Emmanuel
with eager expectation, will mark this congress. It will give special
meaning to the Filipinos’ celebration of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist,
of the gift of his body and blood for the life of the world and the life
of the nation. But it will also be a privileged opportunity to bring the
Filipino Catholic faithful to a renewed understanding, celebration,
and living out of the eucharistic faith.
“Now that Asia is becoming a new center of history in the contemporary
world, the holding of the 51st IEC in its midst is an opportunity to
radiantly manifest the continent’s special and unique calling as a church
of love, communion, and mission. Given the multi-dimensional context
in which the Asian church accomplishes its mission, the continent has
become a fertile field where the mystery of the Incarnation continues
to be realized through genuine inculturation that brings the Christian
faith to an authentic dialogue with the various Asian cultures, religions,
and races.”
The Eucharist: Christ’s Work of Redemption Realized
“Having been told that the Colossians were ‘adapting’ Christianity to
their culture and their beliefs, Paul had to assert with firmness that
Christ possesses the fullness of redemptive power. Everything in the
world is made for the sake of Christ. Right from the opening chapter
of this letter, Paul applies the words ‘all’ and ‘everything’ to Christ over
and over again. This important Pauline teaching is echoed without
ambiguity by the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy as it affirms
that the great works that God wrought among the people of the Old
Testament were but a preparation for the work that Christ was to
accomplish in order to redeem humankind and give glory to God.
“The paschal mystery of his passion, death, and resurrection was to be
the central cause of salvation. It was ‘by dying that he has destroyed
our death, and by rising that he has restored our life’ (Preface I of
Easter). By the mystery of his dying and rising, Christ has indeed
become our hope of glory. For the Holy Spirit whom he handed over
as he breathed his last on the cross (cf. Jn 19:30) brought forth the
wondrous sacrament of the whole church, so that just as Christ was
sent by the Father, so also does he send his church, the community of
his disciples, to continue proclaiming his work of redemption.
“The mystery has to be proclaimed unceasingly so that all may receive
Christ and all may be presented to Christ (cf. Col 1:28). Paul considers