Saturday 14 March 2009

Pope Benedict XVI promotes Eucharistic Adoration

ZENIT are today carrying a report of Pope Benedict's meeting with participants in the plenary assembly of the Sacred Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Sacraments. This assembly has been dedicated to consideration of Eucharistic Adoration. The full text of Pope Benedict's address, in Italian, can be found on the Vatican website.

In his address, Pope Benedict referred to his visit to Cologne in 2005 for the World Youth Day, and his account of Eucharistic Adoration offered to the young people there:
"The doctrine of the transubstantiation of the bread and wine, and of the real presence, are a truth of faith," the Holy Father affirmed, "already evident in sacred Scripture and later confirmed by the Fathers of the Church.""Adoration must become union," Benedict XVI added, "union with the living Lord and with His mystical Body."

I have now lost count of the number of occasions on which I have used Pope Benedict's two-fold presentation of Adoration as "going down before the Lord" and "entering into union with Him", based on the words proskynesis and ad-oratio. This can be found in his homily at the closing Mass in Cologne, and is quoted in the Italian text of the Pope's address here.

I have wondered for some time now about the anxiety that some have to import into the Liturgy, and in particular into Sunday Mass, things that do not really belong there. Sometimes what is introduced is pastorally or catechetically useful - but it is in the wrong place. Not unusually, this happens when there is little other pastoral and catechetical activity in a parish, perhaps driven by concern for the welfare of overworked clergy. Sunday Mass is then only place of parish life ....

Times of Eucharistic Adoration, however, can provide opportuntities for catechesis adapted to the needs of different ages or ecclesial experience, without it being in conflict with the celebration of the Liturgy. One can have a freedom in terms of catechetical style, of music etc, without it offending the nature of the Liturgy. And, done carefully, it leads to a deepening of our understanding and celebration of the Liturgy.

I look forward to finding out more about the work of this plenary assembly.

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