At the centre of life” “

The Year of the Eucharist, inaugurated at Guadalajara, Mexico, on 17 October 2004, on the occasion of the World Eucharistic Congress, has been received in the Churches of the various European countries with a series of declarations and events. The plenary assembly of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), held in recent days, devoted a lot of attention to the Year of the Eucharist, with the presentation of various projects at the level of the individual dioceses. They were described during a press conference chaired by Cardinal KARL LEHMANN , president of the Bishops’ Conference and Cardinal JOACHIM MEISNER , archbishop of Cologne and chairman of the Commission for the liturgy of the DBK. In Austria too the Year of the Eucharist is regarded as a great occasion for the Church: “The Eucharist creates unity”, declared Monsignor KLAUS KÜNG , bishop of St. Pölten, in the pastoral letter he addressed to the faithful on the occasion of Lent. Germany. “The German bishops hope that this year celebrated throughout the world will lead to a deeper understanding of the sacrament of the Eucharist, a revitalization of the celebration of Holy Mass and a new impulse for the transmission of the faith in our time”, declared Cardinal Lehmann. “Breaking the bread has always been at the centre of the whole life of the Church”, said the cardinal, who added, with reference to the forthcoming World Youth Day (WYD) in Cologne: “Pope John Paul II has expressly inserted WYD, due to be celebrated in Cologne from 16 to 21 August, in the Year of the Eucharist. The Eucharist will be the living centre round which the young will gather to recognize their faith and to worship Him”. “The German bishops have welcomed with joy the announcement of the Year of the Eucharist and have asked all those responsible for the ministry to support this great eucharistic event and realize it in their sector of competence”, declared Cardinal Meisner, illustrating the numerous projects promoted by the German dioceses. These have been collected and published by the German Liturgical Institute in Trier on the website www.liturgie.de. Recommendations and ideas for lessons, seminars, masses, pilgrimages or spiritual exercises can also be found on the same web page. Meisner referred to the partnership between the liturgical institutes of Germany (Trier), Austria (Salzburg) and German-speaking Switzerland (Fribourg), which has given rise to a booklet of “ideas and impulses for eucharistic celebration and adoration”, containing among other things prayers, hymns on the theme of the Eucharist and models for eucharistic adoration”. “Apart from the celebration of Holy Mass, the adoration of the eucharistic Bread is an important component of eucharistic devotion. Even after the celebration, the risen God remains present in the species of the bread and wine: that’s why eucharistic adoration has a sense outside the celebration of Mass”, explained Meisner, who concluded as follows: “The Eucharist is the centre and culmination of the whole life of the Church. Everything needs to be done to ensure that this is really experienced”. Austria. The Year of the Eucharist “is also very useful for our situation”, said Bishop Küng in his Lenten pastoral letter to the faithful of the diocese of St. Pölten. Referring to the well-known events in the seminary of St. Pölten in recent months and their negative repercussions on the Church, Küng writes: “Let us give a solid foundation to our desire for the renewal of the Christian life in our diocese, in our community, in our families and in ourselves: we can do so by uniting ourselves with the living Christ, who is present in our midst through the Church”. Turning to Christ present in the Eucharist is, Küng said, a “first step towards a new beginning”. “We must grow into the habit of placing our talents, our desires, our prayers, our resolutions and those of others on the altar, in our wish that these gifts of ours – together with those of the Church – be transformed by bread and wine in Christ. We must learn to worship him and honour him when the mystery of transubstantiation takes place and he comes to us and remains with us. We can welcome him, unite ourselves with him and receive his blessing”, he continues. “Eucharistic celebration is the most important school of Christian life, source of comfort and of strength, nourishment and encouragement. It would be appropriate if in parishes, communities and monasteries catechesis were given to teach a greater understanding of the great mystery of the faith and enable us to recognize it as the solid foundation that leads to the unity between faithful, priests and laity”.