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from Stanisław Mieszczak

Eucharistic amazement

2010-12-01

Dear Pueri Cantores,
Dear Parents and Choirmasters,
 
one  of the most important moments of our Congress is the Prayer for Peace. It belongs to the tradition of the Pueri Cantores. We can even affirm that our Federation was born in the Church through the great evangelical preoccupation for peace. For us Christians, true peace come directly from Christ, himself. We know well that on the day of His Resurrection Jesus brought His peace to the Disciples and that this peace was born by them as the Good News throughout the whole world. Let us all remember the thoughts of Mgr. Maillet: that one day all the children in the world will sing the peace of Christ. The prayers of children, of boys and girls and of young men and women, and even more prayer sung with faith, becomes a very powerful manner of building peace within mankind.
 
Our Prayer for Peace during the Congress this year, has been inserted into the Eucharistic Adoration. Adoration means being in the Presence of God, in the Presence of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who reveals Himself through the sign of the Bread. Adoration also means a trustful turning towards God the Father with the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit and repeating with love: Our Father! The real and effective sign of this Presence of God Himself is the white Host, the Bread, which with the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ has become the true Body of Christ our Saviour, Son of God. This sign is so simple and so eloquent: the tangible sign of the Presence of Him, who cannot be touched, the visible sign of the Presence of God invisible, the Bread – Body of Christ, who offered Himself in the sacrifice of the Cross to offer us once more the possibility of making our lives better and of victoriously passing through the gates of Death.
 
During this brief Eucharistic Adoration, we wish to stay a while beside Him, who loves us so much. In this tiny piece of Bread, we can se a sign of his destruction. It is a sign of true love, not one of  a love that is affected. This is not a love of the kind we see portrayed so often on posters and in publicity spots. This is love that is marked out by sufferance and by death. By staying a short while beside Him in this Mystery, we hope to fill our hearts with the strength of His love, which we so desperately need. We need this strength when we face the destructive power of evil, which insinuates itself in so many aspects of our society and our families, destroying Peace, destroying any kind of unity amongst mankind and our serenity to face the future. We well know that evil can be overcome by goodness, but we must have the true Victor beside us: Jesus Christ. His Paschal (Easter) Victory can bear good fruits even in our times. But to do this, Jesus needs us, He needs our hearts filled with His Courage.
 
The strength of Christ’s love is similar to light, to the slender flame of a candle. To light another candle, all you have to do is to bring its wick near to the flame. And we can also see that although it has been lit, it has not taken anything away from the other candle, indeed, together they both make more light than before. To light the flame of our hearts we must come nearer to Christ, listening to Him and making friends with Him. When our heart shines with love, we bring love to others as well. As Pueri Cantores, we usually do this through our singing and though behaviour that is worthy of people who believe in God. When the light shines in our hearts, our singing, too, becomes like a ray of light, like a flaming torch, capable of lighting up love, hope and peace in the human heart. This is our task and our duty,  but it is also one of the true wonders of God in which we participate.
 
Thus we can see the importance of being together with other people, and especially of being near Christ. But to be near Him, we need tangible signs to experience His real Presence. Thus we the Holy Bread, the great Mystery of the Eucharist, allows us to be near the Person of Christ within the timeless flow of eternity. And there is even more! As we need bread every day, in the same way the Presence of Christ in the Bread of the Eucharist shows itself ever more necessary for our daily lives. The power of this Bread come to us through the Paschal Mystery of Christ, His death and His resurrection. When we partake of this Bread, it becomes part of our own bodies and the strength of Christ fills our souls and our hearts. When we rest quietly before Christ present in this Bread, which we can see and which we could even touch, a strong bond of friendship is created between ourselves and Christ. Friendship with God! Isn’t this, indeed, a truly great wonder?
 
Let us allow ourselves to be absorbed by this profound and wonderful truth. Our deep wonder and gratitude before the Eucharistic Mystery is part of our prayers. When one finally understands how fully God realises his plans for our salvation, one is simply astounded. Thus we can understand, too, how important each one of us is for God.
 
Many of you will not have the possibility of participating in the Congress in Rome, but all of us can and should pray for peace. With these prayers we become ever more true Pueri Cantores: young in heart, united in Christ and messengers of His peace in our world.
 
I entrust you all to the care of the Mother of God, Queen of Peace, first Disciple of Christ, she who understood most completely the Mystery of her Son.
 
F. Stanislaw Mieszczak SCJ
Almoner IFPC

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