Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

       Christ is truly risen, alleluia!

I. The Holy Eucharist is our Spiritual Food

       The Jerusalem Catechism has this paragraph: “On the night our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed, he took the bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples saying: Take this all of you and eat it! This is my body. In the same way, he took the cup, said the blessing and said: Take this all of you and drink from it. This is the cup of my blood.” Since Jesus himself announced that this bread is his body, who else will be hesitant to believe? In the same way, inasmuch as he himself definitely said that this is my blood, who else will doubt and say “It is not.” Therefore, we can firmly believe that what we receive is really the body and blood of Jesus. “Like this, after you receive the body and blood of Christ, you and Christ belong to the same body and the same blood.”

       Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

       “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist.” “Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began her pilgrim journey towards her heavenly homeland, the Divine Sacrament has continued to mark the passing of her days, filling them with confident hope.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia # 1)

       The Eucharist is not only the bread of life of each faithful but is also the source of life for the Church. The Church lives because of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

II. The Eucharistic Congress and Veneration of the Holy Eucharist

       The Eucharistic Congress, whether it is international, nationwide, diocesan, all are means to express a solemn and sincere adoration to the Eucharist by the Christians. The Eucharistic Congress includes Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, whole night Vigil, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Eucharistic Celebration. All of these are open expressions of our faith in the real presence of Jesus in the sacrament and also express our adoration towards the Eucharist as a community. In each parish, the so-called organized “Holy Hour”, “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament”, “Catechism on the Eucharist” and others are means to help us penetrate deeply and understand the profound meaning of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

       “Do this in memory of me.” When Jesus was instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, he was instructing his disciples to say the “Mass” in remembrance of him. According to the account of the Acts of the Apostles, the followers of the disciples were faithful to the brotherhood, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. (Acts 2:42) What is meant by “breaking of the bread” is what we now call as “Mass”. The Church following the command of Jesus, hold and continue the tradition of the earlier stages of the Church. The faithful assemble during Sunday, the day of resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. They assemble together and celebrate the Mass, participate in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and together praise, thank and give glory to God.

       But our mother Church has the opinion that the gathering together of Christians on a Sunday celebrating as a community the Holy Eucharist is not sufficient. Sometimes our Christian faith needs to be strengthened through great gatherings where a big number of people participate devotedly and profoundly in celebrations.

       The Eucharistic Congress aside from holding liturgical activities usually also has some talks or discussions. Each parish or deanery can look at their situation and consider these activities. The most convenient and effective will be for priests and teachers to talk more about the Holy Eucharist in the parishes, schools or organizations etc. to deepen the laity and students’ understanding of the Holy Eucharist. Encourage them to receive frequently the Holy Communion, adore more often the Holy Eucharist and increase the contact with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

       The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament of Charity. The Cross is the sign of love God the Father has for humanity. Because of love, God gave up his only begotten Son. The Cross is also the sign of love Jesus has for God the Father and for humankind. Because of love, Jesus gave up his very own life. On the eve of the passion of Jesus, while he was eating a meal with his disciples, he clearly expressed through words and actions how much he loves mankind and will sacrifice his own life for them. He asked his disciples to love each other as much as he loved them. We hear Mass and reverently receive the Holy Eucharist. By means of his love we should show solicitude towards others. The Holy Eucharist has already transformed us as persons who can share with others.

       When we live in an abundant life in society, can we forget that a lot of people are unemployed, poor and hungry? Are we living in a luxurious and lavish way of life? We people of good health, are we cold and indifferent to people who have psychological and physical disabilities? People who have freedom in this world, can we not pray for those people whose freedom are stripped off? We have already known Christ and have shared in his life, can we not give witness to the Word of God for the sake of those who thirst for truth?

       The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament of Communion. The Eucharist thus appears as the culmination of all the sacraments in perfecting our communion with God the Father by identification with his only-begotten Son through the working of the Holy Spirit. With discerning faith a distinguished writer of the Byzantine tradition voiced this truth: in the Eucharist “unlike any other sacrament, the mystery [of communion] is so perfect that it brings us to the heights of every good thing: here is the ultimate goal of every human desire, because here we attain God and God joins himself to us in the most perfect union”. (Ecclesia de Eucharistia # 34)

       The Apostle St. Paul pointed to us: “Since you are still unspiritual. Isn’t that obvious from all the jealousy and wrangling that there is among you, from the way that you go on behaving like ordinary people? What could be more unspiritual than your slogans, ‘I am for Paul’ and ‘I am for Apollos’?” (1Cor 3:3-4) “In the first place, I hear that when you all come together as a community, there are separate factions among you, and I half believe it – since there must no doubt be separate groups among you, to distinguish those who are to be trusted. (1Cor. 11:18-19)

       After the Presidential Election in March 20, 2004, there was division in society. Due to different principles in politics, there were oppositions within the families, and even endless and persistent debates in some Church communities.

       But we are a community where there is communion. We often receive Holy Communion and are united with Christ. In Christ, we are united into one. Saint John Chrysostom said: “I too raise my voice, I beseech, beg and implore that no one draw near to this sacred table with a sullied and corrupt conscience. Such an act, in fact, can never be called 'communion', not even were we to touch the Lord's body a thousand times over, but 'condemnation', 'torment' and 'increase of punishment'”. (Ecclesia de Eucharistia # 36)

       We need to bear other people who have different opinions from us. In the Message of Peace for 2000 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, he said: “Justice no doubt should expand, because without justice there is no peace. To talk only about justice and no forgiveness from the heart, still there is no peace. To forgive without love still cannot obtain peace. Since we are Christians, we should have a magnanimous heart towards the faithful, tolerate and respect others who have different opinions from us. Not only among the faithful and not divided due to differences in political principles, but the more we need to disseminate the love and forgiveness of Christ in the society and unite them as one family.

IV. Show concern to the society and everybody donate blood

       In order to love us, Jesus made us share in his life. He gave his holy body and holy blood as our food and drink. We should imitate his love and should share our life with others.

       The Bishops are inviting everybody to donate blood together. This year, each diocese should divide by deanery or some parishes gather together to form one group and organize a Donate Blood Movement on a fixed date. Request the Blood Bank to send their car to the designated place to draw blood. Invite also the neighborhood of the parish and the villages to work together for this worthy project to show that we all belong to one family.

       If among the older Christians, according to regulations cannot donate blood due to health reasons, they can imitate Jesus who shared with others and served others. For example: After resurrection, one morning by the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus prepared a breakfast for his disciples. And he told them: “Come and have breakfast!” (John 21:12). Like Jesus who encouraged the disciples in their time of grief or when work was not smooth, we too should do the same to our people.

CONCLUSION

       Dear Brothers and Sisters, this year the Universal Church as well as the Local Church will hold a Eucharistic Congress. We will prepare spiritually and participate in the Eucharistic Congress. We will participate well in Eucharistic Celebrations and receive regularly the Holy Eucharist. If we want to receive frequently the Holy Eucharist, we should also often receive the Sacrament of Penance, be reconciled with God and the Church and be spiritually purified. We need to understand more the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist, often adore Jesus in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, be united with Him and thus have communion with our brothers and sisters. We will pass on the love of Christ to others making the society cooperate and become one family mutually helping each other’s needs. Because we are all the children of God the Father.

       Wishing everyone God’s blessing and peace!

                                                                           Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference

                                                                           Feast of Our Lady, Patron of China, May 8, 2004