Looking to the 2016 International Eucharistic Congress
Eucharist, Mission, and Hope
The Basic Text guides our reflection here on the upcoming congress.“All
the components and details . . . should manifest an underlying vision
of ‘eucharistic ecclesiology’ which is oriented toward communion
and oneness in the community that is the church and which naturally
seeks to reach out to all, especially those who are at the fringes of
society, drawing them back until there will only be one flock under
the one shepherd, Jesus Christ.”
“The theme is meant to bring to fuller light the bond among the
Eucharist, mission, and Christian hope, both in time and eternity. Today,
there is a shortage of hope in the world as perhaps never before in
history. Thus, humankind needs to hear the message of our hope
in Christ Jesus. The church must proclaim this message today with
renewed ardor, utilizing new methods and expressions. With these
features of a ‘new evangelization,’ the church must seek to bring this
message of hope to all, but especially to those ‘who, though baptized,
have drifted away from the church and live without reference to the
Christian life.’”
Pastoral concerns have increasingly influenced recent eucharistic congresses,
underscoring the relationship between the church and the Eucharist.
“The [congress] is envisioned to provide the participants opportunities
for experiencing and understanding the Eucharist as a transforming
encounter with the Lord in his word and in his life-giving sacrifice of
himself, that we may have life and have it to the full (cf. Jn 10:10). It is
intended to be an occasion for the discovery and rediscovery of the
faith — ‘that source of grace which brings joy and hope to personal,
family, and social life.’”
“This international gathering holds the promise of generating a more
courageous and decisive carrying out of the Christian mission in the
world and society that are becoming more and more indifferent and
hostile to the faith and to the values of the Gospel. The encounter
with Christ in the Eucharist can be a source of hope for the world
when, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the
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