In June 2004 Pope John Paul II proclaimed a Year of the Eucharist to begin in October 2004 with the
International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico, and to end with the Ordinary Assembly
of the Synod of Bishops in October 2005. The Theme of the Synod of Bishops will be “The Eucharist, source
and summit of the life and mission of the Church.”

Why a Year of the Eucharist?
In his apostolic letter on the third millennium of Christianity, Novo Millenio Inuente, Pope John Paul II invited all the Christian faithful to “start afresh from Christ.” He invited us to give new attention and a renewed focus to the central mysteries of our faith and to reinvigorate our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word who brings salvation.

The Eucharist must be at the center of any such effort. In the Eucharist, we remember and celebrate the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ? his living, dying, and rising that destroyed the reign of death and opened the gates of heaven. In the Eucharist, we give thanks to God for the blessings we have received and with Jesus, offer our joys, our struggles, and ourselves to the Father. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives himself to us, truly present in the bread and wine consecrated through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we may become one with him. In the Eucharist, we are reminded that we are one with all our brothers and sisters in the Lord. In the Eucharist, God satisfies the hungers of the human family. In the Eucharist, God call us to work to build the kingdom of God. In the Eucharist, God gives us a foretaste of the banquet that the holy ones will share for all eternity in heaven. With such a gift to celebrate, a year seems hardly enough!

The Rule of Life of the Sisters of the Divine Savior reminds us that the Eucharist is the center of our life (R.O.L. 42). Each day, we make every effort to participate in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, giving thanks to the Father with Christ, who unifies us to himself and draws us always deeper into the mystery of salvation. Our common morning and evening Prayer of the Church prolong our Eucharistic thanksgiving and intercession for the salvation of the world.

Father Stephen Horn, a member of the Society of the Divine Savior, shares the following thoughts in his book A Renewal Reflection, written in 2005. They are paraphrased below.

"As the sons and daughters of (our Founder) Father Jordan, the core of our life together is to "feel with the Church." Jordan had a Eucharistic spirituality. His encounters with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist were deeply rooted....

Any one of us could, as Father Jordan did, write Eucharistic prayers. Young adults today spend time in an "Hour of Power," which is very much the Hour of Adoration, the Holy Hour of our Catholic tradition.

Our prayer can acknowledge the presence of the Risen Lord, who enters into friendship with us. We can open ourselves to the healing, saving activity of Christ in our lives, in our daily efforts, and in our Church worldwide. The presence of Christ is both a comfort and a commission to share joy and faith with others.

Our prayer can be one of thanksgiving. In Jesus, in Eucharist, is contained the universal Yes! Thank you! Amen! of all humanity. Celebration of Eucharist brings about an attitude that reshapes life all around us, an attitude of gratitude that counters negativity and self-centeredness.

Eucharist becomes the experience of Jesus's friendship, which gives meaning and fulfillment to our lives.

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