IE Congress, a Call and a Challenge

The International Eucharistic Congress begins today, 24 January 2016, in Cebu City, with thousands of attendees, cardinals, bishops, monsignori, priests, consecrated men and women ‎and lay faithful from the Philippines and from around the world.

This is the second time our country hosts this extraordinary Church event. The first was in 1936. 80 years ago! Extraordinary because Our Lord Jesus Present in the Eucharist will be honored by the whole Catholic world headed by a papal legate representing His Holiness Pope Francis.

This extraordinary gathering of eucharistic worshipers is an urgent call, actually a reminder, to deepen our intimacy with Jesus through our meaningful celebration of the eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass and our worthy reception of His Sacred Body and Blood in holy communion.

The extraordinary celebration of Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist is at the same time a challenge to “continue [His] saving mission in the world” which “led by the Holy Spirit”, “urges us… to walk humbly with the poor and the marginalized in the company of Mary…” (The Official Prayer of the International Eucharistic Congress).

Led by the official congress delegates ‎the Church, especially in this host country, must now, in the strong words of Pope Francis in Malacanang Palace on 17 January 2015, “break the bonds of injustice and oppression”, a situation which he calls “scandalous”.

Church people must know through their knowledge of the Social Teachings of the Church the reasons and persons who cause social poverty and margination in their midst. This knowledge should be the priority programs and projects of the Social Action Centers of Dioceses and Religious Societies and Lay Marian Associations.