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The Vatican today released Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI's post-synodal apostolic exhortation. In Sacramentum Caritatis ("The Sacrament of Charity"), Pope Benedict exercises his authentic teaching office as he summarizes and concludes the reflections and proposals made at the 2005 Ordinary General Synod of Bishops, and offers "some basic directions aimed at a renewed commitment to Eucharistic enthusiasm and fervour in the Church" (no. 5).
Sacramentum Caritatis comprises three parts. The first part, "The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Believed," is largely theological in content. The Holy Father discusses our faith in the Eucharist and the relationship of the Eucharist to the Blessed Trinity and to the Church.
The Holy Father writes in particular on the relationship of the Eucharist to the other sacraments. He notes that the "close relationship of the Eucharist with the other sacraments can be most fully understood when we contemplate the mystery of the Church herself as a sacrament" (no. 16). He touches on a number of pastoral concerns--including the need to promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the shortage of priests in some areas, and the painful situations of some of the faithful who have divorced and remarried.
The second part, "The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Celebrated," focuses on liturgy and "the intrinsic relationship between Eucharistic faith and Eucharistic celebration" (no. 34). Pope Benedict draws attention to the role of the diocesan bishop ("celebrant par excellence"), the value of liturgical norms, and the importance of art and music to the liturgy. "Everything related to the Eucharist should be marked by beauty," the Holy Father says (no. 41).
He takes the reader through the parts of the Mass, pointing to "some specific aspects of the structure of the Eucharistic celebration which require special attention at the present time" (no. 42). He also discusses the meaning of full and active participation in the Eucharistic celebration, interior participation in the celebration, and adoration and Eucharistic devotion.
In the third part, "The Eucharist, a Mystery to be Lived," Pope Benedict addresses the Eucharistic form of Christian life. "There is nothing authentically human--our thoughts and affections, our words and deeds--that does not find in the sacrament of the Eucharist the form it needs to be lived to the full," the Holy Father says (no. 71). This applies to how we approach the Lord's Day, how we approach and evangelize our culture, and how we approach and understand our identity as children of God.
The Eucharist, too, is a mystery to be proclaimed and offered to the world. "The more ardent the love for the Eucharist in the hearts of the Christian people," Pope Benedict says, "the more clearly will they recognize the goal of all mission: to bring Christ to others. Not just a theory or a way of life inspired by Christ, but the gift of his very person."
He continues, "Anyone who has not shared the truth of love with his brothers and sisters has not yet given enough" (no. 86).
In his concluding remarks, the Holy Father reminds readers that "the Eucharist is at the root of every form of holiness, and each of us is called to the fullness of life in the Holy Spirit." In the examples of the saints, we see that "holiness has always found its centre in the sacrament of the Eucharist" (no. 94).
Our lives, too, should be a reflection of what we celebrate on the Lord's Day--"the newness of life which Christ has brought us in the mystery of the Eucharist" (no. 95). |
