Yesterday morning, at the liturgy which concluded the German National Eucharistic Congress, a special message from His Holiness was shared with those who were gathered.
To our venerable brothers
Cardinal Joachim Meisner
Archbishop of Cologne
and
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch
President of the German Bishops’ Conference
With the motto To whom shall we go, Lord? (John
6:68) Catholics from Germany and nearby countries are gathering together now
for the National Eucharistic Congress in Cologne. This event situates itself in
this city’s long tradition of veneration of the Eucharist. Cologne was one of
the first to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Domini, from its
inception in the 13th century, with processions of the Most Blessed Sacrament,
and was the site of the World Eucharistic Congress in 1909. So, I gladly send
from Rome Cardinal Josef Cordes as my special envoy to show my deep spiritual
communion with German Catholics, and to express the universal communion of the
Church. May the heavenly Father grant to all the participants abundant fruits
of grace from the veneration of Christ in the Eucharist.
Lord, to whom shall we go? With this question,
in the face of many who misunderstood Jesus, who wanted selfishly to profit
from him, St. Peter is the spokesman of his faithful followers. The disciples
do not seek the worldly payoff of those who were satiated (cf. John 6:26)
and who, nevertheless, worked for bread that does not last (cf.
John 6:27). Of course, Peter too knows hunger; for a long time he was
unable to find the bread that filled him. Then he met the man from Nazareth. He
followed him. Now he knows his Master not only from hearsay. Being with him
every day Peter has developed a trust without reservations. This is faith in
Jesus; it is not without reason that Peter expects the longed for life
in abundance from the Lord (cf. John 10:10).
Lord, to whom shall we go? We too, who belong to
the Church today, pose this question. Even if it is more hesitant on our lips
than on Peter’s, our answer, like that of the Apostle, can only be the person
of Jesus. Yes, he lived 2000 years ago. But we can encounter him in our own time
when we listen to his Word and are near to him in a special way in the
Eucharist. Vatican Council II calls it the sacred action par excellence,
adding that no other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the
same title and to the same degree (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7). May
the Holy Mass never become a superficial routine for us! May we draw more and
more from its profundity! It is precisely the Mass that inserts us in Christ’s
immense work of salvation, to sharpen our spiritual vision by his love: by his prophecy
in act with which, at the Last Supper, he initiated the gift of self
on the cross; by his irrevocable victory over sin and death, which we boldly
and festively proclaim. We need to learn how to live the Holy Mass,
Blessed John Paul II said once to young mean at a Roman seminary who had asked
him about the deep concentration with which he celebrated the sacred liturgy
(Visit to the Pontificio Collegio Germano Ungarico, Oct. 18, 1981). Learn
to live the Holy Mass! We are helped to do this by pausing in adoration
before the Eucharistic Lord in the tabernacle and receiving the Sacrament of
Reconciliation.
Lord, to whom shall we go? Lastly, this question
is posed by certain of our contemporaries, who – with lucidity or obscure
presentiment – are in search of the Father of Jesus Christ. The Redeemer wants
to meet them through us, who, thanks to our Baptism, have become his brothers
and sisters, and who, in the Eucharist, have received the power to participate
with him in his mission of salvation. With our life and our words we must
proclaim to them that which we have seen together with Peter and the Apostles:
“Lord you have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Our testimony will
enflame them as we have been enflamed by Christ, All of us, bishops, priests,
deacons, religious and laity have the task of bringing God to the world and the
world to God.
Encountering Christ, giving ourselves to Christ, proclaiming
Christ – these are the pillars of our faith, which are concentrated in the
focal point of the Eucharist. The celebration of the Eucharistic Congress
during the Year of Faith proclaims with renewed joy and
certainty: the Church’s Lord lives in her. With my cordial greeting I bestow
from my heart to all of you the Apostolic Benediction.
From the Vatican, May 30, 2013, the Solemnity of the Most
Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Francis
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