AUDIENCE: THE EUCHARIST, MEMORIAL OF THE MIGHTY WORKS OF GOD

VATICAN CITY, OCT 4, 2000 (VIS) - "The Eucharist, memorial of the 'mirabilia Dei' (mighty works of God)" was the theme of John Paul II's catechesis during the general audience held this morning in St. Peter's Square in the presence of 36,000 pilgrims.

"Among the many aspects of the Eucharist," said the Pope, "the one that particularly stands out is that of 'memorial'," which "is not merely the recollection of past events but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for men. In the liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real."

The Holy Father indicated that "the Eucharist is, then, a memorial of Christ's death, but it is also the presence of His sacrifice and the anticipation of His future glorious coming. It is the sacrament of the continuous salvific closeness of the Risen Lord in history."

"This memorial that generates and nourishes faith is the work of the Holy Spirit. ... There exists, then, an effective remembrance: the interior remembrance that leads to comprehension of God's Word and the sacramental remembrance that is fulfilled in the Eucharist. These are the two realities of salvation that Luke brought together in the wonderful story of the disciples of Emmaus, marked by the explanation of the Scriptures and by the 'breaking of bread'."

The Pope affirmed that "'remembering' is consequently 'bringing to heart' in memory and in affection, but it is also the celebration of a presence. ... In the Eucharist, the Christian feeds the hope of the definitive meeting with his Lord."

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