Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Setubal (Fides Service) - On Sunday 30 October the diocese of Setubal in Portugal will conclude the Year of the Eucharist after a three year period 2002-2005 devoted to rediscovering the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The Bishop of Setúbal Gilberto Gonçalves Canavarro dos Reis said warmly encouraging people to take part in celebrations: “This has been a time rich in grace, opportunities and initiatives, given us by God for a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist. A mystery which enables us to contemplate and adore the Face of Christ, living and present, who gives himself to us to help us become Church, to be transformed in Him, to wrap us in the light and tenderness of his Love”. And he uged the people to thank God and “ask the Father for the grace to live the Eucharist”.
In every parish on Sunday after the last morning Mass the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration of the faithful until the 6pm when there will be Vespers and Benediction. Bishop Reiss announced that the Year of the Eucharist will be followed by a second three year period dedicated to the Word of God aimed at rediscovering Sacred Scripture as the living Word of God. This will be in continuity with the three years focused on the Eucharist because in the Mass the liturgy of the Word precedes the Liturgy of the Eucharist highlighting the unity of the two tables, that of the Word and that of the Bread. “We can only truly adore the Lord if we recognise his presence in the Eucharist and listen to his Word in the depth of our heart” the Bishop said. In the three year period 2002-2005 the Church in the diocese of Setúbal worked at increasing awareness of the essential eucharistic dimension of Christian life. In the three year period 2005-2008 it will continue to search for the redeeming presence of Jesus Christ, who died and is risen, in Sacred Scripture “in which He is present to teach us the Way of Life and warm our heart with his Word”. (RZ) (Agenzia Fides 26/10/2005, righe 24, parole 334)
