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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
Introduction [1]
The food of truth [2]
The development of the eucharistic rite [3]
The Synod of Bishops and the Year of the Eucharist [4]
The purpose of the present Exhortation [5]
PART ONE:
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE BELIEVED
The Church's eucharistic faith [6]
The blessed
Trinity and the Eucharist
The bread come down from heaven [7]
A free gift of the Blessed Trinity [8]
The
Eucharist: Jesus the true Sacrificial Lamb
The new and eternal covenant in the blood of the Lamb [9]
The institution of the Eucharist [10]
Figura transit in veritatem [11]
The Holy Spirit
and the Eucharist
Jesus and the Holy Spirit [12]
The Holy Spirit and the eucharistic celebration [13]
The Eucharist and the
Church
The Eucharist, causal principle of the Church [14]
The Eucharist and ecclesial communion [15]
The Eucharist and
the Sacraments
The sacramentality of the Church [16]
I. The Eucharist and Christian initiation
The Eucharist, the fullness of Christian initiation [17]
The order of the sacraments of initiation [18]
Initiation, the ecclesial community and the family [19]
II. The Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation
Their intrinsic connection [20]
Some pastoral concerns [21]
III. The Eucharist and the anointing of the sick [22]
IV. The Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders
In persona Christi capitis [23]
The Eucharist and priestly celibacy [24]
The clergy shortage and the pastoral care of vocations [25]
Gratitude and hope [26]
V. The Eucharist and matrimony
The Eucharist, a nuptial sacrament [27]
The Eucharist and the unicity of marriage [28]
The Eucharist and the indissolubility of marriage [29]
The Eucharist and
Eschatology
The Eucharist: a gift to men and women on their journey [30]
The eschatological banquet [31]
Prayer for the dead [32]
The Eucharist and
the Virgin Mary [33]
PART TWO:
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE CELEBRATED
Lex orandi and lex credendi [34]
Beauty and the liturgy [35]
The Eucharistic celebration, the work of “Christus Totus”
Christus totus in capite et in corpore [36]
The Eucharist and the risen Christ [37]
Ars celebrandi [38]
The Bishop, celebrant par excellence [39]
Respect for the liturgical books and the richness of signs [40]
Art at the service of the liturgy [41]
Liturgical song [42]
The
Structure of the Eucharistic Celebration [43]
The intrinsic unity of the liturgical action [44]
The liturgy of the word [45]
The homily [46]
The presentation of the gifts [47]
The Eucharistic Prayer [48]
The sign of peace [49]
The distribution and reception of the Eucharist [50]
The dismissal: “Ite, missa est” [51]
Actuosa participatio
[52]
Authentic participation [53]
Participation and the priestly ministry [53]
The eucharistic celebration and inculturation [54]
Personal conditions for an “active participation” [55]
Participation by Christians who are not Catholic [56]
Participation through the communications media [57]
Active participation by the sick [58]
Care for prisoners [59]
Migrants and participation in the Eucharist [60]
Large-scale celebrations [61]
The Latin language [62]
Eucharistic celebrations in small groups [63]
Interior
participation in the celebration
Mystagogical catechesis [64]
Reverence for the Eucharist [65]
Adoration and
Eucharistic devotion
The intrinsic relationship between celebration and adoration
[66]
The practice of eucharistic adoration [67]
Forms of eucharistic devotion [68]
The location of the tabernacle [69]
PART THREE:
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE LIVED
The
Eucharistic form of the Christian life
Spiritual worship – logiké latreía (Rom 12:1)
[70]
The all-encompassing effect of eucharistic worship [71]
Iuxta dominicam viventes – living in accordance with the
Lord's Day [72]
Living the Sunday obligation [73]
The meaning of rest and of work [74]
Sunday assemblies in the absence of a priest [75]
A eucharistic form of Christian life, membership in the Church
[76]
Spirituality and eucharistic culture [77]
The Eucharistic and the evangelization of cultures [78]
The Eucharist and the lay faithful [79]
The Eucharist and priestly spirituality [80]
The Eucharist and the consecrated life [81]
The Eucharist and moral transformation [82]
Eucharistic consistency [83]
The
Eucharist, a mystery to be proclaimed
The Eucharist and mission [84]
The Eucharist and witness [85]
Christ Jesus, the one Saviour [86]
Freedom of worship [87]
The
Eucharist, a mystery to be offered to the world
The Eucharist, bread broken for the life of the world [88]
The social implications of the eucharistic mystery [89]
The food of truth and human need [90]
The Church's social teaching [91]
The sanctification of the world and the protection of creation
[92]
The usefulness of a Eucharistic Compendium [93]
Conclusion [94]
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 supr |