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MASS
AND EUCHARISTIC PROCESSION HOMILY
OF JOHN PAUL II Basilica of
St John Lateran 1. "As often as you eat
this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes" (I Cor 11: 26). With these words St Paul reminds
the Christians of Corinth that the "Lord's Supper"
is not only a convivial meeting but also, and above all, the
memorial of the redeeming sacrifice of Christ. Those who take
part in it, the Apostle explains, are united with the mystery
of the death of the Lord, and indeed, "proclaim" him. Thus, there is a very close relationship
between "building the Eucharist" and proclaiming
Christ. At the same time, entering into communion with him
in the memorial of Easter also means becoming missionaries of
the event which that rite actualizes; in a certain sense, it
means making it contemporary with every epoch, until the
Lord comes again. 2. Dear brothers and sisters,
we are reliving this wonderful reality in today's Solemnity of
Corpus Christi, during which the Church does not only
celebrate the Eucharist but solemnly bears it in procession,
publicly proclaiming that the Sacrifice of Christ is for
the salvation of the whole world. Grateful for this immense gift,
her members gather round the Blessed Sacrament, for that is the
source and summit of her being and action. Ecclesia
de Eucharistia vivit! The Church draws her life from
the Eucharist and knows that this truth does not simply express
a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the
mystery in which she consists (cf. Encyclical Letter Ecclesia
de Eucaristia, n. 1). 3. Ever since Pentecost, when
the Church, the People of the New Covenant, "began her pilgrim
journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has
continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with
confident hope" (ibid.). Thinking precisely of this,
I wanted to dedicate the first Encyclical of the new millennium
to the Eucharist and I am now pleased to announce a special Year of the Eucharist. It will begin with the World Eucharistic
Congress, planned to take place from 10 to 17 October 2004 in
Guadalajara, Mexico, and will end with the next Ordinary Assembly
of the Synod of Bishops, that will be held in the Vatican from
2 to 29 October 2005 and whose theme will be: "The Eucharist:
source and summit of the life and mission of the Church". Through the Eucharist, the Ecclesial
Community is built up as a new Jerusalem, a principle of unity
in Christ among different persons and peoples. 4. "You give them something
to eat" (Lk 9: 13). The Gospel passage we have just
heard offers us a vivid image of the close bond that exists between
the Eucharist and this universal mission of the Church. Christ,
"the living bread which came down from heaven" (Jn
6: 51; cf. Gospel Acclamation), is the only one who
can appease the hunger of human beings of every time and in every
corner of the earth. However, he does not want
to do this on his own, so he involves the disciples, as he
did in the multiplication of the loaves: "Taking the
five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed
and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before
the crowd" (Lk 9: 16). This miraculous sign is the symbol
of the greatest mystery of love which is renewed every day at
Holy Mass: through the ordained ministers, Christ gives his Body
and his Blood for the life of humanity. And all those who partake
of his Banquet with dignity become living instruments of his
presence of love, mercy and peace. 5. "Lauda, Sion, Salvatorem!...
- Sion, praise the Saviour / your guide, your pastor / with hymns
and canticles". With untold emotion, we hear this invitation to praise and joy echoing in our hearts. At the end of Holy Mass we will carry the Divine Sacrament in procession to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Looking at Mary, we will understand better the transforming power that the Eucharist possesses. Listening to her, we will find in the Eucharistic mystery the courage and energy to follow Christ, the Good Shepherd, and to serve him in the brethren. **Adoremus operates solely on your generous donations. See the bottom of the Join Page for instructions to give by credit card using Network for Good.** Site Copyright © 1999 - Present by Adoremus
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FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
Thursday, June 10, 2004
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