The 52nd International Eucharistic Congress took place in Budapest, Hungary, from September 5 to the 12. Its theme was All my springs are in you (Psalm 87:7), with the sub-theme: The Eucharist: Source of Christian Life and Mission. The congress celebrated its 140th anniversary this year and one of the great public events of the Church marking the importance of the Eucharist—Jesus truly present in the life of Christians who bear witness to his infinite love for the world.
The congress was to have been held last year, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In his address at the inaugural Mass, Péter Cardinal Erdő of Hungary, said, “May the Lord God grant us the capacity to feel in these days that Christ is with us in the Eucharist. He does not leave the Church, people and humanity alone.”
Pope Francis celebrated the closing Mass on Sunday, September 12.
In the face of the pandemic and various difficulties, the Eucharist can help us overcome all kinds of loneliness, isolation and indifference, allowing us to remember that the Lord is truly present in the world and abides with us as we face the challenges of our daily lives.
Many places have implemented anti-epidemic measures such as restricting gatherings. People have been unable to go to church and receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Thus, this year’s congress is highly significant, enabling people to come together again and even re-experience the preciousness of the Eucharist.
Whenever public Masses are suspended, people have had to attend online Masses. Fortunately, despite the lack of in-person gatherings, many still realise the importance of community life and understand the concrete meaning of the Church as the Body of Christ.
The Eucharist is the “source and the summit of Christian life,” enabling us to become one body in Christ. The fraternal love among Christians within the Eucharist is the source of strength and mutual support under the pandemic.
At the end of each Mass, the words: “Ite, missa est” [“Go the Mass is ended”], as proclaimed by the priest means we are to “go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life!”
Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI said in his apostolic exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis [Sacrament of Love], “These words help us to grasp the relationship between the Mass just celebrated and the mission of Christians in the world… These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. The People of God might be helped to understand more clearly this essential dimension of the Church’s life, taking the dismissal as a starting point.”
Many parishes and Church groups are committed to sustaining this missionary spirit and act of love originating from the Sacrament of the Eucharist, offering help to those who most affected by the pandemic.
“We have the space we need for co-responsibility in creating and putting into place new processes and changes. Let us take an active part in renewing and supporting our troubled societies. Today we have a great opportunity to express our innate sense of fraternity, to be Good Samaritans ….” Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. The pandemic has enabled us to meditate on the Sacrament of the Eucharist and to pass on the good news and practical care embodied in this great mystery to our neighbours. SE
