January 24-31, 2016 will mark the observance of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu.
With the theme, “Christ in you, our hope of glory (Col 1:27),” the week-long Eucharistic Congress is intended to strengthen the faith of the people and to promote awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church. It is also believed to be a pause for commitment and a pause for prayer.
As Pope Francis said in his letter addressed to the participants in the plenary of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congress, “The 51st International Eucharistic Congress offers the opportunity to experience and comprehend the Eucharist as a transformative encounter with the Lord in his word and in his sacrifice of love, so that all may have life, and live in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10). It is a propitious occasion to rediscover the faith as a source of Grace that brings joy and hope in personal, familial and social life.”
The Philippines is blessed to be chosen to be the venue of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, because it could help strengthen the faith of the people and the devotion to the Eucharistic in our country. It is a reminder that it is important for all of us to join the Eucharist to commemorate the life, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This is also the time when we nurture our soul; we grow our relationship with God, because we always need His love and mercy that comes to us through the bread and the wine that is changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ by the words of Jesus himself and the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we are receiving Jesus every time we receive the Holy Eucharist. It is Christ’s continuing and lasting presence in the community of faith.
The great mission of the Congress is to make people who are mostly poor, understand the Eucharist. This year’s IEC is also a dialogue with the poor.
According to a new report from Oxfam International, a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice, the world’s 62 richest billionaires have as much wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population. And two-thirds or 700 million of the world’s poor live in Asia, according to the report from Asian Development Bank, while in the Philippines, according to the data from the National Statistical Coordination Board, more than one-quarter (25.8 percent) of the population fell below the poverty line in the first semester of 2014.
They are poor not because our country lack natural and material resources but because of the oppressive and unjust social, economic, and political structures that keep the poor and marginalized away from enjoying the rich natural wealth of their lands—all rooted from selfishness and greed.
Pope Francis once said, that the Eucharist is not just a weekly way of celebrating our faith, but should radically affect our relationship with others, especially with those most in need.
All the hungers of the world, physical and spiritual, become the concern of a community that celebrates the Last Supper of the Lord, just as they became Jesus’ concern during His life and ministry. As the Ordinary General Assembly of Bishops in 2005 declared, “Christians need help in seeing the faith implications of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and his presence in their brothers and sisters, especially in the poor and those on the periphery of society. Love for the poor and those on the periphery of society was not simply the subject of Jesus’ preaching; it gave meaning to His entire life.”
As Catholics, we are called to give ourselves generously to our brothers and sisters, just like Jesus Christ who gave himself to all on the Cross. And since receiving the Eucharist means receiving Jesus Christ, we become like Him, we become a part of Him, so we have to be ready and willing to do what he did.
In this modern world, where society is becoming uninterested to the values of the Gospel and where people are led away from the teachings of the Church, this year’s International Eucharistic Congress is a great avenue for the Filipinos and to all the people around the world to experience and understand the Eucharist as a transforming encounter with the Lord in His word and in His life-giving sacrifice of himself.
Let us all reflect, pray and celebrate the Eucharist during and even after IEC. Let us continually accept Jesus Christ every time we participate in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist to find inner strength and power that we need to win against temptation and establish a stronger relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ who brings joy and hope in our personal, familial and social life. As one liturgical song would put it, “Let us be bread, blessed by the Lord, broken and shared, life for the world.”
Rev. Fr. Anton C.T. Pascual
President, Radio Veritas 162 West Ave. cor Edsa, Quezon City
