At the beginning of October Pope John Paul II proclaimed a Year of the Eucharist that will go on until October 2005. As is typical of the present Pope, he always paves the way methodically to important occasions.
In fact, during the first months of 2003 he gave the world the important encyclical Ecclesia de Eucarestia, which is an overflowing fountain with deep reflections for priests and laity on this holy sacrament.
It was no surprise at all that the Congregation for the Clergy of the Holy See addressed a letter to all priests with relevant comments on the encyclical. Both the Pope and the Sacred Congregation stressed that the priest is responsible for the Eucharist. In fact, the encyclical drew priests' attention to the completely exceptional importance of the Holy Eucharist in our daily life. On its part the Sacred Congregation reminded priests that in receiving this "gift par excellence" they bear responsibility for the efficacy of the Eucharist in the world.
There is a consensus of opinion that many priests and faithful need to recapture devotion to the real and abiding presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Many people of good will feel that this devotion has been gradually weakened in the years that followed Vatican Council II.
Throughout this year dedicated to the Eucharist, both clergy and faithful have to try hard to recover the full meaning of the Sacrament of the Altar. The Sacred Congregation of the Holy See points out that the Church is nourished and sustained principally by the Word of God, by the Eucharist and by prayer. The sacred liturgy itself makes it clear, to one and all, that by the Eucharist one does not mean only the celebration of Mass, but also our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
No doubt this year of the Eucharist will help us all to reflect in meaningful silence that the church is a place where the people of God gather, and it is also a place where Christ is truly present. In front of the Eucharist the priest understands better that his faith urges him incessantly "towards a world in which Christ works miracles. The minister of Christ feels within himself the urgency of the mission to extend his kingdom everywhere."
As the Congregation's letter points out: "The priest receives a fresh insight into his priestly mission, which has been given to him and into the role which he has to assume so that the power of the Eucharist may be able to have full effect in the life of every human being. The priest is vested with responsibility for building a new society of Christ. More particularly, he can give witness to faith in the new presence welling up from every consecration which charges bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord."
Indeed Pope John Paul II by means of his encyclical wanted to show the full spiritual riches of the Eucharist. On the one hand, it highlights the essential contribution of the Eucharist to the Church's growth; on the other hand, it draws attention to the importance of the cult of the real presence outside of the Holy Mass. This indeed, is a rich and highly significant aspect of the Eucharist to be inculcated in ourselves throughout the year of the Eucharist.