VATICAN CITY, OCT 17, 2004 (VIS) - With a solemn Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica, John Paul II early this evening opened the Year of the Eucharist, which will end in October 2005. The inauguration took place concomitantly with the closing of the 48th International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Following Mass, which was presided over by Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano and several other members of the College of Cardinals, there was the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Via television linkup with Guadalajara, the Pope sent a Message to the closing ceremony of the Eucharistic congress. He said that "the theme of the congress, 'The Eucharist; Light and Life of the New Millennium', invites us to consider the Eucharistic mystery not only in itself but also in relationship to the problems of our times."
"The human heart needs light, as it is weighed down by sin, often disoriented and tired, tried by sufferings of every type. The world needs light in the difficult search for a peace that seems so distant, at the beginning of a millennium upset and humiliated by violence, by terrorism and by war."
John Paul II underscored that life is the greatest human aspiration, adding that "threatening shadows weigh on this universal longing, the shadows of a culture that denies respect for life in every stage; the shadow of an indifference that send countless people to destinies of hunger and underdevelopment: the shadow of scientific research that often aims to serve the egoism of the strongest."
"We must all feel called," he affirmed, "by the needs of so many of our brothers and sisters," without forgetting that nourishing ourselves with the Body of Christ "means welcoming life itself from God, opening ourselves to the logic of love and sharing."
The Holy Father invites the faithful to ask, as did the disciples of Emmaus, "the divine Wayfarer, Who knows our hearts, not to leave us as prisoners of evening shadows. Sustain us in our fatigue, pardons our sins, orient our steps to the path of good. ... Bless all of mankind!"
"In the Eucharist You made yourself 'the remedy for immortality': give us delight in a full life that makes us walk on this earth as trusting and joyous pilgrims, always looking to the goal, the end of the life that has no end. Stay with us, Lord. Stay with us!"
The Pope concluded by announcing that the next International Eucharistic Congress will be held in Quebec, Canada in 2008.
HML/OPENING YEAR EUCHARIST/... VIS 20041018 (430)
No comments:
Post a Comment