Statio Orbis homily: "Jesus Christ is the shoot taken from the highest branch"

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Papal legate to the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, preached a rather beautiful homily at the Statio Orbis Mass. The idea of the Statio Orbis is that, on this particular day at the end of the Eucharistic Congress, every celebration of Mass throughout the world has a kind of orientation towards and an alignment with this celebration at the Eucharistic Congress itself. The whole Catholic world looks towards this celebration in a very particular way.

At the end of this celebration we will listen to the message of Pope Benedict XVI. His speaking to us reminds us that this International Eucharistic Congress bears witness to the Catholic Church as the universal communion of many particular Churches. The Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful here represent the Catholic Church which is found throughout the world in thousands of communities, but which is one in faith and love of Jesus Christ.....

Referring to the first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel, Cardinal Ouellet said:

We understand the prophecy of Ezekiel in the light of Christ. Jesus Christ is the shoot taken from the highest branch, he is God from God, and planted by God himself on a very high mountain, which is Calvary....

The seed of Christ's love, buried in the ground of Calvary, produced an unimaginable fruit: a tree, the Tree of Life, a noble cedar which is the Holy Church of God, the dawn of the Kingdom. We believe in the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church, because we believe in Christ who wills the Church to be His body, born from the self-gift of His Eucharistic Body.

At the present time of the Church, as the Year of Faith and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council approaches, this vision of what constitutes the nature of communion between the local Church and the universal Church, and the role of the office of the successor of St Peter in confirming that communion, is very timely. It should give cause for reflection to both those of a traditionalist inclination and those of a liberal inclination