Card Onaiyekan: The Eucharist is the real engine of change in the world
The Archbishop of Abuja is among the speakers at the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu (Philippines). Speaking to AsiaNews, he stressed the need to "draw real fruits of these meetings. Some of us come from poverty and misery; others from wealth and well-being. When we go home, does anything change?" The sense of the Eucharistic celebration "is increasingly global, even in the Church itself. Christ shed His blood for the whole world, not only for Catholics."
Abuja (AsiaNews) – Card John Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu. He spoke to AsiaNews about his address, which is titled The Eucharist: dialogue with the poor and the suffering.
The Eucharist "is the real engine of Christian change,” he said. “I mean complete change of thought and attitude. In fact, before multiplying the loaves and fishes, Christ himself urged his disciples who had ask him to disperse the crowd, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’ This is a crucial lesson on the need to share. Sharing is not just a matter of charity that is done because one is good, but a duty that we all have as Christians against the world.”
His text "focuses on the catechesis,” the cardinal explained. “It is not an academic lecture. It is very simple and straightforward. I want to talk about the meaning of the Eucharist and how to apply it to the poor and the suffering.”
“There are many pastoral implications for the poor in the Eucharist as a ‘gift of God given to us for free to help us grow and share with others'. I am referring here to both the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel of Jesus' life." To feed people who were hungry, "Christ applied mercy towards those in need,” the cardinal said. “However, it is also important to point out that Jesus was not pleased by the attitude of the apostles, who asked him to disperse the crowd to 'make them go look for food'.
“Instead, he urged to do more and not settle for the most obvious answer. From this comes a serious lesson on the need to share. Sharing is not just a matter of alms giving that one does to be good, but it is a duty that we all have as Christians. A duty to all the world."
“The lesson in the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians is also relevant, where the apostle says we celebrate together the fraction of the bread. The clear reference is to breaking the bread of the Eucharist. This reference is useful now more than ever; it highlights the scandal of inequality.”
“Saint Paul used to say that whilst some were hungry, others had too much to eat. Do we do not see this as well? We must try to revive this even inside the Church, changing the attitude of Christians and the Church itself in a world that is so unfair and unequal."
For the Archbishop of Nigeria, the meaning of the big gathering in Cebu lies in the Eucharistic banquet. "We are coming to the Philippines from almost every country in the world to celebrate the Eucharist together. But what happens when the meeting ends? Does everyone just go home, someone to poverty and misery, and others to wealth? Or do we go back with clear convictions about what we should do to improve humanity’s social life?”
“The Body of Christ is not only for those who receive the communion; it is for the whole world: even for non-Catholics, for those who do not go to church . . . every time we celebrate for the whole world. Jesus died for us and for everyone."
The congress is international but, given its location, will draw many Asian participants. "I do not expect many will come from Africa,” he said, “but I am happy because it is important that we move away from the usual venue in large European cities to the Philippines, the only Asian country with a Catholic majority.
“For this reason, we can say that they [the Filipinos] deserve to host a Eucharistic Congress. As archbishop of Abuja, I can say that if we today are going to Cebu, the next time you will come to us."
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25/01/2016 12:14
