, rich and engaging: All of these qualities mark the style of the Holy Father as a teacher, and anyone reading this book will discover the joy of Christian life and the beauty of Catholic worship in a new way. I highly recommend it."
- Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver
"The Eucharistic sacrifice makes sacramentally available Christ’s love for his Father and for us. These reflections by our Holy Father make available for our spiritual formation the truths that shape our life in Christ’s body, the Church. They bring again to our attention the wisdom born of love."
— Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago
“In these collected talks we find, one might say, the quintessential Benedict. Those who have read his Jesus of Nazareth, The Spirit of the Liturgy, or other of his works, will recognize here that amazing concord which he always achieves by bringing effortlessly together sound biblical scholarship (he ranges easily over Law, prophets, Gospels, and Epistles), deep love for the Eucharist, and an unflagging pastoral tone which addresses us laity in language that we can grasp. The selections are brief, hence the volume offers readers very accessible "devotional" reading."
— Thomas Howard, Author, 'If Your Mind Wanders at Mass'
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 15/04/2010 22:47]