Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum = Caritatis

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POST-SYNODAL
APOSTOLIC=20 EXHORTATION
SACRAMENTUM=20 CARITATIS
OF THE HOLY FATHER
BENEDICT=20 XVI
TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY,
CONSECRATED = PERSONS
AND=20 THE LAY FAITHFUL
ON THE EUCHARIST
AS THE SOURCE AND = SUMMIT
OF THE=20 CHURCH'S LIFE AND MISSION

INDEX

Introduction=20 [1]

The food of truth [2]
The development of the eucharistic = rite=20 [3]
The Synod of Bishops and the Year of the Eucharist = [4]
The=20 purpose of the present Exhortation [5]

The=20 blessed Trinity and the Eucharist

The bread come down from heaven [7]
A free gift of the = Blessed=20 Trinity [8]

The=20 Eucharist: Jesus the true Sacrificial Lamb

The new and eternal covenant in the blood of the Lamb [9] =
The=20 institution of the Eucharist [10]
Figura transit in = veritatem=20 [11]

The=20 Holy Spirit and the Eucharist

Jesus and the Holy Spirit [12]
The Holy Spirit and the=20 eucharistic celebration [13]

The=20 Eucharist and the Church

The Eucharist, causal principle of the Church [14]
The = Eucharist=20 and ecclesial communion [15]

The=20 Eucharist and the Sacraments

The sacramentality of the Church [16]

I. The Eucharist and Christian initiation
The = Eucharist, the=20 fullness of Christian initiation [17]
The order of the = sacraments=20 of initiation [18]
Initiation, the ecclesial community and = the=20 family [19]

II. The Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation =
Their=20 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=20 persona Christi capitis [23]
The Eucharist and = priestly=20 celibacy [24]
The clergy shortage and the pastoral care of=20 vocations [25]
Gratitude and hope [26]

V. The Eucharist and matrimony
The Eucharist, a nuptial = sacrament [27]
The Eucharist and the unicity of marriage=20 [28]
The Eucharist and the indissolubility of marriage=20 [29]

The=20 Eucharist and Eschatology

The Eucharist: a gift to men and women on their journey = [30]
The=20 eschatological banquet [31]
Prayer for the dead [32] =

The=20 Eucharist and the Virgin Mary [33]

The=20 eucharistic celebration, the work of =93Christus = Totus=94

Christus totus in capite et in corpore [36]
The = Eucharist=20 and the risen Christ [37]

Ars=20 celebrandi [38]

The Bishop, celebrant par excellence [39]
Respect for the = liturgical books and the richness of signs [40]
Art at the = service=20 of the liturgy [41]
Liturgical song [42]

The=20 structure of the eucharistic Celebration [43]

The intrinsic unity of the liturgical action [44]
The = liturgy of=20 the word [45]
The homily [46]
The presentation of the = gifts=20 [47]
The Eucharistic Prayer [48]
The sign of peace = [49]
The=20 distribution and reception of the Eucharist [50]
The = dismissal:=20 =93Ite, missa est=94 [51]

Actuosa=20 participatio [52]

Authentic participation [53]
Participation and the = priestly=20 ministry [53]
The eucharistic celebration and inculturation = [54]=20
Personal conditions for an =93active participation=94=20 [55]
Participation by Christians who are not Catholic=20 [56]
Participation through the communications media = [57]
Active=20 participation by the sick [58]
Care for prisoners [59] =
Migrants=20 and participation in the Eucharist [60]
Large-scale = celebrations=20 [61]
The Latin language [62]
Eucharistic celebrations in = small=20 groups [63]

Interior=20 participation in the celebration

Mystagogical catechesis [64]
Reverence for the Eucharist=20 [65]

Adoration=20 and eucharistic devotion

The intrinsic relationship between celebration and adoration = [66]=20
The practice of eucharistic adoration [67]
Forms of = eucharistic=20 devotion [68]
The location of the tabernacle = [69]

PART=20 THREE:
THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY TO BE LIVED

The=20 eucharistic form of the christian life

Spiritual worship =96 logik=E9 latre=EDa (Rom = 12:1) [70]=20
The all-encompassing effect of eucharistic worship [71] =
Iuxta=20 dominicam viventes =96 living in accordance with the = Lord's Day=20 [72]
Living the Sunday obligation [73]
The meaning of = rest and of=20 work [74]
Sunday assemblies in the absence of a priest [75] =
A=20 eucharistic form of Christian life, membership in the Church=20 [76]
Spirituality and eucharistic culture [77]
The = Eucharistic and=20 the evangelization of cultures [78]
The Eucharist and the lay = faithful [79]
The Eucharist and priestly spirituality = [80]
The=20 Eucharist and the consecrated life [81]
The Eucharist and = moral=20 transformation [82]
Eucharistic consistency = [83]

The=20 Eucharist, a mystery to be proclaimed

The Eucharist and mission [84]
The Eucharist and witness = [85]=20
Christ Jesus, the one Saviour [86]
Freedom of worship = [87]=20

The=20 Eucharist, a mystery to be offered to the world

The Eucharist, bread broken for the life of the world [88] =
The=20 social implications of the eucharistic mystery [89]
The food = of=20 truth and human need [90]
The Church's social teaching = [91]
The=20 sanctification of the world and the protection of creation = [92]
The=20 usefulness of a Eucharistic Compendium [93]

Conclusion=20 [94]

INTRODUCTION

1. The sacrament of charity (1), the Holy = Eucharist is the=20 gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us = God's=20 infinite love for every man and woman. This wondrous sacrament = makes=20 manifest that "greater" love which led him to "lay down his life = for his=20 friends" (Jn 15:13). Jesus did indeed love them "to the = end"=20 (Jn 13:1). In those words the Evangelist introduces = Christ's act of=20 immense humility: before dying for us on the Cross, he tied a = towel around=20 himself and washed the feet of his disciples. In the same way, = Jesus=20 continues, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, to love us "to the = end,"=20 even to offering us his body and his blood. What amazement must = the=20 Apostles have felt in witnessing what the Lord did and said during = that=20 Supper! What wonder must the eucharistic mystery also awaken in = our own=20 hearts!

The food of truth

2. In the sacrament of the altar, the Lord meets = us, men and=20 women created in God's image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:27), = and=20 becomes our companion along the way. In this sacrament, the Lord = truly=20 becomes food for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom. = Since=20 only the truth can make us free (cf. Jn 8:32), Christ = becomes for=20 us the food of truth. With deep human insight, Saint Augustine = clearly=20 showed how we are moved spontaneously, and not by constraint, = whenever we=20 encounter something attractive and desirable. Asking himself what = it is=20 that can move us most deeply, the saintly Bishop went on to say: = "What=20 does our soul desire more passionately than truth?" (2) Each of us = has an=20 innate and irrepressible desire for ultimate and definitive truth. = The=20 Lord Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn = 14:6),=20 speaks to our thirsting, pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for = the=20 source of life, our hearts longing for truth. Jesus Christ is the = Truth in=20 person, drawing the world to himself. "Jesus is the lodestar of = human=20 freedom: without him, freedom loses its focus, for without the = knowledge=20 of truth, freedom becomes debased, alienated and reduced to empty = caprice.=20 With him, freedom finds itself." (3) In the sacrament of the = Eucharist,=20 Jesus shows us in particular the truth about the love which = is the=20 very essence of God. It is this evangelical truth which challenges = each of=20 us and our whole being. For this reason, the Church, which finds = in the=20 Eucharist the very centre of her life, is constantly concerned to = proclaim=20 to all, opportune importune (cf. 2 Tim 4:2), that = God is=20 love.(4) Precisely because Christ has become for us the food of = truth, the=20 Church turns to every man and woman, inviting them freely to = accept God's=20 gift.

The development of the eucharistic = rite

3. If we consider the bimillenary history of God's = Church,=20 guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, we can gratefully admire = the=20 orderly development of the ritual forms in which we commemorate = the event=20 of our salvation. From the varied forms of the early centuries, = still=20 resplendent in the rites of the Ancient Churches of the East, up = to the=20 spread of the Roman rite; from the clear indications of the = Council of=20 Trent and the Missal of Saint Pius V to the liturgical renewal = called for=20 by the Second Vatican Council: in every age of the Church's = history the=20 eucharistic celebration, as the source and summit of her life and = mission,=20 shines forth in the liturgical rite in all its richness and = variety. The=20 Eleventh=20 Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, held from = 2-23=20 October 2005 in the Vatican, gratefully acknowledged the guidance = of the=20 Holy Spirit in this rich history. In a particular way, the Synod = Fathers=20 acknowledged and reaffirmed the beneficial influence on the = Church's life=20 of the liturgical renewal which began with the Second=20 Vatican Ecumenical Council (5). The Synod of Bishops was able = to=20 evaluate the reception of the renewal in the years following the = Council.=20 There were many expressions of appreciation. The difficulties and = even the=20 occasional abuses which were noted, it was affirmed, cannot = overshadow the=20 benefits and the validity of the liturgical renewal, whose riches = are yet=20 to be fully explored. Concretely, the changes which the Council = called for=20 need to be understood within the overall unity of the historical=20 development of the rite itself, without the introduction of = artificial=20 discontinuities.(6)

The Synod of Bishops and the Year of the=20 Eucharist

4. We should also emphasize the relationship = between the=20 recent Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist and the events which have = taken=20 place in the Church's life in recent years. First of all, we = should recall=20 the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, with which my beloved = Predecessor, the=20 Servant of God John Paul II, led the Church into the third = Christian=20 millennium. The Jubilee Year clearly had a significant eucharistic = dimension. Nor can we forget that the Synod of Bishops was = preceded, and=20 in some sense prepared for, by the Year=20 of the Eucharist which John Paul II had, with great foresight, = wanted=20 the whole Church to celebrate. That year, which began with the International=20 Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara in October 2004, ended on = 23=20 October 2005, at the conclusion of the XI Synodal Assembly, = with the=20 canonization of five saints particularly distinguished for their=20 eucharistic piety: Bishop J=F3zef Bilczewski, Fathers Gaetano = Catanoso,=20 Zygmunt Gorazdowski and Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, and the Capuchin = Fra=20 Felice da Nicosia. Thanks to the teachings proposed by John Paul = II in the=20 Apostolic Letter Mane=20 Nobiscum Domine (7) and to the helpful suggestions of the=20 Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the = Sacraments,(8)=20 many initiatives were undertaken by Dioceses and various ecclesial = groups=20 in order to reawaken and increase eucharistic faith, to improve = the=20 quality of eucharistic celebration, to promote eucharistic = adoration and=20 to encourage a practical solidarity which, starting from the = Eucharist,=20 would reach out to those in need. Finally, mention should be made = of the=20 significance of my venerable Predecessor's last Encyclical, Ecclesia = de=20 Eucharistia (9), in which he left us a sure magisterial = statement=20 of the Church's teaching on the Eucharist and a final testimony of = the=20 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=20 the richness and variety of the reflections and proposals which = emerged=20 from the recent Ordinary=20 General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops =96 from the Lineamenta=20 to the Propositiones, along the way of the Instrumentum=20 Laboris, the Relationes ante and post=20 disceptationem, the interventions of the Synod Fathers, the=20 auditores and the fraternal delegates =96 and to offer some = basic=20 directions aimed at a renewed commitment to eucharistic enthusiasm = and=20 fervour in the Church. Conscious of the immense patrimony of = doctrine and=20 discipline accumulated over the centuries with regard to this=20 sacrament,(10) I wish here to endorse the wishes expressed by the = Synod=20 Fathers (11) by encouraging the Christian people to deepen their=20 understanding of the relationship between the eucharistic = mystery,=20 the liturgical action, and the new spiritual worship = which=20 derives from the Eucharist as the sacrament of charity.=20 Consequently, I wish to set the present Exhortation alongside my = first=20 Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, in which I frequently=20 mentioned the sacrament of the Eucharist and stressed its = relationship to=20 Christian love, both of God and of neighbour: "God incarnate draws = us all=20 to himself. We can thus understand how agape also became a = term for=20 the Eucharist: there God's own agape comes to us bodily, in = order=20 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=20 whom he has sent" (Jn 6:29)

The Church's eucharistic faith

6. "The mystery of faith!" With these = words, spoken=20 immediately after the words of consecration, the priest proclaims = the=20 mystery being celebrated and expresses his wonder before the = substantial=20 change of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord = Jesus, a=20 reality which surpasses all human understanding. The Eucharist is = a=20 "mystery of faith" par excellence: "the sum and summary of our = faith."=20 (13) The Church's faith is essentially a eucharistic faith, and it = is=20 especially nourished at the table of the Eucharist. Faith and the=20 sacraments are two complementary aspects of ecclesial life. = Awakened by=20 the preaching of God's word, faith is nourished and grows in the=20 grace-filled encounter with the Risen Lord which takes place in = the=20 sacraments: "faith is expressed in the rite, while the rite = reinforces and=20 strengthens faith." (14) For this reason, the Sacrament of the = Altar is=20 always at the heart of the Church's life: "thanks to the = Eucharist, the=20 Church is reborn ever anew!" (15) The more lively the eucharistic = faith of=20 the People of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in=20 steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his = disciples.=20 The Church's very history bears witness to this. Every great = reform has in=20 some way been linked to the rediscovery of belief in the Lord's=20 eucharistic presence among his people.

The=20 Blessed Trinity and the Eucharist

The bread come down from heaven

7. The first element of eucharistic faith is the = mystery of=20 God himself, trinitarian love. In Jesus' dialogue with Nicodemus, = we find=20 an illuminating expression in this regard: "God so loved the world = that he=20 gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish = but have=20 eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn = the=20 world, but that the world might be saved through him" (Jn = 3:16-17).=20 These words show the deepest source of God's gift. In the = Eucharist Jesus=20 does not give us a "thing," but himself; he offers his own body = and pours=20 out his own blood. He thus gives us the totality of his life and = reveals=20 the ultimate origin of this love. He is the eternal Son, given to = us by=20 the Father. In the Gospel we hear how Jesus, after feeding the = crowds by=20 multiplying the loaves and fishes, says to those who had followed = him to=20 the synagogue of Capernaum: "My Father gives you the true bread = from=20 heaven; for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven, and = gives=20 life to the world" (Jn 6:32-33), and even identifies = himself, his=20 own flesh and blood, with that bread: "I am the living bread which = came=20 down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live = forever; and=20 the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my = flesh"=20 (Jn 6:51). Jesus thus shows that he is the bread of life = which the=20 eternal Father gives to mankind.

A free gift of the Blessed = Trinity

8. The Eucharist reveals the loving plan that = guides all of=20 salvation history (cf. Eph 1:10; 3:8- 11). There the = Deus=20 Trinitas, who is essentially love (cf. 1 Jn 4:7-8), = becomes=20 fully a part of our human condition. In the bread and wine under = whose=20 appearances Christ gives himself to us in the paschal meal (cf. = Lk=20 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26), God's whole life encounters us = and is=20 sacramentally shared with us. God is a perfect communion of love = between=20 Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At creation itself, man was called to = have=20 some share in God's breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7). But it is = in=20 Christ, dead and risen, and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, = given=20 without measure (cf. Jn 3:34), that we have become sharers = of God's=20 inmost life. (16) Jesus Christ, who "through the eternal Spirit = offered=20 himself without blemish to God" (Heb 9:14), makes us, in = the gift=20 of the Eucharist, sharers in God's own life. This is an absolutely = free=20 gift, the superabundant fulfilment of God's promises. The Church = receives,=20 celebrates and adores this gift in faithful obedience. The = "mystery of=20 faith" is thus a mystery of trinitarian love, a mystery in which = we are=20 called by grace to participate. We too should therefore exclaim = with Saint=20 Augustine: "If you see love, you see the Trinity." (17)

The = Eucharist: Jesus=20 the true Sacrificial lamb

The new and eternal covenant in the blood of = the=20 Lamb

9. The mission for which Jesus came among us was=20 accomplished in the Paschal Mystery. On the Cross from which he = draws all=20 people to himself (cf. Jn 12:32), just before "giving up = the=20 Spirit," he utters the words: "it is finished" (Jn 19:30). = In the=20 mystery of Christ's obedience unto death, even death on a Cross = (cf.=20 Phil 2:8), the new and eternal covenant was brought about. In = his=20 crucified flesh, God's freedom and our human freedom met = definitively in=20 an inviolable, eternally valid pact. Human sin was also redeemed = once for=20 all by God's Son (cf. Heb 7:27; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). As = I have=20 said elsewhere, "Christ's death on the Cross is the culmination of = that=20 turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order = to raise=20 man up and save him. This is love in its most radical form." (18) = In the=20 Paschal Mystery, our deliverance from evil and death has taken = place. In=20 instituting the Eucharist, Jesus had spoken of the "new and = eternal=20 covenant" in the shedding of his blood (cf. Mt 26:28; = Mk=20 14:24; Lk 22:20). This, the ultimate purpose of his = mission, was=20 clear from the very beginning of his public life. Indeed, when, on = the=20 banks of the Jordan, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards = him, he=20 cried out: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the = world"=20 (Jn 1:29). It is significant that these same words are = repeated at=20 every celebration of Holy Mass, when the priest invites us to = approach the=20 altar: "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of = the=20 world. Happy are those who are called to his supper." Jesus is = the true=20 paschal lamb who freely gave himself in sacrifice for us, and = thus=20 brought about the new and eternal covenant. The Eucharist contains = this=20 radical newness, which is offered to us again at every = celebration.=20 (19)

The institution of the Eucharist

10. This leads us to reflect on the institution of = the=20 Eucharist at the Last Supper. It took place within a ritual meal=20 commemorating the foundational event of the people of Israel: = their=20 deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This ritual meal, which called = for the=20 sacrifice of lambs (cf. Ex 12:1-28, 43-51), was a = remembrance of=20 the past, but at the same time a prophetic remembrance, the = proclamation=20 of a deliverance yet to come. The people had come to realize that = their=20 earlier liberation was not definitive, for their history continued = to be=20 marked by slavery and sin. The remembrance of their ancient = liberation=20 thus expanded to the invocation and expectation of a yet more = profound,=20 radical, universal and definitive salvation. This is the context = in which=20 Jesus introduces the newness of his gift. In the prayer of praise, = the=20 Berakah, he does not simply thank the Father for the great = events of=20 past history, but also for his own "exaltation." In instituting = the=20 sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus anticipates and makes present = the=20 sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the resurrection. At the = same=20 time, he reveals that he himself is the true sacrificial = lamb,=20 destined in the Father's plan from the foundation of the world, as = we read=20 in The First Letter of Peter (cf. 1:18-20). By placing his = gift in=20 this context, Jesus shows the salvific meaning of his death and=20 resurrection, a mystery which renews history and the whole cosmos. = The=20 institution of the Eucharist demonstrates how Jesus' death, for = all its=20 violence and absurdity, became in him a supreme act of love and = mankind's=20 definitive deliverance from evil.

Figura transit in veritatem

11. Jesus thus brings his own radical novum = to the=20 ancient Hebrew sacrificial meal. For us Christians, that meal no = longer=20 need be repeated. As the Church Fathers rightly say, figura = transit in=20 veritatem: the foreshadowing has given way to the truth = itself. The=20 ancient rite has been brought to fulfilment and definitively = surpassed by=20 the loving gift of the incarnate Son of God. The food of truth, = Christ=20 sacrificed for our sake, dat figuris terminum. (20) By his = command=20 to "do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor = 11:25),=20 he asks us to respond to his gift and to make it sacramentally = present. In=20 these words the Lord expresses, as it were, his expectation that = the=20 Church, born of his sacrifice, will receive this gift, developing = under=20 the guidance of the Holy Spirit the liturgical form of the = sacrament. The=20 remembrance of his perfect gift consists not in the mere = repetition of the=20 Last Supper, but in the Eucharist itself, that is, in the radical = newness=20 of Christian worship. In this way, Jesus left us the task of = entering into=20 his "hour." "The Eucharist draws us into Jesus' act of = self-oblation. More=20 than just statically receiving the incarnate Logos, we = enter into=20 the very dynamic of his self-giving." (21) Jesus "draws us into = himself."=20 (22) The substantial conversion of bread and wine into his body = and blood=20 introduces within creation the principle of a radical change, a = sort of=20 "nuclear fission," to use an image familiar to us today, which = penetrates=20 to the heart of all being, a change meant to set off a process = which=20 transforms reality, a process leading ultimately to the = transfiguration of=20 the entire world, to the point where God will be all in all (cf. = 1=20 Cor 15:28).

The Holy=20 Spirit and the Eucharist

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

12. With his word and with the elements of bread = and wine,=20 the Lord himself has given us the essentials of this new worship. = The=20 Church, his Bride, is called to celebrate the eucharistic banquet = daily in=20 his memory. She thus makes the redeeming sacrifice of her = Bridegroom a=20 part of human history and makes it sacramentally present in every = culture.=20 This great mystery is celebrated in the liturgical forms which the = Church,=20 guided by the Holy Spirit, develops in time and space. (23) We = need a=20 renewed awareness of the decisive role played by the Holy Spirit = in the=20 evolution of the liturgical form and the deepening understanding = of the=20 sacred mysteries. The Paraclete, Christ's first gift to those who = believe,=20 (24) already at work in Creation (cf. Gen 1:2), is fully = present=20 throughout the life of the incarnate Word: Jesus Christ is = conceived by=20 the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt = 1:18;=20 Lk 1:35); at the beginning of his public mission, on the banks = of the=20 Jordan, he sees the Spirit descend upon him in the form of a dove = (cf.=20 Mt 3:16 and parallels); he acts, speaks and rejoices in the = Spirit=20 (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,=20 Jesus clearly relates the gift of his life in the paschal mystery = to the=20 gift of the Spirit to his own (cf. Jn 16:7). Once risen, = bearing in=20 his flesh the signs of the passion, he can pour out the Spirit = upon them=20 (cf. Jn 20:22), making them sharers in his own mission = (cf.=20 Jn 20:21). The Spirit would then teach the disciples all = things and=20 bring to their remembrance all that Christ had said (cf. Jn = 14:26),=20 since it falls to him, as the Spirit of truth (cf. Jn = 15:26), to=20 guide the disciples into all truth (cf. Jn 16:13). In the = account=20 in Acts, the Spirit descends on the Apostles gathered in = prayer=20 with Mary on the day of Pentecost (cf. 2:1-4) and stirs them to = undertake=20 the mission of proclaiming the Good News to all peoples. Thus it = is=20 through the working of the Spirit that Christ himself continues to = be=20 present and active in his Church, starting with her vital centre = which is=20 the Eucharist.

The Holy Spirit and the eucharistic=20 celebration

13. Against this backdrop we can understand the = decisive=20 role played by the Holy Spirit in the eucharistic celebration,=20 particularly with regard to transubstantiation. An awareness of = this is=20 clearly evident in the Fathers of the Church. Saint Cyril of = Jerusalem, in=20 his Catecheses, states that we "call upon God in his mercy = to send=20 his Holy Spirit upon the offerings before us, to transform the = bread into=20 the body of Christ and the wine into the blood of Christ. Whatever = the=20 Holy Spirit touches is sanctified and completely transformed" = (25). Saint=20 John Chrysostom too notes that the priest invokes the Holy Spirit = when he=20 celebrates the sacrifice: (26) like Elijah, the minister calls = down the=20 Holy Spirit so that "as grace comes down upon the victim, the = souls of all=20 are thereby inflamed" (27). The spiritual life of the faithful can = benefit=20 greatly from a better appreciation of the richness of the = anaphora: along=20 with the words spoken by Christ at the Last Supper, it contains = the=20 epiclesis, the petition to the Father to send down the gift of the = Spirit=20 so that the bread and the wine will become the body and blood of = Jesus=20 Christ and that "the community as a whole will become ever more = the body=20 of Christ" (28). The Spirit invoked by the celebrant upon the = gifts of=20 bread and wine placed on the altar is the same Spirit who gathers = the=20 faithful "into one body" and makes of them a spiritual offering = pleasing=20 to the Father (29).

The = Eucharist and=20 the Church

The Eucharist, causal principle of the=20 Church

14. Through the sacrament of the Eucharist Jesus = draws the=20 faithful into his "hour;" he shows us the bond that he willed to = establish=20 between himself and us, between his own person and the Church. = Indeed, in=20 the sacrifice of the Cross, Christ gave birth to the Church as his = Bride=20 and his body. The Fathers of the Church often meditated on the=20 relationship between Eve's coming forth from the side of Adam as = he slept=20 (cf. Gen 2:21-23) and the coming forth of the new Eve, the = Church,=20 from the open side of Christ sleeping in death: from Christ's = pierced=20 side, John recounts, there came forth blood and water (cf. = Jn=20 19:34), the symbol of the sacraments (30). A contemplative gaze = "upon him=20 whom they have pierced" (Jn 19:37) leads us to reflect on = the=20 causal connection between Christ's sacrifice, the Eucharist and = the=20 Church. The Church "draws her life from the Eucharist" (31). Since = the=20 Eucharist makes present Christ's redeeming sacrifice, we must = start by=20 acknowledging that "there is a causal influence of the Eucharist = at the=20 Church's very origins" (32). The Eucharist is Christ who gives = himself to=20 us and continually builds us up as his body. Hence, in the = striking=20 interplay between the Eucharist which builds up the Church, and = the Church=20 herself which "makes" the Eucharist (33), the primary causality is = expressed in the first formula: the Church is able to celebrate = and adore=20 the mystery of Christ present in the Eucharist precisely because = Christ=20 first gave himself to her in the sacrifice of the Cross. The = Church's=20 ability to "make" the Eucharist is completely rooted in Christ's = self-gift=20 to her. Here we can see more clearly the meaning of Saint John's = words:=20 "he first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). We too, at every = celebration of=20 the Eucharist, confess the primacy of Christ's gift. The causal = influence=20 of the Eucharist at the Church's origins definitively discloses = both the=20 chronological and ontological priority of the fact that it was = Christ who=20 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=20 and activity. This is why Christian antiquity used the same words, = Corpus Christi, to designate Christ's body born of the = Virgin Mary,=20 his eucharistic body and his ecclesial body.(34) This clear datum = of the=20 tradition helps us to appreciate the inseparability of Christ and = the=20 Church. The Lord Jesus, by offering himself in sacrifice for us, = in his=20 gift effectively pointed to the mystery of the Church. It is = significant=20 that the Second Eucharistic Prayer, invoking the Paraclete, = formulates its=20 prayer for the unity of the Church as follows: "may all of us = who share=20 in the body and blood of Christ be brought together in unity by = the Holy=20 Spirit." These words help us to see clearly how the res = of the=20 sacrament of the Eucharist is the unity of the faithful within = ecclesial=20 communion. The Eucharist is thus found at the root of the Church = as a=20 mystery of communion (35).

The relationship between Eucharist and = communio had=20 already been pointed out by the Servant of God John Paul II in his = Encyclical Ecclesia = de=20 Eucharistia. He spoke of the memorial of Christ as "the = supreme=20 sacramental manifestation of communion in the Church" (36). The = unity of=20 ecclesial communion is concretely manifested in the Christian = communities=20 and is renewed at the celebration of the Eucharist, which unites = them and=20 differentiates them in the particular Churches, "in quibus et = ex quibus=20 una et unica Ecclesia catholica exsistit" (37). The fact that = the one=20 Eucharist is celebrated in each Diocese around its own Bishop = helps us to=20 see how those particular Churches subsist in and ex=20 Ecclesia. Indeed, "the oneness and indivisibility of the = eucharistic=20 body of the Lord implies the oneness of his mystical body, which = is the=20 one and indivisible Church. From the eucharistic centre arises the = necessary openness of every celebrating community, of every = particular=20 Church. By allowing itself to be drawn into the open arms of the = Lord, it=20 achieves insertion into his one and undivided body." (38) = Consequently, in=20 the celebration of the Eucharist, the individual members of the = faithful=20 find themselves in their Church, that is, in the Church of = Christ.=20 From this eucharistic perspective, adequately understood, = ecclesial=20 communion is seen to be catholic by its very nature (39). An = emphasis on=20 this eucharistic basis of ecclesial communion can also contribute = greatly=20 to the ecumenical dialogue with the Churches and Ecclesial = Communities=20 which are not in full communion with the See of Peter. The = Eucharist=20 objectively creates a powerful bond of unity between the Catholic = Church=20 and the Orthodox Churches, which have preserved the authentic and = integral=20 nature of the eucharistic mystery. At the same time, emphasis on = the=20 ecclesial character of the Eucharist can become an important = element of=20 the dialogue with the Communities of the Reformed tradition = (40).

The Eucharist=20 and the Sacraments

The sacramentality of the Church

16. The Second Vatican Council recalled that "all = the=20 sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of = the=20 apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are directed = towards it.=20 For in the most blessed Eucharist is contained the entire = spiritual wealth=20 of the Church, namely Christ himself our Pasch and our living = bread, who=20 gives life to humanity through his flesh =96 that flesh which is = given life=20 and gives life by the Holy Spirit. Thus men and women are invited = and led=20 to offer themselves, their works and all creation in union with = Christ."=20 (41) This close relationship of the Eucharist with the other = sacraments=20 and the Christian life can be most fully understood when we = contemplate=20 the mystery of the Church herself as a sacrament. (42) The Council = in this=20 regard stated that "the Church, in Christ, is a sacrament =96 a = sign and=20 instrument =96 of communion with God and of the unity of the = entire human=20 race." (43) To quote Saint Cyprian, as "a people made one by the = unity of=20 the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," (44) she is the = sacrament of=20 trinitarian communion.

The fact that the Church is the "universal = sacrament of=20 salvation" (45) shows how the sacramental economy ultimately = determines=20 the way that Christ, the one Saviour, through the Spirit, reaches = our=20 lives in all their particularity. The Church receives and = at the=20 same time expresses what she herself is in the seven = sacraments,=20 thanks to which God's grace concretely influences the lives of the = faithful, so that their whole existence, redeemed by Christ, can = become an=20 act of worship pleasing to God. From this perspective, I would = like here=20 to draw attention to some elements brought up by the Synod Fathers = which=20 may help us to grasp the relationship of each of the sacraments to = the=20 eucharistic mystery.

I. The Eucharist and Christian = initiation

The Eucharist, the fullness of Christian=20 initiation

17. If the Eucharist is truly the source and = summit of the=20 Church's life and mission, it follows that the process of = Christian=20 initiation must constantly be directed to the reception of this = sacrament.=20 As the Synod Fathers said, we need to ask ourselves whether in our = Christian communities the close link between Baptism, Confirmation = and=20 Eucharist is sufficiently recognized. (46) It must never be = forgotten that=20 our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the = Eucharist.=20 Accordingly, our pastoral practice should reflect a more unitary=20 understanding of the process of Christian initiation. The = sacrament of=20 Baptism, by which we were conformed to Christ,(47) incorporated in = the=20 Church and made children of God, is the portal to all the = sacraments. It=20 makes us part of the one Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13), = a=20 priestly people. Still, it is our participation in the Eucharistic = sacrifice which perfects within us the gifts given to us at = Baptism. The=20 gifts of the Spirit are given for the building up of Christ's Body = (1=20 Cor 12) and for ever greater witness to the Gospel in the = world. (48)=20 The Holy Eucharist, then, brings Christian initiation to = completion and=20 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=20 of the sacraments of initiation. Different traditions exist within = the=20 Church. There is a clear variation between, on the one hand, the = ecclesial=20 customs of the East (50) and the practice of the West regarding = the=20 initiation of adults, (51) and, on the other hand, the procedure = adopted=20 for children. (52) Yet these variations are not properly of the = dogmatic=20 order, but are pastoral in character. Concretely, it needs to be = seen=20 which practice better enables the faithful to put the sacrament of = the=20 Eucharist at the centre, as the goal of the whole process of = initiation.=20 In close collaboration with the competent offices of the Roman = Curia,=20 Bishops' Conferences should examine the effectiveness of current=20 approaches to Christian initiation, so that the faithful can be = helped=20 both to mature through the formation received in our communities = and to=20 give their lives an authentically eucharistic direction, so that = they can=20 offer a reason for the hope within them in a way suited to our = times=20 (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

Initiation, the ecclesial community and the=20 family

19. It should be kept in mind that the whole of = Christian=20 initiation is a process of conversion undertaken with God's help = and with=20 constant reference to the ecclesial community, both when an adult = is=20 seeking entry into the Church, as happens in places of first=20 evangelization and in many secularized regions, and when parents = request=20 the sacraments for their children. In this regard, I would like to = call=20 particular attention to the relationship between Christian = initiation and=20 the family. In pastoral work it is always important to make = Christian=20 families part of the process of initiation. Receiving Baptism,=20 Confirmation and First Holy Communion are key moments not only for = the=20 individual receiving them but also for the entire family, which = should be=20 supported in its educational role by the various elements of the = ecclesial=20 community. (53) Here I would emphasize the importance of First = Holy=20 Communion. For many of the faithful, this day continues to be = memorable as=20 the moment when, even if in a rudimentary way, they first came to=20 understand the importance of a personal encounter with Jesus. = Parish=20 pastoral programmes should make the most of this highly = significant=20 moment.

II. The Eucharist and the Sacrament of=20 Reconciliation

Their intrinsic relationship

20. The Synod Fathers rightly stated that a love = for the=20 Eucharist leads to a growing appreciation of the sacrament of=20 Reconciliation. (54) Given the connection between these = sacraments, an=20 authentic catechesis on the meaning of the Eucharist must include = the call=20 to pursue the path of penance (cf. 1 Cor 11:27-29). We know = that=20 the faithful are surrounded by a culture that tends to eliminate = the sense=20 of sin (55) and to promote a superficial approach that overlooks = the need=20 to be in a state of grace in order to approach sacramental = communion=20 worthily. (56) The loss of a consciousness of sin always entails a = certain=20 superficiality in the understanding of God's love. Bringing out = the=20 elements within the rite of Mass that express consciousness of = personal=20 sin and, at the same time, of God's mercy, can prove most helpful = to the=20 faithful.(57) Furthermore, the relationship between the Eucharist = and the=20 sacrament of Reconciliation reminds us that sin is never a purely=20 individual affair; it always damages the ecclesial communion that = we have=20 entered through Baptism. For this reason, Reconciliation, as the = Fathers=20 of the Church would say, is laboriosus quidam baptismus; = (58) they=20 thus emphasized that the outcome of the process of conversion is = also the=20 restoration of full ecclesial communion, expressed in a return to = the=20 Eucharist. (59)

Some pastoral concerns

21. The Synod recalled that Bishops have the = pastoral duty=20 of promoting within their Dioceses a reinvigorated catechesis on = the=20 conversion born of the Eucharist, and of encouraging frequent = confession=20 among the faithful. All priests should dedicate themselves with=20 generosity, commitment and competency to administering the = sacrament of=20 Reconciliation. (60) In this regard, it is important that the=20 confessionals in our churches should be clearly visible = expressions of the=20 importance of this sacrament. I ask pastors to be vigilant with = regard to=20 the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation, and to limit = the=20 practice of general absolution exclusively to the cases permitted, = (61)=20 since individual absolution is the only form intended for ordinary = use.=20 (62) Given the need to rediscover sacramental forgiveness, there = ought to=20 be a Penitentiary in every Diocese. (63) Finally, a = balanced and=20 sound practice of gaining indulgences, whether for oneself = or for=20 the dead, can be helpful for a renewed appreciation of the = relationship=20 between the Eucharist and Reconciliation. By this means the = faithful=20 obtain "remission before God of the temporal punishment due to = sins whose=20 guilt has already been forgiven." (64) The use of indulgences = helps us to=20 understand that by our efforts alone we would be incapable of = making=20 reparation for the wrong we have done, and that the sins of each=20 individual harm the whole community. Furthermore, the practice of=20 indulgences, which involves not only the doctrine of Christ's = infinite=20 merits, but also that of the communion of the saints, reminds us = "how=20 closely we are united to each other in Christ ... and how the = supernatural=20 life of each can help others." (65) Since the conditions for = gaining an=20 indulgence include going to confession and receiving sacramental=20 communion, this practice can effectively sustain the faithful on = their=20 journey of conversion and in rediscovering the centrality of the = Eucharist=20 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=20 sick (cf. Mt 10:8; Lk 9:2, 10:9); he also instituted = a=20 specific sacrament for them: the Anointing of the Sick.(66) The = Letter=20 of James attests to the presence of this sacramental sign in = the early=20 Christian community (cf. 5:14-16). If the Eucharist shows how = Christ's=20 sufferings and death have been transformed into love, the = Anointing of the=20 Sick, for its part, unites the sick with Christ's self-offering = for the=20 salvation of all, so that they too, within the mystery of the = communion of=20 saints, can participate in the redemption of the world. The = relationship=20 between these two sacraments becomes clear in situations of = serious=20 illness: "In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church = offers=20 those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum." = (67) On=20 their journey to the Father, communion in the Body and Blood of = Christ=20 appears as the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection: = "Anyone=20 who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will = raise=20 him up on the last day" (Jn 6:54). Since viaticum gives the = sick a=20 glimpse of the fullness of the Paschal Mystery, its administration = should=20 be readily provided for. (68) Attentive pastoral care shown to = those who=20 are ill brings great spiritual benefit to the entire community, = since=20 whatever we do to one of the least of our brothers and sisters, we = do to=20 Jesus himself (cf. Mt 25:40).

IV. The Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy=20 Orders

In persona Christi capitis

23. The intrinsic relationship between the = Eucharist and the=20 sacrament of Holy Orders clearly emerges from Jesus' own words in = the=20 Upper Room: "Do this in memory of me" (Lk 22:19). On the = night=20 before he died, Jesus instituted the Eucharist and at the same = time=20 established the priesthood of the New Covenant. He is = priest,=20 victim and altar: the mediator between God the Father and his = people (cf.=20 Heb 5:5-10), the victim of atonement (cf. 1 Jn 2:2, = 4:10)=20 who offers himself on the altar of the Cross. No one can say "this = is my=20 body" and "this is the cup of my blood" except in the name and in = the=20 person of Christ, the one high priest of the new and eternal = Covenant=20 (cf. Heb 8-9). Earlier meetings of the Synod of Bishops had = considered the question of the ordained priesthood, both with = regard to=20 the nature of the ministry (69) and the formation of = candidates.(70) Here,=20 in the light of the discussion that took place during the last = Synod, I=20 consider it important to recall several important points about the = relationship between the sacrament of the Eucharist and Holy = Orders. First=20 of all, we need to stress once again that the connection = between Holy=20 Orders and the Eucharist is seen most clearly at Mass, when = the Bishop=20 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)=20 Indeed, "in the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is = Christ=20 himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd = of his=20 flock, High Priest of the redemptive sacrifice." (72) Certainly = the=20 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=20 the eucharistic sacrifice." (73) As a result, priests should be = conscious=20 of the fact that in their ministry they must never put themselves = or their=20 personal opinions in first place, but Jesus Christ. Any attempt to = make=20 themselves the centre of the liturgical action contradicts their = very=20 identity as priests. The priest is above all a servant of others, = and he=20 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=20 in leading the liturgical assembly, in obedience to the rite, = uniting=20 himself to it in mind and heart, and avoiding anything that might = give the=20 impression of an inordinate emphasis on his own personality. I = encourage=20 the clergy always to see their eucharistic ministry as a humble = service=20 offered to Christ and his Church. The priesthood, as Saint = Augustine said,=20 is amoris officium, (74) it is the office of the good = shepherd, who=20 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=20 configuration to Christ. While respecting the different practice = and=20 tradition of the Eastern Churches, there is a need to reaffirm the = profound meaning of priestly celibacy, which is rightly considered = a=20 priceless treasure, and is also confirmed by the Eastern practice = of=20 choosing Bishops only from the ranks of the celibate. These = Churches also=20 greatly esteem the decision of many priests to embrace celibacy. = This=20 choice on the part of the priest expresses in a special way the = dedication=20 which conforms him to Christ and his exclusive offering of himself = for the=20 Kingdom of God. (75) The fact that Christ himself, the eternal = priest,=20 lived his mission even to the sacrifice of the Cross in the state = of=20 virginity constitutes the sure point of reference for = understanding the=20 meaning of the tradition of the Latin Church. It is not sufficient = to=20 understand priestly celibacy in purely functional terms. Celibacy = is=20 really a special way of conforming oneself to Christ's own way of = life.=20 This choice has first and foremost a nuptial meaning; it is a = profound=20 identification with the heart of Christ the Bridegroom who gives = his life=20 for his Bride. In continuity with the great ecclesial tradition, = with the=20 Second=20 Vatican Council (76) and with my predecessors in the papacy, = (77) I=20 reaffirm the beauty and the importance of a priestly life lived in = celibacy as a sign expressing total and exclusive devotion to = Christ, to=20 the Church and to the Kingdom of God, and I therefore confirm that = it=20 remains obligatory in the Latin tradition. Priestly celibacy lived = with=20 maturity, joy and dedication is an immense blessing for the Church = and for=20 society itself.

The clergy shortage and the pastoral care of = vocations

25. In the light of the connection between the = sacrament of=20 Holy Orders and the Eucharist, the Synod considered the difficult=20 situation that has arisen in various Dioceses which face a = shortage of=20 priests. This happens not only in some areas of first = evangelization, but=20 also in many countries of long-standing Christian tradition. = Certainly a=20 more equitable distribution of clergy would help to solve the = problem.=20 Efforts need to be made to encourage a greater awareness of this = situation=20 at every level. Bishops should involve Institutes of Consecrated = Life and=20 the new ecclesial groups in their pastoral needs, while respecting = their=20 particular charisms, and they should invite the clergy to become = more open=20 to serving the Church wherever there is need, even if this calls = for=20 sacrifice. (78) The Synod also discussed pastoral initiatives = aimed at=20 promoting, especially among the young, an attitude of interior = openness to=20 a priestly calling. The situation cannot be resolved by purely = practical=20 decisions. On no account should Bishops react to real and = understandable=20 concerns about the shortage of priests by failing to carry out = adequate=20 vocational discernment, or by admitting to seminary formation and=20 ordination candidates who lack the necessary qualities for = priestly=20 ministry (79). An insufficiently formed clergy, admitted to = ordination=20 without the necessary discernment, will not easily be able to = offer a=20 witness capable of evoking in others the desire to respond = generously to=20 Christ's call. The pastoral care of vocations needs to involve the = entire=20 Christian community in every area of its life. (80) Obviously, = this=20 pastoral work on all levels also includes exploring the matter = with=20 families, which are often indifferent or even opposed to the idea = of a=20 priestly vocation. Families should generously embrace the gift of = life and=20 bring up their children to be open to doing God's will. In a word, = they=20 must have the courage to set before young people the radical = decision to=20 follow Christ, showing them how deeply rewarding it is.

Gratitude and hope

26. Finally, we need to have ever greater faith = and hope in=20 God's providence. Even if there is a shortage of priests in some = areas, we=20 must never lose confidence that Christ continues to inspire men to = leave=20 everything behind and to dedicate themselves totally to = celebrating the=20 sacred mysteries, preaching the Gospel and ministering to the = flock. In=20 this regard, I wish to express the gratitude of the whole Church = for all=20 those Bishops and priests who carry out their respective missions = with=20 fidelity, devotion and zeal. Naturally, the Church's gratitude = also goes=20 to deacons, who receive the laying on of hands "not for priesthood = but for=20 service." (81) As the Synod Assembly recommended, I offer a = special word=20 of thanks to those Fidei Donum priests who work faithfully = and=20 generously at building up the community by proclaiming the word of = God and=20 breaking the Bread of Life, devoting all their energy to serving = the=20 mission of the Church. (82) Let us thank God for all those priests = who=20 have suffered even to the sacrifice of their lives in order to = serve=20 Christ. The eloquence of their example shows what it means to be a = priest=20 to the end. Theirs is a moving witness that can inspire many young = people=20 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=20 particular relationship with the love of man and woman united in = marriage.=20 A deeper understanding of this relationship is needed at the = present time.=20 (83) Pope John Paul II frequently spoke of the nuptial character = of the=20 Eucharist and its special relationship with the sacrament of = Matrimony:=20 "The Eucharist is the sacrament of our redemption. It is the = sacrament of=20 the Bridegroom and of the Bride." (84) Moreover, "the entire = Christian=20 life bears the mark of the spousal love of Christ and the Church. = Already=20 Baptism, the entry into the People of God, is a nuptial mystery; = it is so=20 to speak the nuptial bath which precedes the wedding feast, the=20 Eucharist." (85) The Eucharist inexhaustibly strengthens the = indissoluble=20 unity and love of every Christian marriage. By the power of the = sacrament,=20 the marriage bond is intrinsically linked to the eucharistic unity = of=20 Christ the Bridegroom and his Bride, the Church (cf. Eph = 5:31-32).=20 The mutual consent that husband and wife exchange in Christ, which = establishes them as a community of life and love, also has a = eucharistic=20 dimension. Indeed, in the theology of Saint Paul, conjugal love is = a=20 sacramental sign of Christ's love for his Church, a love = culminating in=20 the Cross, the expression of his "marriage" with humanity and at = the same=20 time the origin and heart of the Eucharist. For this reason the = Church=20 manifests her particular spiritual closeness to all those who have = built=20 their family on the sacrament of Matrimony. (86) The family =96 = the domestic=20 Church (87) =96 is a primary sphere of the Church's life, = especially because=20 of its decisive role in the Christian education of children. (88) = In this=20 context, the Synod also called for an acknowledgment of the unique = mission=20 of women in the family and in society, a mission that needs to be=20 defended, protected and promoted. (89) Marriage and motherhood = represent=20 essential realities which must never be denigrated.

The Eucharist and the unicity of = marriage

28. In the light of this intrinsic relationship = between=20 marriage, the family and the Eucharist, we can turn to several = pastoral=20 problems. The indissoluble, exclusive and faithful bond uniting = Christ and=20 the Church, which finds sacramental expression in the Eucharist,=20 corresponds to the basic anthropological fact that man is meant to = be=20 definitively united to one woman and vice versa (cf. Gen = 2:24,=20 Mt 19:5). With this in mind, the Synod of Bishops addressed = the=20 question of pastoral practice regarding people who come to the = Gospel from=20 cultures in which polygamy is practised. Those living in this = situation=20 who open themselves to Christian faith need to be helped to = integrate=20 their life-plan into the radical newness of Christ. During the=20 catechumenate, Christ encounters them in their specific = circumstances and=20 calls them to embrace the full truth of love, making whatever = sacrifices=20 are necessary in order to arrive at perfect ecclesial communion. = The=20 Church accompanies them with a pastoral care that is gentle yet = firm, (90)=20 above all by showing them the light shed by the Christian = mysteries on=20 nature and on human affections.

The Eucharist and the indissolubility of=20 marriage

29. If the Eucharist expresses the irrevocable = nature of=20 God's love in Christ for his Church, we can then understand why it = implies, with regard to the sacrament of Matrimony, that = indissolubility=20 to which all true love necessarily aspires. (91) There was good = reason for=20 the pastoral attention that the Synod gave to the painful = situations=20 experienced by some of the faithful who, having celebrated the = sacrament=20 of Matrimony, then divorced and remarried. This represents a = complex and=20 troubling pastoral problem, a real scourge for contemporary = society, and=20 one which increasingly affects the Catholic community as well. The = Church's pastors, out of love for the truth, are obliged to = discern=20 different situations carefully, in order to be able to offer = appropriate=20 spiritual guidance to the faithful involved.(92) The Synod of = Bishops=20 confirmed the Church's practice, based on Sacred Scripture (cf. = Mk=20 10:2- 12), of not admitting the divorced and remarried to the = sacraments,=20 since their state and their condition of life objectively = contradict the=20 loving union of Christ and the Church signified and made present = in the=20 Eucharist. Yet the divorced and remarried continue to belong to = the=20 Church, which accompanies them with special concern and encourages = them to=20 live as fully as possible the Christian life through regular = participation=20 at Mass, albeit without receiving communion, listening to the word = of God,=20 eucharistic adoration, prayer, participation in the life of the = community,=20 honest dialogue with a priest or spiritual director, dedication to = the=20 life of charity, works of penance, and commitment to the education = of=20 their children.

When legitimate doubts exist about the validity of = the prior=20 sacramental marriage, the necessary investigation must be carried = out to=20 establish if these are well-founded. Consequently there is a need = to=20 ensure, in full respect for canon law (93), the presence of local=20 ecclesiastical tribunals, their pastoral character, and their = correct and=20 prompt functioning (94). Each Diocese should have a sufficient = number of=20 persons with the necessary preparation, so that the ecclesiastical = tribunals can operate in an expeditious manner. I repeat that "it = is a=20 grave obligation to bring the Church's institutional activity in = her=20 tribunals ever closer to the faithful" (95). At the same time, = pastoral=20 care must not be understood as if it were somehow in conflict with = the=20 law. Rather, one should begin by assuming that the fundamental = point of=20 encounter between the law and pastoral care is love for the = truth:=20 truth is never something purely abstract, but "a real part of the = human=20 and Christian journey of every member of the faithful" (96). = Finally,=20 where the nullity of the marriage bond is not declared and = objective=20 circumstances make it impossible to cease cohabitation, the Church = encourages these members of the faithful to commit themselves to = living=20 their relationship in fidelity to the demands of God's law, as = friends, as=20 brother and sister; in this way they will be able to return to the = table=20 of the Eucharist, taking care to observe the Church's established = and=20 approved practice in this regard. This path, if it is to be = possible and=20 fruitful, must be supported by pastors and by adequate ecclesial=20 initiatives, nor can it ever involve the blessing of these = relations, lest=20 confusion arise among the faithful concerning the value of = marriage=20 (97).

Given the complex cultural context which the = Church today=20 encounters in many countries, the Synod also recommended devoting = maximum=20 pastoral attention to training couples preparing for marriage and = to=20 ascertaining beforehand their convictions regarding the = obligations=20 required for the validity of the sacrament of Matrimony. Serious=20 discernment in this matter will help to avoid situations where = impulsive=20 decisions or superficial reasons lead two young people to take on=20 responsibilities that they are then incapable of honouring. (98) = The good=20 that the Church and society as a whole expect from marriage and = from the=20 family founded upon marriage is so great as to call for full = pastoral=20 commitment to this particular area. Marriage and the family are=20 institutions that must be promoted and defended from every = possible=20 misrepresentation of their true nature, since whatever is = injurious to=20 them is injurious to society itself.

The = Eucharist and=20 Eschatology

The Eucharist: a gift to men and women on = their=20 journey

30. If it is true that the sacraments are part of = the=20 Church's pilgrimage through history (99) towards the full = manifestation of=20 the victory of the risen Christ, it is also true that, especially = in the=20 liturgy of the Eucharist, they give us a real foretaste of the=20 eschatological fulfilment for which every human being and all = creation are=20 destined (cf. Rom 8:19ff.). Man is created for that true = and=20 eternal happiness which only God's love can give. But our wounded = freedom=20 would go astray were it not already able to experience something = of that=20 future fulfilment. Moreover, to move forward in the right = direction, we=20 all need to be guided towards our final goal. That goal is Christ = himself,=20 the Lord who conquered sin and death, and who makes himself = present to us=20 in a special way in the eucharistic celebration. Even though we = remain=20 "aliens and exiles" in this world (1 Pet 2:11), through = faith we=20 already share in the fullness of risen life. The eucharistic = banquet, by=20 disclosing its powerful eschatological dimension, comes to the aid = of our=20 freedom as we continue our journey.

The eschatological banquet

31. Reflecting on this mystery, we can say that = Jesus'=20 coming responded to an expectation present in the people of = Israel, in the=20 whole of humanity and ultimately in creation itself. By his = self-gift, he=20 objectively inaugurated the eschatological age. Christ came to = gather=20 together the scattered People of God (cf. Jn 11:52) and = clearly=20 manifested his intention to gather together the community of the = covenant,=20 in order to bring to fulfilment the promises made by God to the = fathers of=20 old (cf. Jer 23:3; Lk 1:55, 70). In the calling of = the=20 Twelve, which is to be understood in relation to the twelve tribes = of=20 Israel, and in the command he gave them at the Last Supper, before = his=20 redemptive passion, to celebrate his memorial, Jesus showed that = he wished=20 to transfer to the entire community which he had founded the task = of=20 being, within history, the sign and instrument of the = eschatological=20 gathering that had its origin in him. Consequently, every = eucharistic=20 celebration sacramentally accomplishes the eschatological = gathering of the=20 People of God. For us, the eucharistic banquet is a real foretaste = of the=20 final banquet foretold by the prophets (cf. Is 25:6-9) and=20 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=20 saints (100).

Prayer for the dead

32. The eucharistic celebration, in which we = proclaim that=20 Christ has died and risen, and will come again, is a pledge of the = future=20 glory in which our bodies too will be glorified. Celebrating the = memorial=20 of our salvation strengthens our hope in the resurrection of the = body and=20 in the possibility of meeting once again, face to face, those who = have=20 gone before us marked with the sign of faith. In this context, I = wish,=20 together with the Synod Fathers, to remind all the faithful of the = importance of prayers for the dead, especially the offering of = Mass for=20 them, so that, once purified, they can come to the beatific vision = of God.=20 (101) A rediscovery of the eschatological dimension inherent in = the=20 Eucharist, celebrated and adored, will help sustain us on our = journey and=20 comfort us in the hope of glory (cf. Rom 5:2; Tit = 2:13).

The Eucharist=20 and the Virgin Mary

33. From the relationship between the Eucharist = and the=20 individual sacraments, and from the eschatological significance of = the=20 sacred mysteries, the overall shape of the Christian life emerges, = a life=20 called at all times to be an act of spiritual worship, a = self-offering=20 pleasing to God. Although we are all still journeying towards the = complete=20 fulfilment of our hope, this does not mean that we cannot already=20 gratefully acknowledge that God's gifts to us have found their = perfect=20 fulfilment in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. = Mary's=20 Assumption body and soul into heaven is for us a sign of sure = hope, for it=20 shows us, on our pilgrimage through time, the eschatological goal = of which=20 the sacrament of the Eucharist enables us even now to have a=20 foretaste.

In Mary most holy, we also see perfectly fulfilled = the=20 "sacramental" way that God comes down to meet his creatures and = involves=20 them in his saving work. From the Annunciation to Pentecost, Mary = of=20 Nazareth appears as someone whose freedom is completely open to = God's=20 will. Her immaculate conception is revealed precisely in her = unconditional=20 docility to God's word. Obedient faith in response to God's work = shapes=20 her life at every moment. A virgin attentive to God's word, she = lives in=20 complete harmony with his will; she treasures in her heart the = words that=20 come to her from God and, piecing them together like a mosaic, she = learns=20 to understand them more deeply (cf. Lk 2:19, 51); Mary is = the great=20 Believer who places herself confidently in God's hands, abandoning = herself=20 to his will. (102) This mystery deepens as she becomes completely = involved=20 in the redemptive mission of Jesus. In the words of the Second = Vatican=20 Council, "the blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, = and=20 faithfully persevered in her union with her Son until she stood at = the=20 Cross, in keeping with the divine plan (cf. Jn 19:25), = suffering=20 deeply with her only-begotten Son, associating herself with his = sacrifice=20 in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation = of the=20 victim who was born of her. Finally, she was given by the same = Christ=20 Jesus, dying on the Cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these = words:=20 =91Woman, behold your Son."' (103) From the Annunciation to the = Cross, Mary=20 is the one who received the Word, made flesh within her and then = silenced=20 in death. It is she, lastly, who took into her arms the lifeless = body of=20 the one who truly loved his own "to the end" (Jn 13:1).

Consequently, every time we approach the Body and = Blood of=20 Christ in the eucharistic liturgy, we also turn to her who, by her = complete fidelity, received Christ's sacrifice for the whole = Church. The=20 Synod Fathers rightly declared that "Mary inaugurates the Church's = participation in the sacrifice of the Redeemer." (104) She is the=20 Immaculata, who receives God's gift unconditionally and is thus = associated=20 with his work of salvation. Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent = Church,=20 is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift that Jesus = makes=20 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=20 you the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread = from=20 heaven" (Jn 6:32)

Lex orandi and lex credendi

34. The Synod of Bishops reflected at length on = the=20 intrinsic relationship between eucharistic faith and eucharistic=20 celebration, pointing out the connection between the lex orandi = and=20 the lex credendi, and stressing the primacy of the = liturgical=20 action. The Eucharist should be experienced as a mystery of = faith,=20 celebrated authentically and with a clear awareness that "the=20 intellectus fidei has a primordial relationship to the = Church's=20 liturgical action." (105) Theological reflection in this area can = never=20 prescind from the sacramental order instituted by Christ himself. = On the=20 other hand, the liturgical action can never be considered = generically,=20 prescinding from the mystery of faith. Our faith and the = eucharistic=20 liturgy both have their source in the same event: Christ's gift of = himself=20 in the Paschal Mystery.

Beauty and the liturgy

35. This relationship between creed and worship is = evidenced=20 in a particular way by the rich theological and liturgical = category of=20 beauty. Like the rest of Christian Revelation, the liturgy is = inherently=20 linked to beauty: it is veritatis splendor. The liturgy is = a=20 radiant expression of the paschal mystery, in which Christ draws = us to=20 himself and calls us to communion. As Saint Bonaventure would say, = in=20 Jesus we contemplate beauty and splendour at their source. (106) = This is=20 no mere aestheticism, but the concrete way in which the truth of = God's=20 love in Christ encounters us, attracts us and delights us, = enabling us to=20 emerge from ourselves and drawing us towards our true vocation, = which is=20 love. (107) God allows himself to be glimpsed first in creation, = in the=20 beauty and harmony of the cosmos (cf. Wis 13:5; Rom = 1:19-=20 20). In the Old Testament we see many signs of the grandeur of = God's power=20 as he manifests his glory in his wondrous deeds among the Chosen = People=20 (cf. Ex 14; 16:10; 24:12-18; Num 14:20- 23). In the = New=20 Testament this epiphany of beauty reaches definitive fulfilment in = God's=20 revelation in Jesus Christ: (108) Christ is the full manifestation = of the=20 glory of God. In the glorification of the Son, the Father's glory = shines=20 forth and is communicated (cf. Jn 1:14; 8:54; 12:28; 17:1). = Yet=20 this beauty is not simply a harmony of proportion and form; "the = fairest=20 of the sons of men" (Ps 45[44]:3) is also, mysteriously, = the one=20 "who had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no = beauty=20 that we should desire him" (Is 53:2). Jesus Christ shows us = how the=20 truth of love can transform even the dark mystery of death into = the=20 radiant light of the resurrection. Here the splendour of God's = glory=20 surpasses all worldly beauty. The truest beauty is the love of = God, who=20 definitively revealed himself to us in the paschal mystery.

The beauty of the liturgy is part of this mystery; = it is a=20 sublime expression of God's glory and, in a certain sense, a = glimpse of=20 heaven on earth. The memorial of Jesus' redemptive sacrifice = contains=20 something of that beauty which Peter, James and John beheld when = the=20 Master, making his way to Jerusalem, was transfigured before their = eyes=20 (cf. Mk 9:2). Beauty, then, is not mere decoration, but = rather an=20 essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an = attribute of=20 God himself and his revelation. These considerations should make = us=20 realize the care which is needed, if the liturgical action is to = reflect=20 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=20 Christ himself, risen and glorified in the Holy Spirit, who = includes the=20 Church in his work. (109) Here we can recall an evocative phrase = of Saint=20 Augustine which strikingly describes this dynamic of faith proper = to the=20 Eucharist. The great Bishop of Hippo, speaking specifically of the = eucharistic mystery, stresses the fact that Christ assimilates us = to=20 himself: "The bread you see on the altar, sanctified by the word = of God,=20 is the body of Christ. The chalice, or rather, what the chalice = contains,=20 sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ. In these = signs,=20 Christ the Lord willed to entrust to us his body and the blood = which he=20 shed for the forgiveness of our sins. If you have received them = properly,=20 you yourselves are what you have received." (110) Consequently, = "not only=20 have we become Christians, we have become Christ himself." (111) = We can=20 thus contemplate God's mysterious work, which brings about a = profound=20 unity between ourselves and the Lord Jesus: "one should not = believe that=20 Christ is in the head but not in the body; rather he is complete = in the=20 head and in the body." (112)

The Eucharist and the risen = Christ

37. Since the eucharistic liturgy is essentially = an actio=20 Dei which draws us into Christ through the Holy Spirit, its = basic=20 structure is not something within our power to change, nor can it = be held=20 hostage by the latest trends. Here too Saint Paul's irrefutable = statement=20 applies: "no one can lay any foundation other than the one that = has been=20 laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 3:11). Again it is the = Apostle=20 of the Gentiles who assures us that, with regard to the Eucharist, = he is=20 presenting not his own teaching but what he himself has received = (cf. 1=20 Cor 11:23). The celebration of the Eucharist implies and = involves the=20 living Tradition. The Church celebrates the eucharistic sacrifice = in=20 obedience to Christ's command, based on her experience of the = Risen Lord=20 and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For this reason, from the=20 beginning, the Christian community has gathered for the fractio = panis on the Lord's Day. Sunday, the day Christ rose from the = dead, is=20 also the first day of the week, the day which the Old Testament = tradition=20 saw as the beginning of God's work of creation. The day of = creation has=20 now become the day of the "new creation," the day of our = liberation, when=20 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=20 celebrandi, the art of proper celebration, and the full, = active and=20 fruitful participation of all the faithful. The primary way to = foster the=20 participation of the People of God in the sacred rite is the = proper=20 celebration of the rite itself. The ars celebrandi is the = best way=20 to ensure their actuosa participatio. (114) The ars=20 celebrandi is the fruit of faithful adherence to the = liturgical norms=20 in all their richness; indeed, for two thousand years this way of=20 celebrating has sustained the faith life of all believers, called = to take=20 part in the celebration as the People of God, a royal priesthood, = a holy=20 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=20 participates in the eucharistic liturgy, a correct ars = celebrandi=20 necessarily entails a specific responsibility on the part of = those who=20 have received the sacrament of Holy Orders. Bishops, priests, and = deacons,=20 each according to his proper rank, must consider the celebration = of the=20 liturgy as their principal duty (116). Above all, this is true of = the=20 Diocesan Bishop: as "the chief steward of the mysteries of God in = the=20 particular Church entrusted to his care, he is the moderator, = promoter,=20 and guardian of the whole of its liturgical life" (117). This is = essential=20 for the life of the particular Church, not only because communion = with the=20 Bishop is required for the lawfulness of every celebration within = his=20 territory, but also because he himself is the celebrant par = excellence=20 within his Diocese (118). It is his responsibility to ensure unity = and=20 harmony in the celebrations taking place in his territory. = Consequently=20 the Bishop must be "determined that the priests, the deacons, and = the lay=20 Christian faithful grasp ever more deeply the genuine meaning of = the rites=20 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=20 to ensure that the liturgies which the Bishop celebrates in his = Cathedral=20 are carried out with complete respect for the ars celebrandi, = so=20 that they can be considered an example for the entire Diocese = (120).

Respect for the liturgical books and the = richness of=20 signs

40. Emphasizing the importance of the ars = celebrandi=20 also leads to an appreciation of the value of the liturgical = norms. (121)=20 The ars celebrandi should foster a sense of the sacred and = the use=20 of outward signs which help to cultivate this sense, such as, for = example,=20 the harmony of the rite, the liturgical vestments, the furnishings = and the=20 sacred space. The eucharistic celebration is enhanced when priests = and=20 liturgical leaders are committed to making known the current = liturgical=20 texts and norms, making available the great riches found in the = General=20 Instruction of the Roman Missal and the Order of Readings = for=20 Mass. Perhaps we take it for granted that our ecclesial = communities=20 already know and appreciate these resources, but this is not = always the=20 case. These texts contain riches which have preserved and = expressed the=20 faith and experience of the People of God over its = two-thousand-year=20 history. Equally important for a correct ars celebrandi is = an=20 attentiveness to the various kinds of language that the liturgy = employs:=20 words and music, gestures and silence, movement, the liturgical = colours of=20 the vestments. By its very nature the liturgy operates on = different levels=20 of communication which enable it to engage the whole human person. = The=20 simplicity of its gestures and the sobriety of its orderly = sequence of=20 signs communicate and inspire more than any contrived and = inappropriate=20 additions. Attentiveness and fidelity to the specific structure of = the=20 rite express both a recognition of the nature of Eucharist as a = gift and,=20 on the part of the minister, a docile openness to receiving this = ineffable=20 gift.

Art at the service of the = liturgy

41. The profound connection between beauty and the = liturgy=20 should make us attentive to every work of art placed at the = service of the=20 celebration. (122) Certainly an important element of sacred art is = church=20 architecture, (123) which should highlight the unity of the = furnishings of=20 the sanctuary, such as the altar, the crucifix, the tabernacle, = the ambo=20 and the celebrant's chair. Here it is important to remember that = the=20 purpose of sacred architecture is to offer the Church a fitting = space for=20 the celebration of the mysteries of faith, especially the = Eucharist. (124)=20 The very nature of a Christian church is defined by the liturgy, = which is=20 an assembly of the faithful (ecclesia) who are the living = stones of=20 the Church (cf. 1 Pet 2:5).

This same principle holds true for sacred art in = general,=20 especially painting and sculpture, where religious iconography = should be=20 directed to sacramental mystagogy. A solid knowledge of the = history of=20 sacred art can be advantageous for those responsible for = commissioning=20 artists and architects to create works of art for the liturgy.=20 Consequently it is essential that the education of seminarians and = priests=20 include the study of art history, with special reference to sacred = buildings and the corresponding liturgical norms. Everything = related to=20 the Eucharist should be marked by beauty. Special respect and care = must=20 also be given to the vestments, the furnishings and the sacred = vessels, so=20 that by their harmonious and orderly arrangement they will foster = awe for=20 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=20 pre-eminent place. (126) Saint Augustine rightly says in a famous = sermon=20 that "the new man sings a new song. Singing is an expression of = joy and,=20 if we consider the matter, an expression of love" (127). The = People of God=20 assembled for the liturgy sings the praises of God. In the course = of her=20 two-thousand-year history, the Church has created, and still = creates,=20 music and songs which represent a rich patrimony of faith and = love. This=20 heritage must not be lost. Certainly as far as the liturgy is = concerned,=20 we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic = improvisation=20 or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the = meaning of=20 the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song = should=20 be well integrated into the overall celebration (128). = Consequently=20 everything =96 texts, music, execution =96 ought to correspond to = the meaning=20 of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the = liturgical seasons (129). Finally, while respecting various styles = and=20 different and highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in = accordance with=20 the request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant be = suitably esteemed and employed (130) as the chant proper to the = Roman=20 liturgy (131).

The structure = of the=20 eucharistic Celebration

43. After mentioning the more significant elements = of the=20 ars celebrandi that emerged during the Synod, I would now like = to turn=20 to some specific aspects of the structure of the eucharistic = celebration=20 which require special attention at the present time, if we are to = remain=20 faithful to the underlying intention of the liturgical renewal = called for=20 by the Second=20 Vatican Council, in continuity with the great ecclesial = tradition.

The intrinsic unity of the liturgical=20 action

44. First of all, there is a need to reflect on = the inherent=20 unity of the rite of Mass. Both in catechesis and in the actual = manner of=20 celebration, one must avoid giving the impression that the two = parts of=20 the rite are merely juxtaposed. The liturgy of the word and the=20 Eucharistic liturgy, with the rites of introduction and = conclusion, "are=20 so closely interconnected that they form but one single act of = worship."=20 (132) There is an intrinsic bond between the word of God and the=20 Eucharist. From listening to the word of God, faith is born or=20 strengthened (cf. Rom 10:17); in the Eucharist the Word = made flesh=20 gives himself to us as our spiritual food. (133) Thus, "from the = two=20 tables of the word of God and the Body of Christ, the Church = receives and=20 gives to the faithful the bread of life." (134) Consequently it = must=20 constantly be kept in mind that the word of God, read and = proclaimed by=20 the Church in the liturgy, leads to the Eucharist as to its own = connatural=20 end.

The liturgy of the word

45. Together with the Synod, I ask that the = liturgy of the=20 word always be carefully prepared and celebrated. Consequently I = urge that=20 every effort be made to ensure that the liturgical proclamation of = the=20 word of God is entrusted to well- prepared readers. Let us never = forget=20 that "when the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God = himself=20 speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his own word, = proclaims the=20 Gospel"(135). When circumstances so suggest, a few brief words of=20 introduction could be offered in order to focus the attention of = the=20 faithful. If it is to be properly understood, the word of God must = be=20 listened to and accepted in a spirit of communion with the Church = and with=20 a clear awareness of its unity with the sacrament of the = Eucharist.=20 Indeed, the word which we proclaim and accept is the Word made = flesh=20 (cf. Jn 1:14); it is inseparably linked to Christ's person = and the=20 sacramental mode of his continued presence in our midst. Christ = does not=20 speak in the past, but in the present, even as he is present in = the=20 liturgical action. In this sacramental context of Christian = revelation=20 (136), knowledge and study of the word of God enable us better to=20 appreciate, celebrate and live the Eucharist. Here too, we can see = how=20 true it is that "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" = (137).

To this end, the faithful should be helped to = appreciate the=20 riches of Sacred Scripture found in the lectionary through = pastoral=20 initiatives, liturgies of the word and reading in the context of = prayer=20 (lectio divina). Efforts should also be made to encourage = those=20 forms of prayer confirmed by tradition, such as the Liturgy of the = Hours,=20 especially Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer, and = vigil=20 celebrations. By praying the Psalms, the Scripture readings and = the=20 readings drawn from the great tradition which are included in the = Divine=20 Office, we can come to a deeper experience of the Christ-event and = the=20 economy of salvation, which in turn can enrich our understanding = and=20 participation in the celebration of the Eucharist (138).

The homily

46. Given the importance of the word of God, the = quality of=20 homilies needs to be improved. The homily is "part of the = liturgical=20 action" (139), and is meant to foster a deeper understanding of = the word=20 of God, so that it can bear fruit in the lives of the faithful. = Hence=20 ordained ministers must "prepare the homily carefully, based on an = adequate knowledge of Sacred Scripture" (140). Generic and = abstract=20 homilies should be avoided. In particular, I ask these ministers = to preach=20 in such a way that the homily closely relates the proclamation of = the word=20 of God to the sacramental celebration (141) and the life of the = community,=20 so that the word of God truly becomes the Church's vital = nourishment and=20 support (142). The catechetical and paraenetic aim of the homily = should=20 not be forgotten. During the course of the liturgical year it is=20 appropriate to offer the faithful, prudently and on the basis of = the=20 three-year lectionary, "thematic" homilies treating the great = themes of=20 the Christian faith, on the basis of what has been authoritatively = proposed by the Magisterium in the four "pillars" of the Catechism of = the=20 Catholic Church and the recent Compendium,=20 namely: the profession of faith, the celebration of the Christian = mystery,=20 life in Christ and Christian prayer (143).

The presentation of the gifts

47. The Synod Fathers also drew attention to the=20 presentation of the gifts. This is not to be viewed simply as a = kind of=20 "interval" between the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the=20 Eucharist. To do so would tend to weaken, at the least, the sense = of a=20 single rite made up of two interrelated parts. This humble and = simple=20 gesture is actually very significant: in the bread and wine that = we bring=20 to the altar, all creation is taken up by Christ the Redeemer to = be=20 transformed and presented to the Father. (144) In this way we also = bring=20 to the altar all the pain and suffering of the world, in the = certainty=20 that everything has value in God's eyes. The authentic meaning of = this=20 gesture can be clearly expressed without the need for undue = emphasis or=20 complexity. It enables us to appreciate how God invites man to = participate=20 in bringing to fulfilment his handiwork, and in so doing, gives = human=20 labour its authentic meaning, since, through the celebration of = the=20 Eucharist, it is united to the redemptive sacrifice of Christ.

The Eucharistic Prayer

48. The Eucharistic Prayer is "the centre and = summit of the=20 entire celebration" (145). Its importance deserves to be = adequately=20 emphasized. The different Eucharistic Prayers contained in the = Missal have=20 been handed down to us by the Church's living Tradition and are = noteworthy=20 for their inexhaustible theological and spiritual richness. The = faithful=20 need to be enabled to appreciate that richness. Here the = General=20 Instruction of the Roman Missal can help, with its list of the = basic=20 elements of every Eucharistic Prayer: thanksgiving, acclamation,=20 epiclesis, institution narrative and consecration, anamnesis, = offering,=20 intercessions and final doxology (146). In a particular way, = eucharistic=20 spirituality and theological reflection are enriched if we = contemplate in=20 the anaphora the profound unity between the invocation of the Holy = Spirit=20 and the institution narrative (147) whereby "the sacrifice is = carried out=20 which Christ himself instituted at the Last Supper" (148). Indeed, = "the=20 Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts = offered by=20 human hands be consecrated, that is, become Christ's Body and = Blood, and=20 that the spotless Victim to be received in communion be for the = salvation=20 of those who will partake of it" (149).

The sign of peace

49. By its nature the Eucharist is the sacrament = of peace.=20 At Mass this dimension of the eucharistic mystery finds specific=20 expression in the sign of peace. Certainly this sign has great = value=20 (cf. Jn 14:27). In our times, fraught with fear and = conflict, this=20 gesture has become particularly eloquent, as the Church has become = increasingly conscious of her responsibility to pray insistently = for the=20 gift of peace and unity for herself and for the whole human = family.=20 Certainly there is an irrepressible desire for peace present in = every=20 heart. The Church gives voice to the hope for peace and = reconciliation=20 rising up from every man and woman of good will, directing it = towards the=20 one who "is our peace" (Eph 2:14) and who can bring peace = to=20 individuals and peoples when all human efforts fail. We can thus=20 understand the emotion so often felt during the sign of peace at a = liturgical celebration. Even so, during the Synod of Bishops there = was=20 discussion about the appropriateness of greater restraint in this = gesture,=20 which can be exaggerated and cause a certain distraction in the = assembly=20 just before the reception of Communion. It should be kept in mind = that=20 nothing is lost when the sign of peace is marked by a sobriety = which=20 preserves the proper spirit of the celebration, as, for example, = when it=20 is restricted to one's immediate neighbours (150).

The distribution and reception of the=20 Eucharist

50. Another moment of the celebration needing to = be=20 mentioned is the distribution and reception of Holy Communion. I = ask=20 everyone, especially ordained ministers and those who, after = adequate=20 preparation and in cases of genuine need, are authorized to = exercise the=20 ministry of distributing the Eucharist, to make every effort to = ensure=20 that this simple act preserves its importance as a personal = encounter with=20 the Lord Jesus in the sacrament. For the rules governing correct = practice=20 in this regard, I would refer to those documents recently issued = on the=20 subject. (151) All Christian communities are to observe the = current norms=20 faithfully, seeing in them an expression of the faith and love = with which=20 we all must regard this sublime sacrament. Furthermore, the = precious time=20 of thanksgiving after communion should not be neglected: besides = the=20 singing of an appropriate hymn, it can also be most helpful to = remain=20 recollected in silence. (152)

In this regard, I would like to call attention to = a pastoral=20 problem frequently encountered nowadays. I am referring to the = fact that=20 on certain occasions =96 for example, wedding Masses, funerals and = the like=20 =96 in addition to practising Catholics there may be others = present who have=20 long since ceased to attend Mass or are living in a situation = which does=20 not permit them to receive the sacraments. At other times members = of other=20 Christian confessions and even other religions may be present. = Similar=20 situations can occur in churches that are frequently visited, = especially=20 in tourist areas. In these cases, there is a need to find a brief = and=20 clear way to remind those present of the meaning of sacramental = communion=20 and the conditions required for its reception. Wherever = circumstances make=20 it impossible to ensure that the meaning of the Eucharist is duly=20 appreciated, the appropriateness of replacing the celebration of = the Mass=20 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=20 observations of the Synod Fathers regarding the dismissal at the = end of=20 the eucharistic celebration. After the blessing, the deacon or the = priest=20 dismisses the people with the words: Ite, missa est. These = words=20 help us to grasp the relationship between the Mass just celebrated = and the=20 mission of Christians in the world. In antiquity, missa = simply=20 meant "dismissal." However in Christian usage it gradually took on = a=20 deeper meaning. The word "dismissal" has come to imply a = "mission." These=20 few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. = The=20 People of God might be helped to understand more clearly this = essential=20 dimension of the Church's life, taking the dismissal as a = starting- point.=20 In this context, it might also be helpful to provide new texts, = duly=20 approved, for the prayer over the people and the final blessing, = in order=20 to make this connection clear (154).

Actuosa=20 participatio

Authentic participation

52. The Second Vatican Council rightly emphasized = the=20 active, full and fruitful participation of the entire People of = God in the=20 eucharistic celebration (155). Certainly, the renewal carried out = in these=20 past decades has made considerable progress towards fulfilling the = wishes=20 of the Council Fathers. Yet we must not overlook the fact that = some=20 misunderstanding has occasionally arisen concerning the precise = meaning of=20 this participation. It should be made clear that the word = "participation"=20 does not refer to mere external activity during the celebration. = In fact,=20 the active participation called for by the Council must be = understood in=20 more substantial terms, on the basis of a greater awareness of the = mystery=20 being celebrated and its relationship to daily life. The conciliar = Constitution Sacrosanctu= m=20 Concilium encouraged the faithful to take part in the = eucharistic=20 liturgy not "as strangers or silent spectators," but as = participants "in=20 the sacred action, conscious of what they are doing, actively and=20 devoutly" (156). This exhortation has lost none of its force. The = Council=20 went on to say that the faithful "should be instructed by God's = word, and=20 nourished at the table of the Lord's Body. They should give thanks = to God.=20 Offering the immaculate Victim, not only through the hands of the = priest=20 but also together with him, they should learn to make an offering = of=20 themselves. Through Christ, the Mediator, they should be drawn day = by day=20 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=20 expression in the order by which everyone is called to participate = actively. This entails an acknowledgment of the distinct = hierarchical=20 roles involved in the celebration. It is helpful to recall that = active=20 participation is not per se equivalent to the exercise of a = specific=20 ministry. The active participation of the laity does not benefit = from the=20 confusion arising from an inability to distinguish, within the = Church's=20 communion, the different functions proper to each one. (158) There = is a=20 particular need for clarity with regard to the specific functions = of the=20 priest. He alone, and no other, as the tradition of the Church = attests,=20 presides over the entire eucharistic celebration, from the initial = greeting to the final blessing. In virtue of his reception of Holy = Orders,=20 he represents Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, and, in a = specific=20 way, also the Church herself. (159) Every celebration of the = Eucharist, in=20 fact, is led by the Bishop, "either in person or through priests = who are=20 his helpers."(160) He is helped by a deacon, who has specific = duties=20 during the celebration: he prepares the altar, assists the priest, = proclaims the Gospel, preaches the homily from time to time, reads = the=20 intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful, and distributes the = Eucharist to=20 the faithful. (161) Associated with these ministries linked to the = sacrament of Holy Orders, there are also other ministries of = liturgical=20 service which can be carried out in a praiseworthy manner by = religious and=20 properly trained laity. (162)

The eucharistic celebration and=20 inculturation

54. On the basis of these fundamental statements = of the=20 Second Vatican Council, the Synod Fathers frequently stressed the=20 importance of the active participation of the faithful in the = eucharistic=20 sacrifice. In order to foster this participation, provision may be = made=20 for a number of adaptations appropriate to different contexts and=20 cultures. (163) The fact that certain abuses have occurred does = not=20 detract from this clear principle, which must be upheld in = accordance with=20 the real needs of the Church as she lives and celebrates the one = mystery=20 of Christ in a variety of cultural situations. In the mystery of = the=20 Incarnation, the Lord Jesus, born of woman and fully human (cf. = Gal=20 4:4), entered directly into a relationship not only with the=20 expectations present within the Old Testament, but also with those = of all=20 peoples. He thus showed that God wishes to encounter us in our own = concrete situation. A more effective participation of the faithful = in the=20 holy mysteries will thus benefit from the continued inculturation = of the=20 eucharistic celebration, with due regard for the possibilities for = adaptation provided in the General Instruction of the Roman = Missal,=20 (164) interpreted in the light of the criteria laid down by the = Fourth=20 Instruction of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the = Discipline of=20 the Sacraments Varietates Legitimae of 25 January 1994 = (165) and=20 the directives expressed by Pope John Paul II in the Post-Synodal=20 Exhortations Ecclesia=20 in Africa, Ecclesia=20 in America, Ecclesia=20 in Asia, Ecclesia=20 in Oceania and Ecclesia=20 in Europa (166). To this end, I encourage Episcopal = Conferences to=20 strive to maintain a proper balance between the criteria and = directives=20 already issued and new adaptations (167), always in accord with = the=20 Apostolic See.

Personal conditions for an "active=20 participation"

55. In their consideration of the actuosa=20 participatio of the faithful in the liturgy, the Synod Fathers = also=20 discussed the personal conditions required for fruitful = participation on=20 the part of individuals. (168) One of these is certainly the = spirit of=20 constant conversion which must mark the lives of all the faithful. = Active=20 participation in the eucharistic liturgy can hardly be expected if = one=20 approaches it superficially, without an examination of his or her = life.=20 This inner disposition can be fostered, for example, by = recollection and=20 silence for at least a few moments before the beginning of the = liturgy, by=20 fasting and, when necessary, by sacramental confession. A heart = reconciled=20 to God makes genuine participation possible. The faithful need to = be=20 reminded that there can be no actuosa participatio in the = sacred=20 mysteries without an accompanying effort to participate actively = in the=20 life of the Church as a whole, including a missionary commitment = to bring=20 Christ's love into the life of society.

Clearly, full participation in the Eucharist takes = place=20 when the faithful approach the altar in person to receive = communion (169).=20 Yet true as this is, care must be taken lest they conclude that = the mere=20 fact of their being present in church during the liturgy gives = them a=20 right or even an obligation to approach the table of the = Eucharist. Even=20 in cases where it is not possible to receive sacramental = communion,=20 participation at Mass remains necessary, important, meaningful and = fruitful. In such circumstances it is beneficial to cultivate a = desire for=20 full union with Christ through the practice of spiritual = communion,=20 praised by Pope John Paul II (170) and recommended by saints who = were=20 masters of the spiritual life (171).

Participation by Christians who are not=20 Catholic

56. The subject of participation in the Eucharist = inevitably=20 raises the question of Christians belonging to Churches or = Ecclesial=20 Communities not in full communion with the Catholic Church. In = this=20 regard, it must be said that the intrinsic link between the = Eucharist and=20 the Church's unity inspires us to long for the day when we will be = able to=20 celebrate the Holy Eucharist together with all believers in = Christ, and in=20 this way to express visibly the fullness of unity that Christ = willed for=20 his disciples (cf. Jn 17:21). On the other hand, the = respect we owe=20 to the sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood prevents us from = making it a=20 mere "means" to be used indiscriminately in order to attain that = unity.=20 (172) The Eucharist in fact not only manifests our personal = communion with=20 Jesus Christ, but also implies full communio with the = Church. This=20 is the reason why, sadly albeit not without hope, we ask = Christians who=20 are not Catholic to understand and respect our conviction, which = is=20 grounded in the Bible and Tradition. We hold that eucharistic = communion=20 and ecclesial communion are so linked as to make it generally = impossible=20 for non-Catholic Christians to receive the former without enjoying = the=20 latter. There would be even less sense in actually concelebrating = with=20 ministers of Churches or ecclesial communities not in full = communion with=20 the Catholic Church. Yet it remains true that, for the sake of = their=20 eternal salvation, individual non-Catholic Christians can be = admitted to=20 the Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation and the Anointing = of the=20 Sick. But this is possible only in specific, exceptional = situations and=20 requires that certain precisely defined conditions be met (173). = These are=20 clearly indicated in the Catechism of = the=20 Catholic Church (174) and in its Compendium=20 (175). Everyone is obliged to observe these norms faithfully.

Participation through the communications=20 media

57. Thanks to the remarkable development of the=20 communications media, the word "participation" has taken on a = broader=20 meaning in recent decades. We all gladly acknowledge that the = media have=20 also opened up new possibilities for the celebration of the = Eucharist.=20 (176) This requires a specific preparation and a keen sense of=20 responsibility on the part of pastoral workers in the sector. When = Mass is=20 broadcast on television, it inevitably tends to set an example. = Particular=20 care should therefore be taken to ensure that, in addition to = taking place=20 in suitable and well-appointed locations, the celebration respects = the=20 liturgical norms in force.

Finally, with regard to the value of taking part = in Mass via=20 the communications media, those who hear or view these broadcasts = should=20 be aware that, under normal circumstances, they do not fulfil the=20 obligation of attending Mass. Visual images can represent reality, = but=20 they do not actually reproduce it.(177) While it is most = praiseworthy that=20 the elderly and the sick participate in Sunday Mass through radio = and=20 television, the same cannot be said of those who think that such=20 broadcasts dispense them from going to church and sharing in the=20 eucharistic assembly in the living Church.

Active participation by the sick

58. In thinking of those who cannot attend places = of worship=20 for reasons of health or advanced age, I wish to call the = attention of the=20 whole Church community to the pastoral importance of providing = spiritual=20 assistance to the sick, both those living at home and those in = hospital.=20 Their situation was often mentioned during the Synod of Bishops. = These=20 brothers and sisters of ours should have the opportunity to = receive=20 sacramental communion frequently. In this way they can strengthen = their=20 relationship with Christ, crucified and risen, and feel fully = involved in=20 the Church's life and mission by the offering of their sufferings = in union=20 with our Lord's sacrifice. Particular attention needs to be given = to the=20 disabled. When their condition so permits, the Christian community = should=20 make it possible for them to attend the place of worship. = Buildings should=20 be designed to provide ready access to the disabled. Finally, = whenever=20 possible, eucharistic communion should be made available to the = mentally=20 handicapped, if they are baptized and confirmed: they receive the=20 Eucharist in the faith also of the family or the community that=20 accompanies them. (178)

Care for prisoners

59. The Church's spiritual tradition, basing = itself on=20 Christ's own words (cf. Mt 25:36), has designated the = visiting of=20 prisoners as one of the corporal works of mercy. Prisoners have a=20 particular need to be visited personally by the Lord in the = sacrament of=20 the Eucharist. Experiencing the closeness of the ecclesial = community,=20 sharing in the Eucharist and receiving holy communion at this = difficult=20 and painful time can surely contribute to the quality of a = prisoner's=20 faith journey and to full social rehabilitation. Taking up the=20 recommendation of the Synod, I ask Dioceses to do whatever is = possible to=20 ensure that sufficient pastoral resources are invested in the = spiritual=20 care of prisoners. (179)

Migrants and participation in the=20 Eucharist

60. Turning now to those people who for various = reasons are=20 forced to leave their native countries, the Synod expressed = particular=20 gratitude to all those engaged in the pastoral care of migrants. = Specific=20 attention needs to be paid to migrants belonging to the Eastern = Catholic=20 Churches; in addition to being far from home, they also encounter = the=20 difficulty of not being able to participate in the eucharistic = liturgy in=20 their own rite. For this reason, wherever possible, they should be = served=20 by priests of their rite. In all cases I would ask Bishops to = welcome=20 these brothers and sisters with the love of Christ. Contacts = between the=20 faithful of different rites can prove a source of mutual = enrichment. In=20 particular, I am thinking of the benefit that can come, especially = for the=20 clergy, from a knowledge of the different traditions. (180)

Large-scale concelebrations

61. The Synod considered the quality of = participation in the=20 case of large-scale celebrations held on special occasions and = involving=20 not only a great number of the lay faithful, but also many = concelebrating=20 priests. (181) On the one hand, it is easy to appreciate the = importance of=20 these moments, especially when the Bishop himself celebrates, = surrounded=20 by his presbyterate and by the deacons. On the other hand, it is = not=20 always easy in such cases to give clear expression to the unity of = the=20 presbyterate, especially during the Eucharistic Prayer and the=20 distribution of Holy Communion. Efforts need to be made lest these = large-scale concelebrations lose their proper focus. This can be = done by=20 proper coordination and by arranging the place of worship so that = priests=20 and lay faithful are truly able to participate fully. It should be = kept in=20 mind, however, that here we are speaking of exceptional = concelebrations,=20 limited to extraordinary situations.

The Latin language

62. None of the above observations should cast = doubt upon=20 the importance of such large-scale liturgies. I am thinking here=20 particularly of celebrations at international gatherings, which = nowadays=20 are held with greater frequency. The most should be made of these=20 occasions. In order to express more clearly the unity and = universality of=20 the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of = Bishops,=20 in harmony with the directives of the Second=20 Vatican Council, (182) that, with the exception of the = readings, the=20 homily and the prayer of the faithful, it is fitting that such = liturgies=20 be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers (183) = of the=20 Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, = selections=20 of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask = that=20 future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the = preparation=20 needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to = use Latin=20 texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the = faithful=20 can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also = to sing=20 parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant. (184)

Eucharistic celebrations in small = groups

63. A very different situation arises when, in the = interest=20 of more conscious, active and fruitful participation, pastoral=20 circumstances favour small group celebrations. While acknowledging = the=20 formative value of this approach, it must be stated that such = celebrations=20 should always be consonant with the overall pastoral activity of = the=20 Diocese. These celebrations would actually lose their catechetical = value=20 if they were felt to be in competition with, or parallel to, the = life of=20 the particular Church. In this regard, the Synod set forth some = necessary=20 criteria: small groups must serve to unify the community, not to = fragment=20 it; the beneficial results ought to be clearly evident; these = groups=20 should encourage the fruitful participation of the entire = assembly, and=20 preserve as much as possible the unity of the liturgical life of=20 individual families. (185)

Interior = participation in=20 the celebration

Mystagogical catechesis

64. The Church's great liturgical tradition = teaches us that=20 fruitful participation in the liturgy requires that one be = personally=20 conformed to the mystery being celebrated, offering one's life to = God in=20 unity with the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of the whole = world.=20 For this reason, the Synod of Bishops asked that the faithful be = helped to=20 make their interior dispositions correspond to their gestures and = words.=20 Otherwise, however carefully planned and executed our liturgies = may be,=20 they would risk falling into a certain ritualism. Hence the need = to=20 provide an education in eucharistic faith capable of enabling the = faithful=20 to live personally what they celebrate. Given the vital importance = of this=20 personal and conscious participatio, what methods of = formation are=20 needed? The Synod Fathers unanimously indicated, in this regard, a = mystagogical approach to catechesis, which would lead the faithful = to=20 understand more deeply the mysteries being celebrated. (186) In=20 particular, given the close relationship between the ars = celebrandi=20 and an actuosa participatio, it must first be said that = "the best=20 catechesis on the Eucharist is the Eucharist itself, celebrated = well."=20 (187) By its nature, the liturgy can be pedagogically effective in = helping=20 the faithful to enter more deeply into the mystery being = celebrated. That=20 is why, in the Church's most ancient tradition, the process of = Christian=20 formation always had an experiential character. While not = neglecting a=20 systematic understanding of the content of the faith, it centred = on a=20 vital and convincing encounter with Christ, as proclaimed by = authentic=20 witnesses. It is first and foremost the witness who introduces = others to=20 the mysteries. Naturally, this initial encounter gains depth = through=20 catechesis and finds its source and summit in the celebration of = the=20 Eucharist. This basic structure of the Christian experience calls = for a=20 process of mystagogy which should always respect three = elements:

a) It interprets the rites in the light = of the=20 events of our salvation, in accordance with the Church's = living=20 tradition. The celebration of the Eucharist, in its infinite = richness,=20 makes constant reference to salvation history. In Christ crucified = and=20 risen, we truly celebrate the one who has united all things in = himself=20 (cf. Eph 1:10). From the beginning, the Christian community = has=20 interpreted the events of Jesus' life, and the Paschal Mystery in=20 particular, in relation to the entire history of the Old = Testament.

b) A mystagogical catechesis must also be = concerned=20 with presenting the meaning of the signs contained in the = rites.=20 This is particularly important in a highly technological age like = our own,=20 which risks losing the ability to appreciate signs and symbols. = More than=20 simply conveying information, a mystagogical catechesis should be = capable=20 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=20 concerned with bringing out the significance of the rites for = the=20 Christian life in all its dimensions =96 work and = responsibility,=20 thoughts and emotions, activity and repose. Part of the = mystagogical=20 process is to demonstrate how the mysteries celebrated in the rite = are=20 linked to the missionary responsibility of the faithful. The = mature fruit=20 of mystagogy is an awareness that one's life is being = progressively=20 transformed by the holy mysteries being celebrated. The aim of all = Christian education, moreover, is to train the believer in an = adult faith=20 that can make him a "new creation", capable of bearing witness in = his=20 surroundings to the Christian hope that inspires him.

If we are to succeed in carrying out this work of = education=20 in our ecclesial communities, those responsible for formation must = be=20 adequately prepared. Indeed, the whole people of God should feel = involved=20 in this formation. Each Christian community is called to be a = place where=20 people can be taught about the mysteries celebrated in faith. In = this=20 regard, the Synod Fathers called for greater involvement by = communities of=20 consecrated life, movements and groups which, by their specific = charisms,=20 can give new impetus to Christian formation. (188) In our time, = too, the=20 Holy Spirit freely bestows his gifts to sustain the apostolic = mission of=20 the Church, which is charged with spreading the faith and bringing = it to=20 maturity. (189)

Reverence for the Eucharist

65. A convincing indication of the effectiveness = of=20 eucharistic catechesis is surely an increased sense of the mystery = of God=20 present among us. This can be expressed in concrete outward signs = of=20 reverence for the Eucharist which the process of mystagogy should=20 inculcate in the faithful. (190) I am thinking in general of the=20 importance of gestures and posture, such as kneeling during the = central=20 moments of the Eucharistic Prayer. Amid the legitimate diversity = of signs=20 used in the context of different cultures, everyone should be able = to=20 experience and express the awareness that at each celebration we = stand=20 before the infinite majesty of God, who comes to us in the = lowliness of=20 the sacramental signs.

Adoration=20 and eucharistic devotion

The intrinsic relationship between = celebration and=20 adoration

66. One of the most moving moments of the Synod = came when we=20 gathered in Saint Peter's Basilica, together with a great number = of the=20 faithful, for eucharistic adoration. In this act of prayer, and = not just=20 in words, the assembly of Bishops wanted to point out the = intrinsic=20 relationship between eucharistic celebration and eucharistic = adoration. A=20 growing appreciation of this significant aspect of the Church's = faith has=20 been an important part of our experience in the years following = the=20 liturgical renewal desired by the Second Vatican Council. During = the early=20 phases of the reform, the inherent relationship between Mass and = adoration=20 of the Blessed Sacrament was not always perceived with sufficient = clarity.=20 For example, an objection that was widespread at the time argued = that the=20 eucharistic bread was given to us not to be looked at, but to be = eaten. In=20 the light of the Church's experience of prayer, however, this was = seen to=20 be a false dichotomy. As Saint Augustine put it: "nemo autem = illam=20 carnem manducat, nisi prius adoraverit; peccemus non adorando = =96 no one=20 eats that flesh without first adoring it; we should sin were we = not to=20 adore it." (191) In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us = and=20 desires to become one with us; eucharistic adoration is simply the = natural=20 consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the = Church's=20 supreme act of adoration. (192) Receiving the Eucharist means = adoring him=20 whom we receive. Only in this way do we become one with him, and = are=20 given, as it were, a foretaste of the beauty of the heavenly = liturgy. The=20 act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that = takes=20 place during the liturgical celebration itself. Indeed, "only in = adoration=20 can a profound and genuine reception mature. And it is precisely = this=20 personal encounter with the Lord that then strengthens the social = mission=20 contained in the Eucharist, which seeks to break down not only the = walls=20 that separate the Lord and ourselves, but also and especially the = walls=20 that separate us from one another." (193)

The practice of eucharistic = adoration

67. With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily = recommend=20 to the Church's pastors and to the People of God the practice of=20 eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community. (194) = Great=20 benefit would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the = importance=20 of this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience = the=20 liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever = possible,=20 it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to = set=20 aside specific churches or oratories for perpetual adoration. I = also=20 recommend that, in their catechetical training, and especially in = their=20 preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the = meaning and=20 the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and helped to cultivate a = sense of=20 awe before his presence in the Eucharist.

Here I would like to express appreciation and = support for=20 all those Institutes of Consecrated Life whose members dedicate a=20 significant amount of time to eucharistic adoration. In this way = they give=20 us an example of lives shaped by the Lord's real presence. I would = also=20 like to encourage those associations of the faithful and = confraternities=20 specifically devoted to eucharistic adoration; they serve as a = leaven of=20 contemplation for the whole Church and a summons to individuals = and=20 communities to place Christ at the centre of their lives.

Forms of eucharistic devotion

68. The personal relationship which the individual = believer=20 establishes with Jesus present in the Eucharist constantly points = beyond=20 itself to the whole communion of the Church and nourishes a fuller = sense=20 of membership in the Body of Christ. For this reason, besides = encouraging=20 individual believers to make time for personal prayer before the = Sacrament=20 of the Altar, I feel obliged to urge parishes and other church = groups to=20 set aside times for collective adoration. Naturally, already = existing=20 forms of eucharistic piety retain their full value. I am thinking, = for=20 example, of processions with the Blessed Sacrament, especially the = traditional procession on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, = the=20 Forty Hours devotion, local, national and international = Eucharistic=20 Congresses, and other similar initiatives. If suitably updated and = adapted=20 to local circumstances, these forms of devotion are still worthy = of being=20 practised today. (195)

The location of the tabernacle

69. In considering the importance of eucharistic = reservation=20 and adoration, and reverence for the sacrament of Christ's = sacrifice, the=20 Synod of Bishops also discussed the question of the proper = placement of=20 the tabernacle in our churches. (196) The correct positioning of = the=20 tabernacle contributes to the recognition of Christ's real = presence in the=20 Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, the place where the eucharistic = species are=20 reserved, marked by a sanctuary lamp, should be readily visible to = everyone entering the church. It is therefore necessary to take = into=20 account the building's architecture: in churches which do not have = a=20 Blessed Sacrament chapel, and where the high altar with its = tabernacle is=20 still in place, it is appropriate to continue to use this = structure for=20 the reservation and adoration of the Eucharist, taking care not to = place=20 the celebrant's chair in front of it. In new churches, it is good = to=20 position the Blessed Sacrament chapel close to the sanctuary; = where this=20 is not possible, it is preferable to locate the tabernacle in the=20 sanctuary, in a sufficiently elevated place, at the centre of the = apse=20 area, or in another place where it will be equally conspicuous. = Attention=20 to these considerations will lend dignity to the tabernacle, which = must=20 always be cared for, also from an artistic standpoint. Obviously = it is=20 necessary to follow the provisions of the General Instruction = of the=20 Roman Missal in this regard. (197) In any event, final = judgment on=20 these matters belongs to the Diocesan Bishop.

PART THREE

THE EUCHARIST, A MYSTERY
TO BE = LIVED

"As the living Father sent me, and I live = because of=20 the Father,
so he who eats me will live because of me" = (Jn=20 6:57)

The=20 eucharistic form of the christian life

Spiritual worship =96 logik=E9=20 latre=EDa (Rom 12:1)

70. The Lord Jesus, who became for us the food of = truth and=20 love, speaks of the gift of his life and assures us that "if any = one eats=20 of this bread, he will live for ever" (Jn 6:51). This = "eternal=20 life" begins in us even now, thanks to the transformation effected = in us=20 by the gift of the Eucharist: "He who eats me will live because of = me"=20 (Jn 6:57). These words of Jesus make us realize how the = mystery=20 "believed" and "celebrated" contains an innate power making it the = principle of new life within us and the form of our Christian = existence.=20 By receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ we become sharers = in the=20 divine life in an ever more adult and conscious way. Here too, we = can=20 apply Saint Augustine's words, in his Confessions, about = the=20 eternal Logos as the food of our souls. Stressing the = mysterious=20 nature of this food, Augustine imagines the Lord saying to him: "I = am the=20 food of grown men; grow, and you shall feed upon me; nor shall you = change=20 me, like the food of your flesh, into yourself, but you shall be = changed=20 into me." (198) It is not the eucharistic food that is changed = into us,=20 but rather we who are mysteriously transformed by it. Christ = nourishes us=20 by uniting us to himself; "he draws us into himself."(199)

Here the eucharistic celebration appears in all = its power as=20 the source and summit of the Church's life, since it expresses at = once=20 both the origin and the fulfilment of the new and definitive = worship of=20 God, the logik=E9 latre=EDa. (200) Saint Paul's exhortation = to the=20 Romans in this regard is a concise description of how the = Eucharist makes=20 our whole life a spiritual worship pleasing to God: "I appeal to = you=20 therefore, my brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your = bodies as a=20 living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your = spiritual=20 worship" (Rom 12:1). In these words the new worship appears = as a=20 total self-offering made in communion with the whole Church. The = Apostle's=20 insistence on the offering of our bodies emphasizes the concrete = human=20 reality of a worship which is anything but disincarnate. The = Bishop of=20 Hippo goes on to say that "this is the sacrifice of Christians: = that we,=20 though many, are one body in Christ. The Church celebrates this = mystery in=20 the sacrament of the altar, as the faithful know, and there she = shows them=20 clearly that in what is offered, she herself is offered." (201) = Catholic=20 doctrine, in fact, affirms that the Eucharist, as the sacrifice of = Christ,=20 is also the sacrifice of the Church, and thus of all the faithful. = (202)=20 This insistence on sacrifice =96 a "making sacred" =96 expresses = all the=20 existential depth implied in the transformation of our human = reality as=20 taken up by Christ (cf. Phil 3:12).

The all-encompassing effect of eucharistic=20 worship

71. Christianity's new worship includes and = transfigures=20 every aspect of life: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you = do, do=20 all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31). Christians, in all = their=20 actions, are called to offer true worship to God. Here the = intrinsically=20 eucharistic nature of Christian life begins to take shape. The = Eucharist,=20 since it embraces the concrete, everyday existence of the = believer, makes=20 possible, day by day, the progressive transfiguration of all those = called=20 by grace to reflect the image of the Son of God (cf. Rom = 8:29ff.).=20 There is nothing authentically human =96 our thoughts and = affections, our=20 words and deeds =96 that does not find in the sacrament of the = Eucharist the=20 form it needs to be lived to the full. Here we can see the full = human=20 import of the radical newness brought by Christ in the Eucharist: = the=20 worship of God in our lives cannot be relegated to something = private and=20 individual, but tends by its nature to permeate every aspect of = our=20 existence. Worship pleasing to God thus becomes a new way of = living our=20 whole life, each particular moment of which is lifted up, since it = is=20 lived as part of a relationship with Christ and as an offering to = God. The=20 glory of God is the living man (cf. 1 Cor 10:31). And the = life of=20 man is the vision of God. (203)

Iuxta dominicam viventes =96 living in = accordance with=20 the Lord's Day

72. From the beginning Christians were clearly = conscious of=20 this radical newness which the Eucharist brings to human life. The = faithful immediately perceived the profound influence of the = eucharistic=20 celebration on their manner of life. Saint Ignatius of Antioch = expressed=20 this truth when he called Christians "those who have attained a = new hope,"=20 and described them as "those living in accordance with the Lord's = Day"=20 (iuxta dominicam viventes). (204) This phrase of the great=20 Antiochene martyr highlights the connection between the reality of = the=20 Eucharist and everyday Christian life. The Christians' customary = practice=20 of gathering on the first day after the Sabbath to celebrate the=20 resurrection of Christ =96 according to the account of Saint = Justin=20 Martyr(205) =96 is also what defines the form of a life renewed by = an=20 encounter with Christ. Saint Ignatius' phrase =96 "living in = accordance with=20 the Lord's Day" =96 also emphasizes that this holy day becomes = paradigmatic=20 for every other day of the week. Indeed, it is defined by = something more=20 than the simple suspension of one's ordinary activities, a sort of = parenthesis in one's usual daily rhythm. Christians have always=20 experienced this day as the first day of the week, since it = commemorates=20 the radical newness brought by Christ. Sunday is thus the day when = Christians rediscover the eucharistic form which their lives are = meant to=20 have. "Living in accordance with the Lord's Day" means living in = the=20 awareness of the liberation brought by Christ and making our lives = a=20 constant self-offering to God, so that his victory may be fully = revealed=20 to all humanity through a profoundly renewed existence.

Living the Sunday obligation

73. Conscious of this new vital principle which = the=20 Eucharist imparts to the Christian, the Synod Fathers reaffirmed = the=20 importance of the Sunday obligation for all the faithful, viewing = it as a=20 wellspring of authentic freedom enabling them to live each day in=20 accordance with what they celebrated on "the Lord's Day." The life = of=20 faith is endangered when we lose the desire to share in the = celebration of=20 the Eucharist and its commemoration of the paschal victory. = Participating=20 in the Sunday liturgical assembly with all our brothers and = sisters, with=20 whom we form one body in Jesus Christ, is demanded by our = Christian=20 conscience and at the same time it forms that conscience. To lose = a sense=20 of Sunday as the Lord's Day, a day to be sanctified, is = symptomatic of the=20 loss of an authentic sense of Christian freedom, the freedom of = the=20 children of God. (206) Here some observations made by my venerable = predecessor John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Dies=20 Domini (207) continue to have great value. Speaking of the = various=20 dimensions of the Christian celebration of Sunday, he said that it = is=20 Dies Domini with regard to the work of creation, Dies = Christi=20 as the day of the new creation and the Risen Lord's gift of the = Holy=20 Spirit, Dies Ecclesiae as the day on which the Christian = community=20 gathers for the celebration, and Dies hominis as the day of = joy,=20 rest and fraternal charity.

Sunday thus appears as the primordial holy day, = when all=20 believers, wherever they are found, can become heralds and = guardians of=20 the true meaning of time. It gives rise to the Christian meaning = of life=20 and a new way of experiencing time, relationships, work, life and = death.=20 On the Lord's Day, then, it is fitting that Church groups should = organize,=20 around Sunday Mass, the activities of the Christian community: = social=20 gatherings, programmes for the faith formation of children, young = people=20 and adults, pilgrimages, charitable works, and different moments = of=20 prayer. For the sake of these important values =96 while = recognizing that=20 Saturday evening, beginning with First Vespers, is already a part = of=20 Sunday and a time when the Sunday obligation can be fulfilled =96 = we need to=20 remember that it is Sunday itself that is meant to be kept holy, = lest it=20 end up as a day "empty of God." (208)

The meaning of rest and of work

74. Finally, it is particularly urgent nowadays to = remember=20 that the day of the Lord is also a day of rest from work. It is = greatly to=20 be hoped that this fact will also be recognized by civil society, = so that=20 individuals can be permitted to refrain from work without being = penalized.=20 Christians, not without reference to the meaning of the Sabbath in = the=20 Jewish tradition, have seen in the Lord's Day a day of rest from = their=20 daily exertions. This is highly significant, for it relativizes = work and directs it to the person: work is for man and not man = for=20 work. It is easy to see how this actually protects men and women,=20 emancipating them from a possible form of enslavement. As I have = had=20 occasion to say, "work is of fundamental importance to the = fulfilment of=20 the human being and to the development of society. Thus, it must = always be=20 organized and carried out with full respect for human dignity and = must=20 always serve the common good. At the same time, it is = indispensable that=20 people not allow themselves to be enslaved by work or to idolize = it,=20 claiming to find in it the ultimate and definitive meaning of = life." (209)=20 It is on the day consecrated to God that men and women come to = understand=20 the meaning of their lives and also of their work. (210)

Sunday assemblies in the absence of a=20 priest

75. Rediscovering the significance of the Sunday = celebration=20 for the life of Christians naturally leads to a consideration of = the=20 problem of those Christian communities which lack priests and = where,=20 consequently, it is not possible to celebrate Mass on the Lord's = Day. Here=20 it should be stated that a wide variety of situations exists. The = Synod=20 recommended first that the faithful should go to one of the = churches in=20 their Diocese where the presence of a priest is assured, even when = this=20 demands a certain sacrifice. (211) Wherever great distances make = it=20 practically impossible to take part in the Sunday Eucharist, it is = still=20 important for Christian communities to gather together to praise = the Lord=20 and to commemorate the Day set apart for him. This needs, however, = to be=20 accompanied by an adequate instruction about the difference = between Mass=20 and Sunday assemblies in the absence of a priest. The Church's = pastoral=20 care must be expressed in the latter case by ensuring that the = liturgy of=20 the word =96 led by a deacon or a community leader to whom this = ministry has=20 been duly entrusted by competent authority =96 is carried out = according to a=20 specific ritual prepared and approved for this purpose by the = Bishops'=20 Conferences. (212) I reiterate that only Ordinaries may grant the = faculty=20 of distributing holy communion in such liturgies, taking account = of the=20 need for a certain selectiveness. Furthermore, care should be = taken that=20 these assemblies do not create confusion about the central role of = the=20 priest and the sacraments in the life of the Church. The = importance of the=20 role given to the laity, who should rightly be thanked for their=20 generosity in the service of their communities, must never obscure = the=20 indispensable ministry of priests for the life of the Church. = (213) Hence=20 care must be taken to ensure that such assemblies in the absence = of a=20 priest do not encourage ecclesiological visions incompatible with = the=20 truth of the Gospel and the Church's tradition. Rather, they = should be=20 privileged moments of prayer for God to send holy priests after = his own=20 heart. It is touching, in this regard, to read the words of Pope = John Paul=20 II in his Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1979 about = those=20 places where the faithful, deprived of a priest by a dictatorial = regime,=20 would meet in a church or shrine, place on the altar a stole which = they=20 still kept and recite the prayers of the eucharistic liturgy, = halting in=20 silence "at the moment that corresponds to the = transubstantiation," as a=20 sign of how "ardently they desire to hear the words that only the = lips of=20 a priest can efficaciously utter." (214) With this in mind, and=20 considering the incomparable good which comes from the celebration = of the=20 Eucharist, I ask all priests to visit willingly and as often as = possible=20 the communities entrusted to their pastoral care, lest they remain = too=20 long without the sacrament of love.

A eucharistic form of Christian life, = membership in=20 the Church

76. The importance of Sunday as the Dies = Ecclesiae=20 brings us back to the intrinsic relationship between Jesus' = victory=20 over evil and death, and our membership in his ecclesial body. On = the=20 Lord's Day, each Christian rediscovers the communal dimension of = his life=20 as one who has been redeemed. Taking part in the liturgy and = receiving the=20 Body and Blood of Christ intensifies and deepens our belonging to = the one=20 who died for us (cf. 1 Cor 6:19ff; 7:23). Truly, whoever = eats of=20 Christ lives for him. The eucharistic mystery helps us to = understand the=20 profound meaning of the communio sanctorum. Communion = always and=20 inseparably has both a vertical and a horizontal sense: it is = communion=20 with God and communion with our brothers and sisters. Both = dimensions=20 mysteriously converge in the gift of the Eucharist. "Wherever = communion=20 with God, which is communion with the Father, with the Son and = with the=20 Holy Spirit, is destroyed, the root and source of our communion = with one=20 another is destroyed. And wherever we do not live communion among=20 ourselves, communion with the Triune God is not alive and true=20 either."(215) Called to be members of Christ and thus members of = one=20 another (cf. 1 Cor 12:27), we are a reality grounded = ontologically=20 in Baptism and nourished by the Eucharist, a reality that demands = visible=20 expression in the life of our communities.

The eucharistic form of Christian life is clearly = an=20 ecclesial and communitarian form. Through the Diocese and the = parish, the=20 fundamental structures of the Church in a particular territory, = each=20 individual believer can experience concretely what it means to be = a member=20 of Christ's Body. Associations, ecclesial movements and new = communities =96=20 with their lively charisms bestowed by the Holy Spirit for the = needs of=20 our time =96 together with Institutes of Consecrated Life, have a = particular=20 responsibility for helping to make the faithful conscious that = they=20 belong to the Lord (cf. Rom 14:8). Secularization, = with its=20 inherent emphasis on individualism, has its most negative effects = on=20 individuals who are isolated and lack a sense of belonging. = Christianity,=20 from its very beginning, has meant fellowship, a network of = relationships=20 constantly strengthened by hearing God's word and sharing in the=20 Eucharist, and enlivened by the Holy Spirit.

Spirituality and eucharistic = culture

77. Significantly, the Synod Fathers stated that = "the=20 Christian faithful need a fuller understanding of the relationship = between=20 the Eucharist and their daily lives. Eucharistic spirituality is = not just=20 participation in Mass and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. It = embraces=20 the whole of life." (216) This observation is particularly = insightful,=20 given our situation today. It must be acknowledged that one of the = most=20 serious effects of the secularization just mentioned is that it = has=20 relegated the Christian faith to the margins of life as if it were = irrelevant to everyday affairs. The futility of this way of living = =96 "as=20 if God did not exist" =96 is now evident to everyone. Today there = is a need=20 to rediscover that Jesus Christ is not just a private conviction = or an=20 abstract idea, but a real person, whose becoming part of human = history is=20 capable of renewing the life of every man and woman. Hence the = Eucharist,=20 as the source and summit of the Church's life and mission, must be = translated into spirituality, into a life lived "according to the = Spirit"=20 (Rom 8:4ff.; cf. Gal 5:16, 25). It is significant = that Saint=20 Paul, in the passage of the Letter to the Romans where he = invites=20 his hearers to offer the new spiritual worship, also speaks of the = need=20 for a change in their way of living and thinking: "Do not be = conformed to=20 this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that = you may=20 prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and = perfect"=20 (12:2). In this way the Apostle of the Gentiles emphasizes the = link=20 between true spiritual worship and the need for a new way of = understanding=20 and living one's life. An integral part of the eucharistic form of = the=20 Christian life is a new way of thinking, "so that we may no longer = be=20 children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of = doctrine"=20 (Eph 4:14).

The Eucharist and the evangelization of=20 cultures

78. From what has been said thus far, it is clear = that the=20 eucharistic mystery puts us in dialogue with various = cultures, but=20 also in some way challenges them. (217) The intercultural = character=20 of this new worship, this logik=E9 latre=EDa, needs to be = recognized.=20 The presence of Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit = are=20 events capable of engaging every cultural reality and bringing to = it the=20 leaven of the Gospel. It follows that we must be committed to = promoting=20 the evangelization of cultures, conscious that Christ himself is = the truth=20 for every man and woman, and for all human history. The Eucharist = becomes=20 a criterion for our evaluation of everything that Christianity = encounters=20 in different cultures. In this important process of discernment, = we can=20 appreciate the full meaning of Saint Paul's exhortation, in his = First=20 Letter to the Thessalonians, to "test everything; and hold = fast to=20 what is good" (5:21).

The Eucharist and the lay = faithful

79. In Christ, Head of his Body, the Church, all = Christians=20 are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people he = claims=20 for his own, to declare his wonderful deeds" (1 Pet 2:9). = The=20 Eucharist, as a mystery to be "lived", meets each of us as we are, = and=20 makes our concrete existence the place where we experience daily = the=20 radical newness of the Christian life. The eucharistic sacrifice = nourishes=20 and increases within us all that we have already received at = Baptism, with=20 its call to holiness, (218) and this must be clearly evident from = the way=20 individual Christians live their lives. Day by day we become "a = worship=20 pleasing to God" by living our lives as a vocation. Beginning with = the=20 liturgical assembly, the sacrament of the Eucharist itself commits = us, in=20 our daily lives, to doing everything for God's glory.

And because the world is "the field" (Mt = 13:38) in=20 which God plants his children as good seed, the Christian laity, = by virtue=20 of their Baptism and Confirmation, and strengthened by the = Eucharist, are=20 called to live out the radical newness brought by Christ wherever = they=20 find themselves. (219) They should cultivate a desire that the = Eucharist=20 have an ever deeper effect on their daily lives, making them = convincing=20 witnesses in the workplace and in society at large. (220) I = encourage=20 families in particular to draw inspiration and strength from this=20 sacrament. The love between man and woman, openness to life, and = the=20 raising of children are privileged spheres in which the Eucharist = can=20 reveal its power to transform life and give it its full meaning. = (221) The=20 Church's pastors should unfailingly support, guide and encourage = the lay=20 faithful to live fully their vocation to holiness within this = world which=20 God so loved that he gave his Son to become its salvation (cf. = Jn=20 3:16).

The Eucharist and priestly = spirituality

80. The eucharistic form of the Christian life is = seen in a=20 very special way in the priesthood. Priestly spirituality is = intrinsically=20 eucharistic. The seeds of this spirituality are already found in = the words=20 spoken by the Bishop during the ordination liturgy: "Receive the = oblation=20 of the holy people to be offered to God. Understand what you do, = imitate=20 what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of the = Lord's=20 Cross." (222) In order to give an ever greater eucharistic form to = his=20 existence, the priest, beginning with his years in the seminary, = should=20 make his spiritual life his highest priority. (223) He is called = to seek=20 God tirelessly, while remaining attuned to the concerns of his = brothers=20 and sisters. An intense spiritual life will enable him to enter = more=20 deeply into communion with the Lord and to let himself be = possessed by=20 God's love, bearing witness to that love at all times, even the = darkest=20 and most difficult. To this end I join the Synod Fathers in = recommending=20 "the daily celebration of Mass, even when the faithful are not = present."=20 (224) This recommendation is consistent with the objectively = infinite=20 value of every celebration of the Eucharist, and is motivated by = the=20 Mass's unique spiritual fruitfulness. If celebrated in a = faith-filled and=20 attentive way, Mass is formative in the deepest sense of the word, = since=20 it fosters the priest's configuration to Christ and strengthens = him in his=20 vocation.

The Eucharist and the consecrated = life

81. The relationship of the Eucharist to the = various=20 ecclesial vocations is seen in a particularly vivid way in "the = prophetic=20 witness of consecrated men and women, who find in the celebration = of the=20 Eucharist and in eucharistic adoration the strength necessary for = the=20 radical following of Christ, obedient, poor and chaste." (225) = Though they=20 provide many services in the area of human formation and care for = the=20 poor, education and health care, consecrated men and women know = that the=20 principal purpose of their lives is "the contemplation of things = divine=20 and constant union with God in prayer." (226) The essential = contribution=20 that the Church expects from consecrated persons is much more in = the order=20 of being than of doing. Here I wish to reaffirm the importance of = the=20 witness of virginity, precisely in relation to the mystery of the=20 Eucharist. In addition to its connection to priestly celibacy, the = eucharistic mystery also has an intrinsic relationship to = consecrated=20 virginity, inasmuch as the latter is an expression of the Church's = exclusive devotion to Christ, whom she accepts as her Bridegroom = with a=20 radical and fruitful fidelity.(227 In the Eucharist, = consecrated=20 virginity finds inspiration and nourishment for its complete = dedication to=20 Christ. From the Eucharist, moreover, it draws encouragement and = strength=20 to be a sign, in our own times too, of God's gracious and fruitful = love=20 for humanity. Finally, by its specific witness, consecrated life = becomes=20 an objective sign and foreshadowing of the "wedding- feast of the = Lamb"=20 (Rev 19:7-9) which is the goal of all salvation history. In = this=20 sense, it points to that eschatological horizon against which the = choices=20 and life decisions of every man and woman should be situated.

The Eucharist and moral = transformation

82. In discovering the beauty of the eucharistic = form of the=20 Christian life, we are also led to reflect on the moral energy it = provides=20 for sustaining the authentic freedom of the children of God. Here = I wish=20 to take up a discussion that took place during the Synod about the = connection between the eucharistic form of life and = moral=20 transformation. Pope John Paul II stated that the moral life = "has the=20 value of a 'spiritual worship' (Rom 12:1; cf. Phil = 3:3),=20 flowing from and nourished by that inexhaustible source of = holiness and=20 glorification of God which is found in the sacraments, especially = in the=20 Eucharist: by sharing in the sacrifice of the Cross, the Christian = partakes of Christ's self-giving love and is equipped and = committed to=20 live this same charity in all his thoughts and deeds" (228). In a = word,=20 "'worship' itself, eucharistic communion, includes the reality = both of=20 being loved and of loving others in turn. A Eucharist which does = not pass=20 over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically = fragmented"=20 (229).

This appeal to the moral value of spiritual = worship should=20 not be interpreted in a merely moralistic way. It is before all = else the=20 joy-filled discovery of love at work in the hearts of those who = accept the=20 Lord's gift, abandon themselves to him and thus find true freedom. = The=20 moral transformation implicit in the new worship instituted by = Christ is a=20 heartfelt yearning to respond to the Lord's love with one's whole = being,=20 while remaining ever conscious of one's own weakness. This is = clearly=20 reflected in the Gospel story of Zacchaeus (cf. Lk = 19:1-10). After=20 welcoming Jesus to his home, the tax collector is completely = changed: he=20 decides to give half of his possessions to the poor and to repay = fourfold=20 those whom he had defrauded. The moral urgency born of welcoming = Jesus=20 into our lives is the fruit of gratitude for having experienced = the Lord's=20 unmerited closeness.

Eucharistic consistency

83. Here it is important to consider what the = Synod Fathers=20 described as eucharistic consistency, a quality which our = lives are=20 objectively called to embody. Worship pleasing to God can never be = a=20 purely private matter, without consequences for our relationships = with=20 others: it demands a public witness to our faith. Evidently, this = is true=20 for all the baptized, yet it is especially incumbent upon those = who, by=20 virtue of their social or political position, must make decisions=20 regarding fundamental values, such as respect for human life, its = defence=20 from conception to natural death, the family built upon marriage = between a=20 man and a woman, the freedom to educate one's children and the = promotion=20 of the common good in all its forms (230). These values are not=20 negotiable. Consequently, Catholic politicians and legislators, = conscious=20 of their grave responsibility before society, must feel = particularly=20 bound, on the basis of a properly formed conscience, to introduce = and=20 support laws inspired by values grounded in human nature (231). = There is=20 an objective connection here with the Eucharist (cf. 1 Cor=20 11:27-29). Bishops are bound to reaffirm constantly these = values as=20 part of their responsibility to the flock entrusted to them = (232).

The=20 Eucharist, a mystery to be proclaimed

The Eucharist and mission

84. In my homily at the eucharistic celebration = solemnly=20 inaugurating my Petrine ministry, I said that "there is nothing = more=20 beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter = with=20 Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know him and to = speak to=20 others of our friendship with him." (233) These words are all the = more=20 significant if we think of the mystery of the Eucharist. The love = that we=20 celebrate in the sacrament is not something we can keep to = ourselves. By=20 its very nature it demands to be shared with all. What the world = needs is=20 God's love; it needs to encounter Christ and to believe in him. = The=20 Eucharist is thus the source and summit not only of the Church's = life, but=20 also of her mission: "an authentically eucharistic Church is a = missionary=20 Church." (234) We too must be able to tell our brothers and = sisters with=20 conviction: "That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to = you, so=20 that you may have fellowship with us" (1 Jn 1:3). Truly, = nothing is=20 more beautiful than to know Christ and to make him known to = others. The=20 institution of the Eucharist, for that matter, anticipates the = very heart=20 of Jesus' mission: he is the one sent by the Father for the = redemption of=20 the world (cf. Jn 3:16-17; Rom 8:32). At the Last = Supper,=20 Jesus entrusts to his disciples the sacrament which makes present = his=20 self-sacrifice for the salvation of us all, in obedience to the = Father's=20 will. We cannot approach the eucharistic table without being drawn = into=20 the mission which, beginning in the very heart of God, is meant to = reach=20 all people. Missionary outreach is thus an essential part of the=20 eucharistic form of the Christian life.

The Eucharist and witness

85. The first and fundamental mission that we = receive from=20 the sacred mysteries we celebrate is that of bearing witness by = our lives.=20 The wonder we experience at the gift God has made to us in Christ = gives=20 new impulse to our lives and commits us to becoming witnesses of = his love.=20 We become witnesses when, through our actions, words and way of = being,=20 Another makes himself present. Witness could be described as the = means by=20 which the truth of God's love comes to men and women in history, = inviting=20 them to accept freely this radical newness. Through witness, God = lays=20 himself open, one might say, to the risk of human freedom. Jesus = himself=20 is the faithful and true witness (cf. Rev 1:5; 3:14), the = one who=20 came to testify to the truth (cf. Jn 18:37). Here I would = like to=20 reflect on a notion dear to the early Christians, which also = speaks=20 eloquently to us today: namely, witness even to the offering of = one's own=20 life, to the point of martyrdom. Throughout the history of the = Church,=20 this has always been seen as the culmination of the new spiritual = worship:=20 "Offer your bodies" (Rom 12:1). One thinks, for example, of = the=20 account of the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, a disciple = of Saint=20 John: the entire drama is described as a liturgy, with the martyr = himself=20 becoming Eucharist. (235) We might also recall the eucharistic = imagery=20 with which Saint Ignatius of Antioch describes his own imminent = martyrdom:=20 he sees himself as "God's wheat" and desires to become in = martyrdom=20 "Christ's pure bread." (236) The Christian who offers his life in=20 martyrdom enters into full communion with the Pasch of Jesus = Christ and=20 thus becomes Eucharist with him. Today too, the Church does not = lack=20 martyrs who offer the supreme witness to God's love. Even if the = test of=20 martyrdom is not asked of us, we know that worship pleasing to God = demands=20 that we should be inwardly prepared for it. (237) Such worship = culminates=20 in the joyful and convincing testimony of a consistent Christian = life,=20 wherever the Lord calls us to be his witnesses.

Christ Jesus, the one Saviour

86. Emphasis on the intrinsic relationship between = the=20 Eucharist and mission also leads to a rediscovery of the ultimate = content=20 of our proclamation. The more ardent the love for the Eucharist in = the=20 hearts of the Christian people, the more clearly will they = recognize the=20 goal of all mission: to bring Christ to others. Not just a = theory=20 or a way of life inspired by Christ, but the gift of his very = person.=20 Anyone who has not shared the truth of love with his brothers and = sisters=20 has not yet given enough. The Eucharist, as the sacrament of our=20 salvation, inevitably reminds us of the unicity of Christ and the=20 salvation that he won for us by his blood. The mystery of the = Eucharist,=20 believed in and celebrated, demands a constant catechesis on the = need for=20 all to engage in a missionary effort centred on the proclamation = of Jesus=20 as the one Saviour. (238) This will help to avoid a reductive and = purely=20 sociological understanding of the vital work of human promotion = present in=20 every authentic process of evangelization.

Freedom of worship

87. In this context, I wish to reiterate the = concern=20 expressed by the Synod Fathers about the grave difficulties = affecting the=20 mission of those Christian communities in areas where Christians = are a=20 minority or where they are denied religious freedom. (239) We = should=20 surely give thanks to the Lord for all those Bishops, priests, = consecrated=20 persons and laity who devote themselves generously to the = preaching of the=20 Gospel and practise their faith at the risk of their lives. In not = a few=20 parts of the world, simply going to church represents a heroic = witness=20 that can result in marginalization and violence. Here too, I would = like to=20 reaffirm the solidarity of the whole Church with those who are = denied=20 freedom of worship. As we know, wherever religious freedom is = lacking,=20 people lack the most meaningful freedom of all, since it is = through faith=20 that men and women express their deepest decision about the = ultimate=20 meaning of their lives. Let us pray, therefore, for greater = religious=20 freedom in every nation, so that Christians, as well as the = followers of=20 other religions, can freely express their convictions, both as = individuals=20 and as communities.

The = Eucharist, a=20 mystery to be offered to the world

The Eucharist, bread broken for the life of = the=20 world

88. "The bread I will give is my flesh, for the = life of the=20 world" (Jn 6:51). In these words the Lord reveals the true = meaning=20 of the gift of his life for all people. These words also reveal = his deep=20 compassion for every man and woman. The Gospels frequently speak = of Jesus'=20 feelings towards others, especially the suffering and sinners = (cf. Mt=20 20:34; Mk 6:34; Lk 19:41). Through a profoundly = human=20 sensibility he expresses God's saving will for all people =96 that = they may=20 have true life. Each celebration of the Eucharist makes = sacramentally=20 present the gift that the crucified Lord made of his life, for us = and for=20 the whole world. In the Eucharist Jesus also makes us witnesses of = God's=20 compassion towards all our brothers and sisters. The eucharistic = mystery=20 thus gives rise to a service of charity towards neighbour, which = "consists=20 in the very fact that, in God and with God, I love even the person = whom I=20 do not like or even know. This can only take place on the basis of = an=20 intimate encounter with God, an encounter which has become a = communion of=20 will, affecting even my feelings. Then I learn to look on this = other=20 person not simply with my eyes and my feelings, but from the = perspective=20 of Jesus Christ." (240) In all those I meet, I recognize brothers = or=20 sisters for whom the Lord gave his life, loving them "to the end" = (Jn=20 13:1). Our communities, when they celebrate the Eucharist, = must become=20 ever more conscious that the sacrifice of Christ is for all, and = that the=20 Eucharist thus compels all who believe in him to become "bread = that is=20 broken" for others, and to work for the building of a more just = and=20 fraternal world. Keeping in mind the multiplication of the loaves = and=20 fishes, we need to realize that Christ continues today to exhort = his=20 disciples to become personally engaged: "You yourselves, give them = something to eat" (Mt 14:16). Each of us is truly called, = together=20 with Jesus, to be bread broken for the life of the world.

The social implications of the eucharistic=20 mystery

89. The union with Christ brought about by the = Eucharist=20 also brings a newness to our social relations: "this sacramental=20 =91mysticism' is social in character." Indeed, "union with Christ = is also=20 union with all those to whom he gives himself. I cannot possess = Christ=20 just for myself; I can belong to him only in union with all those = who have=20 become, or who will become, his own."(241) The relationship = between the=20 eucharistic mystery and social commitment must be made explicit. = The=20 Eucharist is the sacrament of communion between brothers and = sisters who=20 allow themselves to be reconciled in Christ, who made of Jews and = pagans=20 one people, tearing down the wall of hostility which divided them = (cf.=20 Eph 2:14). Only this constant impulse towards reconciliation = enables=20 us to partake worthily of the Body and Blood of Christ (cf. = Mt=20 5:23-24). (242) In the memorial of his sacrifice, the Lord = strengthens our=20 fraternal communion and, in a particular way, urges those in = conflict to=20 hasten their reconciliation by opening themselves to dialogue and = a=20 commitment to justice. Certainly, the restoration of justice,=20 reconciliation and forgiveness are the conditions for building = true=20 peace.(243) The recognition of this fact leads to a determination = to=20 transform unjust structures and to restore respect for the dignity = of all=20 men and women, created in God's image and likeness. Through the = concrete=20 fulfilment of this responsibility, the Eucharist becomes in life = what it=20 signifies in its celebration. As I have had occasion to say, it is = not the=20 proper task of the Church to engage in the political work of = bringing=20 about the most just society possible; nonetheless she cannot and = must not=20 remain on the sidelines in the struggle for justice. The Church = "has to=20 play her part through rational argument and she has to reawaken = the=20 spiritual energy without which justice, which always demands = sacrifice,=20 cannot prevail and prosper." (244)

In discussing the social responsibility of all = Christians,=20 the Synod Fathers noted that the sacrifice of Christ is a mystery = of=20 liberation that constantly and insistently challenges us. I = therefore urge=20 all the faithful to be true promoters of peace and justice: "All = who=20 partake of the Eucharist must commit themselves to peacemaking in = our=20 world scarred by violence and war, and today in particular, by = terrorism,=20 economic corruption and sexual exploitation." (245) All these = problems=20 give rise in turn to others no less troubling and disheartening. = We know=20 that there can be no superficial solutions to these issues. = Precisely=20 because of the mystery we celebrate, we must denounce situations = contrary=20 to human dignity, since Christ shed his blood for all, and at the = same=20 time affirm the inestimable value of each individual person.

The food of truth and human need

90. We cannot remain passive before certain = processes of=20 globalization which not infrequently increase the gap between the = rich and=20 the poor worldwide. We must denounce those who squander the = earth's=20 riches, provoking inequalities that cry out to heaven (cf. Jas=20 5:4). For example, it is impossible to remain silent before = the=20 "distressing images of huge camps throughout the world of = displaced=20 persons and refugees, who are living in makeshift conditions in = order to=20 escape a worse fate, yet are still in dire need. Are these human = beings=20 not our brothers and sisters? Do their children not come into the = world=20 with the same legitimate expectations of happiness as other = children?"=20 (246) The Lord Jesus, the bread of eternal life, spurs us to be = mindful of=20 the situations of extreme poverty in which a great part of = humanity still=20 lives: these are situations for which human beings bear a clear = and=20 disquieting responsibility. Indeed, "on the basis of available = statistical=20 data, it can be said that less than half of the huge sums spent = worldwide=20 on armaments would be more than sufficient to liberate the immense = masses=20 of the poor from destitution. This challenges humanity's = conscience. To=20 peoples living below the poverty line, more as a result of = situations to=20 do with international political, commercial and cultural relations = than as=20 a result of circumstances beyond anyone's control, our common = commitment=20 to truth can and must give new hope" (247).

The food of truth demands that we denounce = inhumane=20 situations in which people starve to death because of injustice = and=20 exploitation, and it gives us renewed strength and courage to work = tirelessly in the service of the civilization of love. From the = beginning,=20 Christians were concerned to share their goods (cf. Acts = 4:32) and=20 to help the poor (cf. Rom 15:26). The alms collected in our = liturgical assemblies are an eloquent reminder of this, and they = are also=20 necessary for meeting today's needs. The Church's charitable = institutions,=20 especially Caritas, carry out at various levels the = important work=20 of assisting the needy, especially the poorest. Inspired by the = Eucharist,=20 the sacrament of charity, they become a concrete expression of = that=20 charity; they are to be praised and encouraged for their = commitment to=20 solidarity in our world.

The Church's social teaching

91. The mystery of the Eucharist inspires and = impels us to=20 work courageously within our world to bring about that renewal of=20 relationships which has its inexhaustible source in God's gift. = The prayer=20 which we repeat at every Mass: "Give us this day our daily bread," = obliges=20 us to do everything possible, in cooperation with international, = state and=20 private institutions, to end or at least reduce the scandal of = hunger and=20 malnutrition afflicting so many millions of people in our world,=20 especially in developing countries. In a particular way, the = Christian=20 laity, formed at the school of the Eucharist, are called to assume = their=20 specific political and social responsibilities. To do so, they = need to be=20 adequately prepared through practical education in charity and = justice. To=20 this end, the Synod considered it necessary for Dioceses and = Christian=20 communities to teach and promote the Church's social doctrine. = (248) In=20 this precious legacy handed down from the earliest ecclesial = tradition, we=20 find elements of great wisdom that guide Christians in their = involvement=20 in today's burning social issues. This teaching, the fruit of the = Church's=20 whole history, is distinguished by realism and moderation; it can = help to=20 avoid misguided compromises or false utopias.

The sanctification of the world and the = protection of=20 creation

92. Finally, to develop a profound eucharistic = spirituality=20 that is also capable of significantly affecting the fabric of = society, the=20 Christian people, in giving thanks to God through the Eucharist, = should be=20 conscious that they do so in the name of all creation, aspiring to = the=20 sanctification of the world and working intensely to that = end.(249) The=20 Eucharist itself powerfully illuminates human history and the = whole=20 cosmos. In this sacramental perspective we learn, day by day, that = every=20 ecclesial event is a kind of sign by which God makes himself known = and=20 challenges us. The eucharistic form of life can thus help foster a = real=20 change in the way we approach history and the world. The liturgy = itself=20 teaches us this, when, during the presentation of the gifts, the = priest=20 raises to God a prayer of blessing and petition over the bread and = wine,=20 "fruit of the earth," "fruit of the vine" and "work of human = hands." With=20 these words, the rite not only includes in our offering to God all = human=20 efforts and activity, but also leads us to see the world as God's=20 creation, which brings forth everything we need for our = sustenance. The=20 world is not something indifferent, raw material to be utilized = simply as=20 we see fit. Rather, it is part of God's good plan, in which all of = us are=20 called to be sons and daughters in the one Son of God, Jesus = Christ=20 (cf. Eph 1:4-12). The justified concern about threats to = the=20 environment present in so many parts of the world is reinforced by = Christian hope, which commits us to working responsibly for the = protection=20 of creation. (250) The relationship between the Eucharist and the = cosmos=20 helps us to see the unity of God's plan and to grasp the profound=20 relationship between creation and the "new creation" inaugurated = in the=20 resurrection of Christ, the new Adam. Even now we take part in = that new=20 creation by virtue of our Baptism (cf. Col 2:12ff.). Our = Christian=20 life, nourished by the Eucharist, gives us a glimpse of that new = world =96=20 new heavens and a new earth =96 where the new Jerusalem comes down = from=20 heaven, from God, "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" = (Rev=20 21:2).

The usefulness of a Eucharistic = Compendium

93. At the conclusion of these reflections, in = which I have=20 taken up a number of themes raised at the Synod, I also wish to = accept the=20 proposal which the Synod Fathers advanced as a means of helping = the=20 Christian people to believe, celebrate and live ever more fully = the=20 mystery of the Eucharist. The competent offices of the Roman Curia = will=20 publish a Compendium which will assemble texts from the = Catechism of = the=20 Catholic Church, prayers, explanations of the Eucharistic = Prayers=20 of the Roman Missal and other useful aids for a correct = understanding,=20 celebration and adoration of the Sacrament of the Altar (251). It = is my=20 hope that this book will help make the memorial of the Passover of = the=20 Lord increasingly the source and summit of the Church's life and = mission.=20 This will encourage each member of the faithful to make his or her = life a=20 true act of spiritual worship.

CONCLUSION

94. Dear brothers and sisters, the Eucharist is at = the root=20 of every form of holiness, and each of us is called to the = fullness of=20 life in the Holy Spirit. How many saints have advanced along the = way of=20 perfection thanks to their eucharistic devotion! From Saint = Ignatius of=20 Antioch to Saint Augustine, from Saint Anthony Abbot to Saint = Benedict,=20 from Saint Francis of Assisi to Saint Thomas Aquinas, from Saint = Clare of=20 Assisi to Saint Catherine of Siena, from Saint Paschal Baylon to = Saint=20 Peter Julian Eymard, from Saint Alphonsus Liguori to Blessed = Charles de=20 Foucauld, from Saint John Mary Vianney to Saint Th=E9r=E8se of = Lisieux, from=20 Saint Pius of Pietrelcina to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, from = Blessed=20 Piergiorgio Frassati to Blessed Ivan Merz, to name only a few, = holiness=20 has always found its centre in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

This most holy mystery thus needs to be firmly = believed,=20 devoutly celebrated and intensely lived in the Church. Jesus' gift = of=20 himself in the sacrament which is the memorial of his passion = tells us=20 that the success of our lives is found in our participation in the = trinitarian life offered to us truly and definitively in him. The=20 celebration and worship of the Eucharist enable us to draw near to = God's=20 love and to persevere in that love until we are united with the = Lord whom=20 we love. The offering of our lives, our fellowship with the whole=20 community of believers and our solidarity with all men and women = are=20 essential aspects of that logik=E9 latre=EDa, spiritual = worship, holy=20 and pleasing to God (cf. Rom 12:1), which transforms every = aspect=20 of our human existence, to the glory of God. I therefore ask all = pastors=20 to spare no effort in promoting an authentically eucharistic = Christian=20 spirituality. Priests, deacons and all those who carry out a = eucharistic=20 ministry should always be able to find in this service, exercised = with=20 care and constant preparation, the strength and inspiration needed = for=20 their personal and communal path of sanctification. I exhort the = lay=20 faithful, and families in particular, to find ever anew in the = sacrament=20 of Christ's love the energy needed to make their lives an = authentic sign=20 of the presence of the risen Lord. I ask all consecrated men and = women to=20 show by their eucharistic lives the splendour and the beauty of = belonging=20 totally to the Lord.

95. At the beginning of the fourth century, = Christian=20 worship was still forbidden by the imperial authorities. Some = Christians=20 in North Africa, who felt bound to celebrate the Lord's Day, = defied the=20 prohibition. They were martyred after declaring that it was not = possible=20 for them to live without the Eucharist, the food of the Lord: = sine=20 dominico non possumus. (252) May these martyrs of Abitinae, in = union=20 with all those saints and beati who made the Eucharist the centre = of their=20 lives, intercede for us and teach us to be faithful to our = encounter with=20 the risen Christ. We too cannot live without partaking of the = sacrament of=20 our salvation; we too desire to be iuxta dominicam = viventes, to=20 reflect in our lives what we celebrate on the Lord's Day. That day = is the=20 day of our definitive deliverance. Is it surprising, then, that we = should=20 wish to live every day in that newness of life which Christ has = brought us=20 in the mystery of the Eucharist?

96. May Mary Most Holy, the Immaculate Virgin, ark = of the=20 new and eternal covenant, accompany us on our way to meet the Lord = who=20 comes. In her we find realized most perfectly the essence of the = Church.=20 The Church sees in Mary =96 "Woman of the Eucharist," as she was = called by=20 the Servant of God John Paul II (253) =96 her finest icon, and she = contemplates Mary as a singular model of the eucharistic life. For = this=20 reason, as the priest prepares to receive on the altar the = verum Corpus=20 natum de Maria Virgine, speaking on behalf of the liturgical = assembly,=20 he says in the words of the canon: "We honour Mary, the = ever-virgin mother=20 of Jesus Christ our Lord and God" (254). Her holy name is also = invoked and=20 venerated in the canons of the Eastern Christian traditions. The = faithful,=20 for their part, "commend to Mary, Mother of the Church, their = lives and=20 the work of their hands. Striving to have the same sentiments as = Mary,=20 they help the whole community to become a living offering pleasing = to the=20 Father" (255). She is the tota pulchra, the all-beautiful, = for in=20 her the radiance of God's glory shines forth. The beauty of the = heavenly=20 liturgy, which must be reflected in our own assemblies, is = faithfully=20 mirrored in her. From Mary we must learn to become men and women = of the=20 Eucharist and of the Church, and thus to present ourselves, in the = words=20 of Saint Paul, "holy and blameless" before the Lord, even as he = wished us=20 to be from the beginning (cf. Col 1:22; Eph 1:4) (256).

97. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin = Mary, may=20 the Holy Spirit kindle within us the same ardour experienced by = the=20 disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35) and renew = our=20 "eucharistic wonder" through the splendour and beauty radiating = from the=20 liturgical rite, the efficacious sign of the infinite beauty of = the holy=20 mystery of God. Those disciples arose and returned in haste to = Jerusalem=20 in order to share their joy with their brothers and sisters in the = faith.=20 True joy is found in recognizing that the Lord is still with us, = our=20 faithful companion along the way. The Eucharist makes us discover = that=20 Christ, risen from the dead, is our contemporary in the mystery of = the=20 Church, his body. Of this mystery of love we have become = witnesses. Let us=20 encourage one another to walk joyfully, our hearts filled with = wonder,=20 towards our encounter with the Holy Eucharist, so that we may = experience=20 and proclaim to others the truth of the words with which Jesus = took leave=20 of his disciples: "Lo, I am with you always, until the end of the = world"=20 (Mt 28:20).

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 22 = February, the=20 Feast of the Chair of Peter, in the year 2007, the second of my=20 Pontificate.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

(1) Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, q. = 73, a.=20 3.

(2) Saint Augustine, In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus, = 26,5: PL=20 35, 1609.

(3) Benedict XVI, Address to Participants in the Plenary = Assembly of=20 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (10 February 2006): = AAS 98=20 (2006), 255.

(4) Benedict XVI, Address to the Members of the Ordinary = Council of the=20 General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops (1 June 2006):=20 L'Osservatore Romano, 2 June 2006, p. 5.

(5) Cf. Propositio 2.

(6) I am referring here to the need for a hermeneutic of = continuity=20 also with regard to the correct interpretation of the liturgical=20 development which followed the Second Vatican Council: cf. = Benedict XVI,=20 Address to the Roman Curia (22 December 2005): AAS 98 (2006), = 44-45.

(7) Cf. AAS 97 (2005), 337-352.

(8) The Year of the Eucharist: Suggestions and Proposals = (15=20 October 2004): L'Osservatore Romano, 15 October 2004,=20 Supplement.

(9) Cf. AAS 95 (2003), 433-475. Also, the Instruction of the=20 Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the = Sacraments=20 Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March 2004): AAS 96 (2004), = 549-601,=20 expressly desired by John Paul II.

(10) To name only the more important documents: Ecumenical = Council of=20 Trent, Doctrina et canones de ss. Missae sacrificio, DS = 1738-1759;=20 Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Mirae Caritatis (28 May 1902): = ASS=20 (1903), 115-136; Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei = (20=20 November 1947): AAS 39 (1947), 521-595; Paul VI, Encyclical = Letter=20 Mysterium Fidei (3 September 1965): AAS 57 (1965), 753-774; = John Paul=20 II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April = 2003): AAS=20 95 (2003), 433-475; Congregation for Divine Worship and the = Discipline of=20 the Sacraments, Instruction Eucharisticum Mysterium (25 May = 1967):=20 AAS 59 (1967), 539-573; Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam = (28 March=20 2001): AAS 93 (2001), 685-726.

(11) Cf. Propositio 1.

(12) No. 14: AAS 98 (2006), 229.

(13) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1327.

(14) Propositio 16.

(15) Benedict XVI, Homily at the Mass of Installation in the = Cathedral=20 of Rome (7 May 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 752.

(16) Cf. Propositio 4.

(17) De Trinitate, VIII, 8, 12: CCL 50, 287.

(18) Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December = 2005), 12:=20 AAS 98 (2006), 228.

(19) Cf. Propositio 3.

(20) Roman Breviary, Hymn for the Office of Readings of the=20 Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

(21) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est = (25=20 December 2005), 13: AAS 98 (2006), 228.

(22) Benedict XVI, Homily at Marienfeld Esplanade (21 August = 2005): AAS=20 97 (2005), 891-892.

(23) Cf. Propositio 3.

(24) Cf. Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer IV.

(25) Cat. XXIII, 7: PG 33, 1114ff.

(26) Cf. De Sacerdotio, VI, 4: PG 48, 681.

(27) Ibid., III, 4: PG 48, 642.

(28) Propositio 22.

(29) Cf. Propositio 42: "This eucharistic encounter = takes place=20 in the Holy Spirit, who transforms and sanctifies us. He re- = awakens in=20 the disciple the firm desire to proclaim boldly to others all that = he has=20 heard and experienced, to bring them to the same encounter with = Christ.=20 Thus the disciple, sent forth by the Church, becomes open to a = mission=20 without frontiers."

(30) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 3; for an example, see: Saint = John=20 Chrysostom, Catechesis 3, 13-19: SC 50, 174-177.

(31) John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de = Eucharistia (17=20 April 2003), 1: AAS 95 (2003), 433.

(32) Ibid., 21: AAS 95 (2003), 447.

(33) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis = (4=20 March 1979), 20: AAS 71 (1979), 309-316; Apostolic Letter = Dominicae=20 Cenae (24 February 1980), 4: AAS 72 (1980), 119-121.

(34) Cf. Propositio 5.

(35) Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. = 80, a.=20 4.

(36) No. 38: AAS 95 (2003), 458.

(37) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution = on the=20 Church Lumen Gentium, 23.

(38) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter on Some = Aspects=20 of the Church Understood as Communion Communionis Notio (28 = May=20 1992), 11: AAS 85 (1993), 844-845.

(39) Propositio 5: "The term =91catholic' expresses = the=20 universality deriving from the unity that the Eucharist, = celebrated in=20 each Church, fosters and builds up. The particular Churches in the = universal Church thus have, in the Eucharist, the duty to make = visible=20 their own unity and diversity. This bond of fraternal love allows = the=20 trinitarian communion to become apparent. The Councils and Synods = express=20 in history this fraternal aspect of the Church."

(40) Cf. ibid.

(41) Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests = Presbyterorum=20 Ordinis, 5.

(42) Cf. Propositio 14.

(43) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, = 1.

(44) De Orat. Dom., 23: PL 4, 553.

(45) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution = on the=20 Church Lumen Gentium, 48, cf. ibid., 9.

(46) Cf. Propositio 13.

(47) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 7.

(48) Cf. ibid., 11; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, = Decree on=20 the Church's Missionary Activity Ad Gentes, 9, 13.

(49) Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae = (24=20 February 1980), 7: AAS 72 (1980), 124-127; Second Vatican = Ecumenical=20 Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests = Presbyterorum=20 Ordinis, 5.

(50) Cf. Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, can. = 710.

(51) Cf. Rite of the Christian Initiation of Adults, = General=20 Introduction, 34-36.

(52) Cf. Rite of Baptism for Children, Introduction, = 18-19.

(53) Cf. Propositio 15.

(54) Cf. Propositio 7; John Paul II, Encyclical = Letter=20 Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003), 36: AAS 95 (2003),=20 457-458.

(55) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation=20 Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (2 December 1984), 18: AAS 77 = (1985),=20 224-228.

(56) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1385.

(57) For example, the Confiteor, or the words of the = priest and=20 people before receiving Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy to = receive=20 you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." Not = insignificantly=20 does the liturgy also prescribe certain very beautiful prayers for = the=20 priest, handed down by tradition, which speak of the need for = forgiveness,=20 as, for example, the one recited quietly before inviting the = faithful to=20 sacramental communion: "By the mystery of your body and blood, = free me=20 from all my sins and from every evil. Keep me always faithful to = your=20 teachings and never let me be parted from you."

(58) Cf. Saint John Damascene, Exposition of the Faith, = IV, 9:=20 PG 94, 1124C; Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Oratio 39, 17: PG = 36, 356A;=20 Ecumenical Council of Trent, Doctrina de sacramento = paenitentiae,=20 Chapter 2: DS 1672.

(59) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 11; John Paul II, Post-Synodal = Apostolic=20 Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (2 December 1984), = 30: AAS=20 77 (1985), 256-257.

(60) Cf. Propositio 7.

(61) Cf. John Paul II, Motu Proprio Misericordia Dei (7 = April=20 2002): AAS 94 (2002), 452-459.

(62) Together with the Synod Fathers I wish to note that the=20 non-sacramental penitential services mentioned in the ritual of = the=20 sacrament of Reconciliation can be helpful for increasing the = spirit of=20 conversion and of communion in Christian communities, thereby = preparing=20 hearts for the celebration of the sacrament: cf. Propositio = 7.

(63) Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 508.

(64) Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution Indulgentiarum = Doctrina (1=20 January 1967), Norms, No. 1: AAS 59 (1967), 21.

(65) Ibid., 9: AAS 59 (1967), 18-19.

(66) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, = 1499-1532.

(67) Ibid., 1524.

(68) Cf. Propositio 44.

(69) Cf. Synod of Bishops, Second General Assembly, Document on = the=20 Ministerial Priesthood Ultimis Temporibus (30 November = 1971): AAS=20 63 (1971), 898-942.

(70) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation = Pastores=20 Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 42-69: AAS 84 (1992), 729-778.

(71) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 10; Congregation for the Doctrine = of the=20 Faith, Letter on Certain Questions Concerning the Minister of the=20 Eucharist Sacerdotium Ministeriale (6 August 1983): AAS 75 = (1983),=20 1001-1009.

(72) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1548.

(73) Ibid., 1552.

(74) Cf. In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus, 123, 5: PL = 35,=20 1967.

(75) Cf. Propositio 11.

(76) Cf. Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests = Presbyterorum=20 Ordinis, 16.

(77) Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Sacerdotii Nostri=20 Primordia (1 August 1959): AAS 51 (1959), 545-579; Paul VI, = Encyclical=20 Letter Sacerdotalis Coelibatus (24 June 1967): AAS 59 = (1967),=20 657-697; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation = Pastores Dabo=20 Vobis (25 March 1992), 29: AAS 84 (1992), 703-705; Benedict = XVI,=20 Address to the Roman Curia (22 December 2006): L'Osservatore=20 Romano, 23 December 2006, p. 6.

(78) Cf. Propositio 11.

(79) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on Priestly=20 Formation Optatam Totius, 6; Code of Canon Law, can. 241, = =A7 1 and=20 can. 1029; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, can. 342 =A7 1 = and can.=20 758; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores = Dabo=20 Vobis (25 March 1992), 11, 34, 50: AAS 84 (1992), 673-675; = 712-714;=20 746-748; Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry = and Life=20 of Priests Dives Ecclesiae (31 March 1994), 58; = Congregation for=20 Catholic Education, Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the=20 Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual = Tendencies=20 in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders (4 = November=20 2005): AAS 97 (2005), 1007-1013.

(80) Cf. Propositio 12; John Paul II, Post-Synodal = Apostolic=20 Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 41: AAS 84 = (1992),=20 726-729.

(81) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution = on the=20 Church Lumen Gentium, 29.

(82) Cf. Propositio 38.

(83) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation = Familiaris=20 Consortio (22 November 1981), 57: AAS 74 (1982), 149-150.

(84) Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem (15 August = 1988), 26:=20 AAS 80 (1988), 1715-1716.

(85) Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1617.

(86) Cf. Propositio 8.

(87) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 11.

(88) Cf. Propositio 8.

(89) Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem = (15=20 August 1988): AAS 80 (1988), 1653-1729; Congregation for the = Doctrine of=20 the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the=20 Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World = (31 May=20 2004): AAS 96 (2004), 671-687.

(90) Cf. Propositio 9.

(91) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1640.

(92) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation = Familiaris=20 Consortio (22 November 1981), 84: AAS 74 (1982), 184- 186;=20 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops = of the=20 Catholic Church concerning the Reception of Holy Communion by = Divorced and=20 Remarried Members of the Faithful Annus Internationalis = Familiae=20 (14 September 1994): AAS 86 (1994), 974-979.

(93) Cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Instruction = on the=20 Norms to be Observed at Ecclesiastical Tribunals in Matrimonial=20 Proceedings Dignitas Connubii (25 January 2005), Vatican = City,=20 2005.

(94) Cf. Propositio 40.

(95) Benedict XVI, Address to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota = for the=20 Inauguration of the Judicial Year (28 January 2006): AAS 98 = (2006),=20 138.

(96) Cf. Propositio 40.

(97) Cf. ibid.

(98) Cf. ibid.

(99) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 48.

(100) Cf. Propositio 3.

(101) Here I would recall the words filled with hope and = consolation=20 found in Eucharistic Prayer II: "Remember our brothers and = sisters who=20 have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again. Bring them = and all=20 the departed into the light of your presence."

(102) Cf. Benedict XVI, Homily (8 December 2005): AAS 98 = (2006),=20 15-16.

(103) Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, = 58.

(104) Propositio 4.

(105) Relatio post disceptationem, 4: L'Osservatore=20 Romano, 14 October 2005, p. 5.

(106) Cf. Serm. 1, 7; 11, 10; 22, 7; 29, 76: Sermones = dominicales ad fidem codicum nunc denuo editi, Grottaferrata, = 1977,=20 pp. 135, 209ff., 292ff.; 337; Benedict XVI, Message to = Ecclesial=20 Movements and New Communities (22 May 2006): AAS 98 (2006), = 463.

(107) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral = Constitution on=20 the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 22.

(108) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 2, 4.

(109) Propositio 33.

(110) Sermo 227, 1: PL 38, 1099.

(111) In Iohannis Evangelium Tractatus, 21, 8: PL 35, = 1568.

(112) Ibid., 28, 1: PL 35, 1622.

(113) Cf. Propositio 30. Weekday Masses, which the = faithful are=20 encouraged to attend, find their proper form on the day of the = Lord, the=20 day of Christ's resurrection; Propositio 43.

(114) Cf. Propositio 2.

(115) Cf. Propositio 25.

(116) Cf. Propositio 19. Propositio 25 states: = "An=20 authentic liturgical action expresses the sacredness of the = eucharistic=20 mystery. This should be evident from the words and actions of the = priest=20 who celebrates, as he intercedes to God the Father both with the = faithful=20 and on their behalf."

(117) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 22; = Second=20 Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy=20 Sacrosanctum Concilium, 41; cf. Congregation for Divine = Worship and=20 the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction Redemptionis=20 Sacramentum (25 March 2004), 19-25: AAS 96 (2004), = 555-557.

(118) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the = Pastoral=20 Office of Bishops in the Church Christus Dominus, 14; = Constitution=20 on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 41.

(119) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 22.

(120) Cf. ibid.

(121) Cf. Propositio 25.

(122) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on = the Sacred=20 Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112-130.

(123) Cf. Propositio 27.

(124) Cf. ibid.

(125) In these matters the provisions of the General = Instruction of=20 the Roman Missal, 319-351, are to be faithfully observed.

(126) Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, = 39-41; Second=20 Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy=20 Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112-118.

(127) Sermo 34, 1: PL 38, 210.

(128) Cf. Propositio 25: "Like every artistic = expression,=20 singing must be closely adapted to the liturgy and contribute = effectively=20 to its aim; in other words, it must express faith, prayer, wonder = and love=20 of Jesus present in the Eucharist."

(129) Cf. Propositio 29.

(130) Cf. Propositio 36.

(131) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on = the Sacred=20 Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 116; General Instruction = of the=20 Roman Missal, 41.

(132) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 28; cf. = Second=20 Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy=20 Sacrosanctum Concilium, 56; Sacred Congregation of Rites,=20 Instruction Eucharisticum Mysterium (25 May 1967), 3: AAS = 57=20 (1967), 540-543.

(133) Cf. Propositio 18.

(134) Ibid.

(135) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 29.

(136) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio = (14=20 September 1998), 13: AAS 91 (1999), 15-16.

(137) Saint Jerome, Comm. in Is., Prol.: PL 24, 17; cf. = Second=20 Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine = Revelation=20 Dei Verbum, 25.

(138) Cf. Propositio 31.

(139) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 29; cf. = Second=20 Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy=20 Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7, 33, 52.

(140) Cf. Propositio 19.

(141) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the = Sacred=20 Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 52.

(142) Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution = on=20 Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 21.

(143) To this end the Synod has called for the preparation of = pastoral=20 aids based on the three-year lectionary, to help connect the = proclamation=20 of the readings with the doctrine of the faith; cf. Propositio=20 19.

(144) Cf. Propositio 20.

(145) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 78.

(146) Cf. ibid., 78-79.

(147) Cf. Propositio 22.

(148) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 79d.

(149) Ibid., 79c.

(150) Taking into account ancient and venerable customs and the = wishes=20 expressed by the Synod Fathers, I have asked the competent curial = offices=20 to study the possibility of moving the sign of peace to another = place,=20 such as before the presentation of the gifts at the altar. To do = so would=20 also serve as a significant reminder of the Lord's insistence that = we be=20 reconciled with others before offering our gifts to God (cf. = Mt=20 5:23 ff.); cf. Propositio 23.

(151) Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of = the=20 Sacraments, Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March = 2004),=20 80-96: AAS 96 (2004), 574-577.

(152) Cf. Propositio 34.

(153) Cf. Propositio 35.

(154) Cf. Propositio 24.

(155) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on = the Sacred=20 Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14-20; 30ff.; 48ff; = Congregation=20 for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, = Instruction=20 Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March 2004), 36-42: AAS 96 = (2004),=20 561-564.

(156) No. 48.

(157) Ibid.

(158) Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Instruction on Certain = Questions=20 Regarding the Collaboration of the Non- Ordained Faithful in the = Ministry=20 of Priests Ecclesiae de Mysterio (15 August 1997): AAS 89 = (1997),=20 852-877.

(159) Cf. Propositio 33.

(160) General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 92.

(161) Cf. ibid., 94.

(162) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the = Apostolate=20 of the Laity Apostolicam Actuositatem, 24; General = Instruction=20 of the Roman Missal, 95-111; Congregation for Divine Worship = and the=20 Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction Redemptionis = Sacramentum=20 (25 March 2004), 43-47: AAS 96 (2004), 564-566; Propositio = 33:=20 "These ministries must be introduced in accordance with a specific = mandate=20 and in accordance with the real needs of the celebrating = community. Those=20 entrusted with these liturgical services must be chosen with care, = well=20 prepared, and provided with ongoing formation. Their appointment = must be=20 for a limited term. They must be known to the community and be = gratefully=20 acknowledged by the community."

(163) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution on = the Sacred=20 Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, 37-42.

(164) Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, = 386-399.

(165) Cf. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of = the=20 Sacraments, Instruction on the Roman Liturgy and Inculturation=20 Varietates Legitimae (25 January 1994): AAS 87 (1995), = 288-314.

(166) Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in = Africa (14=20 September 1995), 55-71: AAS 88 (1996), 34-47; Post-Synodal = Apostolic=20 Exhortation Ecclesia in America (22 January 1999), 16, 40, = 64,=20 70-72: AAS 91 (1999), 752-753, 775-776, 799, 805-809; Post-Synodal = Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia (6 November 1999), = 21ff.:=20 AAS 92 (2000), 482-487; Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation = Ecclesia in=20 Oceania (22 November 2001), 16: AAS 94 (2002), 382-384; = Post-Synodal=20 Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa (28 June 2003), = 58-60: AAS=20 95 (2003), 685-686.

(167) Cf. Propositio 26.

(168) Cf. Propositio 35; Second Vatican Ecumenical = Council,=20 Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, = 11.

(169) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1388; Second = Vatican=20 Ecumenical Council, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy = Sacrosanctum=20 Concilium, 55.

(170) Cf. Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 = April=20 2003), 34: AAS 95 (2003), 456.

(171) See, for example, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa = Theologiae,=20 III, q. LXXX, a. 1, 2; Saint Teresa of Jesus, The Way of=20 Perfection, Chapter 35. The doctrine was authoritatively = confirmed by=20 the Council of Trent, Session XIII, c. VIII.

(172) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint = (25 May=20 1995), 8: AAS 87 (1995), 925-926.

(173) Cf. Propositio 41; Second Vatican Ecumenical = Council,=20 Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 8, 15; John = Paul II,=20 Encyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint (25 May 1995), 46: AAS 87 = (1995),=20 948; Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April = 2003),=20 45-46: AAS 95 (2003), 463-464; Code of Canon Law, can. 844 = =A7=A7 3-4;=20 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, can. 671 =A7=A7 = 3-4; Pontifical=20 Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directoire pour = l'application=20 des principes et des normes sur l'=9Ccum=E9nisme (25 March = 1993), 125,=20 129-131: AAS 85 (1993), 1087, 1088-1089.

(174) Cf. Nos. 1398-1401.

(175) Cf. No. 293.

(176) Cf. Pontifical Council for Social Communications, = Pastoral=20 Instruction on Social Communications on the Twentieth Anniversary = of=20 "Communio et Progressio" Aetatis Novae (22 February 1992): = AAS 84=20 (1992), 447-468.

(177) Cf. Propositio 29.

(178) Cf. Propositio 44.

(179) Cf. Propositio 48.

(180) Candidates for the priesthood can be introduced to these=20 traditions as part of their seminary training: cf. Propositio=20 45.

(181) Cf. Propositio 37.

(182) Cf. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum=20 Concilium, 36, 54.

(183) Propositio 36.

(184) Cf. ibid.

(185) Cf. Propositio 32.

(186) Cf. Propositio 14.

(187) Propositio 19.

(188) Cf. Propositio 14.

(189) Cf. Benedict XVI, Homily at First Vespers of Pentecost (3 = June=20 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 509.

(190) Cf. Propositio 34.

(191) Enarrationes in Psalmos 98:9, CCL XXXIX, = 1385; cf.=20 Benedict XVI, Address to the Roman Curia (22 December = 2005): AAS 98=20 (2006), 44-45.

(192) Cf. Propositio 6.

(193) Benedict XVI, Address to the Roman Curia (22 December = 2005): AAS=20 98 (2006), 45.

(194) Cf. Propositio 6; Congregation for Divine Worship = and the=20 Discipline of the Sacraments, Directory on Popular Piety and = the=20 Liturgy (17 December 2001), Nos. 164-165, Vatican City, 2002; = Sacred=20 Congregation of Rites, Instruction Eucharisticum Mysterium = (25 May=20 1967): AAS 57 (1967), 539-573.

(195) Cf. Relatio post disceptationem, 11: = L'Osservatore=20 Romano, 14 October 2005, p. 5.

(196) Cf. Propositio 28.

(197) Cf. No. 314.

(198) VII, 10, 16: PL 32, 742.

(199) Benedict XVI, Homily at Marienfeld Esplanade (21 August = 2005):=20 AAS 97 (2005), 892; cf. Homily for the Vigil of Pentecost (3 June = 2006):=20 AAS 98 (2006), 505.

(200) Cf. Relatio post disceptationem, 6, 47: = L'Osservatore=20 Romano, 14 October 2005, pp. 5-6; Propositio 43.

(201) De Civitate Dei, X, 6: PL 41, 284.

(202) Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1368.

(203) Cf. Saint Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., IV, 20, 7: PG 7, = 1037.

(204) Ad Magnes., 9, 1: PG 5, 670.

(205) Cf. I Apologia, 67, 1-6; 66: PG 6, 430ff., 427, = 430.

(206) Cf. Propositio 30.

(207) Cf. AAS 90 (1998), 713-766.

(208) Propositio 30.

(209) Homily (19 March 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 324.

(210) The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the = Church, 258,=20 rightly notes in this regard: "For man, bound as he is to the = necessity of=20 work, this rest opens to the prospect of a fuller freedom, that of = the=20 eternal Sabbath (cf. Heb 4:9-10). Rest gives men and women = the=20 possibility to remember and experience anew God's work, from = Creation to=20 Redemption, to recognize themselves as his work (cf. Eph = 2:10), and=20 to give thanks for their lives and for their subsistence to him = who is=20 their author."

(211) Cf. Propositio 10.

(212) Cf. ibid.

(213) Cf. Benedict XVI, Address to the Bishops of Canada =96 = Quebec=20 during their Visit ad Limina (11 May 2006): cf. L'Osservatore=20 Romano, 12 May 2006, p. 5.

(214) No. 10: AAS 71 (1979), 414-415.

(215) Benedict XVI, General Audience of 29 March 2006: = L'Osservatore=20 Romano, 30 March 2006, p. 4.

(216) Propositio 39.

(217) Cf. Relatio post disceptationem, 30: = L'Osservatore=20 Romano, 14 October 2005, p. 6.

(218) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 39-42.

(219) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation=20 Christifideles Laici (30 December 1988), 14, 16: AAS 81 = (1989),=20 409-413; 416-418.

(220) Cf. Propositio 39.

(221) Cf. ibid.

(222) The Roman Pontifical, Rites of Ordination of a = Bishop,=20 of Priests and of Deacons, Ordination of a Priest, No. = 163.

(223) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation = Pastores=20 Dabo Vobis (25 March 1992), 19-33; 70-81: AAS 84 (1992), = 686-712;=20 778-800.

(224) Propositio 38.

(225) Propositio 39. Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal = Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (25 March 1996), 95: = AAS 88=20 (1996), 470-471.

(226) Code of Canon Law, can. 663 =A7 1.

(227) Cf. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation = Vita=20 Consecrata (25 March 1996), 34: AAS 88 (1996), 407-408.

(228) Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6 August = 1993), 107:=20 AAS 85 (1993), 1216-1217.

(229) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est = (25=20 December 2005), 14: AAS 98 (2006), 229.

(230) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium = Vitae (25=20 March 1995): AAS 87 (1995), 401-522; Benedict XVI, Address to the=20 Pontifical Academy for Life (27 February 2006): AAS 98 (2006),=20 264-265.

(231) Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal = Note on=20 Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in = Political Life=20 (24 November 2002): AAS 96 (2004), 359-370.

(232) Cf. Propositio 46.

(233) AAS 97 (2005), 711.

(234) Propositio 42.

(235) Cf. Mart. Polycarp., XV, 1: PG 5, 1039, 1042.

(236) Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Ad. Rom., IV, 1: PG 5, = 690.

(237) Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic = Constitution on=20 the Church Lumen Gentium, 42.

(238) Cf. Propositio 42; Congregation for the Doctrine = of the=20 Faith, Declaration on the Unicity and Salvific Universality of = Jesus=20 Christ and the Church Dominus Iesus (6 August 2000), 13- = 15: AAS 92=20 (2000), 754-755.

(239) Cf. Propositio 42.

(240) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est = (25=20 December 2005), 18: AAS 98 (2006), 232.

(241) Ibid., 14.

(242) During the Synod sessions we heard very moving and = significant=20 testimonies about the effectiveness of the Eucharist in = peacemaking. In=20 this regard, Propositio 49 states that: "Thanks to = eucharistic=20 celebrations, peoples engaged in conflict have been able to gather = around=20 the word of God, hear his prophetic message of reconciliation = through=20 gratuitous forgiveness, and receive the grace of conversion which = allows=20 them to share in the same bread and cup."

(243) Cf. Propositio 48.

(244) Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est = (25=20 December 2005), 28: AAS 98 (2006), 239.

(245) Propositio 48.

(246) Benedict XVI, Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited = to the=20 Holy See (9 January 2006): AAS 98 (2006), 127.

(247) Ibid.

(248) Cf. Propositio 48. In this regard, the = Compendium of=20 the Social Doctrine of the Church has proved most helpful.

(249) Cf. Propositio 43.

(250) Cf. Propositio 47.

(251) Cf. Propositio 17.

(252) Martyrium Saturnini, Dativi et aliorum plurimorum, = 7, 9,=20 10: PL 8, 707, 709-710.

(253) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de=20 Eucharistia (17 April 2003), 53: AAS 95 (2003), 469.

(254) Eucharistic Prayer I (Roman Canon).

(255) Propositio 50.

(256) Cf. Benedict XVI, Homily (8 December 2005): AAS 98 = (2006),=20 15.

=20

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