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EUCI_IAR.I STIC CONG R HS Sosw{c{,E{ weq{trR,I-ard Jesus Christ, owr hope t{glor"y,

Ybu s.re the fuffillmerut o.l'the Fatlter's plsn to sr,tztt: ullhumanity. Yow are {he ntystery hiddenfrom tbe ctg'cs

and.frow gt:trcrations p*,st now manifested to uts"ku abide in 3towr Clturcls in the rnost holy sucrarnentaf the Euclsu,risf. As ae celef:t'rats the f{ol1t Eucharist

and receioe your Body and Blood, g:r"an[ ws the&Ttareness tbat yowt" j;resence in ws ttrges ws

ta continw yo'ur sauing missian in tbe uorlC. Send usuour Holy Spirit, thnt he rnay l.ead ws to"tisalk humhly

uith the poor arud tke ruarginalized, in thccon4l)an! o,f Mnry, your mosf haly n'totltc'r ttnrl ottrs.

A Lord in tbe Most Blcsscd Stu"nrtrrt'rtl.lo.you be all honar and g'lor.y unil ltrttist' irt tln' rtrtil.t'

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Overview of the IECCatechetical Facilitators' GuideCHRIST in You, our Hope of Glory ( Colossians t:27 )

Gearing for the 2016 International Eucharistic Congressin Cebu is in full swing. The preparatory period is marked bytwo important endeavors: " a thorough catechesis, adapted tothe capacity of different groups , about the Eucharist, especiallyas the mystery of Christ living and working in the church; and amore active preparation in the liturgy, in order to encourage areverent hearing of the Word of God and the spirit of mutuallove and community." ( Paul VI, Holy Communion and devotionto the Eucharistic Mystery outside the Mass, 1973)

Following the direction of the Pontifical Council forInternational Euchari5tic Congress, the Permanent Committeefor International Eucharistic Congresses solicited the assistanceof various catechetical groups spearheaded by the EpiscopalCommission in Catechesis and Catholic Education. Catechistsfrom schools of the Catholic Educational Association of thePhilippines, the Catechetical Foundation of the Archdiocese ofManila (CFAM) and catechetical centers were invited to study,reflect and collaborate in the formulation of the facilitators'guide for the use of the catechists who are called to catechizevarious age groupings namely: children (9-12 years old), youth(13-24 years old) and adults.

The guide objectives are :

To assist catechists in their effort to facilitate cateche-sis on the Eucharist geared towards the celebration ofIEC 2016 with the theme :" CHRIST in You, our Hopeof Glory. The Eucharist : Source and Goal of the ChurchMission.To renew the faith of people , in particular the love forthe Eucharistic Celebration and thus, challenge them topafticipate more actively in Church life as missionarydisciples;To challenge Filipino faithful to live a Eucharistic spiri-tuality that will help transform Philippine society andChurch.

The sources for the guide are :A Theological and Pastoral reflections in preparation forthe 51't International Eucharistic Congress Cebu, Philip-pines, 24-31 January 2016.Sacred Scripture, in particular, Colossians 1:27Sacrosanctum Concilium (Vatican II, 1963)Sacramentum Caritatis (Benedict XVI, 2007)Porta Fidei ( Benedict XVI, 2012)Evangelii Gaudium ( Francis 1,2014)

G. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Saint John PaulII, 1992)

H. Living the Eucharist in Asia, IX FABC Plenary Assembly,FABC Papers, 2009

I. The Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CBCP ,1997)J. National Catechetical Directory for the Philippines 2007The guide in brief. It is to be recalled that the catechetical prin-ciples identified by the National Catechetical Directory of thePhilippines (NCDP,2007) are : fidelity to God (integration), fi-delity to the human person (inculturation) and fidelity to theChurch ( ecclesial forming ). On the end, these "learning ex-periences" should lead people to a closer relationship withJesus in the Church, and to a greater understanding of theWord of God in the context of Asian Philippines realities.

The Facilitators'Guide for Children. Children are as muchpart of the Church as adults. The participation of children in theliturgical celebration enables them to be "Missionary Disci-ples" in their own right. Masses for Children are a Sunday oc-currence in the apostolate of Parishes. The catechesis for chil-dren will cultivate the love for Eucharistic celebration and fordevotion to the Blessed Sacrament through regular visits.

The facilitators'guide highlight the following :

1. THE EUCHARIST: CHRIST,S WORK OF REDEMPTIONREALIZED

2. THE EUCHARIST AS A SACRAMENT OF LOVE3. THE EUCHARIST : THE SOURCE AND GOAL OF DIA.

LOGUE WITH JESUS4, MOTHER MARY, THE FIRST DISCIPLE OF CHRIST

LEADS US TO THE EUCHARIST

B.C.D.E.F.

A.

B.

).I

C.

The Facilitators'Guide for Youth and Adults . Themodules follow the flow of the IEC 2016 Theological PastoralReflections :

1. THE EUCHARIST: CHRIST,S WORK OF REDEMPTIONREALIZEDTHE EUCHARIST A SACRAMENT OF LOVE, A SIGN OFUNITY AND BOND OF CHARITYTHE EUCHARIST AND MISSIONTHE EUCHARIST, SOURCE AND GOAL OF DIALOGUETHE EUCHARIST IN THE CHURCH'S DIALOGUE WITHOTHER RELIGIOUS CULTURESTHE EUCHARIST IN THE CHURCH'S DIALOGUE WITHTHE POORTHE EUCHARIST IN THE CHURCH'S DIALOGUE WITHTHE YOUTHMARY AND THE EUCHARIST IN THE CHURCH'S MIS-SION

9. THE EUCHARIST AND THE "GLORY OF GOD"10. A POWERFUL IMAGE OF THE EUCHARIST: THE GREAT

MESSIANIC BANQUET !

The catechist should take note through a series of"learnings" the unique feature of IEC 2016 as it bears the AsianPhilippines flavor. This is "fetile ground" of catechesis. Incul-turating and inter culturating (dialogue with various Asian cul-tures and even various Philippine cultures) is a component ofthese modules. Creative imagination is the call to every cate-chist to make these guide come "alive".

These facilitators' guide converge to that point where allcatechetical endeavors are encounters with Jesus in the com-munity of believers drawn to involvement in the Church.

2.

3.4.5.

6.

7.

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OBJECTIVES :

At the end of this module the participants would :

c understand that the Paschal Mystery of Christ-Hispass io n, dea th, a nd res u rrection-bro ug ht sa lva tion ;

. respond to the call to them to bring Christ and His Gospel ofhope to peoplq especially in Asia;

o commit to pafticipate actively in the Eucharistic Celebrationas a manifestation of faith in Christ's presence and His gift ofmission;

. draw strength from the Eucharist in fulfilling seruice as activemembers of the parish community; and

. resolve to mirror in their lives Christ's loving gifr of self toothers as manifested in the Eucharist,

CONTEXT :

The survey done by SWS in 2013 showed that only 37 percentof Catholics regularly attend Sunday Mass and only 29 percentregard themselves religious. Some bishops and priests thinkthat this is not accurate because they have noted that thenumber of Masses and attendance thereat has actuallyincreased. How then should this survey result be interpretedand what challenges does this pose to the Church in thePhilippines?

It is a fact that the exact percentage of Catholics who attendMass regularly and the accurate figure of how many live asgenuine disciples of Christ may not be known. This means thatthe number actively involved in the parish, BECs or Churchorganizations and movements and are not just regular at Sun-day Mass is also undetermined. Exactly how many Catholicshave been truly evangelized and have gone through a processof personal conversion, imbibed the teachings and values ofChrist as taught by the Church or how many Catholics cometogether to listen and reflect on the Word of God, and are filledwith missionary dynamism to share it with others is not knownas well as precisely how many Catholics, guided by theChurch's social teachings, are involved in works of charity, jus-tice and peace, promotion of human rights-including the rightto life, and active in advocacy for the environment.

Solely known is the percentage, relative to the number ofCatholics in the country, is low to the point that it would beconsidered good if this were 37 percent to even only 20 per-cent, especially if those covered in the percentage, though aminority, make a marked difference which is precisely what theBECs and other renewal movements are trying to accomplish-small groups and communities of Catholics acting as salt,leaven and light in the midst of a majority who live as nominaland seasonal Catholics.

The Church as a whole must be looked at as made up of threeconcentric circles. There is the inner core of Catholics-lay,religious and ordained-relatively small in number who live asdisciples of Jesus and are actively involved in the life and mis-sion of the Church.

Then there is a bigger middle core who are only occasionallyand seasonally involved. Finally, at the outer core, the largest,belong the marginal and nominal. Thus, it can be seen thatthe members are of varying degrees in participation and in-volvement in the life of the Church.

That majority are seasonal or nominal, while many of thosewho are active may be only devotional or liturgical signals theneed for new evangelization with the creative minority in theChurch to be the agents of new evangelization. The prayer isthat the seasonal become more active and the nominalbecome seasonal or even active. The immediate tarqetis oualitv Church membership followed by orowth in therurmber of qualiW membershio. There is indeed muchto be done. (Cf "Active,Seasonat and Nominal Catholia: How Many?" byFr. Amado L. Picardal, CSs& 2013)

Today, there is a shortage of hope in the world as perhapsnever before in history. Thus humankind needs to hear themessage of our hope in Christ Jesus. The Church must pro-claim this message today with renewed ardor, utilizing newmethods and expressions. With these features of a "new evan-gelization" the Church must seek to bring this message of hopet=o all, but especially to those "who, though baptized, havedrifted away from the church and live without reference to theChristian life." lIEc Basic Tert,I' INTRoDUaI1N;C. Impact on the life ofthe Church)And the message of hoPe is this....

WORD OF GOD : Colossians 7.=24-29

" The mystery has been kept hidden for ages and generations,but is now manifested to God's people: it is Christ in you, thehope of glory."

What does Paul mean by "making the Word of God fullyknown? Colossians 1:26 tells us that it involves making known"the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages andgeneratrbns but has now been revealed to His saints." Paul'suse of "mystery" here seems simply to pick up on the idea thatwhatever He is making known has been hidden, and is thusmysterious.

But, what is the mystery that has been revealed to thesaints? In Col. 1:27 P,aul tells us that it is "Christ in you, thehope of glory." Much is contained in this compact littlephrase. I take it that "Christ in you" is a reference to theinward presence of Christ with His followers, reminding us oflohn 17:23 and 17:26 where Christ says He will be "in" Hisfollowers. Read in one wayl Paulb suggestion in Col. 1:27 isthat Christ's inward presence gives us hope of one dayreaching heaven. On this reading, Paul's rdea is somethinglike his claim in 2 Corinthians that God has given "us HisSpirit in our hearts as a first installment" or "down pay-ment." Herq the presence of Christ in His followers, by theHoly Spirit, is a sign of our future in glory.

While this reading of the phrase in Col. 1:27 seems cored,the phrase also seems to suggest a bit more. Christ rls theobjed of hope "belonging to" or "located in" heaven. Moresuccinctly, Christ is heaven's object of hope. Thus, Paul'scomplete thought here seems to be that the presence ofChrist in His followers is a sign or promise that one day wewill meet Him in glory. Christ's presence in us, then, gives ushope for this outcome. ftttp:tlwww.tneontheoloav.com tn

Paul considers himself a minister of the Gospel of hope that ismeant to be preached to every creature under heaven in orderto bring to completbn the Word of GoQ the mystery whichused to be hidden but now manifested (Ct Col 1:23, 25-26).Paul took upon himself the mission that Christ sent His apostlesto do: "that by preaching the gospel to every creature theymight proclaim that the Son of GoQ by His death and resurec-tion, had freed us from the power of Satan and from death andbrought us into the kingdom of the Father." lIEc Basic Text ILTHE EUCHARIST CHRIST'S WORK OF REDEMTTON REALIZED; B. The Mysteryproclaimed...that all may received Christ )WORSHIP: In the Eucharist, Christ's work ofredemption is realized.

"Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgi-cal celebrations."

In the Eucharist, He is present to continually bring people tocommunion with Himself and to fellowship with one another.In the person of the minister, in their gathering together, in theproclamation of the Word and in the Eucharistic species ofBread and Wine, Christ continues to unitg to forgivg to teach,to reconcilg to offer Himself for our redemption, and thereforgto give life. It s precisely for this that He instituted the Eucha-ristb sacrifice of His Body and Blood-to be the embodimentand realization of the plan of salvation that culminated in thesacrifice of the Cross, to be a living memorr?l of Hr's savingdeath and resurrection. (EC Basic Text, II. THE EUCHARIST: CHRIST'SWORK OF REDEMPTION REALIZED; C.The Eucharist: Christ present among us)

FAITH RESPONSE :

For adult oafticipants

What experiences during the Mass make one feel thatChrist's work of redemption is being realized?What concrete steps must one undertake to coura-geously proclaim the mystery that Christ is in oneb selfas hope of Glory?How may one's parish be helped to continue proclai-ming Christb work of redemption?

1.

2.

3.

For vouth pafticipants

1. How is the Paschat Mystery related to your everydaylife as a youth?

2. How will you respond to the challenge of bringingChrist and His Gospelas Hope to others? Give 2 con-crete activities that you promse to accomplish.

3. How will you show that you apprecrbte or value thecelebration of the Paschal Myste4t?

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OBJECTIVES :

At the end of thr's module the pafticipants would :

o realize that Jesus is truly and wholly present-body andblooQ soul and divinity-under the appearance ofbread and wine in the Eucharist;

. respond to the challenge to be effective signs of loveand unity in their homes, communities and parishes;and

o have a strong desire to receive Jesus often in theEucharist as a sign of love.

CONTEXT :

Personal and Communal Basic Human Hungers (Catechism for Fiti-pino Catholics 1708)

o Love. unity. Acceptance. Understanding. Purpose in life. Justice. Peace. Companionship

For vouth oafticipantsThe youth of today often feel left out, overlooked and aban-doned-from broken homes, to on and off again friendships tosometimes even feeling abandoned or unnoticed at Churchfunctions, They feel alone with nobody to cling to, having noone to turn to. It is because of this that many turn to drugs,barkadas, and the internet (social media). There, however,are still quite a big number who find the answer to theirneeds and longings through their family and friends and stillturn to the Church and to God whom they know will not letthem down.

The Eucharist responds to the deepest hungers of our lives,both personal and communal. We hunger for understanding,especially from our loved ones.

Such understanding we find ultimately in Jesus Christ, whoalone knows us pedectly from within. In the Eucharist, Jesusbecomes truly closer and more intimate to each of us thanwe are to ourselves. Moreover, in the Eucharistic experienceof "being understood", we are challenged to reach out toothers to understand them beyond our own prejudices andlimitations. Thus, the Christian community is inspired in cele-brating the Eucharist to respond to the basic human yearningfor its members for understanding.GFc 1709)

WORD OF GOD :Matthew 26=L7-3O

"Take and eat; this is My body." "This is My blood ofthe covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgive-ness of sins.

[At this point Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper where Hetook bread and wine and made them visible reminders of Hisbody and blood that was soon to be shed for our remissionof sins (26-30). This ordinance is to be commemorated bythe church until He returns (I Cor. tt:23-26). J

John I7=21"Father, may they be one as you and I are one."

(The model for thrs uni/ is the unity which exists betweenthe Father and the Son, a unity which allows for diversityt ofpersons while maintaining essential unity. The ultimateresult of such unity among believers will be that the worldcomes to belbve that the Father sent Jesus.)

John 13:34" A new commandment I give to you, that you love oneanother: just as I have loved you, you also are to love oneanother."

[But note that the disciples are to love "just as I have lovedyou" (13:34). The love Jesus has for His followers cannotbe duplicated by them in one sensel

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because it effects their salvation, since He lays down His lifefor them: it is an act of love that gives life to men. But inanother sense they can follow His example (recall 1 John3:16; 4:16 and the interpretation of Jesus' washing of thedisciples' feet). Thus are Jesus' drsciples to love oneanother: they are to follow His example of sacrificial seruiceto one another, to death if necessary.J

DOCTRINE : In the Eucharist, our Lord JesusChrist who is God and man is truly andentirely present-body and blood, soul anddivinity-under the appearance of bread andWine. (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1374)Christ's presence in the Eucharist. That which Christ accom-plished through His life, preaching, and, above a/1, His PaschalMystery, continues to be present in His Church, especially inher liturgical celebratrbns. Indeed that which in Him was visiblehas passed on to the Church especially in her sacraments.Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ continues to enrichus with Hrls life and, united with His own, we are able to offerworship acceptable to the Father by means of signs perceptibleto the Senses. (IEC Basic Text, ilL THE EUCHARIST : SOURCE AND GOALOF THE CHURCH'S MISSION; A. EUCHARIST AS SACRAMENT OF LOVE SIGNOF UNITY BOND OF CHARITY 1. Christ's presence in the Eucharist )MORAL : In the Eucharist we are transformedand are sent to transform others.

The Lord Jesus, who became for us the food of truth and lovgspeaks of the gift of His life and assures us that "if any oneeaB of this bread, He will live forever' (Jn 6:51). This 'bternallife" begins in us even now, thanks to the transformationeffected in us by the grft of the Eucharist: "He who eats me willlive because of Me" (Jn 6:57).These words of Jesus make us realhe how the mystery"believed" and "celebrated" contains an innate power making itthe principle of new life within us and the form of our Christianexistence.

By receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ we becomesharers in the divine life in an ever more adult and consciousway. Here too, we can apply Saint Augustine's words, inhs Confessions, about the eternal Logos as the food of oursouls. Stressing the mysterious nature of thr's food, Augustineimagines the Lord saying to him: 'T am the food of grown men;grow, and you shall feed upon Me; nor shall you change Mglike the food of your flesh, into yourself, but you shall bechanged into Me' (198). It is not the Euchanstic food that ischanged into us, but rather we who are mysteriously trans-formed by it. Christ nourishes us by uniting us to Himself; "Hedraws us into Himself." (Sacramentum Caritatis, no. 70)

That which they received (the Body of Christ), they are calledto become. The Eucharist has an intrinsic missionary dimen-sion on account of its institution. For at the Last Supper, notonly did Christ take the bread and the cup of wine for these tobecome life-giving bread and saving cup. He also washed thefeet of hr's disciples which He bade them to do to one another(Cf Jn 13:14). Their washing one another's feet in humble andloving service will have to be a mirror of Christ's entire life ofseruice and mission. Transformed by their encounter with theLord in His Word and (n His Body into people of serur?e andcharity, the faithful are sent to transform their communitiesinto living and life-giving fellowship. The Eucharist realizes itsnature and purpose when it transforms places and people intocommunities of love and seruice.(IEc Basic Text Lil. THE EUCHARISTSOURCE AND GOAL OF THE CHURCHS MISSION; A. EUCHARISTAS SACRA-MENTOF LOVE SIGN OF UNITY BOND OF CHARITT, 3. Transformed and sentto transform )WORSHIP : For the Eucharist to become thesacrament of Christ's love, effective sign ofunity, and bond of charity,the Holy Spirit is in-voked upon the bread and wine so that theymay become the Body and Blood of Christ(consecratory epiclesis).

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Paftaking of the Body and Blood of Christ thefaithful become "one body, one spirit inChrist" by the power of the Holy Spirit(communion epiclesis).So great indeed is this mystery! By the action of the Holy Spirit,the frurts of the eafth and work of human hands are trans-formed to become life-giving bread and spiritual drink. By theaction of the same Holy Spirit, those who eat and drink of theBody and Blood of Christ are transformed into the one Body ofChrist. They are then sent forth to transform their families,their places of work, the society and the world. The Eucharisttransforms the assembled community into "a communion oflifg charity and truth" in order to become "an instrument forthe redemption of all and as the light of the world and the saltof the eatth." For in, the Eucharist, "the one whom the Fatherhas sent to do His will 6r. Jn 5:36-38; 6:38-40; 7:16-18) draws us toHimself and makes us part of His life and mission. " lIEc BasicTexl IIL THE EUCHARIST: SOURCE AND GOAL OF THE CHURCH'S MISSION;A. EUCHARIST AS A SACRAMENT OF LOVE STGN OF UNIry BOND OF CHAR-ITY,2. The transforming power of the Holy Sptrit)

FAITH RESPONSE :

For adult pafticipantsI.In what ways can one become an agent of love and a sign

of unity in the home, community and parish?2. How can one contribute in the transformation of places and

people into communities of love and servbe?3. What has been one's strongest experience of being Eucha-

rist'to others?

For vouth pafticipants:1. How and where can you experience the presence of

Jesus?2. What do you think will be the fruit of your fidelity to

Eucharistic life?3. In what ways may you celebrate His presence in your daily

life? e.g. Pledge of commitment -- frequent visits to theBlessed Sacrament

Toprc # 3THE EUCHARI'TAND MI''ION

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OBJECTIVES :

At the end of this module the pafticipants would :

o understand that the Eucharist is source and goal ofMtssion;

. feel the urge to go on mission;

. appreciate the inseparable connection of communionand mission in every paft of the Eucharistic Celebra-tion; and

o commit to help address the greatest needs of the com-munity.

For vouth oarticioanb:

c commit to participate adively in the Eucharistic cele-bration as a'manifestation of gratitude for Christ's pres-ence and for the gift of mission;

o draw strength from the Eucharist in fulfilling their ser-vice as active members of the parish community; and

o resolve to mirror in their lives Christ's loving gift of selfto others manifested in the Euchanst.

CONTEXT :

Every Eucharistic celebration renews the Church in its mission--nary calling. By its very nature as the bearer of the Good Newsof Jesus Christ, the Church is missionary. Only by being true toits mission can it remain true to its identity. In the Eucharist,we receive Jesus who sends us as the Father has sent Him forthe life of the world 1a Jn 2o:21).

Though a small minority in most of the Asian countries, theChurch continues to share the gift of Jesus with others. Such isher life. And the celebration of the Eucharist nurtures theChurch's missionary life,

Where explicit missionary activity is forbidden, the Church canand must witness to Christ even in her silence. The quality ofour joy, simplicity, compassion, and communion testifiespowerfully to the truth of Jesus.

There is no chaining the Word of God. There is no stopping thefire of the Gospel and the Presence of Christ from emanatingeven from weak and frail witnesses. We are in great awe anddeep gratitude for the heroic witness of many Asians who inmany difficult political and religious situations suffer silentf forthe sake of the faith. Their testimonies speak of the power andthe presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. Through spiritualcommunion or through secret celebrations, the Eucharist com-forted and strengthened in their incredible witness of theChrist.

Many peoples and communities in Asia are in need of witnessesto the truth that in Jesus their quest for life will not end in vain:the migrants separated from their homes, women and childrenliving in constant terror, broken families, those imprisoned anddetained for crimes they did not commit, the differently-ableand mutilated, and people contemplating suicide. The Churchis sent to them.

The Church, renewed as the Body of Christ in the Eucharist,bears Christ to them. Every member of the Body shares in thecommon mission of witnessing to Christ. We can mention afew examples: parents are witnesses of Christ's love to eachother and to their children; the youth are missioners to theirfellow youth of the joy of having found ChrisU public servantsmust witness to the humble service of love that Jesus exempli-fied.

Called to missionary witnessing, the Church in Asia must exa-mine its credibility as a witness to Christ. In a continent wherethe consistency of wisdom and life is highly valued amongteachers and religious institutions, the Church needs to reviewthe quality of its communal witnessing to Christ.

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A Church community should become what it celebrates andreceives in the Eucharist. The Church learns true mission inthe Eucharist, ( IX FABC- Final Document: Living the Eucharist in Asia- TheRite of Communion, No. 4 a Mission to witness Jesus Christ

- Contextualized

Pastora I Impl i ca tl ons)

[When we go to fulfill the mission entrusted to us, we believethat lesus goes with us (as we will hear in the gospel.... 'Asthey talked and discussed these things with each other, JesusHimself came up and walked along with them...) He promisedto His first disciples: Know that I am with you always, until theend of the world!"(Mt. 2B:20)J

"...as we continue to share the Lord's Supper, the risen Christcomes to open our eyes to His mystical presence and leave ourheafts burning with Hr's love."

WORD OF GOD : Luke 24=L3-34( On the Road to Emmaus )Now that same day two of them were going to a village calledEmmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talkingwith each other about everything that had happened. As theytalked and discussed these things with each other,Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; butthey were kept from recognhing Him.

He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walkalong?" They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them,named Cleopas, asked Him, 'Are you the only one visiting Jeru-salem who does not know the things that have happened therein these days?""What things?" He asked.

About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was aprophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all thepeople. The chief priesb and our rulers handed Him over to besentenced to death, and they crucified Him; but we had hopedthat He was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

And what is more, it is the third day since all thts took place. Inaddition, some of our women amazed us. They went to thetomb early this morning but didn't find His body. They cameand told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said Hewas alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb andfound it just as the women had said, but they did not seeJesus."

He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believeatt that the prophets have spokenl Did not the frlessiah have tosuffer these things and then enter His glory?" And beginningwith Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them whatwas said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.

As they approached ne vittage to which they were going,Jesus continued on as if He were going fafther. But they urgedHim strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day isalmost over." So He went in to stay with them,

When He was at the table with them, He took breaQ gavethanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyeswere opened and they recognized Him, and He disappearedfrom their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our heartsburning within us while He talked with us on the road andopened the Scriptures to us?"

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem, Therethey found the eleven and those with them, assembledtogether and saying, 'Tt is true! The Lord has risen andhas appeared to Simon,"

It was after they felt their hearts burning within them by thewords they heard from the Risen Christ and by recognizing Him"in the breaking of the bread" that the disciples of Emmaus fcrLk 24:30-32) felt the urge to go in haste to share with all thebrethren the joy of their meeting with Him.

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DOCTRINE EUCHARIST is the source andgoal of the Christian Mission.

Christian mssion consisB in communrCating Godb love to allpeoples so that all may be united in one community with Godour Father. This is very clearly expressed by Jesus: "I revealedyour name to those whom yoa gave Me out of the world. Theybelonged to you, and you gave them to Mg and they have keptyour word"(John 1Z 5).The goal of Jesus' mission is to make all the peoples of theworld share in the life of God.

Thrs is being done today through the Eucharist by which Jesuscontinues His mtsspn through the ministry of the Church.Through Baptism people are joined with Christ in His death andresurrection, through'Confirmation they receive His Spirit, andthrough the Eucharist they are constantly nourished by His lifeas Son of God and by the life of Christian witness. They sharethis life with all those who come into contact with them, untilall are filled with the same life of Christ. This is what we pro-claim at every Mass: 'we proclaim your death O Lord, until youcome'. The Eucharist is, therefore the source of Christrbn lifeand mission. ( rHE EU1HARIST AND MIssIoN, Telesphore P. cardinalToppq Archbishop ofRanchi, India Qu6beq Friday, June 2Q 200B-no.3)

MORAL: Paftaking of the "bread broken andshared" in Eucharistic communion, the Chris-tian individual and community cannot remainindifferent to the call to share and give of one-self to become bread for the life of the world.For this reason, "the celebration of the Eucha-ristic Sacrifice is the most effective missionaryact that the ecclesial community can performin world history." (rEc BAsrc rEXT, rrr. rHE EUCHARTsT;SOURCE AND GOAL OF THE CHURCH,S MISSION; B. THE EUCHARIST ANDMISSION)

WORSHIP: Every paft of the Eucharistic cele-bration reveals an inseparable connection be-tween communion and mission by which theChurch emerges as both sign and instrumentof unity cr. LG i). It will be wofthwhile to seesome pafts of the Eucharistic celebration andhow the mission is constitutively containedtherein. (rEc BAsrc qEXT, rrr. THE EUCHART;T; souRCE AND GzAL oFTHE CHURCHS MISSION; B. THE EUCHARISTAND MISSION)

1. Introductory Rites -The various elements of the Introduc-tory Rites are intended to establish unitv among those whohave gathered, dispose themselves to lr'sten properly to God'sword, and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily, always in viewof sending them forth as instrumenB of uniU, proclaimers ofthe word, and bread broken and shared for the life of theworld. The Introductory Rites constitute the beginning of themovement of being chosen, called, and formed into anekklesia, a priestly people that God will send "to proclaim theglorious works of Him who called them from darkness intoHis maruelous light" lt Pt 2:9).

2, Liturqv of the Word -The Holy Spirit who causes the Wordof God to be proclaimed also empowers the faithful to hear,understand, and cary it out in their lives. Having receivedthe Holy Spirit at Baptism and Confirmation, they are calledto conform their way of life to what they celebrate in theliturgy. By the witness of their lives, the faithful are sent outto be the bearers of the same Word they heard so that it"may speed on and be glorified and that God's name beexalted among the nations." Indeed, the words of eternal

life that we receive in our encounter with the Lord in theEucharist are meant for everyone.

3. Presentation of the Gifts- Preferential Love for thePoor, The Vatican II reform on the Mass restored an ancientpractice involving the assembly offering bread and wine forthe Eucharistic sacrifice.

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The presider chose a loaf from what was offered and took anamoant of wine just enough for communion; the rest wasplaced on a credence table for distribution to the poor.Dropped off for many centuries, the practice was restored bythe Vatican II reform not only as an added oppoftunity foractive lay pafticipation but as an affirmatbn of the earlyChurchb laudable practice expressing her special concern forthe poor.

The commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist at theEvening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday givesplace to a procession of gifts by the faithful at which, togetherwith the bread and wine, gifts intended for the poor are pre-sented. The recommended chant to accompany this actionheightens this pafticular message of the preparation of thegifts: "Llbi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est." [= Where there ischarity, God is there.J This evening's Eucharisl being a memo-rial of its institution, ls a good model for all Eucharistic celebra-tions in this regard. It teaches us that the mission of caring forthe poor and underprivileaed is at the heart of the Eucharistliturqv.

Concern for Creation, The Vatican II reform on the Massattached prayer formularies based on Jewish table-prayers tothe action of placing the gifts on the altar: Blessed are vou,Lord God of all creatrbn for through your aoodness we havethe bread (the winet we offer you: fruit of the earth and workof human hands, it will become for us the bread of life (ourspiritual drinkt. These prayer formularies are an expression ofpraise of God for the creation of the world and for humancollaboration in the production of bread and wine-symbols oflife and fellowship-that in the Eucharist will become themedium of Christ's living and ltfe-giving presence in the midstof the assembly and in the world. But they also constitute asending forth on a prophetic mission. Worship cannot be indif-ferent to the concern for the environment and natural re-sources. The world is not mere raw material to be utilized sim-pty as we wish-all the way to depletion and wastage. It is foratt of God's children to live on in a manner that befits preciselythat dignil. To "bless the Lord, God of all creation" entailsraising a prophetic voice against the greed of human heartsand hands in the defense of the eafth and its resources, and ofthose who fall victim to natureb revolt when exploited itespon-sibly.

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Tne EucnnRrsrrc Pnavrn

Forming the Body of Christ: Bread and Assembly. At twospectbl moments of the Eucharistic liturgy, the Holy Sphit isinvoked in an explicit way. At the consecratory epiclesis theHolv Spirit is invoked uoon the gifts of bread and wine so thatthev "may become the body and blood of our Lord JesusChrist" (Eucharistic Prayer III). At the communion epiclesis,the same Holy Spirit is invoked upon the assembly so that bypartaking of the body and blood of Christ, they "may be frlledwith His Holy Spirit and become one body, one spirit inChrist" (EP III). Nowhere could be found a clearer articulationof Christ's and the Church's vt'sion of the Eucharistic mystery:the Church celebrates the Eucharist in order to be constantlybuilt up into the "Body of Christ". The bread and wine haveto become the "Body of Christ" in order to form those who par-take of it into the "Body of Christ'i Thus, through the Eucharis-tic mystery the Church enters into history as the Body of Christ,given up for the life of the world.

From as early as the second half of the first century we findthis expressed in a prayer that the Church has kept in hertreasury of Eucharistic texts: 'As thr's broken bread was scat-tered over the hills and then, when gathered, became onemass, so may thy Church be gathered from the ends of theeafth into thy kingdom'i For the early Church, what was mostcrucial about the Eucharistic celebration is that it caused themto "gather together". Their faith conviction was that it r's inbeing "gathered together" (ekklesia) that salvation comes uponthem. It is in seeing themselves as the "one Body of Christ"that the healthy members felt sensitive to the pain and suffe-rings of the sick members and thus felt impelled to help themin their needs. The Eucharist sends the Church on a mission ofcarrying out justice in the world by forming the gatheredassembly into the "One Body of Christ" where division and apa-thy toward the suffering are put in question.

Emerging from the Eucharistrc celebration, each of the Christnnfaithful, and the whole Church for that matter, carrEs themission of keeping the Body of Christ intact and of restoring itto health when rendered sick by indifference and discord.

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4. CommunionBreaking of the BreadAt the Last SupperJesus took the bread and broke it. He gavethe broken pieces to hr's beloved disciples as he said: "Takethis... this is my Body to be given up for you."

In the Eucharist the priest does thr's same action of Christ. Hebreaks the bread as a sign of the love of Christ whose body is"broken" for us. Whenever this action takes place in the cele-bration of the Eucharist, we are reminded of the painful deathChrist had go through out of Hr's love for us. We who receivethe broken bread are reminded that for us to livg Christ had todie. When we celebrate the Eucharist, we must "become evermore conscious that the sacrifice of Christ r's for all, and thatthe Eucharist thus compels all who believe in Christ to become'bread that is broken'for others and to work for the building ofa more iust and fratqrnal world." This is how Christ desires togive life to humanity and to the world for all time: that we do"this" (breaking, sharing, loving) in memory of him. Each of usis truly called, together with Jesus, to be breaQ broken for thelife of the world.

Addressing the people of Asia, Saint lohn Paul II commendedthe extraordinary capacity for self-giving and sacrifice-that is,martyrdom- manifested by numerous Asians through the cen-turies, as he continues to challenge present-day Asian Chris-tians to be ready to do the same if the situation calls for it.The continent has been a generous donor to the Church and tothe world of men and women who eloquently proved the truthof the faith by bravely facing the most violent of deaths andshowed the beauty of the same faith even in the midst of theugliest forms of persecution. Saint Paul Miki and his compa-nions, Saint Lorenzo RUD and his companions, Saint AndrewDung Lac and his companions, Saint Andrew Kim Taegon andhis companions, Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions,and Saint Pedro Glungsod-all Asrbns--gave tangible form tothe Eucharistic faith that makes whole by being broken.

The Communion MealIn the Eucharist, the "Body of Christ" reahZed in the Eucharisticassembly becomes food for others. The Eucharistic actionbrings into being a body that is consumed, that is, broken andgiven away to nourish a hungry world.

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i

The Eucharist sends the Christian faithful out of themselves tooffer the same to be food for the world. In the Eucharist, theact of consumption is reversed and becomes an ad of kenosis,or self-emptying. Becoming part of Christ's body is to descendwith Christ into the broken human condition, to empty oneselftaking the "form of a slave" lehil 2:7.

The great capacity for self-sacrifice that characterizes the peo-ple of Asia will not have much significance unless it is coupledwith the readiness to share. Oneb self-emptying finds signifi-cance only when by it, another person s made full. Christemptied Himself so that we may be filled with His life, and thatwe may have it abundantly ef. Jn 10:10). Saint lohn Paul II tellsus of specific areas where this sharing should be done espe-cially during thr's time in this paft of the world. The situationsin which refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants and overseasworkers often find themselves in their host countries-friendless, cultura lly estra ngeS lingu istically disadua ntaged a ndeconomically vulnerable-ask for a welcoming home where intheir weariness and burden they may find comfoft and rest.May Christian communities in whatever country and locality besuch welcoming and restful homes for them. The Eucharrsticbanquet sends us forth to share what we have so that no onein our communities may be found wanting.

5. The Dismissal= " fte, Missa Est"The dismissal rite concludes the Eucharistic celebratbn andsends the assembly forth. There are those who relate thismissbn-sending character of the dismissal rite to the fact thatboth the words "Mass" and "misstbn" are derived from the Latinverb mittere (to send). It is also significant that this rite isdescribed as one that dismisses the people "to go out and doaood works praisino and blessina God".

In an earlr?r discussion on the Introductory Rites, it has beensaid that those who form the assembly are gathered, disposedto listen to God's word and to take paft in the Eucharistic mealworthily, always in view of sending them forth as instrumentsof unity, heralds of the Good News, and as bread, broken andshared for the life of the world.

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Now, at the dismissal rite, they are told, "Go, (the assembly) issent." As in the story of the disciples of Emmaus, the encounterwith the Risen Christ in His word proclaimed and in the break-ing of the bread has the innate power to transform the assem-bly into enthusnstic and zealous heralds of the Lord. Thefellowship they experienced, the Word they heard, and theEucharistic meal they shared together, are now to be broughtinto the world in the form of coherent witness. Witness meansthat through our actions, words, and way of being, that Personwe give witness to-the Lord Jesus Christ who gathered us,spoke to us, and gave His body to us as life-giving Bread-makes Himself present. Witnessing to Christ means that peo-ple we meet at work, at home, and elsewhere in the world areable to experience His consoling words, His healing, His unify-ing, and life-giving presencg because we are there.

FAITH RESPONSE :

For adult pafticipants

1. How shall one bring Christ to one's family, commu-nity and parish?

2. How may one do to show God's love to others?3. What greatest needs does one see in the commu-nity that needs to be addressed? Empowered withthe love of God in the Eucharist, what may one doto help meet those needs?

For vouth pafticipants :1. What concrete steps will you take to courageously

proclaim your faith in Christ to your fellow youth,especially to those who refuse to believe?

2. How will you help your parish address the preva-lent problem of unbelief in society manifested by amaterialtstic and secula ristic attitude?

Toplc # 4THE EUCHARI'T,

'OURCE AND GOAU OF

\ DIALOGUE

29 30

OBJECTIVES :

At the end of this module the pafticipants would :

. understand that the Eucharist is a unique experience ofGod reaching out to all and that the response to Godshould be a dialogue of life and love;

. pafticipate in the Churchk task of evangelization bywitness and dialogue;

. appreciate that in the Eucharist the dialogue of life andlove takes place; and

. identify and resolve the obstacles in cartying out thetriple dialogue.

For vouth pafticipants:

. realize that in'the Liturgy of the Word at Holy Mass, Godspeaks to them;

. value the Word of God and allow thr's to affect theirlives; and

o celebrate and pafticipate in the Mass actively and fullyespecially by lt'stening to the Word of God.

CONTEXT :

Dialogue as the privileged mode of mission

In the concrete context of Asia, the Church, which is alwaysand everywhere a community-in-mission by virtue of her originand relationship with Christ, r's called in a very special sense toundertake her mssionary mandate in a spirit of dt'alogue. Suchdialogue as a pafticular approach to mission is not only necessi-tated by the multi-racial, multi-linguistig multi-religious andmulti-cultural realty of Asia on account of which peoples shouldbe in constant conversation among themselves to ensure theirpeaceful coexistence. This mode of missionary engagementhas its root, rather, in the Trinitarian economy of redemptionand call to communion whereby the Father enaaaed humanitvin a lovina dialooue of salvatbn with Himself throuoh the Sonin the power of the Holy Spirit. Dialogue is the way God real-ized His plan for our redemption in and through His Son who"became man shared our human life and spoke in a humanlanouaae to communicate His savina message."

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There is no other way, therefore, for the Church to realize hermissionary mandate from her Master and Lord (cr. Jn 13:1q thanby a dialogue of salvation with all men and women which wasthe essential character of the divine initiative for redemptionand communion. The Vatican II's vision for the way theChurch is to undertake her mission in the modern world like-wise reflects a dialogical engagement with diverse races,languages, religions, cultures, and socio-political structures.This is true in a particular way in Asia where she has to engagein dialogue with "those who share her belief in Jesus Christ theLord and Savior" but also with "followers of every other reli-gious tradition, on the basis of the religious yearnings found inevery human heart".

Already at their first Plenary Assembly, the Bishops of Asia havediscerned what special configuration this dialogue in the con-text of mission in Asia should have: "continuous, humble andloving dialogue with the living traditions, the cultures, the reli-gions,-in brief, with all the life-realities of the people in whosemidst it has sunk its roots deeply and whose history and life itgladly makes its own". This has been refered to as the "tripledialogue" slnce thirty years ago but which has remained validuntil the present time: dialoaue with the cultures of the Asianpeople dialoaue with their relioions and dialoaue with the life-situations of poverU, powerlessness of sufferina and victim-hood, which is the lot of a great number of people amongthem,qEc Basic Text, IV. THE CHURCH',S MISSION IN ASIA. MISSION-IN-DIALOGUE; A. Dralogue as the privileged mode of Mission )For vouth pafticipants

The Youth of Tbday (E-Generation)

Shadows:Today, young people are often in cyberspace. Many adults arepuzzled, and some are appalled, by the amount of time teensspend in social media and by what they seem to be doingthere. This young generation has a high tolerance for noise.Do they still listen to and reflect on the Word of God?

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Lights:It is not technology itself that draws young people in; it is thechance to communicate with peers and learn about their world.The computer is just a tool. Whenever we see behavior amongteens that seems strange to us, we tend to rush to judgment,and altogether too often the direction in which we rush rs toadd yet another restriction to the aheady highly restricted livesof today's young people. In social media, young people can behelped to hear and listen to the Word of God.

fDr'aloaue is the way God realhed his plan for our redemptionin and throuqh His Son who "became man, shared our humanlife and spoke in a human languaqe to communicate his savinomessage."J

WORD OF GOD : John 622-60"I am the tiving Bread that came down from heaven, if anyoneeats of this brea4 he will live forever..."

lThe third time He called himself bread, He added to the namethe epithet of living; not only because He gives life to men byquickening their souls, raising their bodies from the deaQ andmaking them eternally happy, but because He give them life inthese senses, by means of Ht's human nature, which was not aninanimate thing, like the manna, but a living substance. For Hetold them plainly, that the bread which He would give themwas His flesh, which He would give for the life of the world

-

And spake of menb eating it in order to its having that effect.But the meaning of this expression he had directed them tobefore, when, in calling himself the bread of lifg He alwaysjoined believing on Him as necessary to men's living byHim. Wherefore to eat, in the remaining part of this discourse,is to believe. J OiOte commentary- http ://bib/ehub. com/commenta ries/john /6-51.htm

DOCTRINE : The Eucharist is a unique experi-ence of God's dialogue with us and ourresponse to God: a dialogue of life, a dialogueof love.

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That in the Eucharist Christ invites everyone to a table fellow-ship where He shares His life through His words of love andhealing and through a meal that deepens loving relationshipamong those who call the same God their "Father" meansmuch for a people whose culture gives pride of place to closefamily ties that are kept intact and strengthened by parentalcounsel and family meals. That Christ offers Himself as breadthat satisfies all hunger and drink that quenches all thirsts andgives joy will warm the heart of the many in this continentwhose daily existence is marked by insufficiency of the basicnecessitr?s. The Euchanst should be a constant reference pointfor the local Churches of Asia in their continuing missionarydialogue with local cultures, religions, with the poor, and theyouth since the divine-human dialogue that transpires within itis the seed and vision of the whole of her mission. (EC Basic Text,IV. THE CHURCHS MISSION IN ASIA. MISSION-IN-DIALOGUE; D. The Eucha-rist, source and goal of dialogue )MORAL: Emerging from the Eucharisticgathering, we are sent to continue and extendthis Trinitarian didlogue of life and salvation inthe form of loving service especially towardthe least, the last, and the lost,

Christians in didlogue should be ready to offer their faith, togive an account of the hope that is within them G ft 3:1, inanswer to their dialogue paftners' expectations that werecreated by the dialogue. Dialogue is always in view of procla-mation and sharing of oneb faith and hope in Christ. Therecan be no true euangelZatbn without the proclamation ofJesus Christ and of his saving Death and Resurrection. Onecannot share what he/she does not have, To fruitfully engagein this dialogue, Christians should deepen their faith in Christand in His Paschal Mystery, purify their attitudes, clarify theirlanguage and render their worship more and more authentic.

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All stages of such dialogue and proclamation must be moti-vated by love. Christians have to proclaim and share their faithin Christ because of this love and not merely out of obedienceto the Lord's mandate. On the other hand, the followers ofother religions can be expected to want to share the riches oftheir faith as well. The same spirit of Christian charity is neces-sary to open oneself to be enriched by the sharing of the other.Concerning this, the Bishops of Asia have a timely and impor-tant clarification: "Dialogue does not call for giving up onebcommitment, bracketing it or entering into easy compromises.On the contrary, for a deeper and fruitful dialogue, it is evennecessary that each paftner be firmly committed to his or herfaith," All dialogue implies reciprocil and aims at banishingfear and aggressiveness, (IEC Basic Tert, IV THE CHURCH',S MISSION INASIA. MISSION-IN-DIALOGUE; C. On Proclamation and Dialogue)

WORSHIP : The Eucharist is the source andgoal of dialogue.This Dialogue of life and love takes on a liturgical form in theEucharist.

In the life of the Church, the Eucharist stands as both thesource and goal of this dialogue. By our participation in theEucharistic celebration we enter into a communion of life withthe Triune God because we are insefted into the dialogue of lifeand saluation that began in history and now perpetuated inliturgical mystery in the power of the Holy Sphit, The variouselements of the celebration engage our body, our sensesl ourconscrbusness, and our affectivil in that dialogue whichunfolds enabling us to share in the rhythm of Christb lifeoffered for our salvation. By gathering and forming an assem-bly of worship we respond to the Father's summons to be Hiscovenanted People. By listening to and assimilating the Wordproclaimed we engage in a dialogue whereby the Father heals,forms and enriches us with His life and lovg especially with thehelp of a homily which, on account of its Eucharistic context,surpasses all forms of catechesis because it leads up to sacra-mental communion. (IEC Basic Tert, IV. THE CHURCH',S MISSION INASIA. MISSION-IN-DIALOGUE; D. The Eucharist source and goal of dialogue)

FAITH RESPONSE :

For adult pafticipants

1. As a member of the Church, how may one participate inthe Church's effort of evangelimtion by witness and dia-logue ?

2. What obstacles does one perceive in carrying out thetriple dialogues:

. on the cultures of our peoples?

. on their religions?

. on life-situations of poverty and poweilessness, ofsuffering a nd victim hood?

3. How may one help overcome these obstacles?

For vouth pafticipants

1. Do you believe that God truly speaks to you in everyEucharistic Celebration? When did you last experiencedthis? If you were unable to experience this, what mayyou do to be able to perceive God speaking to you inthe Eucharistic Celebration ?

2. How may you live up and share the Word of God in dailylife in your family and among your friends?

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Toptc # sTHE EUCHARI'T IN

THE CHURCHTf'u$'''LOGUE'-wlTH""-**'*

t$&r$'

RE'

.,'NlN

i

t37

OBJECTIVES :

At the end of this module the pafticipants would :

. anderstand that the universality of salvation means thatit is granted not only to those who explicitly believe inChrist and have entered the Church and that salvation inChrist is offered to all;

. identify ways by which they can engage in inter-religiousdialogue and be involved; and

. be challenged to participate actively in the EucharisticCelebration.

CONTEXT :

. Close to its being multi-cultural, Asia is also home to awide aray of religions and religious cultures. Asia isbirthplace and host to the world's maior religions-Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, as well as ofmany other spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Tao-ism, Confusianism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Sickhism andShintoism. There are also other traditbnal or tribal tradi'tions which are practiced with varying degrees of struc-tured ritual and formal religious teaching. The mission ofthe Church in Asia should be undeftaken in dialogue withreligions and religious cultures.

. In the Philippines there are places where Muslims andChristians live on the same streets; use the same shops,buses and schools. Normal life means that we come intodaily contact with each other. Dialoguq thereforq is notsomething that takes place on an official or academiclevel only--it is paft of daily life in which different culturaland religious groaps interact with each other diredly, andwhere tension between them are the most tangible. Isdialogue/communication with other religions are possi-ble? Can we dialogue? Why should we dialogue? Howshould we dialogue?

WHAT DOES DIALOGUE AIM TO ACHIEVE?Dialogue seeks to:

o Increase mutual understanding and good relations.. Identify causes of tension in Christian Muslim relations.

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These are often economig social or political rather than reli-gious.. Build understanding and confidence to overcome or pre-

vent tensions.. Break down the bariers and stereotypes which lead to

distrust, suspicion and bigotry.. Interfaith Dialogue s not:

. about talking away or brushing aside differencesnor does it aim at coming to a common belief;

. a way of converting the other for in dialogue,each party remains true to their faith; nor is it

. a space for arguing, attacking or disproving thebeliefs of the other when in fact, it s aboutincreasing mutual understanding and trust.

WHY ARE DIALOGUE AND COOPERANON BETWEEN MUSLIMSA ND CH RISTIA N S IM PORT4 NT?

Below are two guotations that highlight the urgency and needfor Muslims and Christians to cooperate. The first is taken froman address made by Pope Benedict WI to Ambassadors fromMuslim countries in 2006 when he said:

"fnter-religious and inter-cultural dialoguebetween Christians and Muslims cannot bereduced to an optional extra. ft is, in fact, avital necessiff, on which in large measure ourfuture depends,"

The second quotatbn is from a letter signed by 137 MuslimScholars and Leaders from across the Muslim world and sent toChristian leaders in 2007. It says:

"Muslims and Christians together make up overhalf the world's population, Without peace andjustice between these two religious communi-ties, there can be no meaningful peace in theworld, The future of the world depends on peacebetween Muslims and Christians,"

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(At this point,click for information about a Cois Tine interfaithe ve n t a n d ; see a lso h ttp ://a ss e m b I y. u ca. o rg. a u/ ro f/ re I ig io u s -gatherings)

The Gospels and especrblly the Parable of the Good Samaritanteach that the call to love of neighbor does not just meanloving the person next door or a member of one's own particu-lar group or community. Reflecting on this Gospel messageregarding Church teaching on interreligious dialogue is verypositive.

WORD OF GOD : Matthew 28:19"Make disciples of all nations" .

[Whence the duty that lies on the Church of spreading the faithand the salvation of Christ, not only in virtue of the expresscommand which was inherited from the Apostles by the orderof bishops, assisted by the priesB, together with the successorof Peter and supreme shepherd of the Church, but also in vir-tue of that life which flows from Christ into Hr's members;"From Him the whole body, being closely joined and knit to-gether through every joint of the system, according to thefunctioning in due measure of each single paft, derives its in-crease to the building up of itself in love" (Eph. 4:16). The mis-sion of the Church, therefore, is fulfilled by that activity whichmakes her, obeying the command of Christ and influenced bythe grace and love of the Holy Spirit, fully present to all men ornations, in order that, by the example of her life and by herpreaching, by the sacraments and other means of gracg shemay lead them to the faith, the freedom and the peace ofChrist; that thus there may lie open before them a firm andfree road to full participation in the mystery of Christ.(Ad Gentes chapterl, paragraph 5)J

With the Church throughout the worlQ the Church in Asia willcross the threshold of the Third Christian Millennium maruelingat all that God has worked from those beginnings until now,and strong in the knowledge that 'just as in the first millen-nium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in thesecond on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that inthe Third Christian Millennium a great haruest of faith will bereaped in ths uast and vital continent". ( Ecctesia in Asia no.l)

DOCTRINE : Salvation in Christ is offered toall.The universality of salvation means that it is granted not onlyto those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered theChurch. Since saluation is offered to all, it must be made con-cretely available to all. laedenptoris Missio, no. 10)

A respectful and loving dialogue with other religious cultures isalways in vbw of proclaiming Christ in the spint of sharingone's greatest treasure. In the concrete multi-religious contextof Asia, this should be the ideal form of evangelization whergin humility and mutual support, we seek to share with our non-Christnn brothers and sisters that fullness of Christ which r'sGod's plan for the whole of creation, in its entirety and in itsgreat and wonderful diversity. The common quest for God andfor the fraternal bond shared by all humans will always be asoarce of hope that one day the whole human family may begathered as one under the fatherhood of the one God. (Ec BasicTert, W, MISSION IN DIALOGUE WITH RELIGIONS AND RELIGIOUS TRADI-TIONS; C. UNITYAND CHRISTTAN HOPE)

MORAL : From the Christian point of view, in-terreligious dialogue is more than a way offostering mutual knowledge and enrichmen$it is a paft of the Church's evangelizing mis-sion, an expression of the mission adgentes. Christians bring to interreligious dia-logue the firm belief that the fullness of salva-tion comes from Christ alone and that theChurch community to which they belong isthe Ordinary means Of salvatiOft qcctesia in Asia,no.31).

The evangelizing mission will have to consist, first of all, of wit-ness given to the Fatherb love in a simple and direct way. Thismeans that, by living like ChrisA Christt'ans and Christian com-munities are called to draw their non-Christian brothers andsisters to faith in the one God revealed by Christ.

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Most of the time, this may be in the form of presence and soli-darity with people to make them feel cared for and wanted intheir poverty and misery. It may be to respond to peoplebneeds as Christ would do in the gospel, making them feel wel-come and more important than institutions and structures,"Perhaps this attestation of God will be for many people theunknown God whom they adore without giving him a name, orwhom they seek by a secret call of the heart when they expe-rience the emptiness of all idols. But it is fully evangelizing inmanifesting the fact that for man the Creator is not an anony-mous and remote power; He is the Father and we are oneanother's brothers and sisters in God" lPope Paul vI, Evangelii Nun-tiandi, no. 26). In the midst of so much diversity and, manytimes, of conflicts of various kinds, the Church, by her own life,is called to witness to God's call to life-giving unity and har-mony and be a vrsible sign and instrument of such unity.Equipped with their Christian faith and commitment, the layfaithful have a distinctive role to play in this dialogue onaccount of their presence and action in the world-family, poli-tics, education, culturq social environment. In the manner ofleaven, they are enjoined to direct the course of human affairsand history to the eschatological fullness that every man andwoman of goodwill hopes for. qrc Basic Text vL MISSI)N IN DIA-LOGUE WITH RELIGIONS AND RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS; B, THE PRTMACY OFWTTNESSTNG )Filipino Gtholics should acknowledge and encourage sphitualand moral truths found among non-Christt'ans, also their sociallife and culture. (Nostra Aetate 2., cFC 75)

DIFFERENT KINDS OF DIALOGUE, (At this point, ctick here forinformation about a Cois Tine inteffaith event and for an Australian website.See also http ://assembly. uca. org. a u/rof/religious-gatherings)

Dnlogue is a means of building the openness, understandingand trust needed for Christians and Muslims to live and coope-rate with each other despite their differences. It can take placein different ways and at different /eve/s.

These are briefly described here:

THE DIALOGUE OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE: Thisinvolves interfaith prayer and also occasions when spiritualityand religious texts are studied by members of both faiths. Thiskind of dialogue also requires a level of expeftise. Great careneeds to be taken when preparing a Muslim-Christian prayerseruice or for any interfaith event. It is impoftant that there isa real reason or need for the shared prayer: for examplq whensomething significant happens in local communities calling forpeople to come together in prayer.

It is difficult to find forms of joint prayer that respect the sensi-bilities of both Muslims and Christians. One Prayer that isacceptable and often used is the Prayer of St Francis. Inter-faith Prayer events often take the form of each pafticipantlistening respectfully to the prayer of the other. Silent reflectionis also a powerful symbol.

When preparing an interfaith prayer event the guiding principleshould be that of respecting the beliefs of the other. All prepa-ration should be done jointly with texB, words, symbols,actbns and music discussed and agreed. Having a practice "dryrun" of the planned event is a good idea as it will give all thoseorganizing the event a clear idea of what will happen, thusavoiding unforeseen and avoidable causes of offense or embar-rassment. Once a format and Order of Seruice has beenagreeQ stay by it.

[Examptes of Inteffaith Prayer Seruices and guidelines forpreparing them can be found on the internet. Click for infor-mation about a Cois Tine inteffaith event and for an Austra-lian website. See also http://assembly.uca.org.au/rof/religious-gatherings J

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THE DIALOGUE OF COMMON ACTION: Christians andMuslims can work together to promote and preserue peace/liberty, social justice and moral values. Both faith placestrong emphasis on justice and peace and on respect for hu-man dignity. Both religions see human beings as stewards ofGod's creation entrusted with the care of the earth. There is acommon concern for humanitarr'an values, the environment andfor the proper use of the world's resources. There should be,collaborate in addressing social concerns based on commonreligious motives and values. At the local level, both shouldwork together to build better communities, and provide volun-tary seruices and facilities. Issues of social concern such ashousing, drug abusg street violencg unemployment, refugeesand educatbn are areas where Muslims and Christians cancooperate.

THE DIALOGUE OF LIFE: This is where people strive to livein an open and neighborly spirit, the ordinary everyday busi-ness of geffrng on with each other, of being good neighborsand living in peace and harmony. This can be hard enough fora people of a common background but, where religious andcultural differences exist, more effort is needed. Notg theword "strive" is used above. There will be a need to make aneffort to reach out, to understand, to break down own prelu-dices and to overcome barriers, stereotypes and suspicions.This rs not be easy and it requires perseverance. There is needto be patbnt, to be willing to listen and to accept that differentpeople have different a world-views. To live in peace as faithrequires demands effort.

We can all engage in the Dialogue of Life and the Dialogue ofCommon Action. These require no special expertise, but theydo require openness to interact with the other in a spirit of re-spect and cooperation. These kinds of dialogue are importantbecause they have a direct bearing on lives and on how Mus-lims and Christians live together in multi-cultural and multi-relig io us com m u n ities.

The Dialogue of Life and of Common Action can take place inboth formal and informal seffings. Informally, this is throughinvolvement in residents' associations,

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parent-teacher meetings,youth groups and sports clubs as cathappen between indivrduals, neighbors, friends and people atwork. All of these are occasions where mutual understandlngand appreciation of the other can grow. Faith may not even ttcdiscussed in these situations, but it r's therq nevertheless,through action, respect and mutual support. Individuaily tn,volvement in the Dialogue of Life is very much about attitudctowards and disposition in engaging with each other.

WORSHIP: The Eucharist brings Catholics to.gether, united by their Baptism, their commonfaith in Jesus Christ, their Savior, and by thelrhope of deepening their union with Christ andwith one another. The whole Eucharist is adialogue between God and his faithf ul, 1 crc rot 1The Eucharist has'the purpose of building up "those who arcwithin into a holy temple of the Lord, into a dwetting ptace fotGod in the Sphit, to the mature measare of the fullness olChrist" (sc 2). In the concrete missrbn of the Church in mul$religious Asia, on the other hand, the Eucharist maruelouslystrengthens the Christians'resolve and power "to preach Christ,and thus shows forth the Church to those who are ouBrde as asign lifted up among the nations under which the scattercochildren of God may be gathered together, until there is onesheepfold and one shepherd" 1sc 21. (rEC Basic Text, vI. MIssIOltIN DIALOGUE WITH RELIGIONS AND RELIGIOUS TRADITI1NS; D, THEEUCHARTST IN THE CHURCH'S DIALOGUE WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS ANL.TURES)

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FAITH RESPONSE :1. Think of the people with whom you engage in a dia-

logue of life and the ways you do it. What is the effectof such drblogue on them and on you?What are the concrete ways by whrth you dialoguewith people of other religious cultures?What have you gained from such dialogue?What did you find particularly difficult in this drblogue?How do you think may this difficulty be surmounted?DRAWA SYMBOL OF INTER- RELIGIOUS DIALOGUEand briefly explain it. Be Creative!Do you experience your active participation in theEucharistic celebration as a life-giving dialogue withGod and with others? Why?

2.

3.4.

5.

6.

Toprc #oTHE EUCHARTIT IN

THE CHURCH'

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OBJECTIVES :

At the end of thr's module the partbipants would :

. understand how the Eucharist empowers the Church tobe with the poor and how it helps the Church becomethe Church of the poor;

. show care and compassion for the poor through socialaction;

. renew commitment to serue the poor through contem-platbn on the Lord's Prayer and through frequentreceptrbn of Holy Communion; and

. embrace a life of srmplicity and detachment as anexpression of solidarity with the poor.

For vouth pafticipants. understand that Jesus in the Eucharist is the bread

from heaven for the poor;. be challenged to share what they have to help allevbte

and answer the needs of those they consider as poor;and

. apprectefu the Eucharist thru which we are into the lifeof the Trinity Who is the God of lovg of self giving andof communion.

CONTEXT :

Povefi is a malady that stares us in the face. In an articlewritten by Butch Hernandez in the Philippine Daily Inquirer,he described the very big gap that exists between the richand the poor in the Philippines, saying that this gap is in a"30-year high with income among the top 10 percent ninetimes higher than that of the bottom 10 percent" (pDI,June 14, 2014). ADB estimates that there are 1,7 billionpoor people in Asia and the Pacific who live on less that 92a day (http://www.adb.oro/features/12-thinqs-know-2O12-povefty- red uction-asia -a nd -pacific).

Isn't it scandalous that as we express our. solidarity andcommunion in the Eucharist, we turn a deaf ear to the cryof countless Filipinos who live in abject povefi? Christ,present in the Eucharist calls us to be like Him Who livedwith and showed compassion for the poor. Christ stares usin the face through poor people and calls us to hear theircry.

The devotion to the Nazareno, the image of the sufferingJesus is very popular among numberless Filipinos who areexperiencing dire povefi and hardships. This devotiongives them consolation in that Jesus is one with them intheir suffering. GFC # 467 )

For vouth oafticioants

Look into the following:

1. Poverty in the Philippines is presented by the philippineStatistics Authority National Statistical CoordinationBoard. (See Website http://www.nscb.qov.ph for data )on:

. Poverty among Filipino Families

. Income Gap

. PoverV Statistics based on the ApIS (AnnualPovefi Indicators Survey)

2. Recent Calamities in the Philippines. Typhoon Yolanda as experienced in Leyte, Cebu

and Samar. Zamboanga Siege. Eafthquake in Bohol. Typhoon Pablo in Compostela Valley. Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila

3. Politics in the Philippines: Vote- Buying, Graft and Cor-ruption, Political Dynasties, etc.

The above show how poor people suffer from both naturaland human- made calamities...

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"Christ Jesus in the Eucharist fills the most real, thedeepest hungers of the peoples of Asia." He is the breadfrom heaven for the poor.

WORD OF GOD : Matthew 25:40"Amen, I say to you, whatever yoa did for one of these leastbrothers of mine, you did for me."

The primary reason why the Church has to take on thispreferential option for the poor is the very example ofChrist who became poor and "who identified himself withthem in a special way" 1cf. Mt. 25:40): 'Amen, I say to you,whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mingyou did for me." It is called a preferential love not toexclude anyone but to express that the poor, the deprived,and the exploited.have a prbrity claim to the Churchbattention, seruices and resources. The Sacred Scriptures,both the Old and the New Testaments, are replete withattestations to the fact that the poor have always occupieda privileged place in God's heaft, not the leasl in the lifeand mission of Christ of which the Gospels are eloquenttestimonies. (EC Basic Text, vil. MIssroN rN DIAL)GUE WITH THEPOOR; A. PREFERENTIAL OPllON FOR THE POOR)

Luke4:18- 19"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me becauseHe has anointed me to bring good tidings tothe captives and poor."

Jesus teaches in the synagogae the words of Isar'ah, thatHe is here to "preach the gospel to the poor;" He is sent"to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim libefi to the cap-tives and recovery of sight to the blind," and "to set atliberty those who are oppressed." In the historical ads ofwar in the grand scale of the world powers that result fromenvy - from wanting what others have - we may easily findthe results in the "poor, the broken hearted, the captives,the blind, those who are oppressed." fn actrbns we take inour personal lives out of envy, we toq may create harmeven in the most intimate of family settings - causingothers to be poor, or broken heafteQ to leave them captivein some sense/ blind and oppressed.

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Let us consider, then, envy, and how it works to projectonto others the limitations we would have for them. Thegift of Christ is that of life, more abundantly. Let usreceive the good news of this gospel with the generositycharacteristic of its mercy and grace - and gifts in abun-dance, It is only in this spirit that those gifts will be atwork in our own midst.

DOCTRINE :The Church in Asia must increasingly be "a Church of the poor"with all its implications and conseqaences:

First, those who have been placed as shepherds ofGod's flock in Asia must lead a life of simplicity bywhich the poor can perceive that their pastors share intheir povefi. By thrs simplicity of lifq too, which is a lumi-nous sign of the Gospel in action, the poor will feel the genuine.and heaftfelt closeness of their shepherds and will feel morefree to run to them for help and guidance.

Second, the Church should engage in active interven-tions for the liberation and promotion of the situationof the poor. It means being in the seruice of human devetop-ment and of life itself-engaging in the impoftant work ofhealthcarq education and peacemaking. Thr's is a call that con-cerns everybody, not reserued to a few: "You yourselves givethem something to eat!" (Mk 6:37). It also means promoting adr'sposition of solidanty among all-that "new mindset whichthinks in terms of community and the pnbrity of the life of attover the appropn'ation of goods by a few... which r's the sponta-neous reaction by those who recognhe that the socrbl functionof property and the universal destination of goods are realitieswhich come before private property."

Third, the Church has to take a prophetic stance againstthe negative consequences of economic and culturalglobalization, the ongoing impact of foreign debt espe-cially upon the livelihood of the poor, and the environ-mental damage brought about by scientific, economicand technological progress.

This program "for progress" often creates massive harm to hu-man beings and families, especially the poor. There are manyhuman, cultural and ethical/moral issues involved, which theChurch and Christrbns must give attention to. Concerning one-self with these pressing matters is paft of "mission" in our time.(IEC Basic TeXt, WI. MISSION IN DIALOGUE WITH THE POOR; B. IMPLIA-TTONS AND CONSEQUENCES)

MORAL : The Church is challenged to "a con-tinual endeavor to become more and more theChurch of the'anawimr'a Church (which) doesnot merely work for the poor in the manner ofa beneficent institution, but labors truly withthe poor, sharing their life and their aspira-tions, knowing their despair and their hope,walking with them in their search for authen-tic humanity in Christ Jesus."The first step that the Church had to take in working for andwalking with the poor of Asrb was to identifr who and wherethese poor are and what kind of poverty they were sufferingfrom. They are the homeless families who abound in citystreets or build temporary shelters in slums. They are refugeesfleeing their war-torn countries or oppressive regimes in theirnative lanQ or immigrants and overseas workers whq insearch of better livelihood opportunities for their families, oftenfind themselves friendless, culturally estrangeQ linguisticallydisadvantaged, and economically vulnerable. They are the in-digenous and tribal peoples who are often discriminatedagainst on account of their culturg color, race, caste, economicstatus, or because of their way of thinking. They are thewomen who are victims of domestic violence or are beingtraded like commodities in prostitution, tourism and entertain-ment industries. They are the children who have never experi-enced peace right in their homeland and who fall victim to vari-ous forms of intolerable exploitation and violencq like pedo-philia and child labor. But they are also those who are keptfrom realizing their full potentials and talents because of limitedopportunities for education and gainful occupation in theircountries, or none at all.

The Church has to work not only for them in the manner ofdole-out and relief goods after the onslaught of a typhoon oran earthquakq but also with them, involving them in the taskof transforming those structures that perpetuate their povertyand deprivation. It also involves genuine commitment and ef-fort to bring about social justice in our societies-actions thatare fed with prayer and discernment so that such actions willalways be genuinely motivated by God's will to liberate Hispeople with no intrusion by any God-less ideology. (rEC BasicText Vil. MISSION IN DIALOGUE WITH THE qOOR; C. THE RESqONSEALLED FOR: WORK FOR THEM, WALK WITH THEM)

"To meet the living God we must tenderly ktlss the wounds ofJesus, in our hungry people, in the siclg in imprisoned brothersand ssters. Study, meditation and moftification are notenough to have us encounter the living Christ. The concreteway of exercising the dialogue with the poor and the power-less, the siclg the broken, qnd the wounded-this is the sureway for true evangelization in our time. L Pope Francis

WORSHIP : We encounter Jesus in the Eucha-rist as the "Bread of life" en 6:35).He is "Bread of Life" by being both the "Word that comes fromthe mouth of God" (d. Deut. B:3) and the "living bread thatcame down from heaven" (Jn 6:51), the "bread for thepoor" received in the proclamation of the ScripturalWord and in Holy Communion. He is the "daily bread.we pray for in the 'Our Father', fn Holy Communion,Jesus gives Himself as our bread to feed us. And sq wein turn should go to our brothers and sisters who are hungry,and become bread to feed them in compassion and love, in theworks of mercy, in giving life and giving it abundantly. Thecelebration of the Eucharist indeed abounds with such indica-tions of how the Eucharist expresses Christ's and the Church'spreferential option for the poor as she realizes her mission inAsia. 6tC easic Tefi VII. MISSTON IN DIALOGUE WrTH THE 1OOR; D. THEEUCHARISTS DIALOGUE WITH THE POOR)

In the Lord's Prayer we ask the Father to give us our dailybread. The Father gives us Jesus, the Bread of Life, our daityBread in our journey to the Kingdom yet to come.

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So we dare to approach the Communion Tablq but only afterconfessing that we are not wotthy to receive Jesus. We rely onHis invitation, on His word of mercy and compassion to gainthe strength and courage to approach Him. His welcoming loveincreases our desire to be one with Him by eating His flesh anddrinking His blood. No loftbr desire exists in our hearts thanthat of welcoming the life of Jesus Christ to be our life. Welove Him in return and love our neighbors wrth His love in ourhearts. (FABC IX, Living the Eucharist in Asia 2009 documents; E. The Riteof Communion, No. 2 Super abundant love

- receiving communion)

FAITH RESPONSE :

For adult oafticipants1. How can the Church be concretely a Church of

the poor'?How may one help one's parish become moreinclusivg more accepting and more sensitivetowards its poor members?How may one manifest a lifestyle marked by :

o simpliciU?o detachment?. genuine malasakit towards the poor?

For vouth oarticioants1. How can the Holy Eucharist which is bread from

heaven become "bread for the poor"?2. As a young person/ how can you best express yoar

preferentr'al love for the poor?3. What are the challenges posed on yoa by thislesson on the Holy Eucharist and dialogue with thepoor ?

Toplc# 7- THEEUCHARI'T IN THE

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(Note: This Topic is intended for adult participants only- ages 39 and above)

OBJECTIVES :

At the end of thr's module the pafticipants would:

. understand that in the Eucharist, the Church can bestengage the youth in a dialogue of love,'

. recognrZe and appreciate the dynamism and newness thatyoung people bring to the Church;

c witness to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist through awelcoming and affirming attitude towards young people inthe parish;

o praf for young peoplq and journey with them in theirquest for maturity in faith and intimacy with Christ; and

. engage young paple in a dialogue that will inspire andmove them to harness their gifrs for the good of their com-munity.

CONTEXT :

Tte Ctuncn's FUTURE AND HER ToDAyFor the Church, young people are not only the future of theworld but they are her present precious treasures. The Churchrecognizes that she has to deal with young people not onlybecause they are the adults of tomorrow but more importantlybecause of the reality of today. The Church takes upon herselfthe responsibility of preparing and forming the young for theirfuture roles as holders of the reins of leadership in variousareas. With their youthful energies, enthusiasm and resource-fulness, they are the dynamic agents of change and, therefore,a valuable source of hope in society and in the Church.

But they are also most vulnerable to many destructive forces insociety and often fall victims to structures of exploitation.More than ever before, the realities that impinge themselvesupon them today are both many and varied. Globalization,political changes and media explosion radically affect the livesof youth in every paft of Asia.

Whatever, their backgrounds-urban or rural, poor or rich, edu-cated or uneducated, employed or unemployed, organized orunorganized- all are tossed about by the waves of contempo-rary culture. They are, however, also the Church's today,

They should be among the present pastoral priorities of theChurch. But the Church can already engage them in creativeand productive ministry to others, especially among their fellowYOUth. (IEC Basic Text, VIII. MISSION IN DIALOGUE WITH THE YOUTH; A.THE CHURCH'S FUTURE AND HER TODAY)

The Church's mission today includes directing young peopletoward the Eucharist for sustenance in the face of the manyuncertainties and questions in their lives.

WORD OF GOD : Mark 10:17-31And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said tohim, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that youhave and give to the poor, and you willhave treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

(This man has been captivated by the personality of Jesus, andJesus, as always, directs him to the Father. This man alsowanted to know how to receive eternal life and Jesus clearlystate at the end, that even if he obey the commandments, wedo not "merit" eternal life: salvatbn is always a gift of God.)

DOCTRINE : The Eucharist is a Dialogue ofLove.It is in the Eucharistic gathering that the Church can bestengage the youth in a dialogue in which She proclaims to themthe Gospel of Christ from which they get the unique and satis-fying response to their most deep-seated aspirations. Fromtheir Eucharistic encounter with Christ in word and sacramentare offered enlightenment and guidance in their quest formeaning and purpose in life. In the Eucharist, Jesus looksupon the youth with that special love that He showed upon theyoang man in the Gospel and invites them to follow Him (cr. Mkt0:2i) in his loving relationship with the Father and in his savingmission to humanity and to the world . OEC Basic Text, wII. MIS-SION IN DIALOGUE WITH THE YOUTH; E, THE EUCHARISTIN THE CHURCHSDIALOGUE WITH THE YOUTH)

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MORAL : The Eucharist is the primary schoolof Christian values.

By engaging them in active pafticipation in the Eucharist-in attentive listening, in generous and appropriate bodityexpressions, in the observance of silence at the appropriatemoments, or in undeftaking specific ministn?s in the celebra_tion-the youth can best be formed both for their future andpresent roles in the Church and in the society. In the Eucha-ristic dialogug the Church has so much to tatk about with theyouth and the youth with their energr?s and enthusr?sm,have so much to share with the Church. Around the tableboth of God's Word and of Christ' Body, the Church offersinstruction and nourishment by which young peopte can beprepared to be the "good soil" where the seed of God,s Wordcan spring up, take root, grow and bear abundant fruit. TheEucharist r's the perfect school for the young where they canlearn the values of presence that buitds relationshrps andcommunities, of a sense of gratitude and responsibility forGod's creation, and of serwce and sacrifice that gives life,healing, and wholeness to others. (IEC Basic Text, VII\ MISSTON INDIALOGUE WITH THE YOUTH; E. THE EUCHARISTIN THE CHURCH,S DIA-LOGUE WITH THE YOUTH)

WORSHIP : The Eucharist is "the most pedectand intimate form of communication betweenGod and young people."

Considering the young people's attraction to uarious means ofsocial communicatrbn and their adeptness in their use of thesame, the Church will do well to present the Eucharist to themas the highest embodiment and ideat of communication wherefriendships are estabhshed and nurtured, where hopes,dreams, joys, and anxietbs are shared and where noble causesand advocacies are worked out together. In the school of theEucharist, young people will learn that communicatrbn is morethan the exchange of ideas and of emotion but, at its most pro-found level, the giving of self in love. The Church should neverget tired of telling the young that Chnst instituted the Eucha-rist as "the most perfect and intimate form of communi-cation between God and man', which teads to',the deepestpossible unity among men and women".

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The Eucharist is where the deepest and transforming com-munication takes place-in response to the prayer of invo-cation, the Father through His 9on sends the Holy Spirit sothat the b