ENCYCLICAL LETTER

ECCLESIA DE EUCHARISTIA

OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II

TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS

MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CONSECRATED LIFE

AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL

ON THE EUCHARIST IN ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

.

, he offers life to men". Consequently the gaze of the Church is
constantly turned to her Lord, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, in
which she discovers the full manifestation of his boundless love.

 in the Cenacle of Jerusalem where, according to tradition, it was first
celebrated by Jesus himself. The Upper Room was where this most holy
Sacrament was instituted. It is there that Christ took bread, broke it
and gave it to his disciples, saying: "Take this, all of you, and eat
it: this is my body which will be given up for you" (cf. Mk 26:26; Lk
22:19; 1 Cor 11:24). Then he took the cup of wine and said to them:
"Take this, all of you and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you
and for all, so that sins may be forgiven" (cf. Mt 14:24; Lk 22:20; 1
Cor 11:25). I am grateful to the Lord Jesus for allowing me to repeat in
that same place, in obedience to his command: "Do this in memory of me"
(Lk 22:19), the words which he spoke two thousand years ago. 

, the time from Thursday evening to Sunday morning. Those days embrace
the mysterium paschale; they also embrace the mysterium eucharisticum. 

, began to be shed; its outpouring would then be completed on Golgotha
to become the means of our redemption: "Christ... as high priest of the
good things to come..., entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking
not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an
eternal redemption" (Heb 9:11-12).

, together with the Christian community which takes part in it, is led
back in spirit to that place and that hour.

"He was crucified, he suffered death and was buried; he descended to the
dead; on the third day he rose again". The words of the profession of
faith are echoed by the words of contemplation and proclamation: "This
is the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Saviour of the world. Come,
let us worship". This is the invitation which the Church extends to all
in the afternoon hours of Good Friday. She then takes up her song during
the Easter season in order to proclaim: "The Lord is risen from the
tomb; for our sake he hung on the Cross, Alleluia".

, until you come in glory".

 and the passage of the centuries.

. For it is he who, by the authority given him in the sacrament of
priestly ordination, effects the consecration. It is he who says with
the power coming to him from Christ in the Upper Room: "This is my body
which will be given up for you This is the cup of my blood, poured out
for you...". The priest says these words, or rather he puts his voice at
the disposal of the One who spoke these words in the Upper Room and who
desires that they should be repeated in every generation by all those
who in the Church ministerially share in his priesthood.

, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two
disciples on the road to Emmaus: "their eyes were opened and they
recognized him" (Lk 24:31).

. 

From it the Church draws her life. From this "living bread" she draws
her nourishment. How could I not feel the need to urge everyone to
experience it ever anew? 

: the world which came forth from the hands of God the Creator now
returns to him redeemed by Christ.

 of Paul VI (3 September 1965). 

The Second Vatican Council, while not issuing a specific document on the
Eucharistic mystery, considered its various aspects throughout its
documents, especially the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen
Gentium and the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum
Concilium. 

 (24 February 1980),  in which I discussed some aspects of the
Eucharistic mystery and its importance for the life of those who are its
ministers. Today I take up anew the thread of that argument, with even
greater emotion and gratitude in my heart, echoing as it were the word
of the Psalmist: "What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to
me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the
Lord" (Ps 116:12-13).

 on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is a grace from the
Lord which yearly brings joy to those who take part in it. 

Other positive signs of Eucharistic faith and love might also be
mentioned. 

 is too great a gift to tolerate ambiguity and depreciation.

 will continue to shine forth in all its radiant mystery.

CHAPTER ONE - The Mystery of Faith

 is indelibly marked by the event of the Lord's passion and death, of
which it is not only a reminder but the sacramental re-presentation. It
is the sacrifice of the Cross perpetuated down the ages.  This truth is
well expressed by the words with which the assembly in the Latin rite
responds to the priest's proclamation of the "Mystery of Faith": "We
announce your death, O Lord".

 from Christ her Lord not as one gift -- however precious -- among so
many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of
himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of
his saving work. Nor does it remain confined to the past, since "all
that Christ is -- all that he did and suffered for all men --
participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times".

, he shows us a love which goes "to the end" (cf. Jn 13:1), a love which
knows no measure.

 is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which
the sacrifice of the Cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of
communion with the Lord's body and blood". 

 put it well: "We always offer the same Lamb, not one today and another
tomorrow, but always the same one. For this reason the sacrifice is
always only one... Even now we offer that victim who was once offered
and who will never be consumed". 

.

". 

, which is the source and summit of the whole Christian life, they offer
the divine victim to God, and offer themselves along with it".

 also makes clear that sharing in the sacred mysteries "is a true
confession and a remembrance that the Lord died and returned to life for
us and on our behalf". 

 exhorts -- in the bread and wine merely natural elements, because the
Lord has expressly said that they are his body and his blood: faith
assures you of this, though your senses suggest otherwise". 

. Before this mystery of love, human reason fully experiences its
limitations. One understands how, down the centuries, this truth has
stimulated theology to strive to understand it ever more deeply.

 "sure charism of truth" and the "intimate sense of spiritual realities"
which is attained above all by the saints. There remains the boundary
indicated by Paul VI: "Every theological explanation which seeks some
understanding of this mystery, in order to be in accord with Catholic
faith, must firmly maintain that in objective reality, independently of
our mind, the bread and wine have ceased to exist after the
consecration, so that the adorable body and blood of the Lord Jesus from
that moment on are really before us under the sacramental species of
bread and wine".

 is a true banquet, in which Christ offers himself as our nourishment.
When for the first time Jesus spoke of this food, his listeners were
astonished and bewildered, which forced the Master to emphasize the
objective truth of his words: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life
within you" (Jn 6:53). This is no metaphorical food: "My flesh is food
indeed, and my blood is drink indeed" (Jn 6:55).

 writes: "He called the bread his living body and he filled it with
himself and his Spirit... 

 and bestowed as a "seal" in the sacrament of Confirmation. 

 as "a medicine of immortality, an antidote to death". 

 is truly a glimpse of heaven appearing on earth. It is a glorious ray
of the heavenly Jerusalem which pierces the clouds of our history and
lights up our journey. 

 is also the fact that it spurs us on our journey through history and
plants a seed of living hope in our daily commitment to the work before
us. Certainly the Christian vision leads to the expectation of "new
heavens" and "a new earth" (Rev 21:1), but this increases, rather than
lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world today.  I wish to
reaffirm this forcefully at the beginning of the new millennium, so that
Christians will feel more obliged than ever not to neglect their duties
as citizens in this world. Theirs is the task of contributing with the
light of the Gospel to the building of a more human world, a world fully
in harmony with God's plan.

, for his part, says that it is "unworthy" of a Christian community to
partake of the Lord's Supper amid division and indifference towards the
poor (cf. 1 Cor 11:17-22, 27-34).  

 and in the Christian life as a whole: "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22:20).

CHAPTER TWO - The Eucharist Builds the Church

, the unity of the faithful, who form one body in Christ (cf. 1 Cor
10:17), is both expressed and brought about".

. By analogy with the Covenant of Mount Sinai, sealed by sacrifice and
the sprinkling of blood,  the actions and words of Jesus at the Last
Supper laid the foundations of the new messianic community, the People
of the New Covenant. 

, by accepting in the Upper Room Jesus' invitation: "Take, eat", "Drink
of it, all of you" (Mt 26:26-27), entered for the first time into
sacramental communion with him. From that time forward, until the end of
the age, the Church is built up through sacramental communion with the
Son of God who was sacrificed for our sake: "Do this is remembrance of
me... Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Cor
11:24-25; cf. Lk 22:19).

 brings about in a sublime way the mutual "abiding" of Christ and each
of his followers: "Abide in me, and I in you" (Jn 15:4). 

. 

 though the gift of the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:13, 27).

. 

 superabundantly fulfils the yearning for fraternal unity deeply rooted
in the human heart; at the same time it elevates the experience of
fraternity already present in our common sharing at the same Eucharistic
table to a degree which far surpasses that of the simple human
experience of sharing a meal. Through her communion with the body of
Christ the Church comes to be ever more profoundly "in Christ in the
nature of a sacrament, that is, a sign and instrument of intimate unity
with God and of the unity of the whole human race".

, precisely by building up the Church, creates human community. 

 in particular, as well as prayer of adoration before Christ present
under the Eucharistic species. 

It is pleasant to spend time with him, to lie close to his breast like
the Beloved Disciple (cf. Jn 13:25) and to feel the infinite love
present in his heart. If in our time Christians must be distinguished
above all by the "art of prayer", how can we not feel a renewed need to
spend time in spiritual converse, in silent adoration, in heartfelt love
before Christ present in the Most Holy Sacrament? How often, dear
brothers and sisters, have I experienced this, and drawn from it
strength, consolation and support! 

 cannot fail also to develop this aspect of Eucharistic worship, which
prolongs and increases the fruits of our communion in the body and blood
of the Lord.

CHAPTER THREE - The Apostolicity of the Eucharist and of the Church

 that we must now consider.

 down the centuries. 

 faith with regard to this sublime mystery. This faith remains unchanged
and it is essential for the Church that it remain unchanged.

 in the pastoral mission necessarily entails the sacrament of Holy
Orders, that is, the uninterrupted sequence, from the very beginning, of
valid episcopal ordinations.  This succession is essential for the
Church to exist in a proper and full sense. 

, while the people participate in faith and in silence. 

 expressly taught". 

 in the Holy Supper, they profess that it signifies life in communion
with Christ and they await his coming in glory".

 ecumenical celebrations of the word or services of common prayer with
Christians from the aforementioned Ecclesial Communities, or even
participation in their own liturgical services. Such celebrations and
services, however praiseworthy in certain situations, prepare for the
goal of full communion, including Eucharistic communion, but they cannot
replace it.

The fact that the power of consecrating the Eucharist has been entrusted
only to Bishops and priests does not represent any kind of belittlement
of the rest of the People of God, for in the communion of the one body
of Christ which is the Church this gift redounds to the benefit of all.

31. If the Eucharist is the centre and summit of the Church's life, it
is likewise the centre and summit of priestly ministry. For this reason,
with a heart filled with gratitude to our Lord Jesus Christ, I repeat
that the Eucharist "is the principal and central raison d'ktre of the
sacrament of priesthood, which effectively came into being at the moment
of the institution of the Eucharist".

Priests are engaged in a wide variety of pastoral activities. If we also
consider the social and cultural conditions of the modern world it is
easy to understand how priests face the very real risk of losing their
focus amid such a great number of different tasks. The Second Vatican
Council saw in pastoral charity the bond which gives unity to the
priest's life and work. This, the Council adds, "flows mainly from the
Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is therefore the centre and root of the
whole priestly life". We can understand, then, how important it is for
the spiritual life of the priest, as well as for the good of the Church
and the world, that priests follow the Council's recommendation to
celebrate the Eucharist daily: "for even if the faithful are unable to
be present, it is an act of Christ and the Church". In this way priests
will be able to counteract the daily tensions which lead to a lack of
focus and they will find in the Eucharistic Sacrifice -- the true centre
of their lives and ministry -- the spiritual strength needed to deal
with their different pastoral responsibilities. Their daily activity
will thus become truly Eucharistic.

The centrality of the Eucharist in the life and ministry of priests is
the basis of its centrality in the pastoral promotion of priestly
vocations. It is in the Eucharist that prayer for vocations is most
closely united to the prayer of Christ the Eternal High Priest. At the
same time the diligence of priests in carrying out their Eucharistic
ministry, together with the conscious, active and fruitful participation
of the faithful in the Eucharist, provides young men with a powerful
example and incentive for responding generously to God's call. Often it
is the example of a priest's fervent pastoral charity which the Lord
uses to sow and to bring to fruition in a young man's heart the seed of
a priestly calling.

. But such solutions must be considered merely temporary, while the
community awaits a priest.

The sacramental incompleteness of these celebrations should above all
inspire the whole community to pray with greater fervour that the Lord
will send labourers into his harvest (cf. Mt 9:38). It should also be an
incentive to mobilize all the resources needed for an adequate pastoral
promotion of vocations, without yielding to the temptation to seek
solutions which lower the moral and formative standards demanded of
candidates for the priesthood.

.

CHAPTER FOUR - The Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion

34. The Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 1985 saw in
the concept of an "ecclesiology of communion" the central and
fundamental idea of the documents of the Second Vatican Council.  The
Church is called during her earthly pilgrimage to maintain and promote
communion with the Triune God and communion among the faithful. For this
purpose she possesses the word and the sacraments, particularly the
Eucharist, by which she "constantly lives and grows" and in which she
expresses her very nature. It is not by chance that the term communion
has become one of the names given to this sublime sacrament.

, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial
practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you". 

, in the sacraments and in the Church's hierarchical order. The profound
relationship between the invisible and the visible elements of ecclesial
communion is constitutive of the Church as the sacrament of salvation. 
Only in this context can there be a legitimate celebration of the
Eucharist and true participation in it. Consequently it is an intrinsic
requirement of the Eucharist that it should be celebrated in communion,
and specifically maintaining the various bonds of that communion intact.


, is "faith working through love" (Gal 5:6).

, with his stirring eloquence, exhorted the faithful: "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'". 

 gave concrete expression to the Apostle Paul's stern warning when it
affirmed that, in order to receive the Eucharist in a worthy manner,
"one must first confess one's sins, when one is aware of mortal sin".

 becomes necessary for full participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. 

. However, in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and
steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral
concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the
sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law
refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition
when it states that those who "obstinately persist in manifest grave
sin" are not to be admitted to Eucharistic communion. 

 and the Bishops, by the bonds of profession of faith, the sacraments,
ecclesiastical government and communion". 

 or to one who rejects the full truth of the faith regarding the
Eucharistic mystery. Christ is the truth and he bears witness to the
truth (cf. Jn 14:6; 18:37); the sacrament of his body and blood does not
permit duplicity.

 Church". From this it follows that a truly Eucharistic community cannot
be closed in upon itself, as though it were somehow self-sufficient;
rather it must persevere in harmony with every other Catholic community.


 and with the whole Church, or objectively calls for it, as in the case
of the Christian Churches separated from Rome". 

 effectively echoed this call when, in recalling the Apostle's words:
"You are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Cor 12:
27), he went on to say: "If you are his body and members of him, then
you will find set on the Lord's table your own mystery. Yes, you receive
your own mystery". And from this observation he concludes: "Christ the
Lord... hallowed at his table the mystery of our peace and unity.
Whoever receives the mystery of unity without preserving the bonds of
peace receives not a mystery for his benefit but evidence against
himself". 

, unless they are seriously impeded, and that Pastors have the
corresponding duty to see that it is practical and possible for all to
fulfil this precept.  More recently, in my Apostolic Letter Novo
Millennio Ineunte, in setting forth the pastoral path which the Church
must take at the beginning of the third millennium, I drew particular
attention to the Sunday Eucharist, emphasizing its effectiveness for
building communion. "It is" -- I wrote -- "the privileged place where
communion is ceaselessly proclaimed and nurtured. Precisely through
sharing in the Eucharist, the Lord's Day also becomes the Day of the
Church, when she can effectively exercise her role as the sacrament of
unity". 

42. The safeguarding and promotion of ecclesial communion is a task of
each member of the faithful, who finds in the Eucharist, as the
sacrament of the Church's unity, an area of special concern. More
specifically, this task is the particular responsibility of the Church's
Pastors, each according to his rank and ecclesiastical office. For this
reason the Church has drawn up norms aimed both at fostering the
frequent and fruitful access of the faithful to the Eucharistic table
and at determining the objective conditions under which communion may
not be given. The care shown in promoting the faithful observance of
these norms becomes a practical means of showing love for the Eucharist
and for the Church.

 for the many members of the faithful throughout the world who in recent
decades have felt an ardent desire for unity among all Christians. The
Second Vatican Council, at the beginning of its Decree on Ecumenism,
sees this as a special gift of God.  It was an efficacious grace which
inspired us, the sons and daughters of the Catholic Church and our
brothers and sisters from other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, to
set forth on the path of ecumenism. 

 so that they may become one body and one spirit in Christ.  In raising
this prayer to the Father of lights, from whom comes every good
endowment and every perfect gift (cf. Jas 1:17), the Church believes
that she will be heard, for she prays in union with Christ her Head and
Spouse, who takes up this plea of his Bride and joins it to that of his
own redemptive sacrifice.

44. Precisely because the Church's unity, which the Eucharist brings
about through the Lord's sacrifice and by communion in his body and
blood, absolutely requires full communion in the bonds of the profession
of faith, the sacraments and ecclesiastical governance, it is not
possible to celebrate together the same Eucharistic liturgy until those
bonds are fully re-established. Any such concelebration would not be a
valid means, and might well prove instead to be an obstacle, to the
attainment of full communion, by weakening the sense of how far we
remain from this goal and by introducing or exacerbating ambiguities
with regard to one or another truth of the faith. The path towards full
unity can only be undertaken in truth. In this area, the prohibitions of
Church law leave no room for uncertainty,  in fidelity to the moral norm
laid down by the Second Vatican Council.  

 after having acknowledged the impossibility of Eucharistic sharing:
"And yet we do have a burning desire to join in celebrating the one
Eucharist of the Lord, and this desire itself is already a common prayer
of praise, a single supplication. Together we speak to the Father and
increasingly we do so 'with one heart'".

45. While it is never legitimate to concelebrate in the absence of full
communion, the same is not true with respect to the administration of
the Eucharist under special circumstances, to individual persons
belonging to Churches or Ecclesial Communities not in full communion
with the Catholic Church. In this case, in fact, the intention is to
meet a grave spiritual need for the eternal salvation of an individual
believer, not to bring about an intercommunion which remains impossible
until the visible bonds of ecclesial communion are fully re-established.

This was the approach taken by the Second Vatican Council when it gave
guidelines for responding to Eastern Christians separated in good faith
from the Catholic Church, who spontaneously ask to receive the Eucharist
from a Catholic minister and are properly disposed.  This approach was
then ratified by both Codes, which also consider -- with necessary
modifications -- the case of other non-Eastern Christians who are not in
full communion with the Catholic Church. 

 I expressed my own appreciation of these norms, which make it possible
to provide for the salvation of souls with proper discernment: "It is a
source of joy to note that Catholic ministers are able, in certain
particular cases, to administer the sacraments of the Eucharist, Penance
and Anointing of the Sick to Christians who are not in full communion
with the Catholic Church but who greatly desire to receive these
sacraments, freely request them and manifest the faith which the
Catholic Church professes with regard to these sacraments. Conversely,
in specific cases and in particular circumstances, Catholics too can
request these same sacraments from ministers of Churches in which these
sacraments are valid".

These conditions, from which no dispensation can be given, must be
carefully respected, even though they deal with specific individual
cases, because the denial of one or more truths of the faith regarding
these sacraments and, among these, the truth regarding the need of the
ministerial priesthood for their validity, renders the person asking
improperly disposed to legitimately receiving them. And the opposite is
also true: Catholics may not receive communion in those communities
which lack a valid sacrament of Orders. 

, for our brothers and sisters of different Christian confessions -- who
have a right to our witness to the truth -- and for the cause itself of
the promotion of unity.  

CHAPTER FIVE - The Dignity of the Eucharistic Celebration

 in particular (cf. Mt 26:8; Mk 14:4; Jn 12:4) -- an indignant response,
as if this act, in light of the needs of the poor, represented an
intolerable "waste". But Jesus' own reaction is completely different.
While in no way detracting from the duty of charity towards the needy,
for whom the disciples must always show special care -- "the poor you
will always have with you" (Mt 26, 11; Mk 14:7; cf. Jn 12:8) -- he looks
towards his imminent death and burial, and sees this act of anointing as
an anticipation of the honour which his body will continue to merit even
after his death, indissolubly bound as it is to the mystery of his
person.

The account continues, in the Synoptic Gospels, with Jesus' charge to
the disciples to prepare carefully the "large upper room" needed for the
Passover meal (cf. Mk 14:15; Lk 22:12) and with the narration of the
institution of the Eucharist. Reflecting at least in part the Jewish
rites of the Passover meal leading up to the singing of the Hallel (cf.
Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26), the story presents with sobriety and solemnity,
even in the variants of the different traditions, the words spoken by
Christ over the bread and wine, which he made into concrete expressions
of the handing over of his body and the shedding of his blood. All these
details are recorded by the Evangelists in the light of a praxis of the
"breaking of the bread" already well-established in the early Church.
But certainly from the time of Jesus on, the event of Holy Thursday has
shown visible traces of a liturgical "sensibility" shaped by Old
Testament tradition and open to being reshaped in Christian celebrations
in a way consonant with the new content of Easter.

48. Like the woman who anointed Jesus in Bethany, the Church has feared
no "extravagance", devoting the best of her resources to expressing her
wonder and adoration before the unsurpassable gift of the Eucharist. No
less than the first disciples charged with preparing the "large upper
room", she has felt the need, down the centuries and in her encounters
with different cultures, to celebrate the Eucharist in a setting worthy
of so great a mystery. In the wake of Jesus' own words and actions, and
building upon the ritual heritage of Judaism, the Christian liturgy was
born. Could there ever be an adequate means of expressing the acceptance
of that self-gift which the divine Bridegroom continually makes to his
Bride, the Church, by bringing the Sacrifice offered once and for all on
the Cross to successive generations of believers and thus becoming
nourishment for all the faithful? Though the idea of a "banquet"
naturally suggests familiarity, the Church has never yielded to the
temptation to trivialize this "intimacy" with her Spouse by forgetting
that he is also her Lord and that the "banquet" always remains a
sacrificial banquet marked by the blood shed on Golgotha. The
Eucharistic Banquet is truly a "sacred" banquet, in which the simplicity
of the signs conceals the unfathomable holiness of God: O sacrum
convivium, in quo Christus sumitur! The bread which is broken on our
altars, offered to us as wayfarers along the paths of the world, is
panis angelorum, the bread of angels, which cannot be approached except
with the humility of the centurion in the Gospel: "Lord, I am not worthy
to have you come under my roof " (Mt 8:8; Lk 7:6).

49. With this heightened sense of mystery, we understand how the faith
of the Church in the mystery of the Eucharist has found historical
expression not only in the demand for an interior disposition of
devotion, but also in outward forms meant to evoke and emphasize the
grandeur of the event being celebrated. This led progressively to the
development of a particular form of regulating the Eucharistic liturgy,
with due respect for the various legitimately constituted ecclesial
traditions. On this foundation a rich artistic heritage also developed.
Architecture, sculpture, painting and music, moved by the Christian
mystery, have found in the Eucharist, both directly and indirectly, a
source of great inspiration.

. Similarly, can we overlook the enormous quantity of artistic
production, ranging from fine craftsmanship to authentic works of art,
in the area of Church furnishings and vestments used for the celebration
of the Eucharist?

It can be said that the Eucharist, while shaping the Church and her
spirituality, has also powerfully affected "culture", and the arts in
particular.

.

.

Within this context of an art aimed at expressing, in all its elements,
the meaning of the Eucharist in accordance with the Church's teaching,
attention needs to be given to the norms regulating the construction and
decor of sacred buildings. As history shows and as I emphasized in my
Letter to Artists,  the Church has always left ample room for the
creativity of artists. But sacred art must be outstanding for its
ability to express adequately the mystery grasped in the fullness of the
Church's faith and in accordance with the pastoral guidelines
appropriately laid down by competent Authority. This holds true both for
the figurative arts and for sacred music.

51. The development of sacred art and liturgical discipline which took
place in lands of ancient Christian heritage is also taking place on
continents where Christianity is younger. This was precisely the
approach supported by the Second Vatican Council on the need for sound
and proper "inculturation". In my numerous Pastoral Visits I have seen,
throughout the world, the great vitality which the celebration of the
Eucharist can have when marked by the forms, styles and sensibilities of
different cultures. By adaptation to the changing conditions of time and
place, the Eucharist offers sustenance not only to individuals but to
entire peoples, and it shapes cultures inspired by Christianity.

. As I wrote in my Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia,
"such cooperation is essential because the Sacred Liturgy expresses and
celebrates the one faith professed by all and, being the heritage of the
whole Church, cannot be determined by local Churches in isolation from
the universal Church". 

 as non-binding and to introduce unauthorized innovations which are
often completely inappropriate. 

 to prepare a more specific document, including prescriptions of a
juridical nature, on this very important subject. No one is permitted to
undervalue the mystery entrusted to our hands: it is too great for
anyone to feel free to treat it lightly and with disregard for its
sacredness and its universality.

CHAPTER SIX

At the School of Mary, "Woman of the Eucharist"

 as our teacher in contemplating Christ's face, and among the mysteries
of light I included the institution of the Eucharist.  Mary can guide us
towards this most holy sacrament, because she herself has a profound
relationship with it.

. Certainly Mary must have been present at the Eucharistic celebrations
of the first generation of Christians, who were devoted to "the breaking
of bread" (Acts 2:42).

But in addition to her sharing in the Eucharistic banquet, an indirect
picture of Mary's relationship with the Eucharist can be had, beginning
with her interior disposition. Mary is a "woman of the Eucharist" in her
whole life. The Church, which looks to Mary as a model, is also called
to imitate her in her relationship with this most holy mystery.

54. Mysterium fidei! If the Eucharist is a mystery of faith which so
greatly transcends our understanding as to call for sheer abandonment to
the word of God, then there can be no one like Mary to act as our
support and guide in acquiring this disposition. In repeating what
Christ did at the Last Supper in obedience to his command: "Do this in
memory of me!", we also accept Mary's invitation to obey him without
hesitation: "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5). With the same maternal
concern which she showed at the wedding feast of Cana, Mary seems to say
to us: "Do not waver; trust in the words of my Son. If he was able to
change water into wine, he can also turn bread and wine into his body
and blood, and through this mystery bestow on believers the living
memorial of his passover, thus becoming the 'bread of life'".

 Mary conceived the Son of God in the physical reality of his body and
blood, thus anticipating within herself what to some degree happens
sacramentally in every believer who receives, under the signs of bread
and wine, the Lord's body and blood.

" was "the Son of God" (Lk 1:30-35). In continuity with the Virgin's
faith, in the Eucharistic mystery we are asked to believe that the same
Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, becomes present in his full
humanity and divinity under the signs of bread and wine.

, radiating his light as it were through the eyes and the voice of Mary.
And is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of
the newborn Christ and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model
of love which should inspire us every time we receive Eucharistic
communion?

 celebrated as the memorial of that passion.

 the words spoken at the Last Supper: "This is my body which is given
for you" (Lk 22:19)? The body given up for us and made present under
sacramental signs was the same body which she had conceived in her womb!
For Mary, receiving the Eucharist must have somehow meant welcoming once
more into her womb that heart which had beat in unison with hers and
reliving what she had experienced at the foot of the Cross.

 all that Christ accomplished by his passion and his death is present.
Consequently all that Christ did with regard to his Mother for our sake
is also present. To her he gave the beloved disciple and, in him, each
of us: "Behold, your Son!". To each of us he also says: "Behold your
mother!" (cf. Jn 19: 26-27).

 -- the one who is given to us anew as our Mother. It also means taking
on a commitment to be conformed to Christ, putting ourselves at the
school of his Mother and allowing her to accompany us. Mary is present,
with the Church and as the Mother of the Church, at each of our
celebrations of the Eucharist. If the Church and the Eucharist are
inseparably united, the same ought to be said of Mary and the Eucharist.
This is one reason why, since ancient times, the commemoration of Mary
has always been part of the Eucharistic celebrations of the Churches of
East and West.

, is first and foremost praise and thanksgiving. When Mary exclaims: "My
soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour", she
already bears Jesus in her womb. She praises God "through" Jesus, but
she also praises him "in" Jesus and "with" Jesus. This is itself the
true "Eucharistic attitude".

!

CONCLUSION

 in the Crypt of Saint Leonard in Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, my eyes
have gazed in recollection upon the host and the chalice, where time and
space in some way "merge" and the drama of Golgotha is re-presented in a
living way, thus revealing its mysterious "contemporaneity". Each day my
faith has been able to recognize in the consecrated bread and wine the
divine Wayfarer who joined the two disciples on the road to Emmaus and
opened their eyes to the light and their hearts to new hope (cf. Lk
24:13-35).

, to say once more to Christ, in the name of the whole Church and in the
name of each of you: "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life" (Jn 6:68).

, and with him transform history until its fulfilment in the heavenly
Jerusalem". The implementation of this programme of a renewed impetus in
Christian living passes through the Eucharist.

, 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 universal sacrament of salvation and a hierarchically structured
communion.

.

By giving the Eucharist the prominence it deserves, and by being careful
not to diminish any of its dimensions or demands, we show that we are
truly conscious of the greatness of this gift. We are urged to do so by
an uninterrupted tradition, which from the first centuries on has found
the Christian community ever vigilant in guarding this "treasure".
Inspired by love, the Church is anxious to hand on to future generations
of Christians, without loss, her faith and teaching with regard to the
mystery of the Eucharist. There can be no danger of excess in our care
for this mystery, for "in this sacrament is recapitulated the whole
mystery of our salvation".

62. Let us take our place, dear brothers and sisters, at the school of
the saints, who are the great interpreters of true Eucharistic piety. In
them the theology of the Eucharist takes on all the splendour of a lived
reality; it becomes "contagious" and, in a manner of speaking, it "warms
our hearts". Above all, let us listen to Mary Most Holy, in whom the
mystery of the Eucharist appears, more than in anyone else, as a mystery
of light. Gazing upon Mary, we come to know the transforming power
present in the Eucharist. In her we see the world renewed in love.
Contemplating her, assumed body and soul into heaven, we see opening up
before us those "new heavens" and that "new earth" which will appear at
the second coming of Christ. Here below, the Eucharist represents their
pledge, and in a certain way, their anticipation: "Veni, Domine Iesu!"
(Rev 22:20).

, clearly sees the response that is demanded, and bows low in adoration
and unbounded love.

, and turn in hope to the contemplation of that goal to which our hearts
aspire in their thirst for joy and peace:

Bone pastor, panis vere,

Iesu, nostri miserere...

Come then, good Shepherd, bread divine,

Still show to us thy mercy sign;

Oh, feed us, still keep us thine;

So we may see thy glories shine

in fields of immortality.

O thou, the wisest, mightiest, best,

Our present food, our future rest,

Come, make us each thy chosen guest,

Co-heirs of thine, and comrades blest

With saints whose dwelling is with thee.

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 17 April, Holy Thursday, in the year
2003, the Twenty-fifth of my Pontificate, the Year of the Rosary.

IOANNES PAULUS II 

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Lumen Gentium, 11.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Ministry and Life of
Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.

 Cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (16 October
2002), 21: AAS 95 (2003), 19.

 This is the title which I gave to an autobiographical testimony issued
for my fiftieth anniversary of priestly ordination.

 Leonis XIII P.M. Acta, XXII (1903), 115-136.

 AAS 39 (1947), 521-595.

 AAS 57 (1965), 753-774.

 AAS 72 (1980), 113-148.

 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution Sacrosanctum
Concilium, 47: "... our Saviour instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of
his body and blood, in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross
throughout time, until he should return".

 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1085.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Lumen Gentium, 3.

 Cf. Paul VI, Solemn Profession of Faith, 30 June 1968, 24: AAS 60
(1968), 442; John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae (24 February
1980), 12: AAS 72 (1980), 142.

 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1382.

 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1367.

 In Epistolam ad Hebraeos Homiliae, Hom. 17,3: PG 63, 131.

 Cf. Ecumenical Council of Trent, Session XXII, Doctrina de ss. Missae
Sacrificio, Chapter 2: DS 1743: "It is one and the same victim here
offering himself by the ministry of his priests, who then offered
himself on the Cross; it is only the manner of offering that is
different".

 Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei (20 November 1947): AAS 39
(1947), 548.

 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (15 March 1979), 20:
AAS 71 (1979), 310.

 Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 11.

 De Sacramentis, V, 4, 26: CSEL 73, 70.

 In Ioannis Evangelium, XII, 20: PG 74, 726.

 Encyclical Letter Mysterium Fidei (3 September 1965): AAS 57 (1965),
764.

 Session XIII, Decretum de ss. Eucharistia, Chapter 4: DS 1642.

 Mystagogical Catecheses, IV, 6: SCh 126, 138.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation Dei Verbum, 8.

 Solemn Profession of Faith, 30 June 1968, 25: AAS 60 (1968), 442-443.

 Sermo IV in Hebdomadam Sanctam: CSCO 413/Syr. 182, 55.

 Anaphora.

 Eucharistic Prayer III.

.

 Missale Romanum, Embolism following the Lord's Prayer.

 Ad Ephesios, 20: PG 5, 661.

 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 39.

 "Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is
naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to
neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: 'This is
my body' is the same who said: 'You saw me hungry and you gave me no
food', and 'Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to
me' ... What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with
golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger. Start by
satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar
as well": Saint John Chrysostom, In Evangelium S. Matthaei, hom. 50:3-4:
PG 58, 508-509; cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei
Socialis (30 December 1987), 31: AAS 80 (1988), 553-556.

 Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 3.

 Ibid.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Missionary Activity of
the Church Ad Gentes, 5.

 "Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said: 'Behold
the blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance
with all these words'" (Ex 24:8).

 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church Lumen Gentium, 1.

 Cf. ibid., 9.

 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on the Life and Ministry
of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5. The same Decree, in No. 6, says:
"No Christian community can be built up which does not grow from and
hinge on the celebration of the most holy Eucharist".

 In Epistolam I ad Corinthios Homiliae, 24, 2: PG 61, 200; Cf. Didache,
IX, 4: F.X. Funk, I, 22; Saint Cyprian, Ep. LXIII, 13: PL 4, 384.

 PO 26, 206.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Lumen Gentium, 1.

 Cf. Ecumenical Council of Trent, Session XIII, Decretum de ss.
Eucharistia, Canon 4: DS 1654.

 Cf. Rituale Romanum: De sacra communione et de cultu mysterii
eucharistici extra Missam, 36 (No. 80).

 Cf. ibid., 38-39 (Nos. 86-90).

 John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (6 January 2001),
32: AAS 93 (2001), 288.

, which in accordance with liturgical law must be reserved in churches
with great reverence in a prominent place. Such visits are a sign of
gratitude, an expression of love and an acknowledgment of the Lord's
presence": Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Mysterium Fidei (3 September
1965): AAS 57 (1965), 771.

 Visite al SS. Sacramento e a Maria Santissima, Introduction: Opere
Ascetiche, Avellino, 2000, 295.

 No. 857.

 Ibid.

 Ibid.

 Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Sacerdotium
Ministeriale (6 August 1983), III.2: AAS 75 (1983), 1005. 

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Lumen Gentium, 10.

 Ibid.

 Cf. Institutio Generalis: Editio typica tertia, No. 147.

 Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 10 and 28;
Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 2.

 "The minister of the altar acts in the person of Christ inasmuch as he
is head, making an offering in the name of all the members": Pius XII,
Encyclical Letter Mediator Dei (20 November 1947): AAS 39 (1947), 556;
cf. Pius X, Apostolic Exhortation Haerent Animo (4 August 1908): Acta
Pii X, IV, 16; Pius XI, Encyclical Letter Ad Catholici Sacerdotii (20
December 1935): AAS 28 (1936), 20.

 Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae (24 February 1980), 8: AAS 72 (1980),
128-129.

 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Sacerdotium
Ministeriale (6 August 1983), III.4: AAS 75 (1983), 1006; cf. Fourth
Lateran Ecumenical Council, Chapter 1, Constitution on the Catholic
Faith Firmiter Credimus: DS 802.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis
Redintegratio, 22.

 Apostolic Letter Dominicae Cenae (24 February 1980), 2: AAS 72 (1980),
115. 

 Decree on the Life and Ministry of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 14.

 Ibid., 13; cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 904; Code of Canons of the
Eastern Churches, Canon 378.

 Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6.

 Cf. Final Report, II.C.1: L'Osservatore Romano, 10 December 1985, 7.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Lumen Gentium, 26.

 Nicolas Cabasilas, Life in Christ, IV, 10: SCh 355, 270.

 Camino de Perfeccion, Chapter 35.

 Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops
of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of the Church Understood as
Communion Communionis Notio (28 May 1992), 4: AAS 85 (1993), 839-840.

 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church Lumen Gentium, 14.

 Homiliae in Isaiam,6, 3: PG 56, 139.

 No. 1385; cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 916; Code of Canons of the
Eastern Churches, Canon 711.

 Address to the Members of the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary and the
Penitentiaries of the Patriarchal Basilicas of Rome (30 January 1981):
AAS 73 (1981), 203. Cf. Ecumenical Council of Trent, Sess. XIII,
Decretum de ss. Eucharistia, Chapter 7 and Canon 11: DS 1647, 1661.

 Canon 915; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 712.

 Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 14.

 Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 73, a. 3c.

 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of
the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of the Church Understood as
Communion Communionis Notio (28 May 1992), 11: AAS 85 (1993), 844.

 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church Lumen Gentium, 23.

 Ad Smyrnaeos, 8: PG 5, 713.

 Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church
Lumen Gentium, 23.

 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter to the Bishops of
the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of the Church Understood as
Communion Communionis Notio (28 May 1992), 14: AAS 85 (1993), 847.

 Sermo272: PL 38, 1247.

 Ibid., 1248.

 Cf. Nos. 31-51: AAS 90 (1998), 731-746.

 Cf. ibid., Nos. 48-49: AAS 90 (1998), 744.

 No. 36: AAS 93 (2001), 291-292.

 Cf. Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 1.

 Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 11.

": Anaphora of the Liturgy of Saint Basil.

 Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 908; Code of Canons of the Eastern
Churches, Canon 702; Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian
Unity, Ecumenical Directory, 25 March 1993, 122-125, 129-131: AAS 85
(1993), 1086-1089; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Ad
Exsequendam, 18 May 2001: AAS 93 (2001), 786.

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 No. 46: AAS 87 (1995), 948.

 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis
Redintegratio, 22.

 Code of Canon Law, Canon 844; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches,
Canon 671.

 Cf. AAS 91 (1999), 1155-1172.

 No. 22: AAS 92 (2000), 485.

 Cf. No. 21: AAS 95 (2003), 20.

 No. 29: AAS 93 (2001), 285.

 Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 83, a. 4c.