I recently returned from Rome, where I happily spent time engaging with ecclesial and other bureaucrats, in order to ensure that preparations for Eucharist28 are progressing as they ought.
Our Ambassador to the Holy See, the Hon Keith Pitt, helped me appreciate the nuances of church diplomacy and he assures me that he is working hard to secure our desired papal itinerary for 2028.
My time in the eternal city also allowed me to gauge the broader reception to the recent Pastoral Letter on the Eucharist of Archbishop Fisher OP. One academic I spoke with drew an explicit link between the words of the archbishop and a previously unpublished phrase of Pope Pius XII.
Due to the recent opening of various Vatican archives, manuscript drafts of Pius XII’s radio broadcasts are now able to be read for the first time in 70 years. The pope who led the church throughout the Second World War and during the early stages of the Cold War, wrote this:
“Facts have shown that the more man believed he had found full and secure freedom by placing his trust in the fleeting appearances of created things, the more he felt in his soul the bitterness of that emptiness which only Jesus can fill.”
It was a phrase that could have been written yesterday, and one which finds its echo in our recent podcast on the connection between the Eucharist and Eternal Life. Our desires for freedom and happiness are fulfilled in Jesus alone, the one through whom we are able to embrace with joy the “liberty and glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21)
Sometimes that liberty enables us to fly to Rome for engaging academic and (less engaging) bureaucratic discussions. Conversely, that liberty may also require us to submit our bodies to long trans-continental flights with all the airport-associated indignities that are often entailed.
“This is My Body, Given for You”, the theme of Eucharist28, serves as a call not simply to adoration, but to imitation. And it is the Blessed Virgin Mary who serves as the ultimate exemplar of such a eucharistic life.
As the first member of the church in time and in importance, her Magnificat exemplifies the response of a soul that recognises the “great things” done for us all by the Almighty. (Lk 1:49)
Gratitude being the foundation of any spiritual life, the example of Our Lady should urge us all better to acknowledge the gift that we receive through participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and to respond to the Lord’s invitation of imitation with the openness of His Mother: “Be it done unto me according to Thy word.” (Lk 1:38)
Whatever the situation, every moment of each passing day offers us the opportunity to choose to cooperate with Divine Grace – to grow in our likeness to Christ and offer our lives to God and to others in imitation of His sacrifice – or not to do so.
We are not the saviours of the world; Jesus has already done that. But we nevertheless should not underestimate our own role in the economy of salvation.
The first Mass was celebrated in a tiny community in a humble room in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. And yet those few moments have transformed all of our lives and shaped the course of human history. We each have a part to play; we each have a contribution to make.
These years of preparation ahead of Eucharist28 are a grace-filled gift; an open invitation for each of us to reflect upon how our lives might be best lived as Members of the Body of Christ – as children of God.
Whether through song in parish choir, in our deeds at the local soup kitchen or by means of our fervent prayers while kneeling in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, there are countless ways we could all lend our own bodies and meaningfully contribute to the building up of the church in Australia.
Over these next few years, our morning reflection might be summed up in this one simple question: how can I imitate our Eucharistic Lord today?
If you would like more information on Eucharist28, or to be added to the mailing list for fortnightly updates, please visit our website and register your interest: eucharist28.org
