October 2004 - October 2005 The following is a synopsis of: The Apostolic Letter MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE of the Holy Father John Paul II to the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful for the Year of the Eucharist and The YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST Suggestions and Proposals from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament

Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Year of the Eucharist
to be celebrated from October 2004 to October 2005.

The idea came from two events which serve to mark its beginning and end: the International Eucharistic Congress (October 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico) and the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 2 thru 29, 2005 at the Vatican). The Synod's theme is "The Eucharist: source and summit of the Life and Mission of the Church".

This "Year of the Eucharist" has offered us all the occasion to make this wonderful Sacrifice and Sacrament the center of our lives.

The Eucharist is not another "theme" among others; it is the very heart of Christian life.
"The celebration of the Mass, in as much as it is the action of Christ and of the hierarchically ordered people of God, constitutes the center of the entire Christian life, both for the universal and local Churches, as well as for the individual faithful. The Mass is at once the very pinnacle of God's action, whereby He sanctifies the world in Christ; and of man's worship of the Father, adoring Him through Christ His Son, in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, in it, the Church commemorates the mysteries of redemption throughout the course of the year, so as to make them truly present in a certain manner. All the other sacred actions, and every activity in the Christian life are in strict relation with the Mass, from which they stem, and towards which they are ordered."
(Institutio generalis Missalis Romani = IGMR, 16).

Faith in the Eucharist
The Eucharist can be understood in the light of Biblical Revelation and Ecclesial Tradition. At the same time, reference to both of these elements is necessary, so that the Eucharist can reveal its characteristic of "mystery of light", in some way allowing us to relive the "path of faith" described in the Gospel account of the two "disciples of Emmaus" which the Holy Father chose as "icon" for the Year of the Eucharist....

"Stay with us, Lord, for it is almost evening" (Luke 24:29)
This was the insistent invitation that the two disciples journeying to Emmaus on the evening of the day of the resurrection addressed to the Wayfarer who had accompanied them on their journey. Weighed down with sadness, they never imagined that this stranger was none other than their Master, risen from the dead. Yet they felt their hearts burning within them as he spoke to them and "explained" the Scriptures. The light of the Word unlocked the hardness of their hearts and "opened their eyes". Amid the shadows of the passing day and the darkness that clouded their spirit, the Wayfarer brought a ray of light which rekindled their hope and led their hearts to yearn for the fullness of light. "Stay with us", they pleaded. And He agreed. Soon afterwards, Jesus' face would disappear, yet the Master would "stay" with them, hidden in the "breaking of the bread" which had opened their eyes to recognize Him.

The image of the disciples on the way to Emmaus can serve as a fitting guide for a Year when the Church will be particularly engaged in living out the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Amid our questions and difficulties, and even our bitter disappointments, the divine Wayfarer continues to walk at our side, opening to us the Scriptures and leading us to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of God.

When we meet Him fully, we will pass from the light of the Word to the light streaming from the "Bread of life", the supreme fulfillment of His promise to "be with us always, to the end of the age". (Mt. 28:20)

The Eucharist as believed by the Church can be studied through:

- Sacred Scripture
the texts concerning the "preparation" of this Mystery in the Old Testament and the texts of the New Testament regarding the institution of the Eucharist

- Tradition
from the Fathers of the Church to the subsequent theological or magisterial developments (with particular attention to the Council of Trent, Vatican Council II and to recent documents of the Magisterium).

- Mystagogy
a profound introduction into the mystery celebrated, by means of an explanation of the rites and prayers in the Ordo Missae

- the riches offered by the history of spirituality:
in particular how the Eucharist was believed and celebrated, as shown in the expressions of the saints. (Ecclesia de Eucharistia)

"I am with you always...." (Matthew 28:20)
All dimensions of the Eucharist come together in one aspect which more than any other makes a demand on our faith: the mystery of the "real" presence. With the entire tradition of the Church, we believe that Jesus is truly present under the Eucharistic species. This presence (as Pope Paul VI explained) is called "real" not in an exclusive way, as if to suggest that other forms of Christ's presence are not real, but par excellence, because Christ thereby becomes substantially present, whole and entire, in the reality of His body and blood. Faith demands that we approach the Eucharist fully aware that we are approaching Christ Himself. It is precisely His presence which gives the other aspects of the Eucharist - as meal, as memorial of the Paschal Mystery, as eschatological anticipation - a significance which goes far beyond mere symbol-ism. The Eucharist is a mystery of presence, the perfect fulfillment of Jesus' promise to remain with us until the end of the world.

There is a particular need to cultivate a lively awareness of Christ's real presence, both in the celebration of Mass and in the worship of the Eucharist outside Mass. Care should be taken to show that awareness through:

tone of voice
gestures
posture and bearing

The Holy Father reaffirmed what liturgical law recalls -
the importance of moments of silence both in the celebration of the Mass
and in Eucharistic adoration,
the way the ministers and the faithful treat the Eucharist should be marked
by profound respect,
the presence of Jesus in the tabernacle must be a kind of magnetic pole
attracting an ever greater number of souls enamored of Him,
ready to wait patiently to hear His voice and, as it were,
to sense the beating of His heart.
"O taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8)

The Saints as Witnesses of Eucharistic Life
The Eucharist makes us saints, and there can be no sanctity that is not enveloped in Eucharistic life. "The one who feeds on Me will have life because of Me" (John 6:57)

The truth of this is witnessed to by the "sensus fidei" of the entire people of God. In particular there is special testimony of this given by the Saints, in whom the Paschal mystery of Christ stands out. In Ecclesia de Eucharistia, John Paul II wrote "Let us take our place... at the school of the Saints, who are the great interpreters of true Eucharistic piety. In them the theology of the Eucharist takes on all the splendor of a lived reality; it becomes "contagious" and, in a manner of speaking, it 'warms our hearts'." This is true for all the Saints.
Sunday

Sunday is the "original feast day", "foundation and core of the whole liturgical year". It is the day of Christ, and brings with it the memory of Him who is the very foundation of the Christian faith.
"As the day of Resurrection, Sunday is not only the remembrance of a past event; it is a celebration of the living presence of the Risen Lord in the midst of His own people. For this presence to be properly proclaimed and lived, it is not enough that the disciples of Christ pray individually and commemorate the death and Resurrection of Christ inwardly, in the secrecy of their hearts... It is important therefore that they come together to express fully the very identify of the Church, the ekklesia, the assembly called together by the Risen Lord." (Dies Domini)

The Eucharistic Celebration is in fact the heart of Sunday. The connection between the Risen One and the Eucharist is especially shown in the account of the disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) as they are guided by Christ Himself to enter intimately into the mystery by listening to the Word and in communion with the "breaking of the bread". The gestures completed by Jesus "He took bread, said the blessing, broke it and give it to them" (Luke 24:30), are the same as those He performed during the Last Supper, and which He incessantly performs, through His priests, in our Eucharist.

Eucharistic Adoration
The practice of gathering in prayer before the tabernacle, to adore Christ truly present therein, was born of the need to reserve the Lord's Sacred Body for Communion for the sick and infirm. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is highly expressive of the bond between the celebration of the Lord's Sacrifice and His permanent presence in the consecrated Host. By remaining in prayer before the Lord Jesus, truly living in the Blessed Sacrament, not only is our union with Him matured, but we are better disposed to more fruitfully celebrate it and to prolong those existential and reverential attitudes raised by it. These are expressed by the Church's tradition in different ways:

Simple visits to the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance
Perpetual Adoration

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament: Processions and Eucharistic Adoration normally finish with Benediction by the priest or deacon. Since Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament is not a form of Eucharistic devotion by itself, it should be preceded by a brief exposition, with a convenient period of prayer and silence.

Eucharistic Processions: Eucharistic processions through the city streets help the faithful feel themselves to be the people of God, together with their Lord, proclaiming their faith in "God with us and for us" (Redemptionis Sacramentum). During these processions, care must be taken to guarantee the dignity of the celebration and the necessary reverence toward the Blessed Sacrament.

THANKSGIVING....The term "Eucharist" comes form the Greek term for "thanksgiving"
On the night in which He suffered, the night in which He instituted the sacrament of His Paschal sacrifice, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread and gave it to His disciples....
Jesus' thanksgiving is re-lived in every Eucharistic celebration.

Eucharistic Spirituality
The Year of the Eucharist is a moment to broaden our horizons.... Precisely because it is the heart of Christian life, the Eucharist does not finish within the Church walls, but needs to enter into the lives of those who participate in int. The sacrament of the Body of Christ is given for the building up of the Body of Christ - which is the Church. The Eucharist is truly the necessary nourishment for all believers in Christ.

A Year of Grace, Fervor and Mystagogy
The renewal brought about by this holy year will most certainly depend on the depth of our prayer. We are all invited to celebrate, receive and adore the Eucharist with the same faith of the saints.

"It is not necessary to go far to look for the Lord. For until our natural heat has consumed the accidents of the bread, the good Jesus is in us. Let us draw near to Him!"
(Saint Teresa of Avila)

This year's goal is to help each of us encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, so as to live in communion with Him....

"The Lord Jesus himself proclaims: 'This is My Body'. Before the blessing of the heavenly words another nature is spoken of, after the consecration the Body is signified. He himself speaks of His Blood. Before the consecration it has another name, after it is called Blood. And you say, "Amen", that is, "It is true". Let the heart within confess what the mouth utters, let the soul feel what the voice speaks." (Saint Ambrose)

CONCLUSION - MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE
In his conclusion to this document, Pope John Paul II states that...if the only result of the Year of the Eucharist is the revival of the celebration of Sunday Mass and an increase in Eucharistic worship outside Mass, that this Year of grace would be abundantly successful. At the same time it is good to aim high, and not to be content with mediocrity,since we know we can always count on God's help.

If you would like to read the apostolic letter MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE or the Year of the Eucharist Proposals in their entirety, they can be found at the Vatican website or a printed copy is available in St. Anne's parish office.