"Stay with us, Lord, for it is almost evening" (Lk. 24:29).
"This was the insistent invitation that the two disciples journeying to
Emmaus on the evening of the day of the resurrection addressed to the Wayfarer
who had accompanied them on their journey" (Apostolic Letter 'Mane nobiscum,
Domine, 1, - Pope John Paul II).
As we gather together, my dear people, my dear brother priests, to celebrate the Feast of the Patron Saint of this Diocese of Cloyne and of this Cathedral Church, Saint Colman, we are reminded that at the heart of this diocesan church, down through the centuries, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, the Breaking of Bread, has continued to pour life and energy into its very sinews, has continued to build up the Body of this local Church, furnish it with worthy Priestly ministers and nourish the faithful in their journey of faith. As we celebrate again today the Eucharist, we continue the mandate of the Lord: "Do this in memory of me" (Lk. 22:19), that mandate handed down to us from the Saintly Colmán mac Léinín. We gather today to render thanks to God for the spiritual guidance of our Saintly Father in Christ and to invoke his intercession for the Church he founded.
We celebrate this Feast Day this year with special emphasis on the Eucharist because the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has declared this year as one dedicated 'to this wonderful sacrament', the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord. As he has written in his Apostolic Letter inaugurating this year, on the 7th October last, the Holy Father has said: "The 'breaking of bread' - as the Eucharist was called in earlier times - has always been at the centre of the Church's life. Through it Christ makes present within time the mystery of his death and resurrection. In it he is received in person as the 'living bread come down from heaven' (Jn. 6:51), and with him we received the pledge of eternal life and a foretaste of the eternal banquet of the heavenly Jesusalem" (M.N.D.3).
The greatest way, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we could render honour and thanks to our heavenly Patron, St. Colman, this year, would be to do everything possible to make our Eucharistic celebration, both daily and weekly, encounters of the faithful with the Lord Jesus so that as they leave the Eucharistic table they can use those words of the two disciples of Emmaus: "Were not our hearts burning within us as He talked to us on the way" (Lk. 24:32)
"The Eucharist is a great mystery! And it is one which above all must be well celebrated" (M.N.D. 17). The whole Christian Community, at diocesan and parochial levels, must be catechised, harnessed and enthused in such a way that every Eucharistic celebration may be an occasion of a deep immersion in the mystery of the living God and an incentive to repeat daily the invocation of the disciples: "Stay with us, Lord" (Lk.24:29). Everyone who comes to celebrate the Eucharist, particularly the Sunday Eucharist, must have a sense of being involved. The talents and gifts of all, children and adults, must be used to make of our Eucharistic celebrations truly occasions of 'communion' when we are all nourished by Word and Sacrament and supported and encouraged by the active participation of all. The Holy Father has written to us in his Apostolic Letter: "In a particular way I ask that every effort be made this year to experience Sunday as the day of the Lord and the day of the Church. I would be happy if everyone would reflect once more on my words in the Apostolic Letter Dies Domini. 'At Sunday Mass, Christians relive with particular intensity the experience of the Apostles on the evening of Easter, when the Risen Lord appeared to them as they were gathered together (cf. Jn. 20:19). In a sense, the People of God of all times were present in that small nucleus of disciples, the first-fruits of the Church'". The Holy Father continues: "During this year of grace, priests in their pastoral ministry should be even more attentive to Sunday Mass as the celebration which brings together the entire parish community, with the participation of different groups, movements and associations" (M.N.D.23). I would therefore ask that, during this special year dedicated to the Eucharist, special attention be paid to the preparation of the Sunday Mass through the establishment, in every parish, of an effective Parish Liturgy Group, guided by the Priests of the Parish, which will see to it that adequate preparation is given to the Proclamation of the Word, to the ministry of music by the establishment and promotion of parish choirs and to the training of altar servers. The Holy Father, in his Apostolic Letter, makes a specific recommendation. He writes: "One specific project of this Year of the Eucharist might be for each parish community to study the General Instruction of the Roman Missal" (M.N.D.17). I would strongly recommend that Parish Liturgy Groups become conversant with that Instruction, that is the one which has been newly revised by the Holy See for the new Roman Missal, the translation of which in English is in preparation.
The Holy Father, furthermore, calls for a greater reverence towards the real presence of Jesus "both in the celebration of Mass and in the worship of the Eucharist outside Mass". He specifically states: "During this year Eucharistic adoration outside Mass should become a particular commitment for individual parish and religious communities. Let us take time to kneel before Jesus present in the Eucharist, in order to make reparation by our faith and love for the acts of carelessness and neglect, and even the insults which our Saviour must endure in many parts of the world" (M.N.D.18). Let us then, here in the Diocese of Cloyne, make every effort to promote our Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration programme by encouraging our faithful to give one hour per week to the practice of being in the Presence of the Lord in our Eucharistic Chapels and of growing in love of and devotion to Jesus, our Saviour, who continues, day and night, to remind us: "I am with you always" (Mt. 28:20).
My brothers and sisters, this Year of the Eucharist gives us the opportunity to grow in faith and devotion, all of us together, Priests and People. Let us not let this opportunity pass us by. Let us commit ourselves today, as we honour our Patron, Saint Colman, to journeying daily with the Lord as did the two disciples on the road to Emmaus so that having listened to Him in the Liturgy of the Word, we may always be inspired to ask Him "stay with us, Lord" (cf. Lk.24:29), and at the 'Breaking of Bread' we may recognise Him as the Lord and Saviour of the World. This is the faith Saint Colman handed on to us and, as he joins with us in celebrating today, may he continue to pray to the Lord for his Church in Cloyne that it may always remain faithful in the Proclamation of the Word and in the 'Breaking of Bread' at the Eucharistic table. Saint Colman, pray for us!
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