“In these days, during this ‘Year of the Eucharist,’ we will turn with the same awe to Christ present in the Tabernacle of mercy, in the Sacrament of the Altar.”[1]
“Let us discover the intimate riches of the Church's liturgy and its true greatness: It is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God himself who is preparing a banquet for us.”[2]
3.1 The Eucharist as the place of our meeting with Jesus Christ
The theme for the World Youth Day, drawn from the story of the Magi worshipping the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, was applied by Pope Benedict to our adoration of Jesus present in the Eucharist.[3] As he spoke to young people on the banks of the Rhine, he made a connection between a meeting with Christ and a meeting with the Eucharist:
“… in every Mass the liturgy of the Word introduces us to our participation in the mystery of the cross and resurrection of Christ and hence introduces us to the Eucharistic Meal, to union with Christ. Present on the altar is the One whom the Magi saw lying in the manger: Christ, the living Bread who came down from heaven to give life to the world, the true Lamb who gives his own life for the salvation of humanity. Enlightened by the Word, it is in Bethlehem -- the ‘House of Bread’ -- that we can always encounter the inconceivable greatness of a God who humbled himself even to appearing in a manger, to giving himself as food on the altar….
"’The Magi are filled with awe by what they see; heaven on earth and earth in heaven; man in God and God in man; they see enclosed in a tiny body the One whom the entire world cannot contain’ (St. Peter Chrysologus, Serm. 160, No. 2). In these days, during this ‘Year of the Eucharist,’ we will turn with the same awe to Christ present in the Tabernacle of mercy, in the Sacrament of the Altar.”[4]
3.2 The Eucharist as a source of transformation for the world
In the homily during the closing Mass for the World Youth Day, Pope Benedict reflected on the Eucharist as a source of transformation for the lives of the faithful and for the world. Reflecting on Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, Pope Benedict said:
“By making the bread into his Body and the wine into his Blood, [Jesus]anticipates his death, he accepts it in his heart and he transforms it into an action of love. What on the outside is simply brutal violence, from within becomes an act of total self-giving love. This is the substantial transformation which was accomplished at the Last Supper and was destined to set in motion a series of transformations leading ultimately to the transformation of the world when God will be all in all (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:28). In their hearts, people always and everywhere have somehow expected a change, a transformation of the world. Here now is the central act of transformation that alone can truly renew the world: Violence is transformed into love, and death into life.”[5]
The Pope compared the series of transformations that takes place from our participation in the Eucharist to the chain reaction that occurs in nuclear fission. The fission of the nucleus of one atom leads to the fission of other atoms; these in their turn lead to the fission of even more, in an escalating, multiplying expansion.
“…. (T)his is like inducing nuclear fission in the very heart of being -- the victory of love over hatred, the victory of love over death. Only this intimate explosion of good conquering evil can then trigger off the series of transformations that little by little will change the world. All other changes remain superficial and cannot save. For this reason we speak of redemption: What had to happen at the most intimate level has indeed happened, and we can enter into its dynamic. Jesus can distribute his Body, because he truly gives himself.”[6]
Pope Benedict spoke of the transformation that participation in the Eucharist then demands of us, arguing that our adoration becomes union:
“The Body and Blood of Christ are given to us so that we ourselves will be transformed in our turn….
“I like to illustrate this new step urged upon us by the Last Supper by drawing out the different nuances of the word ‘adoration’ in Greek and in Latin. The Greek word is ‘proskynesis.’ It refers to the gesture of submission, the recognition of God as our true measure, supplying the norm that we choose to follow. It means that freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness, so that we ourselves can become true and good. This gesture is necessary even if initially our yearning for freedom makes us inclined to resist it. We can only fully accept it when we take the second step that the Last Supper proposes to us. The Latin word for adoration is ‘ad-oratio’ -- mouth-to-mouth contact, a kiss, an embrace, and hence ultimately love. Submission becomes union, because he to whom we submit is Love. In this way submission acquires a meaning, because it does not impose anything on us from the outside, but liberates us deep within….
“Jesus’ hour seeks to become our own hour and will indeed become so if we allow ourselves, through the celebration of the Eucharist, to be drawn into that process of transformation that the Lord intends to bring about. The Eucharist must be the centre of our lives.”[7]
What is the richest sentence that Pope Benedict used in talking of the Eucharist is hidden away in his exhortation to young people to be faithful to participation at Mass on a Sunday: “It is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God himself who is preparing a banquet for us”.
“Do not be deterred from taking part in Sunday Mass, and help others to discover it too. This is because the Eucharist releases the joy that we need so much, and we must learn to grasp it ever more deeply, we must learn to love it. Let us pledge ourselves to do this -- it is worth the effort! Let us discover the intimate riches of the Church's liturgy and its true greatness: It is not we who are celebrating for ourselves, but it is the living God himself who is preparing a banquet for us.”[8]
[1] Pope Benedict XVI Address to young people on the banks of the River Rhine, 18th August 2005.
[2] Pope Benedict XVI Homily during the closing Mass for World Youth Day, Marienfeld, Cologne 21st August 2005.
[3] During the events of World Youth Day, from 10 am on the 16th to the morning of 20th August, twenty churches in Cologne/Dusseldorf/Bonn were open for perpetual Eucharistic adoration. In many of these churches, the adoration was animated by one of the new movements in the Church.
[4] Pope Benedict XVI Address to young people on the banks of the River Rhine, 18th August 2005.
[5] Pope Benedict XVI Homily during the closing Mass for World Youth Day, Marienfeld, Cologne 21st August 2005.
[6] Pope Benedict XVI Homily during the closing Mass for World Youth Day, Marienfeld, Cologne 21st August 2005.
[7] Pope Benedict XVI Homily during the closing Mass for World Youth Day, Marienfeld, Cologne 21st August 2005.
[8] Pope Benedict XVI Homily during the closing Mass for World Youth Day, Marienfeld, Cologne 21st August 2005.
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