JANUARY 24-31, 2016 will mark the observance of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu. With the theme, “Christ in you, our hope of glory (Colossians 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.
Tune in to Radio Veritas for the special coverage and programming for the 51st IEC. Activities can also be watched through live streaming at www.veritas846.ph, while a special coverage page about the IEC is also available at the web site, veritas846.ph/iec2016.
Below are some of the excerpts from the Recollection given by His Eminence, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, DD, for the members of the press regarding the 51st International Eucharistic Congress.
Look at the action of God. The presence of Jesus doesn’t have to be grand. The presence of Jesus comes in simple bread, simple wine, the work of simple hands. Jesus is very consistent. The simpler we are, the more humble we are, the more people see the presence of Jesus in us.
And then, we remember the night we were betrayed. This is during Consecration when the bread is changed into the body of Christ and the wine into the blood of Christ. We call this theology transubstantiation, but it’s a change effected by the Holy Spirit. It’s not magical. It’s the Holy Spirit. But it is not just the bread that it is changed into the body of Christ, it is also the wine that is changed into the blood of Christ.
On the night He was betrayed, He took bread and said the blessing. Broke the bread, gave it and said: “This is My body for you.” Another change, the night of betrayal was changed by Jesus into an act of self-giving. When you betray someone, you sell that someone. But on the night Jesus was being sold as if He was telling Judas, “you don’t have to sell Me. I give Myself freely, this is My body for you, this is My blood for you, you don’t need to sell Me. I am not a commodity; I am a gift for you.” The night of betrayals became the dawn of love, self-giving. And we hope that the Eucharist would teach us to eliminate in society all forms of betrayal. From the families, business to politics, to human- rights issues.
The Eucharist says, no more betrayals. No more. But how do we combat betrayal? We combat betrayal by teaching people how to love purely, to give off themselves rather than selling others. When Jesus says: “this is My body for you.” Body, what does that connote to us nowadays, “body”. People think of prostitution, people think of human trafficking, people think the bodies mangled by war and torture. But, the Eucharist tells us the body is a gift for you and not an object to be sold, mutilated and harmed. Blood, the blood of victims. The blood of victims of terrorism and senseless killing. Blood should not be wasted that way. For in Jesus, blood became a source of life for us. The Eucharist is also about change. Change to simplicity.