PARTICIPATE IN THE EUCHARIST ASSIDUOUSLY AND WITH FERVOR

VATICAN CITY, SEP 4, 2005 (VIS) - At midday today, prior to praying the Angelus, the Pope addressed some remarks to the faithful who filled the internal courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo.

  Benedict XVI recalled that the Year of the Eucharist - instituted by John Paul II "to reawaken among Christian people faith, wonder and love for this great Sacrament that constitutes the true treasure of the Church" - will conclude in October with the meeting of the Synod of Bishops on the theme: "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church."

  Referring to John Paul II, the Pope exclaimed: "With what devotion did he celebrate Mass, the focal point of each of his days! How much time did he spend in silent, adoring prayer before the tabernacle! In his final months his illness likened him ever more to the suffering Christ. It is striking to think that, at the moment of his death, he found himself uniting the offer of his own life to that of Christ in the Mass being celebrated next to his bed. His earthly existence closed in the octave of Easter, in the very heart of this Year of the Eucharist in which his great pontificate gave way to mine. It is with joy then that I, from the beginning of this great service the Lord has asked of me, reaffirm the centrality of the Sacrament of the real presence of Christ in the life of the Church and of each individual Christian."

  With a view to the forthcoming synod, the Holy Father then called on the entire ecclesiastical community to participate in this preparatory phase "with prayer and reflection, making the most of each occasion, event and meeting." He also highlighted the central role of the Eucharist in the recent World Youth Day, recalling the night vigil of Saturday, August 20, at Marienfeld, "which had its culminating moment in the adoration of the Eucharist," as well as the continuous adoration by day and night in some German churches.

  "I trust that, thanks to the commitment of pastors and faithful, participation in the Eucharist becomes ever more assiduous and fervent in all communities. Today, I would particularly like to call on people to sanctify with joy the 'day of the Lord,' Sunday, the holy day for Christians. In this context, I wish to recall the figure of St. Gregory the Great. ... That illustrious Pope made an enormously important contribution to the promotion of the liturgy in its various aspects and, in particular, to the correct celebration of the Eucharist."
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