Benedict XVI at Cologne: “The Eucharist must become the center of our lives”
(…) The Eucharist must become the center of our lives. If the Church tells us that the Eucharist is an essential part of Sunday, this is not merely positivism or thirst for power. On Easter morning, first the women, and then the disciples received the grace of seeing Our Lord. From that moment, they realised that the first day of the week, Sunday, would be His day, the day of Our Lord. The day of the beginning of creation would become the day of renewal of that creation. Creation and redemption go together. It is for this reason that Sunday is so important. It is good that today in many cultures Sunday is a free day and that with Saturday it even constitutes what is called a “weekend”of free time. This free time, however remains empty if God is not present.
Dear friends! Sometimes, we may feel that it is inconvenient to have to include time for Mass on Sundays. But if you make this commitment, you will realise that this is exactly what gives a proper focus to your free time. Do not be dissuaded from taking part in Sunday Mass, on the contrary, help others to discover it. The joy which we need so much emanates from the Mass and we must learn to understand it ever more deeply, we must learn to love it. Let us commit ourselves to this – it is worth the effort! (…)
Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to Him. A great joy should not be kept to oneself. It must be passed on. In vast areas of the world, there is a strange forgetfulness of God. It seems as if everything would be just the same even if He were not there. But at the same time there is a sense of frustration, of dissatisfaction with everything and everyone. People are saying “There must be more to life than this!” Indeed! So then, as well as this forgetfulness of God, there is a religious “boom”. I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this trend. There may be sincere joy in the discovery. But in this context, religion has become almost a consumer product. People choose what pleases them, and there are those who really know how to make a profit from it. But a religion sought on a “do-it-yourelf” basis cannot, ultimately, help us. It may be very convenient, but at times of crisis, we are left to ourselves. Help people to discover the true star which shows us the way: Jesus Christ! (…)
We must form communities founded on faith! During the last few decades movements and communities have been founded, in which the power of the Gospel is palpable. Seek communion in the faith, as fellow travellers who are following the pilgrim’s route which the Magi first showed to us! The spontaneity of new communities is important, but it is also important to remain in communion with the Pope and the bishops. It is they who guarantee that we are not seeking private paths, but instead are living as God’s great family, founded by Our Lord with the Twelve Apostles. (…)
Since we receive the same Lord, and He gathers us together and draws us unto Himself, we ourselves are one. This must be evident in our lives. It must be seen in our capacity to forgive. It must be seen in our sensitivity to the needs of others. It must be seen in our willingness to share. It must be seen in our commitment to our neighbour, he who is close at hand, as well as he who is physically far away, but nevertheless remains our neighbour. (…)
If we think and live in communion with Christ, then our eyes will be opened. We will no longer be content to get by thinking only of ourselves, but we will see how and where we are needed.
Living and acting in this way, we will quickly see that it is much more beautiful to be useful and at the disposal of others, than to be concerned only about our own comfort. I know that you, as young people have great aspirations, that you want to commit yourselves to building a better world. Let others see this, let the world see it – this is exactly the witness that the world expects from the disciples of Jesus Christ, so that through your love will be able to discover the Star, which as believers, we follow. Let us go forward with Christ and let us live our lives as true worshippers of God! Amen.
