John Paul II and the Eucharist!

2nd April 2005 – 2nd April 2006.

Behold one year the Pope died. In his anniversary, let us listen to him talk about the mass (Eucharist):

“…In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed into his body and blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength and our food for the journey, and he enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope. If, in the presence of this mystery, reason experiences its limits, the heart, enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, clearly sees the response that is demanded, and bows low in adoration and unbounded love…”

“…Every commitment to holiness, every activity aimed at carrying out the Church's mission, every work of pastoral planning, must draw the strength it needs from the Eucharistic mystery and in turn be directed to that mystery as its culmination. In the Eucharist we have Jesus, we have his redemptive sacrifice, we have his resurrection, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have adoration, obedience and love of the Father. Were we to disregard the Eucharist, how could we overcome our own deficiency?”

“… The mystery of the Eucharist – sacrifice, presence, banquet...must be experienced and lived in its integrity, both in its celebration and in the intimate converse with Jesus which takes place after receiving communion or in a prayerful moment of Eucharistic adoration apart from Mass…”

Ecclesia de Eucharistia, “On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church”
(Encyclical given in Rome, on 17 April, Holy Thursday, in the year 2003, the Twenty- fifth of his Pontificate)

Very often, I think, we don’t know what is the depth meaning of the Eucharist. So, we don’t feel to go and participate to it. Does it make sens?

I’M NOT ALONE!

I’m not alone to worry about our Christians’ faith! The NewSunday Missourian published two weeks ago (March 12), a great story about the “Uncommitted CHRISTIANS”. Sarah Blaskovich wrote this story. Here are some quotations.

“American overwhelmingly profess to be part of a Christian nation. Our president is a Christian. Our neighbors probably are, too – more than three-quarters of Americans describe themselves as Christians. However, a slew of research in recent years suggest that, as a group, Christian adults are becoming increasingly apathetic about their faith. Church attendance has been slowly declining. Interest in organized religion as a staple of American life is waning. And a majority of Christian Americans, according to a leading Christian research organization, do not know what is in their Bibles…”

This general remark gives us some ideas. The story is about all of Christians in US, especially in Columbia. And catholic Christians in US are 66,3 million, so 22% of the population. Let us read bellow.

“…It’s easy to believe that our nation as a whole is faithful when the religious habits of others countries are considered. A Gallup poll found in 2005 that 35 percent of Americans, regardless of religious affiliation, went to worship services at least once a week…”

Remember, US Americans Christians are 85% of the population. Here we go!

“…While Columbia pastors say the declining attendance is hardly a crisis, they acknowledge that many people simply believe they have better things to do on Sunday morning. Several pastors point to American’s short attention spans as a major road bump in religiosity. It takes a split second to send and receive e-mails, three minutes to grab a cheeseburger and half an hour to get film developed. It’s no surprising, pastors say, that some churchgoers get bored during religious services, which can last an hour or more…More and more, pastors say that Church is competing with parishioners’ secular interests and activities…”

Great!!! Keep reading.

“…Researchers asked 1,002 Americans to list their personal priorities, and only 15 percent ranked God and faith first…”

What’s about the 292 million of Americans? Expert readers in arithmetic can make the calculation. Don’t stop reading.

“…Americans have also been found to be lacking in knowledge of Christianity. According to a 1997 poll, only about 30 percent of Americans can name the four Gospels. Even fewer people – one in five – say they are confident with their understanding of the Bible, according to 2005 survey by the Barna Group…”

You must know, you can’t believe if you don’t know in whom you are believing! And Sarah concluded:

“…For centuries, religious understanding among the faithful was the province of the Pastor. Now with more Americans seeking alternative spiritual outlooks and exploring different beliefs, the roles of the pastor, the church and even the Bible may not be as important as they once were.”

Pope Benedict were right when he said (talking about Europe) two months ago, “The West is exhausted of God”. Is it true for USA? Not yet but in five years, maybe! Thank you Sarah.