eucharist_Pax Romana_2009_1 by Pax Romana

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY

BEYOND ALL BORDERS

"Paschal heart of the Eucharist can Become an Asian dialogical pathway : it can foster deeper solidarity both within and beyond the Church." - from the Declaration of the 'Eucharist and Community - Beyond all Barriers' Forum, a Theological Forum in preparation for FABC 2009 Pax Romana-ICIMIA was founded in Rome in April 1947 as an international association of Catholic professionals and intellectuals. It is a member of the Conference of International Catholic Organizations(ICOs) recognized by the Holy See and the Conference of Non-governmental Organizations in consultative relationship with the United Nations. The International Secretariat is presently located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Date

Contact Information

17 - 21 May 2009

Tel. (41-22)823-0707 Fax (41-22)823-0708 Email budi@paxromana.int.ch Homepage http://www.paxromanafrica.org

Venue

Saint Benedict's Retreat Center Seoul Korea Organizers

Pax Romana - ICMICA Woori Theology Institute (WTI)

Woori Theology Institute Woori Theology Institute ( WTI) is a Catholic Theologian’s organization which was established in 1994. Based in Seoul, Korea, WTI promotes Inter-religious Dialogue and Human Development with lay’ people’s perspective and organizes various symposiums and workshops both on the national and international level. Contact Information

Tel. (82-2)2672-8342~4 Fax (82-2)2672-8346 Email wti@hanmail.net Homepage http://www.wti.or.kr

Sponsors

CCFD - Terre solidaire, France Theme

Eucharist and Community - Beyond all Barriers

값 30,000원

Date of Publication

Publisher : Pax Romana-ICIMIA, WTI Editor : Paul Hwang Design and Layout : Park Dae-sung Copyright@2009 Woori Theology Institute

CONTENTS

FOREWARD 4

Lawrencia Kwark INTRODUCTION 8

Paul Hwang EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS 12

From Anthropological, Theological, Intercultural and Interreligious perspective Fr. Michael Amaladoss, S.J.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN ASIA IN THE LIGHT OF THE EUCHARIST 40

Fr. William LaRousse EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS 64

The Eucharist in light of Poverty Bishop Johannes Pujasumarta

EUCHARIST AND EVANGELIZATION 82

An “Asian” Reflection

Fr. James H. Kroeger, M.M. THE EUCHARIST IN THE THRESHOLD TRANSITION 102

The Indonesian Case

Fr. Baskara T. Wardaya SJ THE PRESENT CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA AND THE COMMUNION IN THE EUCHARIST 116

Fr. John Freeman Jr.

THE EUCHARIST IN THE LIGHT OF THE COMMON PRIESTHOOD AND LAY EMPOWERMENT 152

Case Study From India Fr. Francis Gonsalves

CASTE CULTURE VS. EUCHARISTIC CULTURE 194

The Challenges for the Indian Church from Dalit Perspectives Fr. A. Maria Arul Raja, SJ

LIVING THE EUCHARIST AMIDST ARMED CONFLICT 214

Reflections from Sri Lanka Mr. Rukshan Fernando

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EUCHARIST TO MIGRANT WORKERS 232

Fr. Desmond de Sousa CSsR THE EUCHARIST AND THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS 250

Fr. Prisco A. Cajes, OFM, ThD EUCHARIST AS OPENNESS TO OTHERS 272

An Experience of Interreligious Dialogue in the Vietnamese Context Fr. Francis Xavier Bao Loc

THE MEANING OF EUCHARIST IN THE ASIAN CONTEXT 282

A Gender Equality-Gender Justice Perspective Sr. Theresa Yih-Lan Tsou, SSS

EUCHARIST AND ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA 308

Bishop D.K.Sahu DECLARATION of the “Eucharist and Community: Beyond all Borders” Forum — a Theolegical Forum in preperation for FABC 2009 330 ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS 335

FOREWARD

“Eucharist and Community - Beyond All Barriers” The idea of having a special theological forum in preparation for the forthcoming FABC Plenary Assembly of 2009 was in fact born on the way of our journey to Nairobi, Kenya where ICMICA Pax Romana was going to celebrate its 30th Plenary Assembly on Global Justice, Global Governance, and Africa as a case study in July 2008. As often we say and hear that the Eucharist is to be the fount, the centre and the summit of the Christian life , we ve been asking and wondering how much this is true in our Christian life and to our church in Asia? Yes, many of our fellow Christian would say that it is true as they attend mass every Sunday or even every day before they start their day. But sometimes this fidelity to our Lord and Church tradition fall in routine cycle of our life as Christians, whom do not feel challenged by Eucharist, to look at our faith and community as a church, people of God and our society that is This is actually said of the Liturgy by the Second Vatican Council, but later the Eucharist is identified as the key element of the Liturgy. See the Decree on Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council.

served by our Church, as we witness so much of injustices, divisions and barriers that divide our community not even mention of the Humanity . So what is the meaning of that mystery of our faith we celebrate and live in today s Asian realities if we really want to confess Eucharist is the fount, the centre and the summit of the Christian life? What does it mean to us today to live in Asia? What does it imply for us to do? Do we really accept Eucharist as the communion of our faith and life? That was the beginning of our pilgrimage that brought more than 80 participants, lay people, religious and clergies together with prominent theologians from 11 countries of Asia and other parts of World who gathered at the St. Benedict Retreat Center in Seoul, Korea from 18 to 20 of May, 2009. It was itself an experience of Eucharist as we gathered to celebrate our faith as Church, people of God to look and to reflect at the life, death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ at the center of our faith. It was also a spiritual journey guided by the theological reflection that helped us to discern the diverse social, cultural, political and religious realities of Asia today, as you could see in this publication. Many contributors in the Forum helped to evaluate and to direct those realities as Pascal mystery of life in Asia that calls for a process of discernment, guided by the light of Pascal mystery of Christ to live and to celebrate Eucharist as a sign of reconciliation and the unity that is urgently needed in all those diverse manifestations of Life in Asia. But it was also an experience of Evangelization of ourselves, as we revisit our faith, our Christian identity and more specifically our mission as Christians and as Church in Asia today as this Dialogue set the Eucharist in this particular context of Asia in a particular time of History, but at the centre of its mission.

As Fr Michael Amaladoss reminded us at the beginning of our Dialogue during this Theological Forum, the Christians are called and sent to be the symbols and servants of the Reign of God that will transcend all borders and gather all creation together in Christ. This is the goal of the Christian life. How do we live and celebrate this in the Eucharist? How can the Eucharist today animate the Christians in Asia to be faithful to their mission? Yes, it was indeed this question that brought us all to Seoul to get engaged in this dialogue, Dialogue of Contextual theology, Dialogue as means of re-evangelization of our faith community to be more faithful to our missions, so that we can work together to achieve our goal and to find meaning in our lives as Christians living today in amidst of so painful, contradicting and confusing realities of Asia, that we have named as Pascal realities of Asia . Of course, we do not have any pre-made remedies to heal those wounds but just our readiness to set our reflections and ourselves in the context of the Reign of God, to listen the voice of God telling us what is God s plan for us and for our world. And that was a wonderful journey we made together to listen to each other on what we hear from God as God s plan for us and for our world, and especially for our Church. So this is the publication that put together some of major deliberations of our individual and collective search as a faith community during this Seoul Theological Forum on Eucharist and Community, Beyond All Borders . It is our humble and sincere hope that this publication could serve a source of continuous dialogue that we wish to get engage with Asian Bishops and all faithfuls of our Church, and also with our fellow believers of other faith traditions of Asia to celebrate and to live the true meaning of Eucharist in our daily life in Asia so our community could be a symbol

of the Pascal mystery of Jesus Christ that bear witness to the Pascal realities of lives in Asia. We wish that this publication could stimulate our dialogue with all those who want to live Eucharist as source of continuous commitment and renewed energy to carry mission of the Church to serve People in Asia, so all our faith communities became the symbol and servant of the Reign of God. And with our much greater expectation to the FABC meeting in its 9th Plenary Assembly in Manila, Philippines in August 2009 that could come up with more innovative and richer Eucharistic Expressions that our time requires, we offer this publication as our journal of pilgrimages and dialogue, not only as Seoul Theological Forum but more as our daily dialogue with realities of Asia, that guide us how we should live and celebrate the Eucharist. We look forward to your comments and reactions that will nourish our continuous dialogue of faith, maybe that could come from the FABC s concluding observations and suggestions at its 9th plenary assembly in Manila, Philippines. We will be happy to get further engaged in Dialogue for action.

Lawrencia Kwark

General Secretary of ICMICA Pax Romana

INTRODUCTION

Dreaming another moment of grace to come

L ooking back on the theological forum jointly organized by International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) and Woori Theology Institute (WTI) in Seoul last May, I would say it was "Kairos" when all participants witnessed themselves living Eucharist in concrete places of daily lives predominant by poverty, religious and ethnic conflicts and unequality in Asia. About 80 theologians, missioners and lay activists from 11 Asian countries discussed the Eucharist under the theme of "Eucharist and Community - Beyond All Barriers: A Theological Forum in Preparation for FABC 2009" in relation to issues such as ethnic violence, dalit (former "untouchables" under the Indian caste system), the laity, poverty, communication, ecumenism, gender justice, Church communities, minorities, migrants, ecological issues and communications. After the conference, Bishop Pujasumarta of Bandung, Indonesia, one

of main speakers, told me that since he could learn the reality and the Eucharist in various countries, it seemed to him as a "living catechism" on the Eucharist. I don't think the bishop exaggerated his feeling and comments on it. It seems to convey its results and atmosphere well. Along with Bishop Pujasumarta, nearly all speakers and audiences alike expressed themselves how much they appreciated the conference, which I believe shed light on the future cooperation among the participants. During the six-month preparation for the forum, I as general coordinator worked with definite purposes: the conference was an effort for laity to communicate with the Church leaders in Asia. Another aim was to build and strengthen networks among theologians and Church activists, and finally it was to provide a "learning space" based on concrete experiences of living Eucharist with the meeting participants. As the participants' gratitude for the forum is believed to be another way of expression for the last two purposes' positive result, I want to say more on the first goal a bit longer. It was not first time for ICMICA and WTI jointly held such kind conference dealing with the same theme of FABC plenary a few months before the plenary itself took place. We held it first time in June 2004, two month ahead of the 8th plenary assembly and discussed on its working paper on the role of Family in Asia. After the plenary was over, I was invited to contribute an article on the result of the plenary to the local bishops' conference-run monthly Samok (pastoral review) knowing that I was there at that time. In the essay in December 2004, I pointed out that 32 paragraphs of total 124 ones in its final statement were revised or rewritten in light of the

Reign of God taken as hermeneutical principle or framework which was not considered as such in the working paper. That reflected efforts of all 180 participants including 60 laypeople and 40 priests and Religious to make their discussions deeply rooted in realities facing families in Asia, as well as influences of ICMICA and WTI through the final document of the forum dealing with family issues in the light of the Reign of God and some 10 forum participants' direct participation in the plenary. The latter may sound self-admiration but we really believed so. We also believe that our second forum too was promising and experienced as the People of God where bishops including a Protestant bishop and former and current FABC officials, theologians and Church NGO activists worked closely together. Unlike the 8th plenary, I heard that some 120 delegates and participants are expected to join it, among them not more than 10 maybe laypeople and Religious. Nonetheless, I pray our experiences and achievement of the May forum will be conveyed well to the plenary through this document, expecting another "Kairos" to be realized in the plenary.

Paul Hwang

Chief of Center for Asian Theology Solidarity under Woori Theology Institute,

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS From Anthropological, Theological, Intercultural and Interreligious perspective Fr. Michael Amaladoss, S.J.

The Eucharist is often said to be the fount, the centre and the summit of

the Christian life. The Christians are called and sent to be the symbols and servants of the Reign of God that will transcend all borders and gather all creation together in Christ. This is the goal of the Christian life. How do we live and celebrate this in the Eucharist? How can the Eucharist today animate the Christians in Asia to be faithful to their mission? I would like, first of all, to reflect on these questions with you today so that we can work together to achieve our goal and to find meaning in our lives as Christians. I would like to set our reflections in the context of the Reign of God that is God’s plan for us and for our world. Then I will briefly focus on the mission of the Church which is the symbol and servant of this Reign. The evocation of this context can be brief, since our focus today is on the Eucharist. But it is necessary to set the Eucharist in this context, because it is at the centre of this mission. This will show us how we should live and celebrate the Eucharist. I shall then conclude with some suggestions for action.

God’s Plan for the World In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul evokes the plan of God for the world: “He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth… He (God) has put all things under his (Christ’s) feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his �� This is actually said of the Liturgy by the Second Vatican Council, but later the Eucharist is identified as the key element of the Liturgy. See Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10.

body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Eph 1: 9-10, 22-23) Paul speaks of a similar vision to the Colossians in which God is reconciling “to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven.” (Col 1:20) In his letter to the Romans he suggests that creation too will be set free and “obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Rom 8:21) He tells the Corinthians that the final goal is that “God may be everything to every one.” (1 Cor 15:28) This goal is eschatological, to be achieved at the fullness of time. In the meantime the Spirit of God is promoting this by her presence and action in the cosmos and in the humans. (cf. Rom 8) John also evokes a similar vision when he speaks of God making all things new in the fullness of time. (cf Rev 21:5) The Word of God through whom all things were made is, as the true light, enlightening every person. (cf. John 1:3,9) And finally “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth;.. from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace.” ( John 1:14, 16) God therefore has a plan for the universe which is to gather all things together, humans as well as the creation. God is present and active in the universe, especially through the Word and the Spirit, in view of realizing this plan. “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Heb 1:1-2) It is for this purpose that Jesus chooses and sends the disciples into the world (cf. Mk 16:20) and breaths the Spirit of reconciliation and creation (cf. Jn 20:22-23; Acts 2:2-4) on them.

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS

In the past we had understood this mission as one of making the whole world church. But in recent years we have to come to understand that God’s plan may be more complicated. At the Second Vatican Council the Church affirmed that God is indeed active everywhere offering a participation in the paschal mystery to everyone through the Spirit, but in ways known to God alone, not always through the Church. John Paul II recognized the presence and action of the Spirit in all cultures and religions. The Second Vatican Council had distinguished

between the Church and the Reign of God. John Paul II recognized this and spoke of participated mediations in other religions and the possibility for Christians to collaborate with other religious believers in the promotion of gospel values. The reflection of theologians in Asia, including the Asian Bishops, has spelt out the goal of mission as the building of the Reign of God and of the Church as its symbol and servant. The real enemies of this Reign are Satan and Mammon. In the task of building the Reign of God the other religions are allies and collaborators rather than enemies. We do not know what form the final consummation of the Reign of God, the ‘reconciliation of all things’, will take or how exactly it will come about. But, in the meantime, we are called to be at its service and collaborate with all people of goodwill. No one, nothing, is excluded from the Reign of God, though free beings could exclude themselves. All borders and barriers that divide will break down. To break them down is one way of promoting the universal fellowship and communion of the Reign of God. The Church in the Modern World, 22. The Mission of the Redeemer, 28-29. Ibid. 10, 14-20. I have developed this theology of mission in many papers. See “Other Religions and the

Jesus and the Reign of God It is to proclaim and realize the Reign of God that the Word becomes flesh. By his words and deeds Jesus shows that it is a community of freedom, fellowship and justice. It is also a dynamic reality. It has a dynamism of “already – not yet.” Jesus announces the Kingdom as present: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mk 1:15) At the same time He teaches them to pray: “Your kingdom come.” (Mt 6:10) His parables concerning the kingdom speak of a process and a history. (cf. Mt 13:1-33) In his last discourse to the disciples in John’s gospel he promises the Spirit and foretells persecutions. ( Jn 14-17) After the resurrection he sends them on mission into the world. ( Jn 20:21-23; Mk 16:15-18; Mt 28:18-20) Paul speaks of a cosmic process. (Rom 8:18-25) He speaks of Christ as the “first fruits” (1 Cor 15:20) gathering up all things and offering them to the Father “so that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:28) The Christians await Jesus’ second coming: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20) and hope for a new heaven and a new earth. (Rev. 21:1-5) George Soares-Prabhu has described well the dynamism of the Reign of God. The vision of Jesus is theological, not sociological. It spells out the values of the new society (freedom, fellowship, justice), not the concrete social structures through which these values are realized and protected. To elaborate these is our never-to-be-ended task – for no “perfect” society is Salvific Mystery of Christ”, Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 70 (2006) 8-23; “New Images of Mission”, Promotio Iustitiae 94 (2007/1) 21-29; “A New Heaven and a New Earth” (mss. To be published in Spiritus, June 2009)

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS

possible in history. One cannot fully actualise the vision of Jesus: one can merely approach it asymptotically! Ultimately, then, the vision of Jesus indicates not the goal but the way. It does not present us with a static pre-fabricated model to be imitated, but invites us to a continual refashioning of societal structures in an attempt to realize as completely as possible in our times the values of the Kingdom. The vision of Jesus summons us, then, to a ceaseless struggle against the demonic structures of unfreedom (psychological and sociological) erected by mammon; and to a ceaseless creativity that will produce in every age new blueprints for a society ever more consonant with the Gospel vision of man. Lying on the horizons of human history and yet part of it, offered to us as a gift yet confronting us as a challenge, Jesus’ vision of a new society stands before us as an unfinished task, summoning us to permanent revolution.

Eucharist and the Reign of God This permanent revolution takes the form of the Paschal Mystery in the life of Jesus. He is put to death because of his preaching of the good news to the poor in view of enabling them to be the agents of the Reign of God. But God raises him up to life again and enables everyone to participate in this new, divine life. (cf. John 6) While this passing from death to life happens historically in the passion-death-resurrection of George Soares-Prabhu, “The Kingdom of God: Jesus’ Vision of a New Society,” D.S.Amalorpavadass (ed), The Indian Church in the Struggle for a New Society (Bangalore: NBCLC, 1981), p. 607.

Jesus, the mystery of this process transcends history, because this Jesus is

also the Word of God. This mystery can have repeated realizations in and through symbolic actions all through history. Jesus has made possible for us a participation in and celebration of the continuing realization of the mystery through the institution of the Eucharist. The Eucharistic action today symbolically continues the permanent revolution of the Reign of God. This is why the Eucharist is a memorial, not only of what happened in the past in the passion-death-resurrection of Jesus, but of the mystery which will continue till the end of times when “God will be all in

all”. (1 Cor 15:28) It is also a memorial of the eschatological future. In

instituting the Eucharist Jesus has also shown us a concrete and symbolic way the mystery has to play itself out in life and history. Jesus chooses a shared meal as a parting gesture – a testament. He transforms bread and wine into his own body and blood. Sharing food he is sharing life, his own life. It is in this way that he is establishing a new covenant with humanity in his life. This sharing of life is a total self-gift. “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lays down his life for his friends.” ( Jn 15:13) This self-gift is a symbol of what he will do on the cross the following day. Sharing his life as food he is inviting the disciples to a twofold communion. On the one hand they are knit together as one community, sharing the same divine-human life. But the life that they share being the divine life of Jesus they enter also into communion with God. So they become one in God through Jesus. “I am the vine, you are the branches”, says Jesus. ( Jn 15:6) He spells out the �� Cf. R. Panikkar, Christophany: The Fullness of Man. Maryknoll: Orbis Press, 2004. See �� George Gispert-Sauch, “The Memory of Jesus and Eucharistic Remembering” in Francis Gonsalves (ed), Body, Bread, Blood. (Delhi: Vidyajyoti/ISPCK, 2000), pp. 18-31; Andrea Bieler and Luise Schottroff, Bodies, Bread and Resurrection. (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007)

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS

implications of this mystery of communion by what he does that evening. First of all, it involves mutual service. Giving up all pretence of power and domination they must humbly wash each other’s feet. ( Jn 13:1-11) Jesus “empties himself taking the form of a servant”, Paul would say. (Phil 2:7) Secondly, it supposes sharing. Sharing food you share life, yourself. You become one body with the others. That is why Paul speaks of the Christians as the “body of Christ”. (1 Cor 12:27) It is not so much denying oneself as sharing oneself and all that one has. Through the body and through the food and the drink this fellowship reaches down to the cosmos. The bread and the wine are not only the products of the earth, but also the work of human hands. So they symbolize not only brute creation, but nature as hominized through the inscription of human meaning and development. Raimon Panikkar, for instance, speaks of this as cosmotheandric communion in which the cosmos, God and

the humans are united together in life. Becoming the body of Christ we become the body of God. Jesus prayed to the Father: “Even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us.” ( Jn 17:20) Such a communion is experienced as love. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love… This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” ( Jn 15:9-10, 12) So the flow of love descends from the Father to Jesus to his disciples creating a network of love. God is experienced here, not as distant, but as a mother who feeds us her own body.

Cf. �� R. Panikkar, The Cosmotheandric Experience: Emerging Religious Consciousness. (Maryknoll: Orbis Press, 1993)

This cosmotheandric communion is the goal of God for the world, which Jesus evoked as the Reign of God. It becomes symbolically real in the Eucharist, seeking to become permanently real in the world and in history. Thus the Eucharist is helping to move the world towards its eschatological fullness, the final goal of the passing of the paschal mystery. We may pause here a moment to reflect over the implications this has for creation. The material world is neither something to be looked down upon and renounced nor an object to be exploited for the benefit of the humans. It is worthy to become the body of God in Jesus. The humans, instead of exploiting it selfishly, are offering it back to God who created it and also sharing it with others as food. They are actualizing in this manner the reconciliation of all things in Jesus about which Paul speaks in his letter to the Colossians. Jesus is re-capitulating in himself the whole of creation. This is happening symbolically in the Eucharist when the humans are offering to God bread and wine as “fruits of the earth and the work of human hands” and Jesus is integrating them as his own body and blood and gives them back to us as food to be shared and build community. The goal of creation is thus being achieved.10

The Eucharist then is a memorial, not only of the past events of the Last Supper and the paschal mystery of Jesus’s death and resurrection, but also of the paschal fullness of the last day. It is a prophetic memorial. Jesus had illustrated this in his symbolic actions during his life: the feeding of the hungry multitudes (Mk 6:36-44), the fellowship meals he had with the sinners and the outcastes (Lk 5:29-32), and his reaching out to the marginalized, outside the fold, like the Roman centurion (Mt 10 See Karl Golser, “Homo Oecologicus: Dall’eucharistia un nuovo paradigma culturale” Il Regno 2 ( Jan 15, 2009) 60. Also I. Zizioulas, Il creato come eucharistia. Approcio theologico al problema dell’ecologia. (Magnano: Qiqajon, 1994)

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8:5-13), the Samaritan ( Jn4:7-44) and the Syrophoenician (Mk 7:25-30) women.

Eucharist in History The early Christians understood very well the implications of the progressive realization of the reign of God in the world. And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. (Acts 2:44-47) They not only broke bread together, that is celebrated the Eucharist, but lived it by sharing all their possessions, relating to God and to the others. It is in this context that Paul could not tolerate the divisions among the Christians of Corinth, especially the poor and the rich enjoying their own meals before the Eucharist. He warned them that they were bringing judgment upon themselves. (1 Cor 11:17-34) But after the warning he went on to extol the diversity of the gifts of the Spirit and the power of love that built up the community as the body of Christ. (1 Cor 12-14)

In the early Church local communities celebrated the Eucharist,

led by the leader of the community.11 People brought gifts which were distributed to people who had need. The body of Christ was shared with the sick who were absent and with other communities as a sign of

fellowship. There was a variety of rituals and prayers that were practiced. People who were guilty of notorious sin were kept out of the community till they repented and made amendment. Thus reconciliation with the community and with God has always been a dimension of the Eucharist. But, in the Latin Church, after 19 centuries of development the Eucharist has lost its communitarian character. The community has become heavily hierarchical. The Eucharist has become the work of the priest acting in the place of Christ (in persona Christi) at which the people are present as spectators. The fruits of the Eucharist are marketed as indulgences. Strong social divisions based on caste and economic status have become part of the Eucharistic community. In reaction to the Reformers the theological focus was narrowed down to the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine through transubstantiation, on the one hand and to the perception of the Eucharist as an unbloody sacrifice of Christ offered again by the Church through the priest, on the other. The real presence evoked adoration. Sacrifice and adoration emphasized a vertical perspective that downplayed the horizontal dimension of a shared community meal leading to community building.12 The Latin liturgy was imposed in all

the mission countries with no respect for varying local cultural contexts. It is not our purpose to go into this history. Our purpose is to look to 11 �� See David N. Power, The Eucharistic Mystery. Revitalizing the Tradition. (New York, Crossroad, 1992); Gregory Dix, The Shape of the Liturgy. (New York: Seabury, 1982) 12 For �� brief presentations of traditional Eucharistic theology see John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003) and Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis (2007)

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS

the future. But looking into the future, history need not be taken as normative. History can be a legitimate improvement brought about by deeper understanding. It can also be a deterioration due to changing intellectual and social perspectives. A discernment therefore is necessary. The Church itself has defended its right to change the liturgical rites at the councils both of Trent and of Vatican. At Trent the unchangeable element was declared to be the “substance of the sacraments”; at Vatican

it was whatever was “divinely instituted”. 13 This leaves a vast area for possible changes. We shall keep these provisos in mind.

Rediscovering the Eucharist How can we make the Eucharist meaningful and relevant in the context of being symbols and servants of the Reign of God in Asia today? First of all, looking at the Eucharist in an inter-cultural context, I shall affirm the need and the possibility of re-creating the Eucharistic celebration. Then I shall analyse the symbolic structure of the Eucharist so that our efforts at re-creation can be really meaningful and relevant. This will lead us to look at elements that need re-creation. We can then conclude with some practical suggestions. When the gospel encounters a culture the real challenge is not merely to translate the gospel, which is undoubtedly needed, but to respect the freedom of the people to respond to the gospel and transform themselves creatively. This is what I am calling here re-creation. I am

13 See �� M. Amaladoss, Do Sacraments Change? Variable and Invariable Elements in Sacramental Rites. (Bangalore: TPI, 1979)

obviously using it as an alternative to the usual term ‘inculturation’. 14 The basic principle of liturgical re-creation proposed by the Second Vatican Council is “the full, conscious, and active participation… by the Christian people as a ‘chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people’ (1 Pt 2:9; see 2:4-5). It is their right and duty by reason of their

baptism.” (14)15 Then comes a fundamental and liberating principle: “The liturgy is made up of immutable elements, divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. These not only may but ought to be changed with the passage of time if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become pointless.” (21: emphasis mine) The authority competent to effect such change is not only the Apsotolic See, but also the bishop and ‘competent territorial bodies of bishops’. (22) “The Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters that do not affect the faith or the good of the whole community; rather, the Church respects and fosters the genius and talents of the various races and peoples.” (37) Even while maintaining ‘the substantial unity of the Roman rite’, “provisions should be made for variations and adaptations to different groups, regions, and peoples.” (38) “In some places and circumstances, however, an even more radical adaptation of the liturgy is needed… The competent, territorial ecclesiastical authority.. must carefully and prudently weigh what elements from the traditions and culture of individual peoples may be appropriately admitted into divine worship. They are to propose to the Apostolic See adaptations considered useful or necessary that will 14 See �� M. Amaladoss, Beyond Inculuturation. Can the Many be One? (Delhi: Vidyajyoti/ ISPCK, 1998) 15 �� The numbers within brackets in this para refer to the Second Vatican Council’s Document on the Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium.

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be introduced with its consent.” (40)16 Even a simple reading of these provisions without an elaborate commentary is enough to make us aware how little these have been observed in the post-Vatican period. If we feel that there is a need for change, the possibilities are there. The responsibility is ours.17

The Symbolic Structure of the Eucharist If we wish to re-create the Eucharist, we have to have a clear idea of its symbolic structure. The Eucharist is not simply the transubstantiation of the bread and the wine and offering them to God as a sacrifice. It is not simply a question of an appropriate matter (bread and wine) and the words of consecration pronounced over them. Like all the sacraments, it is a symbolic action and has a three-level structure. It is basically a community meal. It is a group of people sharing a meal, eating and drinking. At a ritual level, it is breaking bread together and sharing a cup. At a social level, it is a symbol that is found in all human societies, both in secular and sacred settings. Sharing a meal is an act of equality and solidarity. It is a gesture of hospitality, welcome and acceptance. To refuse to eat together is a refusal of relationship. Giving food to a beggar is not experienced as eating together. Covenants are firmed up by a 16 �� According to competent commentators present at the Council, the door seems to have been left open to the creation of new Rites, like an African or a Chinese Rite, by consciously changing one adjective in Number 4 of Sacrosanctum Concilium from ‘existing’ to ‘acknowledged’ while referring to the Rites. See Pierre-Marie Gy, “Situation historique de la Constitution” in La liturgie après Vatican II, Ed. by J-P. Jossua and Y. Congar (Paris: Cerf, 1967), p.116. 17 �� For a general discussion of the re-creation of sacramental rites see M. Amaladoss, Do Sacraments Change? Variable and Invariable Elements in Sacramental Rites. (Bangalore: TPI, 1979)

shared meal. It celebrates existing or newly made community. It is an indispensable element of every festive occasion. At a mysteric level, a second set of meanings are added. This comes from the actors and their intentions. In the Eucharist, a Christian community shares a meal as a memorial of Christ’s paschal mystery. The real agent of the action is the Body of Christ, head and members. In repeating Jesus’ action at the Last Supper it gives it the paschal meaning that Jesus gave to it. It is a covenant meal. Jesus gives his own body and blood as our food and drink in the transformed bread and wine. It is a sacrificial self-gift. Jesus shares with us his life and unites us to the

Father. He also roots us in the cosmos through food and drink.18 We are living an experience of cosmotheandric communion made dynamically actual and creative by Jesus’ passage from death to life. He enables us to offer our own lives in fellowship with and service of others. In Christ this self-offering reaches out to the whole cosmos and to God, in a commitment to live in and transform the universe and not to run away from it. We are moving towards the fullness of God in Christ that is the Reign of God. The Spirit is animating the whole process. The meaning at this mysteric level is expressed by the texts accompanying the action. It is primarily the Eucharistic prayer. But the readings also play an important role as they supply the overall context. They embody a divine-human dialogue in which God speaks to the community through the Scriptures and the people respond with faith which they proceed to express in the symbolic action. Such response involves a conversion. The ‘table of the Word’ has always accompanied the ‘table of the bread’. 18 �� See Sebastian Painadath, “The Eucharist as the Sacrament of the Earth” in Francis Gonsalves, Body, Bread, Blood, 133-146; David Toolen, At Home in the Cosmos (Maryknoll: Orbis Press, 2001), pp.195-219.

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The mysteric level: cosmotheandric communion ^ The Social level: celebration of community ^ The Ritual level: sharing of food The three levels can influence each other. Sometimes there is dramatization when the third level is imitated by the second one. Some people break the bread during the institution narrative. In some oriental rites the host is pierced by a little golden spear. The levels can also be separated. Some spiritual writers speak of the communion of desire when the second level of meaning can be lived without participating in the sharing. One can live the mysteric meaning without being aware of it, when one is attentive to the poor and the suffering. (cf. Mt 25) While the ritual level should be spontaneously expressive of the social level, the connotation at the mysteric level is added on. It may be different in different religions. The community expresses and lives this mystery by evoking it in the Eucharistic prayer, which becomes praise and thanksgiving for Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift in Jesus Christ. The community will have to be introduced to this level of meaning through catechesis. Prayer leads to faith: lex orandi, lex credendi. The Eucharist is a symbolic action also in a second sense in relation to life. The sharing of a meal celebrates community. But what if there is no community to celebrate, because it is divided or even in conflict? If the symbolic action still takes place then it becomes a meaningless action, an empty gesture or, worse, defiant offensive action. It can become a profanation and can only bring on condemnation, as Paul warned the Corinthians. (cf. 1 Cor 11:27-28) Paul continues: â&#x20AC;&#x153;That

is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died.” (1 Cor 11:29) The symbolic action to be real and authentic should celebrate life. In an eschatological movement we can say that we need not wait to celebrate the Eucharist till there is perfect communion. But if the community does not actively strive for it then it should not celebrate. That is why reconciliation involving mutual forgiveness may have to precede the celebration of communion. Would we have the courage to keep out of the Eucharist people who are guilty of practicing discrimination based on caste, ethnicity or gender? The Eucharist is not an automatic, magical, grace-producing ‘machine’ irrespective of the intentions and dispositions of the agents. Another constant in life is suffering. The Eucharist as a memorial of the paschal mystery offers us a chance of living our suffering as an act of loving and total surrender to the inscrutable God in union with the suffering and dying Christ. The Eucharist has a missionary dimension. But it is not a question of communicating an intellectual message through texts. If we celebrate what we live and if we live as a community sharing with, serving and loving each other and if we reach out to the whole cosmos with the same love in view of building the Reign of God people will grasp our good news without our saying anything. They should rather say: “How these Christians love each other and the world!” Then perhaps they will ask us the reasons for it and we will be able to give them an account of our faith.

Re-creating the Eucharist If we wish to promote active, full and meaningful participation of the people in the Eucharist then the symbolic action will have to be modified

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in two ways. First of all, the ritual must be experienced as a real eating together. The first level of meaning should need no explanation. At this level, the symbols must be self-expressive. This involves two things. What the people eat and drink must be what the people usually eat and drink when they meet for a communal meal. In most parts of Asia rice is what people usually eat and wine is not a normal drink. It may be tea or milk or something else. The usual argument against this is that Jesus used bread and wine and so we have to use them. We do not repeat all that Jesus said and did at the Last Supper. Besides I think that Jesus’ institution concerns the basic symbolic action of a shared meal, not necessarily what is shared.19 There seems to have been occasions in the

early Church where only bread was used and not wine.20 In the early

Church the Eucharist was often combined with or followed a meal. We could continue this as a sharing biscuits and a cup of coffee on Sundays and a regular meal at least on a few important occasions. This would also be possible in small group Eucharists. However, our Eucharistic meal could be a real sharing of food and drink and not a stylistic distribution of hosts that, further, evokes verticality rather than the horizontality of sharing in a community. Secondly, the Eucharistic prayer should be such that it is not merely in the local language but also in an idiom that reflects the culture and experience of the people. Though the reform after the Council moved away from one Eucharistic prayer, local creativity, especially in Asia, has not been encouraged. Rather, it has been blocked. A translated 19 For �� further arguments see René �� Luneau, “Une eucharistie sans pain et sans vin?” Spiritus 48 (1972) 3-11; M. Amaladoss, Do Sacraments Change? (Bangalore: TPI, 1979), pp. 116-118; René Jaouen, L’eucharistie du mil. Langages d’un people, expressions de la foi. (Paris: Karthala, 1995) 20 �� See David N. Power, The Eucharistic Mystery, pp. 73, 341.

text does not facilitate spontaneity and creativity. It can reflect the richness and creativity of a culture, the turns of phrase, the evocative symbols and metaphors, the cadences and music.

Reforming the Community The community meal expresses equality and solidarity which, in their turn, evoke mutual love, service and sharing of life. But many of our communities are hierarchically structured economically, politically, socially and sexually. The structures are not free of discrimination and division, oppression and conflict, structural or real, latent or open. How can a community authentically celebrate the Eucharist without crossing these borders and barriers that divide and discriminate between people? Even Paul tolerated slavery and sexual discrimination. The Church in India seems comfortable with caste differences, especially with the oppression of the Dalits, even though it was condemned as sinful some years ago. In some places differences can take economic and ethnic forms, with special places and times reserved for different groups. The Eucharistic celebration must be prepared for by specially looking after the poor, the hungry and the marginalized and by building up the community. This will lead to a more democratic, egalitarian and participative economic system than individualized, competitive, and liberal capitalism. Perfect community may be an eschatological hope. But if we are not constantly striving and struggling for it then we are not worthy of the Eucharist. The ordination of women is a delicate and sensitive issue which we need not discuss. But what prevents the Church from using the talents of women for community animation and service by making them

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deaconesses as happened in the early Church? Mary and the other women disciples were there in the upper room after the death and the resurrection of Jesus and at Pentecost. They must have been there also at the Last Supper because they were following Jesus from Galilee and

some of them were also supporting Jesus financially. (cf. Lk 8:2-3)21 They were participating fully in the life of Jesus and more of them were at the cross than the male disciples. They were also the first to encounter the risen Jesus. The Eucharist itself presents God in Jesus as Mother who shares his own body and blood as food and drink, thus nourishing us and giving us life. The unity that this experience represents evokes the nondual Avatar of the Absolute in the Tamil Vaishnava tradition of India and the non-active, all embracing Tao of China. The Church has been very zealous in recent times in defending the specificity of the priesthood of the clergy as essentially different from the common priesthood of the people of God. But difference does not imply superiority. It is rather a role of service in the community to which they are set apart. In the Eucharist the principal actor is the Body of Christ, head and members. The priest is a minister, at its service, praying and acting in its name. It is a necessary service of bringing people together. The idea that he is acting as Christ the Head – in persona Christi capitis -, when Christ himself is present and active, is a late development in

the Latin Church.22 It is not found in the other Churches. Their prayers are more invocations – “May God forgive you” – than performative – “I absolve you”. The post-conciliar reform compromises by using both 21 �� See Samuel Rayan, “My Body for You” in Francis Gosalves, Body, Bread, Blood, pp. 193-195. 22 See �� B. Marliangeas, Clés pour une théologie du ministère: In Persona Christi, in Persona Ecclesiae (Paris: Beauchesne, 1978)

formulae together. In any case, whatever special role we may give the priest in the celebration, it must not detract from the dignity of the priesthood of the People of God. I would not see anything wrong in their praying together with the priest, through appropriate and dialogical responses, for example, or in their helping the priest in preparing his homilies or in offering an occasional message or testimony. The growth of the charismatic movement in many places is a sign that the people appreciate the freedom and initiative they have in praying, in healing and in commenting on the Word of God from their own experience. It is difficult to understand how the Church realizes and affirms, on the one hand, the centrality of the Eucharist for building up the Christian community and the Reign of God, while, on the other hand, having rules like celibacy for priests, which drastically reduces the number of priests available to the communities today. While parishes are being closed down in Euro-American countries, the communities are scattered over wide areas in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The number of vocations is falling even in some Asian countries. While celibacy is a spiritual ideal, no one can say that it is necessary for a priest, since there are many Churches with married priests. Even the Latin Church has some. The ideal of celibate priesthood is one more reason to keep the priests superior and apart from the people, especially if sex is looked down upon in some way. It should be possible to have different kinds of priests - ordinary priests and monks or religious, for example - as they do in the Greek Church. The good theologians in the Greek Church often tend to be lay people. The present focus seems to be on safeguarding the presumed dignity of the priesthood than the Eucharistic needs of the people.

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The Table of the Word Communities are diverse. The rituals and texts of the celebration must make space for this. We have urban, rural, and tribal communities. We may have special groups like workers, youth and children. All will not feel at home in the same kind of ritual structure and texts. The community and the leader must be free to adapt and re-create. The Church is concerned about the theological orthodoxy of the texts. While this may be necessary for some central texts, there must be a wide variety of choices for other texts, taking into account the variety of needs and situations. We have flourishing basic community groups in many countries today. The celebration in a basic Christian community will have to be very different from that in a big parish in order to be meaningful. Tradition has verticalized the ‘Table of the Word’ also. The Bible is honoured and proclaimed. The proclamation is crowned by the homily. This is very different from what happens in a Basic Christian Community when it shares the Word as it shares the bread. People read the Bible together and interpret it in the context of their life in the world. An expert may provide some guidance. But the people listen to its demands and apply it to their lives. Their discussions may lead to common action plans. Sharing of the word in this manner by the people may make it more relevant to their lives. Such sharing, while not excluding a special role for the priest or another minister as a guide, makes the ‘Table of the Word’ more participative. Teaching can have various forms and occasions. I have noted in some places that the children are taken apart for the ‘Table of the Word’. Following the same principle, it should be possible to divide the community into smaller groups for more relevant and effective participation at the ‘Table of the Word’. Deacons, Deaconesses and other

ministers could be helpful in guiding them. Various media can also be used to explain, highlight and celebrate the Word.

Contemplative Celebration An active, participating community does not have to be noisy. I have the impression that, while in Europe the Eucharist tends to be rather formal, in America it seems to become a sort of town hall meeting. It may suit their cultures and I have no complaints. But in Asia the Eucharist, at least in some groups and even more generally, may tend to be more contemplative. Meditation and silence are very much appreciated and practiced in Asia. Anyone who has sat in a meditation group following Zen or Vipassana can tell you that a community can commune together in silence. While a totally silent Eucharist may not be meaningful, though one can do what Jesus did at the Last Supper without saying so, an increasing cascade of words could be avoided and long periods of silence for interiorization of the food received from the two tables of the Word and the Bread could be introduced. Time also is a factor. Even some of the minor adaptations introduced in Asian countries tend to create a meditative, less agitated, atmosphere. Asian music with its mode-based melodies is more soothing and even Asian dances are more smooth. Oil lamps and incense create a sacred space. The increasing number of Blessed Sacrament chapels where people come for silent, contemplative prayer is a good sign, especially if the people seek to relive their experience of cosmic communion in the Eucharistic celebration. This is certainly an area where more creativity is possible and welcome.

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Hospitality and Openness We have said that the goal of the Eucharist is cosmotheandric communion. This demands a certain openness to the world, to the other cultures and religions, in which the Spirit of God is present and active. It is true that in the Latin liturgy we do not speak much of the Spirit. There is of course an invocation of the Spirit or epiclesis in the Eucharistic prayer. But it does not have the same importance as in the liturgies of the Eastern Churches. The doxology at the end of the Eucharistic prayer affirms the Trinitarian structure of our experience. This needs to be interiorized much more. The Spirit is a principle of freedom and creativity. It may be that if we believe more in the Spirit we will be more free to accept variety, spontaneity and creativity in our celebrations. Once again, it is this freedom that attracts many people today to the charismatic Churches. People not only pray freely, but feel inspired by the Spirit. Their theology may not be always orthodox, and their diction may not be appropriate. But the Spirit inspires them and God listens to them. Fear of such freedom may be more a cultural than a religious characteristic, based on class distinctions. If the Spirit of God is present and active in other religions then our celebrations too can become open to other believers in some ways. The early Church was persecuted. So they were very careful and guarded. Today I think that we should be more open. If the Church in its march towards the Reign of God is engaged in dialogue and collaboration with other believers, these concerns, experiences and activities must find expression in the Eucharist. Their important festivals could be celebrated. To many of our pilgrim centres in India many members of other religions come with faith and often they are also present during the Eucharist. At

the moment we have no adequate way of handling such situations. The Indian theologians have had two seminars that indicate a way to go. In 1974 they had a seminar to explore whether the other religious

scriptures can be considered inspired.23 Their cautious answer was ‘yes’. They justified it in terms of God’s three covenants: with all humans in creation, with the Jews through Abrahm/Moses and in Jesus. They saw in this a continuity. They suggested that on a Sunday we could have three readings: one from the other scriptures, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. Though it was officially forbidden in the liturgy, the use of other scriptures in reflection and prayer is common.24

A second seminar in 1988 focused on sharing worship. 25 Its

response also was positive, though I think that its arguments can be further refined and improved.26 The Eucharist is not an open market

where people can just walk in and out. But when people come to it with real faith, even if they are not able to articulate it, as many Christians, for that matter, I think that we should be open – more open than in many communities in Europe where people come with no faith at all, though they may be formally baptized. There are also a growing number of inter-

religious families.27 Our focus in such situations is not merely on the 23 See �� See D.S.Amalorpavadass (ed), Research Seminar on Non-Biblical Scriptures (Bangalore: NBCLC, 1974); M. Amaladoss, “The Scriptures of Other Religions: Are They Inspired?”, Beyond Dialogue (Bangalore: ATC, 2008), pp. 69-78. 24 See George Gispert-Sauch, “Vatican II and the Use of Indian Scriptures” in Jacob Kavunkal (ed), Theological Explorations. (Delhi: ISPCK, 2008), pp.35-48. 25 �� Cf. Paul Puthanangady (ed), Sharing Worship. Communicatio in Sacris. (Bangalore: NBCLC, 1988) 26 �� See M. Amaladoss, “Eucharistic Hospitality: Searching for a New Paradigm” in Francis Gonsalves, Body, Bread, Blood, pp. 3-17. 27 See �� Astrid Lobo-Gajiwala, “The Wedding Garment: Eucharist and the Inter-Faith Family”, Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 64 (2000) 888-902.

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Church, but the Reign of God. I think that if Jesus were there he would not mind, just as he was hospitable to the Roman Centurion, and the Samaritan and the Syrophoenician women. The openness can be greater in the case of other Christians, when they share our faith in what is being done. Unlike the rite of initiation which is focused on the community, the Eucharist is directed to the Transcendent, which can relativize our divisions.

The Role of the Spirit In academic circles there is an ongoing discussion about the epiclesis or invocation of the Spirit: whether it is necessary, where should it figure in the Eucharistic prayer, how many, etc. It has also become an ecumenical problem between the Roman and the Orthodox Rites. But a more theological and experiential focus on the Spirit would help us to empower and free the People of God, balancing the hierarchical trend to dominate the community in the name of Christ, encourage variety and pluralism and open out to many cultures and religions. It will shift the focus, without denying, from past history to the eschatological future. The Spirit will promote spontaneity and emotional energy in the celebrations and strengthen the prophetic and healing missions of the Eucharistic community.

Conclusion In concluding it is easy to make a long list of suggestions. I shall limit

myself to five. First of all, the Asian Churches must take seriously their responsibility of re-creating their worship, especially in the Eucharist, as their own authentic and living response to Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loving self revelation in Jesus Christ as lived in his paschal mystery. We should assert our responsibility and freedom in possible ways, inspired by the Spirit. Secondly, the Eucharist must be a celebration of life. So we must build communities of loving service and sharing locally and globally, within the Christian community, but also reaching outside. This would involve a special option for the poor, the hungry, the oppressed, the Dalits and the marginalized, not to speak of women and creation and the avoidance of all forms of social discrimination. Thirdly, we should evolve meaningful ways of sharing food and drink and celebrating community suited to our cultural ways. This would mean also experiencing and integrating creation without selfish exploitation. Fourthly, we must find ways of creating our own prayers, expressive of our faith in our cultures, not limiting ourselves to translated prayers, however good they may be in themselves. Finally, all these must be set in a movement towards an experience of contemplative cosmotheandric communion in our daily lives, in our community and in the cosmos.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN ASIA IN THE LIGHT OF THE EUCHARIST Fr. William LaRousse

In August of this year the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) will hold its ninth Plenary Assembly in Manila. The theme of the Plenary Assembly is the Eucharist with a particular focus on Living the Eucharist in Asia. The topic I have been asked to explore is the significance of interreligious dialogue in Asia in the light of the Eucharist. We could say Living the Eucharist in Asia in and through Interreligious Dialogue. This follows a pattern of theme choices that the FABC has used from the beginning. In 1970, 180 Catholic bishops of Asia met in Manila, at what was called the Asian Bishops’ Meeting, on the occasion of the visit of Pope Paul VI. That meeting initiated what would become the FABC. The focus of that meeting was human development following

upon Vatican II and in particular the encyclical Populorum Progressio of Pope Paul VI. The guiding force is that the universal Church documents are to be read in a receptive and an innovative way in Asia. The concern for dialogue was immediately present. Right from the very beginning, at the Asian Bishops Meeting of 1970, the bishops affirmed that “dialogue with our fellow Asians whose commitment is to other faiths is increasingly important.” One of the resolutions of 1970 says: “We pledge

Compilations of all documents of the FABC from 1970 to 2006 can be found in Gaudencio Rosales and Catalino Arévalo, ed., For All the Peoples of Asia: Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Documents from 1970 to 1991 (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1992) and Franz-Josef Eilers, ed., For All the Peoples of Asia: Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Documents from 1992 to 1996, vol. 2 (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 1997). Franz-Josef Eilers, ed., For All the Peoples of Asia: Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Documents from 1997 to 2001, vol. 3 (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 2002). Franz-Josef Eilers, ed., For All the Peoples of Asia: Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences Documents from 2002 to 2006, vol. 4 (Quezon City: Claretian Publications, 2007). These four books will be referred to as FAPA I, FAPA II, FAPA III and FAPA IV. “Asian Bishops’ Meeting: Message and Resolutions of the Asian Bishops Meeting,” 29 November 1970, Manila, Philippines, n. 24, in FAPA I, 3-10.

ourselves to an open, sincere and continuing dialogue with our brothers of other great religions of Asia, that we may learn from one another how to enrich ourselves spiritually and how to work more effectively together

on our common task of total human development.” Human development was the focus of meeting but it was viewed in the context of dialogue. Dialogue will remain in the forefront of the concerns of the FABC. “If we were to summarize the orientation of the FABC in one word, then it is dialogue. It is around this focal point that the FABC’s understanding of the Church and its mission revolves.”

The theme of the First Assembly of the FABC in 1974 in Taipei was evangelization in modern day Asia in preparation for the Synod of Bishops of the same year. Again the theme was determined from the

theme of the upcoming Synod. This was an effort to ground the work of mission in the indigenous context of each of the peoples of Asia and this concretely means continuous and humble dialogue with cultures, religions, and the poor.

The most basic mode of mission in Asia must be dialogue, Missionary dialogue of course. We must explore the interface of the Gospel’s meanings and values with the realities of Asia and its “Asian Bishops’ Meeting: Resolutions of the Asian Bishops Meeting,” n. 12. Felix Wilfred, “The Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC): Orientations, Challenges and Impact,” in FAPA I, xxiii. “Evangelization in Modern Day Asia, Statement and Recommendations of the First Plenary Assembly,” 27 April 1974, Taipei, Taiwan, in FAPA I, 11-25. “The local church is a church incarnate in a people, a church indigenous and inculturated. And this means concretely a church in continuous, humble and loving dialogue with the living traditions, the cultures, the religions – in brief, with all the life realities of the people in whose midst it has sunk its roots deeply and whose history and life it gladly makes its own.” “Evangelization in Modern Day Asia, Statement of the First Plenary Assembly,” n. 12.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN ASIA IN THE LIGHT OF THE EUCHARIST

many peoples – its histories and cultures, religions and religious traditions and especially its “poor masses” in every country. These realties – cultures, religions, life situations of poverty – make up the ambience and context where the Gospel is to be proclaimed…. This overarching program of dialogue with the cultures (i.e., inculturation), with the religions and religious traditions (i.e., interreligious dialogue), and with our peoples, especially the poor multitudes in Asia (i.e., development/liberation) has been the thematic background of both the pastoral and missionary activity of the local churches in Asia.

The impetus to dialogue as an integral element of the Church’ s mission that originated from Vatican II and Ecclesiam Suam (ES) was well received by the Church in Asia and it has born much fruit for the Church’s growing understanding of dialogue. It was in Asia that the way for dialogue was being opened before Vatican II and the collective awareness of the importance of dialogue and the direction and commitment to dialogue on the part of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences has contributed to the Church as a whole and its understanding of dialogue.

By way of example of the interplay between documents of the Catalino Arévalo, “… The Time of the Heirs,” in FAPA I, xix-xx. Marcello Zago, “Day of Prayer for Peace,” Bulletin Secretariatus pro non Christianis 22/1 64 (1987): 149. For example, in 1974 the FABC recommended that dialogue, which up to that point had focused on seminars by scholars, be broadened to include the dialogue of life. At that point the concept of the dialogue of life had been little discussed. This concept was incorporated into the document Dialogue and Mission. “It was the Christian life, lived by believers in their community of faith, that was seen as being in dialogue … in such a way that all would be enriched by the experience.” Thomas Michel, “Growing towards ‘dialogue in community:’ A Reflection on Archbishop Jadot’s Tenure at the Secretariat for Non-Christians,” Pro Dialogo Pontificium Consilium pro Dialogo inter Religiones 103 (2000): 69-70.

universal Church and the FABC’s reflection that goes back to those sources and appropriates them in a fresh way, the Second Formation Institute for Interreligious Affairs (FIRA) in 1999 reflected theologically

about the mission of the Church and dialogue. They went back to both Ecclesiam Suam and Vatican II. “Our Asian context has enabled and compelled us to realize the truth and demands of Pope Paul VI announcement that dialogue is the new way of being Church (Ecclesiam Suam, 65). Surrounded and supported by a majority of persons following other religious paths, we have felt the need not only to respect but to learn

about and from these neighbors.”10 Later they included: “Dialogue is not merely one ecclesial activity among many. It is a constituent dimension of every authentic local Church.... After Vatican II, to be Church means to be a faith community-in-dialogue.”11

The FABC has chosen this year the theme of the Eucharist from the context of significant reflection in the Church over the past years. On April 17, 2003, Holy Thursday, John Paul II published the encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (EE) to help the Church appreciate again the life she draws from Christ in the Eucharist. On October 7, 2004 John Paul II issued the Apostolic Exhortation Mane Nobiscum Domine (MND) where he declared the Year of the Eucharist to be celebrated from October 2004 to October 2005. The Ninth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops was held in October 2005 to close the year of the Eucharist with the theme The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church. With the death of John Paul II in “Second Formation Institute for Interreligious Affairs (FIRA II): Final Statement,” 8-13 July, 1999, Pattaya, Thailand, in FAPA III, 125-132. 10 “Second Formation Institute for Interreligious Affairs (FIRA II): Final Statement,” n. 3.7. 11 “Second Formation Institute for Interreligious Affairs (FIRA II): Final Statement,” n. 3.7.

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2005, Benedict XVI presided over the Synod and issued the Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (SC) on February 22, 2007. So the Ninth Plenary Assembly of the FABC will draw from these graces over the past years and reflect on living the Eucharistic faith in Asia. Based on three part division of Sacramentum Caritatis, it will not be the belief in the Eucharist, nor the celebration of the Eucharist that will be the focus of the FABC gathering but rather the focus will be on living of the mystery of the Eucharist in Asia. At the planning level, the FABC does not want to focus on how we celebrate the Eucharist but how we live what we celebrate. How the Eucharist enlightens our daily living is the major question. Living the Eucharist in Asia will concretely mean the constant FABC thematic of living in a continuous and humble dialogue with cultures, religions, and the poor in Asia. The local Churches of Asia who gather to celebrate the Eucharist generally gather from their context of religious plurality and being a minority in that religiously pluralistic condition. This lived context is what we bring to the Eucharist; this is the lived context is where we return to after the Eucharist. What light can the Eucharist give us about living interreligiously in Asia? The theme of the Eucharist is in itself a profound mystery about which much has been and can be said. The theme of interreligious dialogue is also a vast topic. What I plan do here is to offer only a few thoughts on how the Eucharist can help make the Church a Church living the Eucharist in interreligious dialogue. Following the documents that were the impetus for choosing the theme, particularly Ecclesia de Eucharistia and Sacramentum Caritatis, we will look at only three major Eucharistic themes gathered from these documents that throw light on our living the Eucharist in and through interreligious dialogue. These

insights will be Starting with the Dismissal, Making Present of the Paschal Mystery and Cosmic Liturgy. These insights will reveal that the Eucharistic mystery places us in dialogue with the cultures, the religions and the poor of Asia as our way of living the Eucharist. Looking at these three themes will throw light on why we say that interreligious dialogue is an essential element of every authentic local Church in Asia.

1. Starting with the Dismissal To focus on living the Eucharist, it is good to start with the dismissal at the end of each Eucharistic celebration. This simple act needs to be understood. It is interesting to note that the Synod on the Eucharist proposed that there be new texts and prayers over the people to make clearer the connection between the celebration of the Eucharist and living the Eucharist (see SC 51). The suggestion implies that at present, the connection is not that unmistakably understood. The dismissal is not just to end the celebration as if to inform people that the celebration is over and all can now take their leave. This is very far from the intention of the dismissal, yet from the observation of the Synod, this could be the understanding of some. What we call the celebration of the Eucharist or the celebration of the Mass is what we usually focus on in our talking about or referring to the Eucharist. The celebration of the Eucharist is our gathering as a people. This gathering includes two aspects. We gather in the presence of the Triune God, Father, Son and Spirit and we gather with one another. This informs us of what it means to be Christian and to be Church. We need to gather with one another in the presence of the crucified and risen

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Christ and the Spirit. Jesus has told us that where two or three gather in his name He is there with them (Mt 18:20) and He told his disciples after the resurrection the He will be with them until the end of time (Mt 28:20). Jesus related the gift of his own life on the cross with the gift of the sending of his Spirit ( Jn 16:7) and He greeted the disciples on Easter with the signs of the passion present in his risen body with the gift of his breath and told them to receive the Holy Spirit ( Jn 20:22). The Eucharist reveals the loving plan that guides all of salvation history (cf. Eph 1:10; 3:8- 11). There the Deus Trinitas, who is essentially love (cf. 1 Jn 4:7-8), becomes fully a part of our human condition. In the bread and wine under whose appearances Christ gives himself to us in the paschal meal (cf. Lk 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26), God’s whole life encounters us and is sacramentally shared with us. God is a perfect communion of love between Father, Son and Holy Spirit…. Jesus Christ, who “through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14), makes us, in the gift of the Eucharist, sharers in God’s own life (SC 8). God is a perfect communion of love in interpersonal dialogue. We become shares in God’s inner most life of love in dialogue. The process of growing into the fullness of divine life is the process of dialogue. We celebrate this in word and in the sacrament of the altar. We listen to the story of salvation history and share the bread of the Eucharist. The word communion is used for this gathering since we share communion with both God and in that communion with God we share communion with one another. In and through the Body of Christ we become the Body of

Christ. The celebration of the Eucharist is our gathering as a people but it also our being sent forth. We are sent back to the world to live the love of Christ and to proclaim in our lives the message of the Eucharist we have celebrated. Since the Eucharist makes known God’s loving plan that directs all of salvation history, we are sent forth with fullness of that message. We are sent to enter the dialogue of salvation history. It is both the gathering and the being sent forth that need to be seen in balance. “The Synod Fathers stated that ‘the Christian faithful need a fuller understanding of the relationship between the Eucharist and their daily lives. Eucharistic spirituality is not just participation in Mass and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. It embraces the whole of life.’” (SC 77). The inner life of the Church is realized in the communion of its members with God and one another. The outer life of the Church is its being sent forth and this is realized in many different ways in the world. The inner and outer life, the celebration of the Eucharist and the living of the Eucharist, cannot be understood apart from one another. They cannot be separated. Through the many forms this sending takes, the ultimate goal of this being sent is to widen and enrich the communion of the human family. After the blessing, the people are dismissed with the words: Ite, missa est. Ite is the command form of the verb to go. We are not merely dismissed but we are commanded to go. This is the Gospel word of the risen Jesus to his disciples. The sending or commissioning of the disciples is remembered at the end of each celebration. We are commanded again and again to go into the entire world. “These words help us to grasp the relationship between the Mass just celebrated and the mission of

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Christians in the world. In antiquity, missa simply meant ‘dismissal.’ However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word ‘dismissal’ has come to imply a ‘mission.’ These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. The People of God might be helped to understand more clearly this essential dimension of the Church’ s life, taking the dismissal as a starting-point” (SC 51). Starting with the dismissal implies that we start with a focus on living the Eucharist as a Church that is missionary by its very nature. To focus on the mission of the Church in Asia leads us to understand that the Eucharist sends us for the totality of mission and one essential element of that mission is interreligious dialogue. In Asia this emphasis on dialogue as the way of being Church is an essential element of our understanding of living the Eucharist.

2. Making Present of the Paschal Mystery “The Church was born of the paschal mystery. For this very reason the Eucharist, which is in an outstanding way the sacrament of the paschal mystery, stands at the center of the Church’s life…. At every celebration of the Eucharist, we are spiritually brought back to the paschal Triduum: to the events of the evening of Holy Thursday, to the Last Supper and to what followed it” (EE 3). The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is only understood in the context of the events of Good Friday to Easter Sunday. In the context of the Passover meal Jesus transforms this memorial of the events of Exodus into the events of his own death and resurrection, the new covenant in his blood, the new covenant of salvation. “In instituting

the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus anticipates and makes present the sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the resurrection…. Jesus shows the salvific meaning of his death and resurrection, a mystery which renews history and the whole cosmos. The institution of the Eucharist demonstrates how Jesus’ death, for all its violence and absurdity, became in him a supreme act of love and mankind’s definitive deliverance from evil” (SC 10). In the gift of the Eucharist, we have been entrusted with the sacrament that is the sacrament of the paschal mystery, the sacrament of the continually making present of the paschal mystery. “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.” The death of Jesus is for the redemption of the world. We celebrate and proclaim that salvific death. The paschal mystery is at the heart of the mystery of the Eucharist. The paschal mystery stands at the center of our lives as Christians. The Emmaus story in the gospel of Luke is a story of the Eucharist in word and sacrament. Jesus proclaims the word to the disciples while they are on their way. He tells them “‘was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself ” (Lk 24:26-27). Because their hearts were burning within them from hearing the word, the disciples could recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread. That the Christ had to suffer and die and on the third day rise from the dead is the proclamation of the paschal mystery that is indispensable to the recognizing of Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The Church is the Church of the Eucharist and so it is the Church of the paschal mystery, born of the paschal mystery. Because of the

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relationship of the Eucharist and the Church, we should be profoundly people of the paschal mystery. We do not just recall the paschal mystery of Jesus but we are called an active participation in the celebration which means an active participation in the paschal mystery itself. In the Eucharist we enter into the act of Jesus’ self-gift, self-sacrifice. We enter into the very dynamic of the sacrifice of Jesus so that we become a living sacrifice. “This is my body which will be given up for you. This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the third Eucharistic prayer, we refer to the celebration of the Eucharist as a “living sacrifice.” In the fourth Eucharistic prayer we refer to ourselves as a living sacrifice of praise when we say “gather all who share this one bread and one cup into the one body of Christ, a living sacrifice of praise.” When we become a living sacrifice by the offering up of our bodies and the pouring out of our blood, it is then that we do what Jesus asked us to do in remembrance of him. St Paul speaks of the death and suffering of Jesus in our bodies, our participation in the paschal mystery. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be revealed. While we live we are constantly being delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:8-11). In our bodies is the death of Jesus and through this death the life of Jesus may be revealed. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the

mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints” (Col 1:24-27). Paul rejoices that his sufferings can be united to the sufferings of Christ and they are offered up together with sufferings of Jesus for that body of Christ which is the Church. The Eucharist makes present the paschal mystery and also we in our bodies, in our lives are to make present that same salvific paschal mystery for the life of the world. Living the Eucharist means to live the paschal mystery. Interreligious dialogue is profoundly linked to the paschal mystery. Dialogue and Proclamation (DP) will tell us that the ultimate expression of dialogue is the paschal mystery. The mystery of human death is one of the most profound human questions and it is coupled to the question of the meaning of human life and question of God. All humans must pass through death. Is God absent and silent in the face of human suffering and death? Dialogue originates and proceeds from God’s own dialogue. The meaning of dialogue can be grasped in the paramount expression of God’ s dialogue, which is Jesus’ paschal mystery. “It must be remembered that the Church’s commitment to dialogue is not dependent on success in achieving mutual understanding and enrichment; rather it flows from God’s initiative in entering into a dialogue with humankind and from the example of Jesus Christ whose life, death and resurrection gave to that dialogue its ultimate expression” (DP 53). The wood of the cross reveals the love of God, God’s dialogue with humanity. Jesus emptied himself completely on the cross and in him is found the fullness of life. United to the figure of the crucified Jesus, He leads us through darkness to the door that opens on to the fullness of life. This is a fullness that all humanity seeks. The fullness of life comes when

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we enter into death. It is through death and not by avoiding it that the power of self-emptying love transforms death to life. The Cross of Christ is the encounter with all humanity. God unites himself with humanity in human death. The God of love is the conqueror of death through death, and offers us liberation from death itself. Jesus said before his death that his death would draw all humanity to him. “‘Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour…. I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’ He said this to show by what death he was to die” ( Jn 12:27, 32-33). Interreligious dialogue will find its meaning in this human mystery transformed into the path of salvation. Gaudium et Spes tells us that only in the light of the mystery of Christ can we fully understand our human condition. Jesus reveals God and God’s love to us and he also reveals us to ourselves. When the Son of God became man, he in some way has united himself with all humanity. All humanity is redeemed by his death. “The Son of God ‘loved me and gave Himself up for me’ (Gal. 2:20). By suffering for us He not only provided us with an example for our imitation, He blazed a trail, and if we follow it, life and death are made holy and take on a new meaning” (GS 22). The Christian is called to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. Christians like all humans need to suffer death. But, linked with the paschal mystery and patterned on the dying Christ, [the Christian] will hasten forward to resurrection in the strength which comes from hope. All this holds true not for Christians only but also for all people of good will in whose hearts grace is secretly at work (cf. LG 16). Since Christ died for everyone (cf. Rm 8:32), and since the ultimate calling of each of us

comes from God and is therefore a universal one, we are obliged to hold that the Holy Spirit offers everyone the possibility of sharing in this Paschal Mystery in a manner known to God (GS 22). We have said that in the gift of the Eucharist, we have been entrusted with the sacrament that is the sacrament of the paschal mystery, the sacrament of the continually making present of the paschal mystery. The paschal mystery is at the heart of the mystery of the Eucharist. The paschal mystery stands at the center of our lives as Christians. Yet what GS 22 tells us is that all people of good will, people of other religions here in Asia, our neighbors, by the grace of God in their hearts and the working of the Holy Spirit have the possibility of sharing in the paschal mystery. They can in some way share in the one and the same paschal mystery that we celebrate in the Eucharist. In interreligious dialogue we can learn from them about the depths and fullness of the paschal mystery they experience since we must hold that they can participate in that same mystery. The theological foundation of interreligious dialogue is the mystery of the unity of humanity: the common origin of creation by God and the common destiny to share in the fullness of life in God. Jesus Christ and the active presence of the Holy Spirit are the center of the one plan of salvation for all humanity. The paschal mystery is at the heart of this mystery of the unity of humanity. From this mystery of unity it follows that all men and women who are saved share, though differently, in the same mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ through his Spirit. Christians know this through their faith, while others remain unaware that Jesus Christ

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is the source of their salvation. The mystery of salvation reaches out to them, in a way known to God, through the invisible action of the Spirit of Christ. Concretely, it will be in the sincere practice of what is good in their own religious traditions and by following the dictates of their conscience that the members of other religions respond positively to God’s invitation and receive salvation in Jesus Christ, even while they do not recognize or acknowledge him as their Savior (cf. AG 3, 9, 11)” (DP 29). The dialogue of life will put us in touch with these realties. The Eucharist should help open our eyes to recognize the presence of Jesus in the human “breaking of the bread” or paschal humanity. This is how we understand what is happening in our Christian vocabulary. Yet, this vocabulary is not the issue but the reality of God’s presence and action that we seek to discover in dialogue is the issue. Humility is needed in this so that we can learn and grow through dialogue. “Notwithstanding the fullness of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ, the way Christians sometimes understand their religion and practice it may be in need of purification” (DP 32). The language we use must be understandable and acceptable. “Without employing unintelligible terminology, he must share the common way of life – provided that it is human and honorable – especially of the most humble, if he wishes to be listened to and understood” (ES 87). Yet we are seekers of God’s presence in dialogue. Part of dialogue is the exploration of particular religious convictions which will have a paschal shape to them. The living the Eucharist in Asia will be greatly enhanced by growing deeper and deeper into the paschal mystery celebrated in the Eucharist so that we are more in contact with the ultimate expression of

Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dialogue. The paschal mystery greatly enlightens our participation in Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dialogue of love with all humanity. It offers us the radical foundation for dialogue.

3. Cosmic Liturgy We have already heard that the paschal mystery renews all of history and the whole cosmos. John Paul II in Ecclesia de Eucharistia reminds us that the celebration of the Eucharist is cosmic in character. The world is transformed by the Eucharist and all creation is redeemed. This varied scenario of celebrations of the Eucharist has given me a powerful experience of its universal and, so to speak, cosmic character. Yes, cosmic! Because even when it is celebrated on the humble altar of a country church, the Eucharist is always in some way celebrated on the altar of the world. It unites heaven and earth. It embraces and permeates all creation. The Son of God became man in order to restore all creation, in one supreme act of praise, to the One who made it from nothing. He, the Eternal High Priest who by the blood of his Cross entered the eternal sanctuary, thus gives back to the Creator and Father all creation redeemed. He does so through the priestly ministry of the Church, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. Truly this is the mysterium fidei which is accomplished in the Eucharist: the world which came forth from the hands of God the Creator now returns to him redeemed by Christ (EE 8)

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The one immense goal of the Eucharist is to gather dispersed mankind around the table of God and of uniting men in the new man, Jesus. The liturgy of the Eucharist is and always remains the cosmic liturgy: to gather the world of peoples into the great host of a worshiping universe. Paul tells us that by the grace given to him by God, he is “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit” (Rm 15:16). Even more in the book of Revelation we have the vision of all creation worshiping the Lamb that was slain. Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!” (Rev 5:11-13). From an historical point of view, the death of Jesus was not a cultic activity. “Yet, in fact, this death was the world’s only true liturgy. It was a liturgy of cosmic proportions in which Christ, publicly and not in the restricted area of the temple’s liturgical drama, entered through the curtains of the ‘flesh’, through the curtain of death, into the real temple

to stand before the face of the living God and there offer, not this or that thing, but himself.”12 He offers and gives himself, the totality of his existence, an all-giving love that can give nothing more. The hour of the Cross becomes the cosmic day of reconciliation. John Paul II teaches us that through the Eucharist we are brought into a profound union with Christ and Him with us. That union with Christ demands that we do not close in upon ourselves but that we in Christ and Christ in us become “a ‘sacrament’ for humanity, a sign and instrument for the salvation achieved by Christ, the light of the world and the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-16), for the redemption of all…. [I]n the Eucharist, the Church draws the spiritual power needed to carry out her mission. The Eucharist thus appears as both the source and the summit of all evangelization, since its goal is the communion of mankind with Christ and in him with the Father and the Holy Spirit.” (EE 22). It is clearly stated that the goal of the Eucharist is the communion of all mankind with Christ and in him with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Nostra Aetate states that: “All peoples form but one community. This is so because all stem from the one origin which God created to people the entire earth (cf. Acts 17:26) and also because all share a one final goal, namely God” (NA 1). John Paul II spoke of the radical

and profound unity of all humanity. 13 This unity is seen as radical, fundamental, and decisive, which makes all differences appear as merely secondary. John Paul II again instructs us in Ecclesia de Eucharistia that the ultimate goal of the Eucharist is to create human community. 12 Joseph Ratzinger, Priestly Ministry: A Search for Its Meaning (New York: The Sentinel Press, 1971), reprint. 13 John Paul II, “To the Roman Curia,” Rome, December 22, 1986, in Francesco Gioia, ed., Interreligious Dialogue: The Official Teaching of the Catholic Church (1963-1995), Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 1997), 562-573.

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The gift of Christ and his Spirit which we receive in Eucharistic communion superabundantly fulfills the yearning for fraternal unity deeply rooted in the human heart; at the same time it elevates the experience of fraternity already present in our common sharing at the same Eucharistic table to a degree which far surpasses that of the simple human experience of sharing a meal. Through her communion with the body of Christ the Church comes to be ever more profoundly “in Christ in the nature of a sacrament, that is, a sign and instrument of intimate unity with God and of the unity of the whole human race” (LG, 1). The seeds of disunity, which daily experience shows to be so deeply rooted in humanity as a result of sin, are countered by the unifying power of the body of Christ. The Eucharist, precisely by building up the Church, creates human community (EE 24). The Eucharist reminds us over and over again of the communion of God with all mankind and the universal plan of God’s salvation. Pope Benedict begins his Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist with God’s universal love for all. “The sacrament of charity, the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself, thus revealing to us God’s infinite love for every man and woman. This wondrous sacrament makes manifest that ‘greater’ love which led him to ‘lay down his life for his friends’” ( Jn 15:13) (SC 1). The Eucharist reveals God’ s unbounded love for every man and woman. Jesus lays down his life for all, every person, and these are his friends. This vision of the Eucharist draws us to see in the light of the Eucharist that all men and women are friends of Jesus for whom he has laid down his life. These are those who are our co-pilgrims on our common human journey, a human journey

transformed by Christ. The gift of Jesus is for all. In the Eucharist, the self-giving of Jesus for the life of the world initiates a process of radical transformation that is nothing less than cosmic in its end. “The substantial conversion of bread and wine into his body and blood introduces within creation the principle of a radical change, a sort of ‘nuclear fission,’ to use an image familiar to us today, which penetrates to the heart of all being, a change meant to set off a process which transforms reality, a process leading ultimately to the transfiguration of the entire world, to the point where God will be all in all” (cf. 1 Cor 15:28) (SC 11). Jesus for us becomes food, the bread of life, the bread of truth and love. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” ( Jn 6:51). The flesh of Jesus given to us is ultimately for the life of the world. The Eucharist brings about a transformation in us. “The one who feeds on me will have life because of me” ( Jn 6:57). That life is now connected to the life of the world. The gift of the life of Jesus is for all people. God’s love and compassion is for every man and woman. We pray in that way during the celebration of the Eucharist. “This is the cup of my blood; it will be shed for all.” “Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.” “Lord, may this sacrifice advance the peace and salvation of all the world.” “We offer you his body and blood, the acceptable sacrifice which brings salvation to the whole world.” “Remember those who take part in this offering, those here present and all your people, and all those who seek you with a sincere heart.” “Remember all the dead whose faith is known to you alone.” Our prayer is for every man and woman. “Through a profoundly human sensibility [ Jesus] expresses

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God’s saving will for all people – that they may have true life. Each celebration of the Eucharist makes sacramentally present the gift that the crucified Lord made of his life, for us and for the whole world. In the Eucharist Jesus also makes us witnesses of God’s compassion towards all our brothers and sisters” (SC 88). The Eucharist enlightens us see all humanity as our brothers and sisters. The Eucharist is for the whole world. The cosmic dimension of the Eucharist should throw light on our engagement in interreligious dialogue. Dialogue is our path here in Asia as we journey together with our brothers and sisters of other faith traditions toward that one human community where all will be transformed and renewed. The cosmic dimension of the Eucharist enlightens our human pilgrimage as we see in it an anticipation of what God would like the developing history of humanity to be: a fraternal walking together in which we accompany one another toward God’s transcendent goal for us.

4. Conclusion To be amazed at what God has done and is doing in the world is part of living the Eucharist in and through interreligious dialogue. John Paul II tells us that “[t]o contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize him wherever he manifests himself, in his many forms of presence…. The Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist; by him she is fed and by him she is enlightened. Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: ‘their eyes were opened and they

recognized himâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? (Lk 24:31) (EE 6). Living the Eucharist should enable us to grow in amazement of the presence of Christ in the world and our celebration of the Eucharist should foster our contemplation of Christ so that we will be ever more able to recognize him where he manifests himself in and through interreligious dialogue. The Eucharist enlightens our living interreligious dialogue since we are reminded as we have heard from each preface during the Easter season: The joy of the resurrection renews the whole world.

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS The Eucharist in light of Poverty Bishop Johannes Pujasumarta

Prologue Two words “Eucharist” and “poverty” contain various problems of faith and human life. On the one hand we have been experiencing that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of Christian life’, that energizes us to empower the poor, but on the other hand in its practice the liturgy of the Eucharist has shown to us its shadows, because it has become a mere ritual ceremony that does not touch the problem of poverty. That is it the reason why one can stands at the extreme side to be in the side of the poor without the Eucharist, and the other one stands at the extreme side to be around the altar without touching the reality of the poor. The extreme leftist struggle for humanity without God, and the extreme rightists celebrate the Eucharist without compassion for humanity. Between those two extreme sides, the leftist and the rightist, we are wandering to stand around the center of the line where the poorest among the poor, that is Jesus, shares his life with all the poor as the broken bread for the life of the poor (cf. John 6). In light of poverty we would like to experience the real presence of the Holy One, in a so simple way, in the Eucharistic bread, broken for the life of the poor. In light of the poverty we would like to be united to Jesus, the poorest among the poor, so that we are able to be united to the poor around us with abundant love. In light of poverty we would like to be aware of our call that in it there is a mission entrusted for us to proclaim the good words to the poor. So, the reality of poverty is not just only a theme that we should learn and observe in a discourse, but in the light of the Eucharist the poverty is a challenging reality, as Jesus said to his disciples, “You give them something to eat!” (Matthew 14: 16)

THE REALITY OF POVERTY On poverty one can say that the earth may be able to produce enough food and water for all. But the greed and selfishness produce the unbridgeable gap between the rich and the poor. So, the rich, minority that consume the major portion of production of the earth, and the poor obtain only a small portion of the production. Nobody wants to be poor. They are the victims of the systemic globalization of business of the rich. The poor are the weak, powerless to face the huge machine that makes them poorer and poorer. Now, fear is a sign of our time, so dominant for the poor. Children are afraid of joining the school because schooling costs so high. They are afraid to leave the school, because to obtain the diploma need money. The dropouts are the losers compared to the graduates, even the graduates are afraid of not getting jobs Today, one is afraid of dreaming for one’s own future, because to make dream come true needs very much money. Even, one is afraid of death, because it’s expensive to buy a piece of land to lay down the dead body. I don’t know how many of the poor join the Eucharist celebration, so that they can obtain the meaning of being poor. It’s our call to be fellow-pilgrims with the poor of our time. To know the way how to face the reality of poverty we are invited by the Lord, to launch out in the deep (cf. Luke 6: 4).

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS

IN THE LIGHT OF THE WORD OF GOD A child of five loaves and two fish After 40 days and 40 nights fasting, Jesus as the Son of God, was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, to change the stones into bread (cf. Matthew 4:1-11), to become a magician. At the time at Bethsaida the Lord saw so many people follow him because of hunger to listen to His word. How to feed the more than 5,000 the number of people? Jesus certainly did not want to fulfill the will of Satan, to become a magician because "it is written: Human life is not from bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God." (V. 4) Four evangelists save the events, writing about the multiplication of five loaves and two fish, as catechism on the Eucharist to the people of the Christian Jews ( John 6: 1-15, Matthew 14: 13-21, Mark 6:32-44, Luke 9:10-17). And with the way Mark and Matthew tell the gentile Christian readers the multiplication bread and fish (Mark 8:1-10, Matthew 15:32-39). Watching a lot of people hungry, the Lord clearly said to the disciples, "â&#x20AC;&#x153;You give them something to eat!â&#x20AC;? (Matthew 14: 16) How it might happen, because the place was deserted, and they did not have enough money to buy bread as much. In the fertile valley of coast of Lake Galilee wide green grass spread. On the green carpet of grass that shepherds use to graze their sheep in order to eat enough every day. There was much grass in the place, so the people sat down in groups, in hundreds and in fifties. In small groups that people were no longer anonymous. They had opportunities for them to introduce the name to one another so that everyone knew the other with the name. The good shepherd knows the sheep (cf. John 10:14). Among them there was inter-

personal relationship in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. In familiar and relaxed atmosphere each person dared to tell each other about what had been experienced from the Lord and His disciples. Each person did not hold again for sharing, sharing any expression of gratitude. Some women shared stories so that their heart consoled by the words of the Lord. A young man shared the experience, since he was born blind. When people heard Jesus in Bethsaida, how big desire they have to meet with Jesus in order to be cured (cf. Mark 8:22). There is a mother gave testimony that she was healed from the weight of depression, because the Lord had raised her only begotten son (cf. Luke 7:12). Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s not only the Lord who touched them directly, but also the disciples did because they were sent to act with the given power and authority to control demons and to cure diseases, as a sign of the coming of the Kingdom of God (cf. Luke 9:1). So many people had experienced the love that comes from God. A heart full of gratitude is a power for those who are willing to share as well. John the disciple whom the Lord loved (cf. Jon 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20) witnessed the event, so he could complete discussion on the multiplication of five loaves and two fish in his Gospel (written in 85-90 M). After 50 years since the events that occurred he kept it in his memory. That time the Lord said to Philip, one of his disciples, the important person of Bethsaida, "Where will we buy bread, so that they can eat?" Philip answered to the Lord, "Bread for two hundred dinar will not be enough for them, though each got only a small piece." John even remembered clearly who had five loaves and two fish. A child!

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A child to be a great figure! How might this happenned? His mother might have experienced the touch of love from the Lord, or received visits from his disciples, who released from the burden of life. Indeed, some women had been cured of evil spirits and a variety of diseases. They were: Mary called Magdalene, who had been exempted from the seven evil spirits, Johanna Chuza’s wife Treasurer of Herod, Susana, and many other women who served Jesus with their wealth (cf. Luke 8: 2). When women hold hand in hand, unity is formed, and how strong they are. Organizing banquet gratitude, it’s Okay! For a few thousand people, is also Okay! Why? “How much we love Jesus, because Jesus has loved us so much,’ they said seriously. Omnia parata sunt!” All is ready! And, a mother told her son to bring the five loaves and two fish, as a sign of gratitude that the feast could begin. Andreas, who also came from Bethsaida, was aware that the Lord’s heart is for children. He certainly let the children come to Him (cf. Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17). Andreas then took the child to Jesus and said, “Here, there is a child here, who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they among so manty?” “Indeed, it’s only this, the Lord, my offering” said the child in his heart, while giving Him the five loaves and two fish with his bright eyes. Jesus smiled seeing his generosity and simplicity. John then explains what the Lord Jesus did. He who was born in the house of bread (Bethlehem), and now present in the house of fish (Bethsaida), transmitted the movement of sharing so meaningful for people throughout the period of time. John wrote, "Then Jesus took the bread, gave thank, and shared with them sitting there, also did as well

with the fish, as much as they wanted." ( John 6:11) It’s His words that initiated a movement of sharing five loaves and two fish into a movement of solidarity to the whole world. In patriarchal culture women and children are not appreciated, but the Lord appreciated them to be a part of the miracle of multiplication of sharing five loaves and two fish. Although there were many people ate more than enough, but when the pieces of bread were collected, that was still a rest, twelve baskets.

Jesus the Living Bread Previously there were people hungry and thirsty. Now there are people still hungry and thirsty. Tomorrow there will be people still hungry and thirsty. That appetite for hunger and thirst was created by God so that human beings have to preserve life. However, if it’s not manageable, that appetite will become the lust to eat and drink everything. People can become addictive, depending on the uncontrollable lust. Human hunger and thirst cannot be satisfied by products made by their own hands. It’ s a rapacious appetite that is not restrained, which caused many other people not get enough food and drink. Poverty comes from the rapacious appetite, so there is a gap between the rich and the poor as told in the Gospel (cf. Luke. 16: 19-21), in the time of now as well. It’s only God who can satisfy human hunger and thirst completely. That is why God gives Himself through Jesus Christ alone who is the bread of life coming from heaven. He gave His body to be eaten, and He devoted His blood to drink, as He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you,

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unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him…. (cf. John 6: 53-56) Of course, the supper room on the last hour (Latin “caenaculum”) before the Lord suffered for the miserable death on the cross is an event that will not be ever forgotten. Human hunger and thirst for salvation is fulfilled by Jesus in giving His body and blood, as the expression of the love of God without limits. What the Lord said at the event is recorded by the evangelists carefully. Luke writes as follows. “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (cf. Luke 22: 19-20) The same words were always spoken by the Lord every time he gathered disciples to break bread and pray. The event of self-giving is presented again and again each time the Eucharist is celebrated. And each time the Eucharist is celebrated, life history of each disciple is presented, which is taken, blessed, broken in pieces and given to the salvation of the world. History of human life that likened to the life of Christ is a blessing from God, and a blessing for each person ready to be sent to share the blessings with others. But before the Eucharist is ended, the mission is entrusted to the disciples, that the ending may become a new beginning for the disciples to witness,

that Jesus is the bread of life. Ite missa est! Go, we are to be sent! The Eucharist is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;missaâ&#x20AC;?; a mission to spread out the movement of sharing five loaves and two fish to the world.

THE MOVEMENT OF SHARING From Bethsaida to the world After the crucified Lord died (30 M), the disciples experienced the living Jesus. Yes, because God has raised Him from the dead (cf. Acts 13:30). The Lord lives! Even, when two disciples from Emmaus invited the Lord in their homes, they recognized him in the way he broke the bread. Knowing Jesus in a specific way they went back to Jerusalem to inform the living Lord to his friends (cf. Luke 24: 13-35). Then the living Jesus became a power to unify the disciples, to build a communion of believers (Greek: koinonia, Latin: communio), which is present as salt, leaven and light of the world (Matthew 5:13, 15; 13: 33). The presence of communion of believers could make the hearts of the corrupt regime not comfortable. Persecution from the authorities is not a threat but an opportunity for the disciples of the Lord to take a missionary journey never finished until now. Even their suffering has become fertilizer for the development of the faithful. Sanguis martyrium, semen christianorum! The blood of martyrs, seed of the Christian. Nevertheless, they always come together to pray and break bread (cf. Acts 2: 42, 46; 20: 7.11; 27:35). From Jerusalem the disciples spread out to other cities in the

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Palestinian territories. The spreading of the faithful to the north east coast of Mediterranean produced a new mission center in Antioch. It’ s in Antioch the disciples for the first time called Christians (cf. Acts 11:26). Church in Antioch sent courageous apostles, such as the apostle Paul and his friends, to proclaim the good news to anyone who would like to open the heart. Paul began the first missionary journey (48-49 M) to Cyprus and Galatia to the south region as told in the Acts. The missionary journey is updated each time the Eucharist celebrated, because the Eucharist is a missa. In the second missionary journey (50-54 M) Paul arrived at Troas. In Troas, Paul felt a very strong encouragement from the Holy Spirit, and then, he left Asia to Phillipi, the first city in the Macedonia, a Roman city of foreign people (cf. Acts 16: 6-12). In the third missionary journey (54-58 M), at the time when he lived two-years in Ephesus (Acts 19:10), Paul sent an apostolic letter to the Corinthians and urged the people to celebrate the Eucharist properly, and to build unity that finds its source in the Eucharist, which has been received from the Lord. He wrote, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (cf. 1 Curinthians 11:23-26). He lived what he wrote. On the way back to Jerusalem, when up in Troas, on the first day of the week, Paul with the local people

gathered together to break bread (cf. Acts 20:7, 11). In Miletus at the time to say farewell to the presbyters of Ephesianss, he said to them “You know, how I lived among you since the first day I arrived in Asia: with all the humility I serve God, “services Domino cum Omni humiliate” (cf. Acts 20:18) Then, Paul still held the last missionary journey to Rome (58-63 M). While in the sea between the island of Crete to Malta, the ship was in dangerous condition. Because they didn’t eat for some days for the safety of all passengers Paul invited them to eat. He took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and when he had broken it began to eat. cf. Acts 27: 35). Finally, Paul also arrived in Rome, the gate to the wider Europe and to the world to proclaim the good news till the end of time. A valuable heritage is maintained in the community meetings. Every time people gather together to break bread and pray, they bring back the self-giving of the Lord for the salvation of the world. The spirit of mission is certainly updated constantly every time they celebrate the Eucharist, sacrament of God who loves the world. The Eucharist is the spiritual provision for the missionaries, so that people can believe and the baptized can experience a close intimate union with God in receiving the Holy Communion, so that the Church became a living communion. It’s the intimate unity that becomes the strength that empowers the disciples to continue the movement of sharing the love of God throughout the period of time.

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS

The movement of sharing going on here and now The Eucharistic celebration is a sign of the presence of the Church in a certain time and place. The history of the Church cannot be separated from the Eucharistic celebration. An historian Sheikh Abu Salih al-Armini wrote a book â&#x20AC;&#x153;List of news about churches and monasteries from the province of Egypt and the lands on the outsideâ&#x20AC;?. The news tells us about 707 churches and 181 Christian monasteries sspread in Egypt, Nubia, Abbessiny , West Africa, Spain, Arabia, India and Indonesia. From the news we already know that in the VII century, in 645, the city formerly called the Baros, Fansur or Pancur, there was a Catholic community presen in Sumatra. From the missionary notes of Bishop Ioa De Merignoli, OFM, as the delegate of Pope Clemens VI in Beijing, we know that he visited Sumatra and came to the Queen of Sriwijaya in year 1346. He met some Christians, and then had to serve there. Baros is currently located in the diocese of Sibolga in West Sumatra. In the XVI century from Portugal Ignatius Loyola sent a great missionary, Francis Xavier, to the Moluccas (1546-1547 M). There were approximately 1,000 people who were baptized by Francis Xavier when he was in Mollucas. Since that time the work of mission in the archipelago has been conducted sustainably despite the challenges coming from every era of change. Freedom of religion that was proclaimed by the King Louis Napoleon on 8 May 1807 has become a golden chance for the

missionaries to work for the mission on the islands of Dutch Indies. In the beginning of XIX century, Fr. Henricus Chirstianus Verbraak SJ was sent to work in Padang station; then in the end of the XIX century in the year 1896, Fr. Frans van Lith SJ and his other friends were sent to Java region. Fr. Verbraak and Fr. van Lith are two great missionaries in the early Catholic church history in Indonesia, who had successfully sowed the seeds of faith in the land of Sumatra and Java. Of course, because they lived their life nurtured by Eucharisticc celebration. Faith figures have appeared in the history of Christian community, and they become living example for the believers until now. They have shared their lives as five loaves and two fish, that ever continued, renewed everytime the Eucharist is celebrated. Thus liturgical movement should become a movement of solidarity so that liturgical peace becomes political peace, where the rich and the poor may get together in real peace. In fact, the Holy Father Benedictus XVI writes in his Encyclical Letter “God is love” (25 December 2005), affirming the relationship between service of love with the identity of the Church, as follows: “The service of love for the Church is not a kind of charity activities, which can also be handed to another party, but including the fact, that expression of her identity (Benedictus XVI, God is love, no. 25). In the line of ecclesiological vision of the Vatican Council II Church evolved to be a living communion of communities of the disciples of Jesus Christ to realize that the Kingdom of God that is liberating (cf. Luke 4: 18-19). If the Church want to be present in the reality of Asia, the Church should be rooted deeply promoting and realizing dialogue with the poor, in the

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multi-culture and in the multi-reliigion of Asia. Talking about the reality of poverty that appears from the gap between the rich and are poor, we have been touched by the action of a child giving Jesus live loaves and two fish (cf. John 6:1-15), and it can inspire us to continue the movement sharing of five loaves and two fish in our time that becomes a movement of solidarity among the grassroots people.

Epilogue The movement of sharing five loaves and two fish shows its shadows when love to other is separated from the love to God, and when the honor to God is not realized in the honor to the human dignity. The movement for humanity loses its authentic meaning when it falls into a movement that only satisfies human hunger and thirst, and is emptied from the love of God. The movement for solidarity fails if one only thinks of oneself. The social movement is incomplete without the participation of children and women. All those happen if the liturgy is separated from daily life, and the day to day life is separated from the liturgy as well. We hope that the movement of sharing five loaves and two fish can enlighten our heart to continue what a little child did, when he gave Jesus five loaves and two fish in Bethsaida. Jesus received the gift and enhanced the quality of the gift by giving Himself through the Eucharistic broken bread. And we have received Him when we receive the Holy Communion; and now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the time for us to be sent to share

what we have received to other, especially those who are weak, little, poor, and hungry, afraid, marginalized and forgotten.

Step by step way of sharing the five loaves and two fish: 1. Proactively recognize the fact of life around, for example: children less nutrition, the need for early childhood education, child victims of family fracture (broken home), etc. Choose the fact of poverty that moves the heart, as Jesus did when he saw around him many people, hungry and thirsty. Invite children and the women to be involved as a part of the movement of sharing five loaves and two fish (cf. John 6: 1-15). The following film tells us about the unbridgeable gap between the rich and the poor. This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by globalization. There are 25,000 people dying every day due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people. (Cf. http://www. cultureunplugged.com/play/1081) 2. Be nurtured by the experience of the Eucharist, as source and summit of Christian life (cf. LG 11), and receive Jesus as the living bread ( John 6: 53-54). We are called to build a community of love, and ready to be sent as broken bread shared with the other especially with the poor and needy to continue the movement of sharing five loaves and two fish. Participation of Eucharistic celebration and Eucharistic adoration are the way how the Christians get spiritual power to see Jesus in a poor way, and to touch him in the poorest among the poor. In the light of the Eucharist the poverty is a challenging reality, as Jesus said to his disciples, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You give

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them something to eat!â&#x20AC;? (Matthew 14: 16) The Eucharistic celebration can be a moment of reflection and conscientization that the Eucharist is a celebration of the poor, who are hungry for the living bread. 3. Determine the appropriate action that can be done, applicable to help the poor, empowering them to share five loaves and two fish, as well. For example: solidarity among the students of Catholic schools can be motivated by the movement of sharing five loaves and two fish. The movement of solidarity for poor children can be done by everyone whose heart is touched by the reality of poverty. 4. Evaluate the process that has been done, so that the action can be developed into a sustainable movement to share the five loaves and two fish. The evaluation is also a time of reflection of faith, so that our faith becomes a living faith enlightening the reality of poverty, and the reality of poverty becomes a source of inspiration for a living faith. The movement of sharing five loaves and two fish is not of a project proposed to get the funds from the others, but firstly is a movement of self-help involvement, either private or shared. Congratulations for all, who are eager to initiate and to continue the movement of sharing five loaves and two fish in our circumstances, here and now! I have posted an article on the Movement of sharing five loaves and two fish in my weblog, http://pujasumarta.multiply.com/journal/ item/95/GERAKAN_BERBAGI_5_ROTI_2_IKAN. The movement of sharing is still going on in solidarty with the poor nowdays. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sorry for my broken English.

Some insights and reflection during the conference

During my stay in Seoul Korea for a couple of days I experienced the living spirit of sharing, especially among the participants of the Forum. The participants came from various part of Asia: Sri Lanka, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. I was very happy when I knew that I could use the internet to connect people all over the globe. The presence of the participants coming from those complicated contexts has made us all closer to the reality of Asia; and has widened and broadened our view to the reality. How big our family is! It’s great! The theme of the Forum is: EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY – Beyond All Borders. Learning from the presentations addressed by the speakers I get two main points in my reflection: the text and the context. The context is the Eucharist that we should read, and the context that we should observe is the reality of Asia, that is the so called Asianess with its complicated problems of real lives of the people of Asia. It seems there is gap between the text and the context; and in the Eucharistic terminology there is a gap between the Holy One and the unholy, the Eucharist and the daily reality: poverty, conflict, division that bear sufferings, death of the crucified persons of our time. In the deep meaning, in fact Jesus the Holy One wanted to be humiliated to be unholy, to become the poorest among the poor, and died as a humble servant. It’s necessary that we build a bridge between the text and the context, the Eucharist and the broken Asianess, by reconstructing a new way of living Eucharist in Asia, composing a participatory catechesis on the Eucharist for all. I was invited to present my paper on “The Movement of Sharing Five Loaves and Two Fish”. For me the Forum is a moment to campaign the movement as a kind of bridge between the Eucharist and the reality of broken humanity. Broken humanity is likened to what we are that is “five loaves and two fish” that we have to share as an initiative for solution to the huge problems we are facing today;

EUCHARIST AND COMMUNITY - BEYOND ALL BARRIERS

that we have to share with the others, especially to those who are little, weak, poor, and marginalized, including our mother Earth. At the closing ceremony we held an Agape, to remember the event of Passover. Over the meal prepared, we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing as follows: Abba Mother, source of love, thank you for all that You have created for our happiness. All things visible and invisible come from Your loving heart, especially Your Only Son, Who suffered and died for our salvation. Now, all that we have received from you, including our own hearts With simplicity and sincerity of heart we would like to offer you, That you may purify, sanctify, and bless; Please receive, and unify our offerings that we may become blessings for all, Especially for those who are poor, needy, suffering, marginalized, crucified and died For the salvation of the world. We glorify You, Abba Mother, through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, In the communion of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. In community discernment at the end of the meeting the Forum issued a final declaration, entitled: “EUCHARISTIC COMMUNINY: BEYOND THE BORDERS”. Hopefully, this final declaration can be developed further in every moment of reflection on the Eucharist. In my homily in the mass on Thursday, 21 May 2009, the last day in Korea, I talked a short message on Saint Paul. “We are now still in the year of Saint Paul. The road to Damask for St. Paul was a moment of a turning point, a point of no return that changed totally his life. After that point who lived in him is Jesus who lives, as he used to say, “If I live, it’s not me who lives, but Jesus who lives in me.” So with burnt heart he went to proclaim living Jesus to the world. In the perspective of faith, we have to say that the end is not a final end, but the end is always a new beginning, to proclaim the same message that Jesus is living”. Go, the mass is ended. You are to be sent! Yes, we have been sent to proclaim the good news the world of today.

EUCHARIST AND EVANGELIZATION An “Asian” Reflection Fr. James H. Kroeger, M.M.

Allow me to begin this reflection by narrating two personal experiences, because they have helped shape my views on the interrelationship between the Eucharist and the Church’s mission of evangelization in the vast continent of Asia. Also, recall that inductive approaches to theologizing are characteristic of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences. In addition, stories communicate effectively; they tell us who we are and how we are linked with others. They help us explore the deeper dimensions of life and the mysteries of our own being. Stories possess tremendous power as they impact our life and our faith.

A BANGLADESHI BEGGAR. During the Lenten season some few years ago, while I was a visiting professor in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I had a “graced moment,” a “defining experience” in my missionary awareness and perspective. It has remained seared in my consciousness and has forced me to ask many foundational questions about mission and my own faith commitment. It involves a Bangladeshi beggar woman. I saw her on the road, in front of the large walled compound of a wealthy family dwelling. I could not clearly see her face, as she was several hundred feet ahead of me. Her tattered clothes covered a malnourished body; she was alone, although other beggars were walking ahead of her on the road. I was proceeding along the same path, leisurely taking a late afternoon walk. Suddenly a luxury car approached with its horn blowing. The driver probably wanted the beggars to disperse and also wanted the gate of the compound opened by the servants. The woman appeared

startled as the car turned sharply in front of her and the gate swung open. Within seconds two large dogs emerged from the compound and jumped at the woman, knocking her to the ground. She screamed and cried both from fear and the pain caused by the dogs nipping at her. I stood frozen, horrified at the sight. A well-dressed madam promptly emerged from the chauffeurdriven car. She ordered the driver to bring the car into the compound; the dogs were called to return inside; the servants were commanded to close and lock the gate. And, the beggar woman? She was left alone on the ground—outside the gate (cf. Heb 13:12). I stood helpless, gazing at this appalling scene. Only the other frightened beggars came to the aid of the woman. Only they showed mercy and compassion. I stood at a distance and wept at this scene of crucifixion. I admitted to being a guilty bystander. My fears and inadequacies left me paralyzed. I had not one taka coin in my pocket to give; I could not offer one word of consolation in the Bengali language which I did not speak; I did not approach the woman for fear of misinterpretation that a foreign man would touch a Bengali woman in public in this strictly Islamic culture. I simply wept in solidarity. I wept long and hard. And, in succeeding years, I have frequently returned to that scene and prayed to God: “Do not let me forget that experience. Allow it to shape my life, my mission, my faith vision. Permit it to remain a ‘defining moment’ in understanding my mission vocation.”

STREET-SIDE EUCHARIST. Some few weeks ago I was stopped

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in heavy Manila traffic. I was riding a taxi, because I had several large packages with me. We remained stuck in the same spot for at least ten minutes. I was deeply moved by a scene on the sidewalk. There, in the shade of an old dilapidated building, I saw two very elderly people, probably husband and wife; they seemed to be in their seventies or eighties. Their total attention was focused on a small crippled girl in a make-shift wheelchair; the little lass appeared to be six or seven years old. The grandfather was patiently spoon-feeding the girl, who obviously had a difficult time swallowing the food. I thought to myself: Was the girl injured in an accident? Was she crippled from birth? Was she without the necessary medicines as a child that could have prevented her polio? The grandmother never stopped fanning her darling little girl to help relieve the oppressive Manila heat (and the pollution caused by the dense traffic). With her other hand, grandma was lovingly stroking the girl’s head and left arm. The scene exuded tenderness, caring, commitment, compassionate service. Jesus’ words at the last supper spontaneously came to mind: “Love one another as I have loved you” ( Jn 15:12). “You should wash each other’s feet. As I have given you an example, you must copy what I have done for you” ( Jn 13:14-15). Yes, I felt that I was witnessing a sacrament, a “eucharist”—right there on the lonely sidewalk!

EMBRACING A BROKEN WORLD. These experiences of the Bangladeshi beggar-woman and the crippled girl in Manila (and each of you could supply countless additional experiences) force us to look

closely at the large scale of suffering in the contemporary world. Often, such human misery is reduced to cold statistics; still the numbers are staggering. It has been noted that 40,000 children under the age of five die every day due to lack of basic vaccines that prevent childhood diseases; each day 500 million people go hungry; over one billion people live in extreme poverty; 40 million people die yearly of malnutrition and hunger. In Southeast Asia (SEA) alone (population 1.3 billion), 85% live on less than $2-a-day; after sub-Saharan Africa, SEA is probably the worst-off region when it comes to poverty and illiteracy. The list of such concrete sufferings and their devastating consequences seems endless. Experiences like those on the roads of Dhaka, Bangladesh and Manila, Philippines forcefully remind us not to view people as statistical abstractions or faceless victims. Christians are called to embrace the world and suffering humanity. They, as Sobrino notes, must recognize “the existence of a crucified people” and strive to “take them down from the cross.” Suffering and the reality of a broken world are existentials of the human situation. No one escapes these common and universal realities; they are not borderline phenomena; they are at the center and depths of human existence. As Pope John Paul II has noted: “The reality of suffering is ever before our eyes and often in the body, soul and heart of each of us” (LR 316). The suffering that is inherent in human experience impacts the

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situation of each local Church as she lives out her missionary calling. It challenges one’s view of evangelization as well as all of Christian life. Human brokenness becomes a clear point of insertion for reflection on the meaning of Eucharist and evangelization. The local Christian community is to embrace suffering humanity, just as Christ “pitched his tent among us” through the incarnation. John Paul II has noted that suffering is that “universal theme that accompanies humanity at every point” (SD 105) of human existence. “The Church has to try to meet humanity in a special way on the path of his suffering” (SD 106). Missionary and Eucharistic by nature, each local Church must look squarely at the fundamental realities of the world today, allowing them to impinge upon her and disturb her in their naked reality. Again, it was John Paul II who wrote some penetrating words in his document for the “Year of the Eucharist” (2004-2005); in Mane Nobiscum Domine (28) the pope noted: “I think for example of the tragedy of hunger which plagues hundreds of millions of human beings, the diseases which afflict developing countries, the loneliness of the elderly, the hardships faced by the unemployed, the struggles of immigrants. These are evils which are present—albeit to a different degree—even in areas of immense wealth. We cannot delude ourselves: by our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ (cf. Jn 13:35; Mt 25:31-46). This will be the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged.”

In his Ecclesia de Eucharistia (20) the same pope notes that the Eucharist “increases, rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world today.” He further challenges Christians by quoting the poignant words of Saint John Chysostom: “Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: ‘This is my body’ is the same who said: ‘You saw me hungry and you gave me no food,’ and ‘Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me.” … What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.”

PASCHAL PERSPECTIVES. All human life has a paschal configuration; its pattern continually moves through death to renewed life. Life’s paschal paradigm, universally shared by all people (although varying terminology may be used), sees people struggling to move through darkness to light, through captivity to freedom, through dryness to growth, through alienation to union, through suffering and brokenness to wholeness. Becoming Church today in Asia demands an engagement with humanity’s experience of life and death realities. Catholic theology asserts that the Spirit of God is present and active within the lives of all peoples—even in their experience of brokenness. God’s grace is always present and operative. The Second Vatican Council forcefully stated that, as Christian believers, “we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made

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partners, in a way known to God, in the Paschal mystery” (GS 22). This is the only quote that is used three times in the pope’s mission encyclical Redemptoris Missio (RM 6, 10, 28). In his writings, John Paul II used the phrase repeatedly; certainly, it is one of his guiding mission principles. This text of Vatican II affirms the action of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all people. Christians believe that the Spirit of God is constantly at work in ways that surpass human understanding. The universal work of the Spirit serves to enlighten people’s experience of their paschal realities of dying and rising; life itself, including suffering, has the possibility of opening all peoples to experience God’s salvation through the paschal mystery. Note that GS 22 declares unambiguously that there is only one way which leads to everlasting salvation, a way which is valid for Christians as well as non-Christians, and that is: association with the paschal mystery. The redemptive grace of Christ is available for all who in their own way and even without knowing it obey the law of the paschal mystery and take it as a guiding norm for their consciences and lives. The Christian faith is, at heart, a paschal faith. Thus, if all reality has a paschal paradigm and all life is shaped by rhythms of life through death, then Christian faith will continue to find elements of this very mystery hidden in the history and lives, cultures and religions of peoples of diverse faiths. These paschal elements will probably be most evident when seen through life’s limit situations of suffering and brokenness. Here in Asia we continually experience unique ways that the Holy Spirit brings people into direct encounter with the paschal mystery and, yes,

with God’s salvation in Christ. The cross of Jesus is the paramount Christian symbol, because it reminds Christians of the centrality of the paschal mystery in their faith lives. Kosuke Koyama notes: “If Jesus Christ of the cross stands at the center of Christian theology, the Christian Church, the body of Christ, must be called the Church of the cross” (Koyama 1994, 3). All Church missionary activity will focus on the paschal nature of life, of faith, of salvation. Evangelization is always cruciform, always signed by the cross. Crux probat omnia. Saint Paul spoke of his missionary consciousness in writing to the Corinthian community: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (I Cor 2:2). To Jews who demanded miracles and Greeks who searched for wisdom, Paul proclaimed a crucified Christ. This message was offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles (cf. I Cor 1: 22-25). All the synoptic gospels affirm that the cross is the only path whereby one follows Jesus (Mt 10:38, 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23, 14:27). The cross is central to Jesus’ act of kenosis (Phil 2:5-11); it is pivotal in our salvation from sin (I Pet 2:24). Pope John Paul II has written: “The mission of the Savior reached its culmination in the Paschal Mystery” (EA 12c). Thus, the cross is not an accidental of Christian faith and mission. As David Bosch writes, the Gospel affirms that “in the suffering Jesus, God embraces the suffering of the world for the sake of humanity…. Moreover, in Christ, God does not necessarily save us from suffering, but in and through it…. Christ suffers when we suffer. The pain people suffer is the pain of Christ himself ”

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(Bosch 585). Christians are called to live into the mystery of the cross.

LINKING EVANGELIZATION AND EUCHARIST. Having noted the reality of suffering in our broken world and having outlined the paschal nature of all reality and of the Christian faith in particular, the discussion now seeks to elucidate the intimate connection between evangelization and the Eucharist. John Paul II has affirmed “the urgency of missionary evangelization” because “it is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity in the modern world” (RM 2). For Paul VI, the entire Church, including each member of the local Church, realizes her “deepest identity” and “her very nature” when she engages in missionary evangelization (EN 14). She is to be always and everywhere “the universal sacrament of salvation” (LG 48; AG 1). For her, to live is to be missionary! “Evangelization will also always contain—as the foundation, center and at the same time summit of its dynamism—a clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all, as a gift of God’s grace and mercy” (EN 27). The center of this Spirit-inspired transformation is a loving God; all becomes focused on God’s love poured out in the person of Jesus through the paschal mystery. Evangelization embraces the mystery of salvation realized by God for all in Jesus Christ by the power of the

Spirit; it is nothing other than the proclamation of the central mystery of Christian faith: the paschal mystery. The paschal mystery becomes the integrating focus of all missionary evangelization—as it is the center of the Eucharist. It is foundational because all life has a paschal paradigm—as exemplified in the brokenness of the world in which we live. The “passion of humanity” ever present in wars, famine, oppression, poverty, sickness, hatred, and death is to be the ground in which the seeds of new life, hope, resurrection, and ultimately salvation germinate and bear fruit. This paschal nature of all life and experience (poignantly illustrated by my personal experiences in Bangladesh and Manila) continually provides openings for a deep missionary encounter—and an authentic conversion and transformation into the mystery of God’s love. In a word, the Eucharist which celebrates Christ’s Paschal Mystery is the genesis of all missionary evangelization. Recall that illuminating Vatican II quote: “we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery” (GS 22). Thus, every human person—without any exception (RH 14)—has an opportunity to encounter the saving paschal mystery which emerges in and from his or her own life experience which itself has a paschal form. All life, all human experience, all salvation has a paschal character. This is a fundamental human, religious, and Christian insight. All is filled with “paschality.” Mission and evangelization, liturgy and the Eucharist, redemption and salvation—all follow this same paschal structure of life.

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Missionaries and evangelizers center everything on a radical acceptance of the paschal nature of reality. Genuine evangelization and authentic Eucharist mean embracing a broken world and a crucified humanity through the optic of the omnipresent paschal mystery. Christianity seeks a transformation to the paschal view of life. This is the focus of all forms of missionary service rendered by Christians in their local Churches to humanity in today’s peace-starved world. Writing to the youth of the world, John Paul II noted: “the Church’s vocation and missionary commitment spring from the central mystery of our faith: the Paschal Mystery” (WYD 1993). Christians embrace the fact: “The Paschal mystery of Christ’s cross and Resurrection stands at the center of the Good News that the apostles, and the Church following them, are to proclaim to the world” (CCC 571). “Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death… (I Cor 11:26). Before crossing any borders of culture or religion to announce the paschal mystery, missionaries seek their own transformation into the same paschal mindset of Jesus (I Cor 2:16; Phil 2:5). Their missionary outlook reflects attitudes of poverty, powerlessness, and vulnerability; they seek personal conversion; they wish to fall in love unconditionally with Christ—and this means incorporation into his paschal mystery. To the extent that any evangelizer embodies the suffering Messiah’s selftranscending way of the cross and resurrection, that person achieves an authentic paschal identity. It is an understatement to assert that the Eucharist is pivotal in this transformation.

It is only with a paschal perspective, enhanced by a frequent encounter with Christ in the Eucharist, that the evangelizer can perceive reality correctly and insightfully. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta asserts that as we recognize Christ broken for us in the Eucharist, we will more readily see Him in the broken bodies of our suffering brothers and sisters. The converted missionary finds in the cross and resurrection of the suffering Messiah the strength and wisdom to address both suffering humanity as well as those who are rushing along the road of individualism, materialism, and consumerism. “Paschality” becomes the measuring rod for all endeavor of evangelization, for the very life of the local Church. Thus, John Paul II (MND 24) can boldly assert that the Eucharist is the principle and plan of mission.

ADDITIONAL “EUCHARISTIC MISSION” COROLLARIES. This presentation has briefly tried to show, through a concentration on the paschal mystery, the intimate relation between evangelization and the Eucharist. Both are anchored in the experience of the paschal mystery. A deepened “paschal consciousness” flows over into the lives of all disciple-apostles; they become “paschal evangelizers” in their own lives and through their approaches to the multi-faceted missionary activity of the Church. In the context of today’s broken world, the enormous afflictions and sufferings of humanity, such a “paschal consciousness” appears particularly insightful, necessary, and relevant; it is radically and uniquely Christian! In this concluding section of this presentation, other “eucharistevangelization” themes and their intimate relationship to paschal

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mission approaches are noted. The insights, flowing from a paschalmystery-centered evangelization, are numerous; these “corollaries” are only mentioned very briefly (a full elaboration exceeds the scope of this presentation); an extensive bibliography (while not fully integrated in this presentation) is provided for further reflection on this very rich pastoraltheological theme. (1) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” emerges from the profound unity of all humanity in its sharing of the common paschal experience of rising through dying. Peoples of all faiths face the questions of suffering as well as the mystery and meaning of life. (2) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” uses an inductive approach based on experience to understand the Church’s call to mission, particularly in the Asian context. Each local Church is called to be active in “reading the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel” (GS 4); human suffering and brokenness are contemporary “signs” and they constitute a pivotal missionary challenge today. (3) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” strongly affirms the active presence of the Holy Spirit in the world, both in and beyond the boundaries of the Church. The Spirit is constantly directing people to a God-encounter through their sharing in the paschal mystery. (4) For Christians, “the Eucharist shows itself to be the source and the apex of the whole work of preaching the Gospel” (PO 5; cf. LG 11, AG 9). “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” is the natural consequence flowing out of one’s “God-encounter” in the Eucharist.

(5) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” demands that missioners be people of integrity. Their proclamation begins with their own paschal experiences and links them with people who share identical experiences (cf. GS 1). Mission is not something superimposed upon reality; mission emerges from the commonly shared realities of missioners and their dialogue partners of various faiths. (6) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” requires a radical conversion to the values of a crucified-risen Lord; mission begins only when personal transformation has been initiated. It is the transformed missioner who can authentically call others to a deeper encounter with the paschal mystery. (7) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” demands integration of contemplation with missionary praxis. No one can authentically address the “passion of humanity” without possessing a deep contemplative faith; one must live into the paschal mystery. (8) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” emphasizes that the work of the evangelizer involves both listening and speaking. Listening for the Spirit’ s action within the hearts and lives of people is a prerequisite for speaking of God’s paschal love and saving deeds. (9) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” lays bare the sinfulness of today’s world which is so often enslaved in materialism, consumerism, individualism, greed, and pride. A paschal mentality challenges both personal and social sin; it demands true conversion.

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(10) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” respects the free will and personal conscience of everyone; at the same time it is a call to conscience for generous people (Christians and people of other living faiths alike) to be committed to addressing the sufferings of humanity. (11) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” easily enters into dialogue with the followers of other religions. All religious traditions face identical human questions and mysteries. Dialogue enables peoples of faith to mutually explore and respond to questions of life and death. (12) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” connects intimately with today’ s challenges of peace, justice, development, and ecology. It invites all to live in solidarity with their neighbors and to be prepared to suffer and die so that others may live. Again, such a paschal life-style demands profound conversion. (13) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” can be lived in all cultural contexts and situations. As a missionary approach it easily finds an inculturated home among diverse peoples. Paschal mission is clearly transcultural. Just as the Christian community that gathers for Eucharist is multi-cultural, so too are the many peoples reached by the eucharistically renewed disciples of Jesus. (14) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” aims to be a holistic approach to mission, integrating the personal and social, the human and divine, the material and spiritual. It is an incarnational approach to being in mission. (15) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” emphasizes humble and self-

effacing approaches to missionary activity. As ordinary gifts of bread and wine are offered at the Eucharist, so also Christians, believing in the beauty and truth of their message, seek to offer it with humility, generosity, sincerity, and authenticity. (16) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” is at heart a scripture-based mission approach. It follows the teachings and example of Jesus who came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). (17) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” embodies an emphasis on witness and even a willingness to endure suffering, persecution, misunderstanding, and martyrdom (contemporary realities in certain parts of Asia). Missionaries knowingly and willingly embrace vulnerability, because in Christ God reveals himself precisely in weakness rather than in power. (18) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” is at heart a soteriology. Following the paschal path in mission, celebrated in the Eucharist, brings both evangelizer and people into a direct experience of salvation in Jesus Christ, who “bore our sins in his own body on the cross; … through his wounds [we] have been healed” (I Pet 2:24). (19) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” integrates well with the sacramental dimension of the Church. All Christians are missionary by virtue of their baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection (Rom 6:3-4). The Eucharist is the paschal meal that celebrates the death and resurrection of the Lord until He comes (I Cor 11:23-26); the Eucharist

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remains the “ongoing sacrament of mission” for Christians. (20) “Paschal-Eucharistic Evangelization” transforms the individual missioner into an attractive and credible witness. Missioners of the caliber of a Blessed Teresa of Calcutta manifest the transforming effects of the paschal mystery in their lives, and today’s world welcomes such authentic witnesses, icons of paschal faith and service.

CONCLUDING REFLECTION. This presentation began with a narration of two experiences: an encounter between a missionary and a Bangladeshi beggar-woman and a street-side “eucharist.” These “defining experiences” have produced much depth reflection on the nature of the Eucharist and missionary evangelization. This missionary remains filled with gratitude for those God-given experiences of grace. More reflection needs to be given to the wealth of insights that can still emerge from viewing mission and evangelization through the optic of the Eucharist and the paschal mystery. Finally, relying on God’s grace, this missionary looks forward to meeting that Muslim Bangladeshi beggar-woman as well as the crippled Filipina girl and her grandparents once again in the resurrected life with Christ the Lord in heaven. Because they so deeply shared the paschal mystery while here on earth, I am most confident they will be there!

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Ballan, R. (Ed.). Il Banchetto dei Popoli: Eucaristia e Missione. Bologna: Editrice Missionaria Italiana, 2005. Benedict XVI. Sacramentum Caritatis [SC]: The Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission [February 22, 2007], Manila, Paulines, 2007. Bernier, P. “Eucharist: Being Missioned by the Lord,” Emmanuel 109 (2003): 3-10. Bosch, D. “The Vulnerability of Mission,” Vidyajyoti 56 (1992): 577-596. Davies, J. Worship and Mission. London: SCM Press, 1966. Dulles, A. “A Eucharistic Church: The Vision of John Paul II,” America 191 (2004): 8-12. Forte, B. “Eucharist and Mission,” In He Loved Them to the End, 105-117. Boston: St. Paul Books and Media, 1993. Hinnebusch, P. “The Eucharist as Evangelization,” Homiletic and Pastoral Review 95 (1995): 15-21. Francis, M. Why the Innocent Suffer. Hyderabad, India: Saint John’s Regional Seminary, 1998. Javier, E. “The Eucharist as Sacrament of Mission,” Religious Life Asia 7 (2005): 108-121. John Paul II. [A] “Salvifici Doloris [SD]: The Christian Meaning of Human Suffering [February 11, 1984],” The Pope Speaks 29 (1985): 105-139. [B] “La Realta [LR]: The Lord Sanctifies Those Who Suffer [April 27, 1994],” The Pope Speaks 39 (1994): 316-318. [C] “Eucharist Spurs Christians to Mission,” L’Osservatore Romano 33 (June 28, 2000): 7. [D] “Ecclesia de Eucharistia [EE]: The Church of the Eucharist [April 17, 2003],” Manila: Paulines, 2003. [E] “Eucharist Makes Mission Possible,” L’ Osservatore Romano 37 (May 12, 2004): 7. [F] “Mane Nobiscum Domine [MND]: Remain with Us, Lord [October 7, 2004],” Manila: Paulines, 2005. Kavunkal, J. “The Eucharist and Mission,” Jnanadeepa 8 (2005): 77-89. Koyama, K. [A] “What Makes a Missionary? Toward Crucified Mind, Not Crusading Mind,” In Mission Trends No. 1. ed. G. Anderson and T. Stransky, 117-132. New York: Paulist Press, 1974. [B] “The Theology of the Cross and the SelfConsciousness of the Church,” Asia Journal of Theology 8 (1994): 2-12.

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Kozar, J. “Eucharist and Mission,” The Priest 60 (2004): 12-14. Kroeger, J. “Becoming Paschal Evangelizers,” Emmanuel 99 (1993): 429-431, 471-472. LaVerdiere, E. Eucharist, The Sacrament of World Mission. New York: The Society for the Propagation of the Faith, 1991. McCormack, W. “Church, Eucharist and Mission,” Emmanuel 99 (1993): 425-427. Mahony, R. “Church of the Eucharist, a Communion for Mission,” Origins 33 (2004): 721, 723-727. Martins, J. “Eucharist and Mission,” L’Osservatore Romano 14 (November 2, 1981): 11. Moling, A. “The Paschal Mystery and Non-Christian Religions and Cultures,” Bulletin: Secretariatus pro Non Christianis 21 (1986): 288-295. Osborne, K. “The Eucharist and Mission,” Emmanuel 97 (1991): 13, 48-51. Ratzinger, J. “Eucharist and Mission,” Irish Theological Quarterly 65 (2000): 245-264. Rousseau, R. “Eucharistic Evangelization,” Emmanuel 98 (1992): 465-467. Schindler, D. “Towards a Eucharistic Evangelization,” Communio: International Catholic Review 19 (1992): 549-575. Sin, J. La Eucaristia: Una Llamada a las Misiones, The Eucharist: a Call to the Missions. Makati, Philippines: Don Bosco Press, 1993. Sobrino, J. The Principle of Mercy. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994. Tesfai, Y. The Scandal of a Crucified World. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994. Therukaattil, G. “Eucharist: The Energizer for Evangelizing Dialogue,” Third Millennium 9 (2006): 76-94. Vallejo, C. “The Eucharist and Evangelization,” Emmanuel 99 (1993): 244-249, 255. Walsh, E. “The Church Makes the Eucharist, The Eucharist Makes the Church,” Church 2 (1986): 24-30. Yule, V. “The Eucharist as Sacrament of the Mission of the Church,” Priests and People 4 (1990): 44-53.

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THE EUCHARIST IN THE THRESHOLD TRANSITION The Indonesian Case Baskara T. Wardaya SJ

A paper presented at the “Eucharist and Community: Beyond All Borders” forum in Seoul, South Korea, 17-21 May 2009, hosted by Pax Romana/ICMICA and Woori Theological Institute.

Abstract: After being colonized and occupied since early 1600s, in 1945 Indonesia declared itself independent. As a religious minority, Indonesia’ s Catholic community was involved in the country’s struggle for freedom and independence. During the rule of President Sukarno the Catholic community remained politically active. But this active involvement in politics began to subside when General Soeharto came to power in late 1960s. Following the downfall of Soeharto in 1998, and as the Indonesian society entered socio-political transition, the political role of Indonesia’s Catholic community—with the Eucharist as the center of its sacramental life—needs to be re-evaluated.

PRIOR to the arrival of Western colonial powers, the area now known as Indonesia was a vast archipelago comprised of politically independent feudalistic sovereignties. Each of these sovereignties had its own system of belief. The systems of belief usually differed from one ethic group to the other. By the 3rd or 4th century many Indonesians became Hindu or Buddhist, and a few centuries later the religion of Islam began to spread among the Indonesian population.

Remain Alarming The coming of the Portuguese in the 16th century in search of spices brought along Christianity, especially to the people who lived in the eastern part of the archipelago, such as Flores Island and the islands of the Moluccas. Beginning in the 1600s the Dutch were setting foot in Indonesia,

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first as traders and later (since 1800) as political and economic power. Under the Dutch Indonesia was known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dutch East Indiesâ&#x20AC;?. When Holland was occupied by France as a result of the Napoleonic wars in Europe, in 1811 Indonesia fell to the British and was administered by Lieutenant Governor Thomas Stanford Raffles. But in 1816 Indonesia was returned to the Dutch. It was in part thanks to the Dutch and British colonial systems that the archipelago gradually became a modern political unit. Early 1900s witnessed the rise of Indonesian nationalism in the form of national independence movements. Within a few months after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies. When in March 1942 they came to Indonesia, the Dutch were taken by surprise and militarily unprepared. The Japanese forces easily defeated the Dutch and took over their colonial possession. The Dutch then formed a government-in-exile in Australia. Following the bombing of Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) and the Japanese surrender to the Allied forces of World War II, Indonesia proclaimed independence on August 17, 1945. Instead of returning to the feudal, pre-colonial system of politics, the Indonesian freedom fighters declared that the new nation would be a democratic republic. Sukarno became its first President, Mohammad Hatta Vice President. Learning that the Japanese had surrendered to the victors of the Second World War, the Dutch attempted to re-colonize their former colonial territory. The attempt, however, was met with strong resistance by the young Republic, both militarily and diplomatically. For the next four years the Indonesians fought against the Dutch, until the latter eventually acknowledged the Indonesian independence in 1949.

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As President of the new Republic, Sukarno was overwhelmingly loved and revered by majority Indonesians. He was close to the people and he made his government people-oriented and civilian in nature. Moreover, he was very much critical to foreign intervention, including economic one. In the midst of the Cold War tension between the Western bloc led by the United States and the Eastern bloc led by the Soviet Union Sukarno was persistent in making Indonesia as neutral as possible. He even pioneered the formation of a coalition of the newlyindependent nations, called the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Sukarno’s closeness to the people and to the Indonesian Communist Party, along with his efforts in promoting neutrality in the Cold War antagonism, were regarded as a serious threat by antiCommunist forces in Indonesians and by the United States and its allies. The United States feared that a left-leaning Indonesia would become an easy target for the communist bloc in spreading their influence in Southeast Asia. In 1965, between the months of September and December about half-a million Indonesians who were accused of being communist were massacred. Soon after the bloodbath, known as the 1965 Tragedy, Sukarno’s political authority diminished and later he was forced out of power. He was succeeded by President Soeharto, a military general. Different f rom Sukarno, Soeharto’s government was elitist, authoritarian, militaristic, and in favor of foreign investment. It maintained close relations with developed capitalist nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. President Soeharto was using all means available, including religions, to keep him in power. His political skills combined with his willingness to use force and violence against those whom he considered as a threat, kept him to stay in power

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for more than three decades. In 1998, however, amid Asian economic crisis and rioting students, Soeharto was forced to step down as Indonesia’ s top leader. In the wake of Soeharto’s fall from power Indonesia underwent a period of political transition, a transition from authoritarian and undemocratic government to a more people-oriented and democratic political system. This transitional period is widely known as the period of “Reformasi” (Reformation), in which Indonesians hoped to reform the country from a country ruled by an authoritarian government into a functioning democracy based on maximum participation of the citizens; social and economic justice; and corruption-proof government. Today the transition continues. There have been much success in this period of transition, but new problems arise. Among them are the widespread corruption, daunting economic difficulties, domination of foreign capitals, lack of effective political leadership, and an ever-growing threat to its pluralistic tradition. Democracy is widely practiced in the national and local levels, but forces of anti-democracy remain alarming. Sources of anti-democratic threats include certain religious groups, certain military circles, and some well-organized economic powers. The political role of religious adherents continues to be unclear, but with one obvious exception, namely the Indonesian Moslems.

Relative Freedom As mentioned above, as a vast archipelago that comprised of thousands of islands and hundreds of ethnic groups, Indonesians originally had

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diverse systems of belief. With the coming of organized religions from abroad, however, many Indonesians abandoned their traditional faith and embraced new religions, especially Buddhism, Hinduism and later Islam. These religions dominated much of the archipelago during the pre-colonial period. In the 16th century the Portuguese introduced Catholicism to the people of the Indonesian archipelago, especially those who lived in the eastern part of the territory. Between 1546 and 1547 St. Francis Xavier came to the area on a Portuguese ship and taught Catholic faith to the people of the Moluccas. The coming of the Dutch in the early 17th century, however, made the propagation of the Catholic faith difficult. For some obvious reasons the Dutch were more favorable toward Protestants than to the Catholics. Preaching the Catholic faith was made almost impossible except in places like the islands of Flores and Timor. In Amboina Catholics were forced to change their faith and become Protestant. There were numerous incidents that demonstrated Dutch animosity and repression toward Catholic missionaries. In 1924, for instance, Fr. Egidius dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Abreu SJ was executed because he taught Catholic faith and celebrated the Eucharist in prison. Fr. A. de Rhodes, a French Jesuit who Romanized Vietnamese characters, was expelled from the Dutch East Indies after being forced to watch his cross and Mass kit being burned. Yoanes Kaspas Kratx, a lay Catholic from Austria, was also expelled from the colony because he was helping several Catholic priests who were passing through Batavia, the colonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital. Kratx went to Macau and later he became a Jesuit. Despite the repression by the Dutch, Catholic faith began to grow in Indonesia in the early 1900s. This was in part thanks to the tireless efforts of Dutch missionaries such as Father F. van Lith, a Jesuit, who baptized the first Javanese Catholics in 1904 and provided excellent

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education to many young Indonesians. Some of these educated young students would become future leaders of Indonesian Catholics, including Archbishop Albert Soegijapranata of Semarang and national politician Frans Seda. While occupying Indonesia the Japanese did not seem care much about religions, let alone the Catholics, whose number was still very limited when they took over the Dutch East Indies in 1942. The only religion they cared for was Islam, because of its large following, in the time when the Japanese needed as much as possible support from Indonesians in their war efforts against the Allies. Under the Japanese many Catholics suffered enormously. Dutch missionaries were interned along with other Dutch nationals under very disheartening conditions, while many facilities belonged to the Catholic community were taken over by the Japanese and were used to serve their own purposes. During the rule of President Sukarno Catholics enjoyed relative freedom. This was in part because as a person whose parents adhered to two different religions, President Sukarno was very much open to any religion. When exiled in Flores he was helped by Catholics of the island. Sukarno was a Moslem, but he was also very close to and well-loved by people of other religions, including the Catholics. A number of Catholic leaders were able to maintain close relations with the President. The relative freedom that had been enjoyed by the Catholics continued during the early years of General Soehartoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidency, while the number of Catholics was on the rise. But by the end of the Generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s rule Catholic communities often became targets of attacks and other anti-Christian acts.

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Very Limited During Indonesia’s struggle for independence Catholics actively participated in fighting against Dutch attempt to re-colonize Indonesia. Young Catholic soldiers such as Agustinus Adisucipto, Ignatius Slamet Riyadi and Josaphat Sudarso fought courageously and sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country’s independence. They were officially declared national heroes and their names are all over the country even today, as many public places such as airport and streets are named after them. When Archbishop Soegijapranata had to choose between having his headquarters located in the Dutch-held territory or in the territory which was fully in control of the Indonesian forces, he moved and chose the latter. The Archbishop’s act symbolized the adherence of the Catholics to the Indonesian government and their refusal to support Dutch control of Indonesia. Under the rule of President Sukarno many Catholics were active in politics. Catholic figures such as I.J. Kasimo and Frans Seda were nationally known and well-respected. Meanwhile the Catholic Party was prominent among other political parties of the period. When in 1965 people who were accused of being communists were massacred, apparently many Catholics did not explicitly object to it. In the wake of the massacre, however, many Catholic individuals and institutions helped families of the victims and accompanied those who were imprisoned because of their association in one way or the other with the Indonesian Communist Party—or with any leftist ideas. This period also witnessed conversion to Catholicism of many survivors of the 1965 Tragedy. Under the rule of President Soeharto, called the “New Order”

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government, Catholics participated in many aspects of the country’s life, but their political prominence gradually diminished. This was in part due to the rise of the Moslem’s political role and influence, and also due to the reluctance of a growing number of Catholics to engage in political participation. Many were more interested in social and charity works or simply laying low amid the political dynamics of the country. As a result, slowly but certainly the Catholics were politically marginalized by the Indonesian society at large. In a quite surprising number, however, young Indonesian Catholics were involved in the Reformasi movement to challenge President Soeharto’s authoritarian rule in order to make Indonesia more open and democratic. Unfortunately when Soeharto did indeed step down in 1998 and the country was ready for a democratic change, the political role of the Indonesian youth in general began to subside, and along with it the role of the Indonesian young Catholics. Today, with only a few exceptions, the political role of Indonesian Catholics is generally very limited and their political contribution to the nation in general remains less than clear.

“Get up, let us go.” Looking at the Indonesian history and observing the current social and political condition, one could ask: in that kind of socio-political context, what has been and what should be the role of the Eucharist in Indonesia? This is certainly an important question to ask, but perhaps it wouldn’t be proper to ask the question to the Eucharist itself, since the Eucharist is of course not a human being that we can ask.

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THE EUCHARIST IN THE THRESHOLD TRANSITION

Instead, we should ask leaders, participants and the liturgists of the Eucharist celebration: in that kind of socio-political dynamics of Indonesia, especially in this threshold of socio-political transition, what do you think should be the role of the Eucharist? Remember, Catholics in Indonesia are just a religious minority of about 3,5 percent of the total population (see the attached Chart). For one, it seems that for many Indonesians (despite the minority status) the Eucharist had been a source of inspiration, energy and blessings in their participation in the nation’s life and socio-political dynamics. This was clear from the participation of Catholics from the struggle for independence period up to the end of the Sukarno government. But in the last several years, unfortunately, the public participation of Indonesian Catholics in the country’s socio-political life has not been as clear as it used to be. We then are compelled to ask certain questions, such as: does it mean that in Indonesia the Eucharist has ceased to be a source of inspiration, energy and blessings for many Catholic Indonesians in their socio-political participation? While that kind of question is still waiting to be answered, in the last several years it seems that certain groups of Catholics in Indonesia are more interested in making the Eucharist as “beautiful” as possible as a religious ritual than in remembering the discipleship aspects of any Catholic religious ceremony, in which it should inspire the participants to be active “proclaimers” of the Good News wherever they are. If this is true, then perhaps it’s time for Indonesian Catholics to re-evaluate and discuss whether participation in the Sacred Liturgy of the Eucharist is encouraging or discouraging their active participation in building a better Indonesian society.

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After all, when on that Thursday night Jesus held the Last Supper with His disciples in that Upper Room, He did not mean that the disciples would only deepen their personal faith, but also that they would be ready to proclaim the Good News wherever they were—not only among themselves, but also among other people, other nations, and eventually the whole world. Perhaps it was not merely a coincidence that in that same night one of the sentences Jesus uttered to His disciples shortly after the Last Supper was: “Get up, let us go” (Mark 14:42).

Final Reflections

As a final reflection it is important to hope that instead of making the Eucharist merely a religious ritual that absorbs the people’s time and energy for the sake of the ritual itself, Indonesian Catholics should make the Eucharist a true celebration of faith that encourages and energizes them in their involvement and participation in the life and the dynamics of their nation. The involvement and participation should not be necessarily limited to political involvement, but also involvement and participation in other aspects of Indonesian life as a nation. Personal faith for deepening personal spiritual life is important, but so is personal faith as the basis for collective participation as part of a larger national community and humanity.

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THE EUCHARIST IN THE THRESHOLD TRANSITION

Reference: Boelaars OFM,Cap, Huub J.W.M. Indonesianisasi: Dari Gereja Katolik di Indonesia Menjadi Gereja Katolik Indonesia (Yogyakarta: 2005). Cribb, Robert and Colin Brown. Modern Indonesia: A History since 1945 (London and New York: 1995). Ricklefs, M.C. A History of Modern Indonesia since 1300 (Stanford, California: 1993). Subanar SJ, G. Budi. Kesaksian Revolusioner Seorang Uskup di Masa Perang (Yogyakarta: 2003). Susanto SJ, A Budi. Harta dan Surga: Peziarahan Jesuit dalam Gereja dan Bangsa Indonesian Modern (Yogyakarta: 1990). Wardaya SJ, Baskara T. Cold War Shadow: United States Policy toward Indonesia, 1953-1963 (Yogyakarta: 2007).

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Statistics of the Catholics in Indonesia

Catholics Population

Catholic Percentage

Diocese

Year

Source

693,885

712,491

97.39%

Ende (Agung)

2004

ap2005

615,330

637,193

96.57%

Ruteng

2004

ap2005

503,597

19,056,082

2.64%

Semarang (Agung)

2004

ap2005

501,079

14,389,898

3.48%

Medan (Agung)

2004

ap2005

475,775

493,044

96.50%

Atambua

2004

ap2005

411,036

11,279,332

3.64%

Jakarta (Agung)

2002

ap2004

265,492

530,043

50.09%

Sanggau

2004

ap2005

256,280

274,373

93.41%

Larantuka

2004

ap2005

243,923

2,477,906

9.84%

Pontianak (Agung)

2004

ap2005

188,120

2,329,853

8.07%

Sibolga

2003

ap2004

178,592

11,519,628

1.55%

Makassar (Agung)

2004

ap2005

153,723

676,082

22.74%

Sintang

2004

ap2005

150,457

3,400,000

4.43%

Surabaya

2004

ap2005

140,220

244,440

57.36%

Merauke (Agung)

2004

ap2005

138,592

2,089,825

6.63%

Ambon

2004

ap2005

125,123

1,189,829

10.52%

Kupang (Agung)

2004

ap2005

123,948

4,332,770

2.86%

Manado

1998

ap2004

122,428

2,374,744

5.16%

Samarinda (Agung)

2004

ap2005

121,042

583,095

20.76%

Weetebula

2004

ap2005

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THE EUCHARIST IN THE THRESHOLD TRANSITION

96,864

35,000,000

.28%

Bandung

2004

ap2005

93,518

6,908,437

1.35%

Tanjungkarang

2004

ap2005

88,255

14,829,884

.60%

Malang

2004

ap2005

85,017

518,884

16.38%

Timika

2004

ap2005

84,297

438,475

19.23%

Ketapang

2004

ap2005

76,744

17,698,013

.43%

Purwokerto

2004

ap2005

76,201

10,828,441

.70%

Palembang (Agung)

2003

ap2004

73,000

9,153,000

.80%

Padang

2004

ap2005

66,115

13,080,511

.51%

Bogor

2004

ap2005

54,567

556,583

9.80%

Manokwari-Sorong

2002

ap2004

53,585

2,332,864

2.30%

Palangkaraya

2004

ap2005

45,750

77,850

58.77%

Agats

2004

ap2005

44,880

837,300

5.36%

Jayapura

2004

ap2005

35,505

1,848,989

1.92%

Pangkal-Pinang

2004

ap2005

30,653

8,057,209

.38%

Denpasar

2004

ap2005

28,218

434,503

6.49%

Tanjung Selor

2004

ap2005

13,631

3,054,129

.45%

Banjarmasin

2004

ap2005

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THE PRESENT CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA AND THE COMMUNION IN THE EUCHARIST Fr. John Freeman Jr.

Preface In recent years, as the world is focusing on the rapid development of China, the Universal Church is also paying close attention to one part of Her bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the Catholic Church in China (CCC). On the one hand, the CCC impresses people as full of conflicts of complicated nature with a very fragile and sensitive Church-State relationship. For instance, from time to time, some negative news reports on the CCC (illicit consecration, house arresting clergy etc.) come out and shock the international society; at the same time, the conflicts within the CCC herself also makes the Universal Church confused. This kind of news reports and conflicts damages not only the image of China on the international stage but also that of the CCC. On the other hand, the CCC also leaves people an impression of vitality and hope. For example, each year, tens and thousands of people everywhere in China pack into the churches for Christmas celebrations, and the Easter is the time for great harvest of evangelization. There are always many catechumens baptized every year. Obviously, the Holy Spirit has been working and present in China. In reality, since Jesus called and formed the first group of disciples through the early Church era, all the way down to the medieval time and modern society, the Christian communities throughout the ages have been experiencing various trials, conflicts from both within and outside of the Church herself, same as the CCC at the present time. The subtle Sino-Vatican relationship and its related issues (i.e., the appointment of Bishops, internal division, the Patriotic Association, democratic rule of the Church, etc) have always been affecting the Church in China. Only when the Sino-Vatican relationship comes out of this historical deadlock

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and reach the normalization of diplomatic relations, can the external environment for unity and communion become possible. From her inside, just like the early Church communities, the Chinese Catholic clergy and faithful must follow the teachings of Christ in healing the division within the Church, devoting to the mission of the local Churches (the proclamation and witness of the gospel, communion and reconciliation). Only when both the external and internal conditions are ready, can unity and communion be possible. Therefore, what the CCC needs the most is the reconciliation within Christ, communion in the Eucharist, unity and solidarity with the Universal Church through the successor of St. Peter. This article, therefore, is aiming at discussing the unity and communion in the Eucharist in light of the difficulties, as well as the external and internal elements affecting this goal. The CCC has more than one hundred dioceses. The situation in different areas varies from place to place due to personnel, regional, and specific matters. As a result, this article doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t intend to target any particular person, community and diocese; rather, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meant to do some analysis and discussion with regard to some common phenomena and outstanding people and events in both Communities.

I The division within the CCC and the obstacles on the way to unity and communion One of the distinguished characters of the Catholic Church is communion and unity. As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Communion

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THE PRESENT CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA AND THE COMMUNION IN THE EUCHARIST

and unity are the basic elements of the Catholic Church.” On both the horizontal and vertical levels, communion reinforces the relationships between the divine and human and between humans as well. There cannot be separation between the unity and communion of the Church. This is reflected in the areas of doctrines, sacraments, and hierarchy. On the level of the Universal Church, since the Ecumenism movement in 1867, the communion in the Eucharist has been the core of Church’s unity. Usually, the problems with regard to the communion in the Eucharist are not derived from the doctrines; rather, they are related

to pastoral and disciplinary aspects. Pope Benedict XVI had already pointed out when he was still in charge of the Sacred Congregation of the Doctrines: “Unity, or communion, between the particular Churches in the universal Church, is rooted not only in the same faith and in the common Baptism, but above all in the Eucharist and in the Episcopate.”

The issues surrounding the unity and communion of the CCC are also

reflected in the Eucharistic celebrations and the Bishops’ offices, and in pastoral and disciplinary matters as well. For this reason, the late Pope John Paul II thus emphasized: “The thirst for unity turns our eyes to the Eucharistic sacrament. That is the highest sacrament of unity for God’s people, and is also the most perfect expression and most unsurpassable wellspring. . . . In celebrating “Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to the Catholic Bishops, priests, religious and laity in China.” (“Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China” hereafter) No. 8. May 27, 2007. Mark Fang Zhirong, S.J., “The Communion in the Eucharist.” Theological Dictionary, No. 583. (Shanghai: Shanghai Guangqi Press, 1999), P. 819. Joseph Card. Ratzinger, “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of the Church Understood as Communion”, Rome, at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, May 28, 1992, No. 11.

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the Eucharist, the Church asks God the Merciful Father to make Her children full of God’s Holy Spirit, and be united in Christ as one heart

and one body.” Pope Benedict XVI called the Holy Eucharist blessed

by Bishops and priests as “the chain for sacramental communion,” and also emphasized: “The faith of the Church is mainly the faith of the Holy Eucharist,” and “the sacrament of Eucharist is the center of Church lives.”

From the beginning till now, China has had only one Catholic Church, believing the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Her faith is not different from that of the Universal Church. However, we have to admit that, up to now, there has been two Catholic Church Communities, namely the Open and Underground Communities.

The division within the CCC has a lot to do with those who, in the past, had openly denounced the Holy Father and then opted for self-selection and self-consecration of Bishops. At the same time, some ordained pastors, though had got married, still carried out sacramental ministries, and some laity, who had joined the Patriotic Association, tried to control the clergy, are to be blamed as well. In order to avoid scandals, some Catholic clergy and faithful chose not to go to their churches, not to concelebrate with them and not to receive the communion from them, Pope John Paul II. “The Church living in the Eucharistic celebration.” (April 17th, 2003). Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 5. See Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation “The Sacrament of Charity” written by the after the eleventh Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, October, 2005. Namely, the so-called “Underground and Open Church Communities,” or “Official and Unofficial Church Communities,” or “Patriotic and Loyal Church Communities.” The compassionate Pope Benedict XVI, who understands the Chinese Catholics, does not use any discriminated or belittled language to describe the CCC in his letter to China in 2007. For example, he did not use the term “patriotic Church” which is misused by some media. See “the Compendium of the Letter of the Holy Father Benedict XVI”.

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THE PRESENT CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA AND THE COMMUNION IN THE EUCHARIST

avoiding any kind of sacramental communion with them. Meantime, faced with emergency situation, based on the “special privileges,” the

latter, “not wishing to be subjected to undue control exercised over the life of the Church, and eager to maintain total fidelity to the Successor of Peter and to Catholic doctrine, have felt themselves constrained to opt for clandestine consecration.”

When both sides went ahead to

consecrate bishops without the prior approval from the Holy See, two Church Communities and two groups thus came into being. Being afraid of committing sin, going to hell, and losing the souls, any kind of

sacramental communion was brought to an end. 10 In some Dioceses, the clergy and faithful from these two groups were at the point of daggers drawn and hostile to each other. When the conflicts became heated up, some major seminaries were named as “the nest of the devil.” Many Dioceses, parishes and communities were torn apart mercilessly by the internal conflicts. Although the German-born scholarly Pope has emphasized that “[t]he clandestine condition is not a normal feature of the Church’s life,”

before the normalization of the Sino-Vatican relationship, when there

are still many difficulties for the Universal Church and the CCC to On June 27, 1978, the Sacred Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples granted these special privileges to The Chinese Catholic clergy and faithful. In May 1988, the Secretariat of the State and the Sacred Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples jointly issued “Eight Directives” as guiding principles to the overseas Catholics visiting China. These “Directives” have binding force for the Catholic Church in China as well. Directive 5 requires them “avoid any kind of sacramental communion with the Bishops and clergy belonging to the Patriotic Association.” Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 8. 10 See the “The 13 Points from Late Bishop Fan Xueyan of Baoding Diocese.” Jan. 3rd, 1988. 11 Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 8.

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realize full communion, especially in the midst of the political situation with Chinese characteristics, the co-existence of Open and Underground Church Communities in China can actually be an asset for the development of the CCC. These two can play different roles (i.e., critical prophetic role and servant role), so as to gain more rights and obtain more space for the development of the Church. At the same time, they can mutually supervise and encourage each other for a more balanced development. At least, one side can remind another not to go too far and say things excessively, and not to do things with either extreme. Of course, when the two sides have too much misunderstanding and too much hurts and lead into uncontrollable situations and eventually affect social stability and damage the images of both the country and the Church, not only do the Vatican, the Chinese Government, and the CCC, but the two Church Communities also, ought to do some soul-searching, so as to take responsibilities and change the tide. Facing the increasing conflicts between these two Communities, the Indian-born President of the Sacred Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples had to speak out openly: “There is no division of open and underground in Heaven, for we are all God’s sons and daughters. The Holy Father desires very much to see the unity in this life.”12

With the improvement of the Sino-Vatican relationship, especially with the tireless invitation and appeals for reconciliation from the previous and current Popes, the hostile atmosphere between the Open and Underground Communities has reduced to a great extent. The old battle-like situation is reduced to a greater extent and mutually attacking remarks are much less. Some Dioceses have started dialogue 12 The homily of Cardinal Ivan Dias during the Eucharistic celebration for the “Day of Prayer for the Catholic Church in China” on May 24th, 2008.

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THE PRESENT CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA AND THE COMMUNION IN THE EUCHARIST

and cooperation and some parishes are now the experimental sites for reconciliation with con-celebrations happening around the same altar, or separate Eucharistic celebrations taking place in the same church. The hope for communion in the Eucharist is near. Nevertheless, the general line between the two camps in many Dioceses has not changed substantially as both sides are still oscillating, watching, pondering and waiting. Obviously, forgiveness and acceptance needs courage and healing and reconciliation also need time. Some Bishops who had been used to the days of black and white are now having mixed feelings: Facing various new challenges from the Church, society, politics, economy and personnel, they hope for the improvement of the situation on the one hand, but don’t want to see the situation changed right away on the other hand. At this point, the Vatican and the Chinese Government haven’t reached any final agreement on some key issues of conflicts (the appointment of Bishops, the Patriotic Association, the democratic rule of the Church), and the result of negotiations has not been brought about; therefore, everybody from both Communities is very cautious with regard to the present responses, choices and decisions when it comes to the matters related to the direction of future development of the CCC. The normalization of the Sino-Vatican relationship is crucial for the stability, unity and communion of the CCC. 13

Though there are no discrepancies with regard to faith between the CCC and the Universal Church, nor is there any novelty in the area of Sacraments, the problems and disagreements on the levels of the Church disciplines and pastoral activities have indeed hurt the feelings of the Chinese Catholic Bishops, clergy and faithful and engendered difficulties 13 A Bishop says: “In the past, they (Government) wanted to become open, but I didn’t want. Now I want to become open, but they don’t want.”

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for the communion in the Eucharist. In actuality, the communion in the Eucharist serves not only as a measure for the communion among the local Churches in special situation and also between the Universal and local Churches, it is also an effective path for the attainment of reconciliation and healing process. Without the reconciliation and communion in the Eucharist of Christ, there will be no real unity within the CCC.

II To look at the unity and communion of the Catholic Church in China from its outside: The Sino-Vatican relationship and others In 1949, the People’s Republic of China was established while the Republic of China (the Nationalist Government) withdrew from the political stage of Mainland China. In that year, the rest of the embassies also left China, except the former atheistic Soviet Union and the Vatican, who had hoped to set up new diplomatic relationship with the New China. However, the Sino-Vatican relationship died prematurely. In the midst of vigorous nation-wide Anti-Imperialist and Patriotic movements then, the Protestant Church in China went ahead to declare the “Threeself Movement,” namely, Self-Propagation, Self-Government, and SelfSupport. This declaration laid a theoretical foundation for the principle of “running the Church independently and self-appointment of Bishops” for the CCC. In order to get rid of the imperialistic influence and to break away from the Vatican’s control of the CCC, in 1951, China first expelled the Papal Nuntio to China, Archbishop Antonio Riberi, then

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the rest of the foreign missionaries. In 1957, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) was established, and the following year, the first group of self-selected and self-consecrated Bishops, namely Dong Guangqing (1917-2007) of Hankou and Yuan Wenhua（1905-1973） of Wuchang got ordained. Up to now, the Sino-Vatican relationship worsened. Influenced by the extremely leftist ideology, the leftist words and actions of the Patriotic Association and the self-consecration of Bishops became the ignition fuse of the Church and State conflicts, and created huge division within the Church and created main reason for the separation of two Communities. With the start of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), the entire nation got into chaos while the Church activities stopped; this division, therefore, was temporarily sealed up. Nevertheless, it has already created the distant and external reasons for the difficulties of obtaining communion with the Universal Church and healing divisions within the CCC in the long run. Since 1979 when China started its open-door policy, the Church has been on the way to recovery. The Government Agencies concerned restarted the self-selection and self-consecration activities and some Bishops got ordained through this channel. The conflicts within the Church broke out as a result. The clergy who couldn’t accept self-selection and self-consecration gradually drew a clear line with the Patriotic Association and those affiliated with it. In 1988, the late Bishop Fan Xueyan of the Underground Community in Baoding Diocese made his “Thirteen Points” known in the form of Q and A with regard to the issues of the Patriotic Association, Self-selection and Self-consecration, Sacraments. It can be considered as the watershed for the division of the Open and Underground Communities. 14

14 See the “The 13 Points from Late Bishop Fan Xueyan of Baoding Diocese.” Jan. 3rd, 1988. 125

When it entered into the 1990s, with more dialogue and contacts happening between the Vatican and China (1996-1999), both sides were planning on establishing the diplomatic relationship. Unfortunately, due to the lack of confidence on the part of China with too much worry over the loss of the Church’s leadership into the hands of those uncooperative with the Government, it ended up with the Government agencies reinforcing the Patriotic Associations on provincial, city, and county levels. At the same time, the notion of “democratic rule of the Church” was also brought up (2003) and the self-selection and self-consecration of Bishops sped up, with an intention to select and consecrate a Bishop politically reliable for each Diocese prior to the establishment of diplomatic relationship. Among the several incidents, the January-sixth consecration in Beijing in 2000 and the three consecrations in 2006 (Kunming, Hefei, and Xuzhou) were the most damaging and most publicized. Obviously, to reinforce the Patriotic Association is meant to resist the Church hierarchy,

to practice the democratic rule of the

Church is to reduce the rights of the clergy, while self-selection and selfconsecration is to challenge the traditional theocracy of the Catholic Church. From of old, the power of the Emperors in China has always 15 Some Dioceses in North China have been strongly against the Patriotic Association, but at the same time many clergy in most of the Dioceses in the South have been heading the Patriotic Association in their own areas. At the present, only the CCPA and the Patriotic Associations in the Provinces of Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guangdong and Chongqing and Shenzhen Municipal Cities are still being headed by some lay people, the positions of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Patriotic Associations in other Provinces and Municipal Cities have gradually been taking over by some Bishops and priests. Because the Underground Communities have been strongly criticizing and opposing the Patriotic Association, the Government considers the joining of the Patriotic Association as one of the standards of converting the Underground Communities. Therefore, the establishment and joining of the Patriotic Association is one of the reasons for Church division in the past and one of the obstacles for reconciliation today.

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been over that of religions and the latter has always been under that control of the former. Throughout the historical experiences of ChurchState coalescence and separation, the Catholic Church has always been obtaining unity through the communion with the Roman Pontiff, and thus has been reflecting her universal oneness. Because of this, when the Chinese political heritage encounters the universal Catholic tradition in communion with the Pope, the conflicts are bound to happen due to the incompatible and irreconcilable characteristics of these two strong and influential cultures. This kind of Church-State conflict is the immediate external reason for the difficulties of obtaining communion with the Universal Church and healing divisions within the Church in China. In reality, the faith and structural system of the Universal Church has already made it impossible for the Local Churches to be cut off from the Pope and from the Universal Church by any external forces; otherwise, the special character and meaning of the Universal Church’ s existence will be lost. No matter whether one had been following the principle of running Church independently or that of self-selecting and self-consecrating Bishops, since 1958, from the first self-selected and self-consecrated Bishop to almost every Bishop in the CCC at the present time, all of them had asked for the Holy Father’s approval, forgiveness and acceptance, either openly or secretly. As a matter of fact, the Government officials all understand that self-selection and self-consecration of Bishops seriously violates the faith tradition and

Cannon Law of the Catholic Church.16 What’s more, no matter how much pressure the outside forces exert, it’s simply very hard to change people’s heart and their faith tradition from within. Therefore, from the 16 See Cannon Law, No. 1382. This blind and ignorant action hurts the feelings of Catholic clergy and faithful everywhere in the world.

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perspective of the end result, self-selection and self-consecration ends up as a nominal “self.” This result is just like a phenomenon in China now: Although the Capitalist private ownership has replaced the Socialist collective system long ago, and the Capitalist economy has replaced the Socialist one, a well-versed phrase is still being used to describe “the special” situation: “China at the present time is still in its initial stage of Socialism.” With this factor in mind, when the Pope has to openly appoint the Bishops in the future, some special characteristics of China need to be reflected. For this reason, Pope Benedict XVI has said frankly that he wishes to reach agreement with the State through dialogue and consultation.17

With the support of the Government, the CCPA has always been acting as the mouthpiece for the CCC. Although the Government has always been returning the Church properties through the Patriotic Association and has been allowing the opening of seminaries and other Church ministries in its name, provided that the situation varies from region to region, its general reputation is far from commendable. Especially the Patriotic Association’s words and actions against the faith and Church’s doctrines, and some of its members’ craving for power, money and political prestige, have painted it image very negatively among the local Churches and in the mind of ordinary clergy and faithful. Since the CCPA was established with the governmental support as a “social entity” with strong political flavor, not as a Church organization in the 17 “The Holy See would desire to be completely free to appoint Bishops; therefore, considering the recent particular developments of the Church in China, I trust that an accord can be reached with the Government so as to resolve certain questions regarding the choice of candidates for the episcopate, the publication of the appointment of Bishops, and the recognition – concerning civil effects where necessary – of the new Bishops on the part of the civil authorities.” See Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 9.

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traditional sense,18 the Vatican and China can reach an agreement to abolish it, but to abolish a government established social entity touches the lofty stance of China, and is almost imaginably impossible. On the other hand, in light of the concrete situation of the country, the Chinese Government and the Vatican can reach an agreement to change its name and define its role, function and boundary. This requires both the Vatican and China to cooperate well in looking for a proper solution. China has two national Bishops’ Conferences: The Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China (open) was established in 1980 in Beijing while The Bishops’ Conference of the Mainland China (underground) was established in 1989 in Sanyuan of Shaanxi Province. Although the Holy See has never made any comments on the underground Bishops’ Conference, the reason for Pope’s refusal to acknowledge the open Bishops’ Conference is very clear: the underground Bishops are not included in while the illicit Bishops are its members. Thus its rule and regulations are against the contents of the Doctrines.19

So long as the Sino-Vatican relationship has not reached normalization, the Bishops of these two Conferences cannot come together. As a result, these two simply cannot function normally both in and outside of China as those in other countries do, and they simply cannot reach unity. For many years, Bishops from China have always been absent at

both the Asian Bishops’ Conference and the World Synod of Bishops.20 18 “…it is clear that the claim of some entities, desired by the State and extraneous to the structure of the Church, to place themselves above the Bishops and to guide the life of the ecclesial community, does not correspond to Catholic doctrine…” See “Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China.” No. 7. 19 See Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 8. 20 In 1998, the Late Pope John Paul II invited Bishop of Duan Yinming and Coadjutor Bishop Xu Zhixuan of Wanzhou Diocese to attend the Asian Bishops’ Conference. In 2005,

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This absence indicates that there still are disagreements between China and the Vatican in terms of the Bishop candidates to attend the Synod. Actually, no matter what reason led to the absence of Bishops from China, it is a big loss for both the Chinese Government and the CCC. What China and CCC lost is not only the right of opinion on the level of the Universal Church and international society, but also the good opportunity to improve the image of China among the world-wide local Churches. What’s more, the great opportunity to present China, the religious policy of China and the Church of China to the international society is also lost. After all, having gone throught the crisis of faith in the 1980’s, the present Chinese society is moving from the faith renewal stage into the new era of fast development of religion. The practice of “worshiping all kinds of gods” and “worshiping whomever effective” is widely seen among ordinary people. 21 Some sects with strong flavor of witchcraft and

superstition are also growing rapidly toward an uncontrollable direction. The folk sacrificial worships are booming. The yearly Emperor Huang and Emperor Yan worship is gradually becoming a national worship. The Falungong movement, which had dared to lay siege to Zhongnanhai, the nerve center of China, was only started in 1992 but banned by the Government as an evil cult in 1999. During that short period, so many Communist and Government officials and social celebrities followed Pope Benedict XVI invited Bishops Jin Luxian of Shanghai, Li Du’an of Xian in Shaanxi, Wei Jingyi of Qiqiha’r of Heilongjiang (underground), Li Jingfeng of Fengxiang in Shaanxi (from underground to open) to attend the World Bishops’ Synod. The Bishops from China were not able to attend either one of them. In 2008, China and the Vatican once again negotiated for the 2008 World Bishops’ Synod, but no agreement reached. Once again, no Bishop from China attended as a result. 21 Jiang Shoufeng. “A study on the mutual infiltration and influence of the Buddhist Culture and folk religions in China.” Buddhist Online, February 28, 2009.

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Li Hongzhi and supported Fa Lungong. Given these aforesaid reasons, there is no doubt that China indeed has religious freedom according to the Chinese Constitution, but to wonder why there are so many problems of religious conflicts, why religious activities are often restricted with the policy of religious freedom,, and further more whether China is treating five major religious communities (Buddhist, Taoist, Muslin, Catholic and Protestant) and the folk beliefs equally and fairly are still necessary, and with good reasons at least (or at least not groundless). China’s support for the World Buddhist Forum and the restriction on the pilgrimage to Sheshan Maria Shrine in 2008 became the obvious contrast. The cost for the main Buddhist Palace and others amounted to 1.8 billion RMB. More than 1700 Buddhist monks and scholars, as well as those in the political circles, from about 50 countries and regions came to this Forum.22

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI decided for all the Catholic faithful around the world that May 24th is the “the day to pray for China.” The pilgrimage activities of Sheshan Maria Month (May), from then on, were thus restricted. The restriction for Sheshan pilgrimage activities firstly is not a question of whether or not the policy on religious freedom in China has changed; secondly, it’s not because of the security concern for the Olympic torch relay in Shanghai in May; thirdly, it’ s not because the Chinese Government couldn’t control the situation and lacked confidence; fourthly, it’s not because of the fear for religious infiltration. In reality, it’s because the Chinese Government still has not built up enough confidence and trust for the Vatican. By restricting the 22 If it were not for the combined human and financial resources of Chinese Government, Buddhist organizations, private and corporate enterprises, and assistance and organization of those agencies concerned, how could such a big scaled international forum take place in China?

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pilgrimage activities, Beijing sent a signal to Rome and to the world: “This is China! Who is in Charge! Who is the decision maker? The rein of the Chinese Communist Party is able to control and manage the entire situation.”

What China wants now is face, self-confidence, dignity,

respect and rights. The lack of confidence, trust and understanding for the Vatican on the part of China now is just like the lack of confidence, trust and understanding for China on the part of the Western world in the past. Therefore, it will still take some time for China and the Vatican to mutually understand, adapt and accept in the areas of culture, politics, history and religion. The mutual communications and consultation also needs to be improved and enhanced. World history has proved that, with the Government support and favor, a religion would flourish for sure, but not necessarily in a healthy way. As China is now advocating for a harmonious society within herself and calling on other countries “to build a harmonious world,”24 to utilize various religions’ positive role and to create a harmonious and wellbalanced society that includes religion, is very important. Undoubtedly, in recent years, China has been paying greater attention and lending 23 Although the Government had “successfully” prevented people from the large-scaled pilgrimage trip to Sheshan on May 24th, 2008, by showing their mighty governing muscles, the awkward “empty mountain phenomenon” is not what they wanted to see either, for it damages their image of religious freedom policy. Therefore, on that very day, the Shanghai government hastily rented vehicles and organized many faithful within Shanghai City to Sheshan for pilgrimage. This controlling manner in handling religious affairs to the point of scrutinizing everything regardless of big and small matters, i.e., to freely cancel any religious activities according to the will of political leaders, shows that, under the pressure of “accountability system,” the governing party not only lacks trust for religions, but also lacks sense of security and confidence in its own governing ability from the psychological point of view. 24 Based on his advocating for a harmonious society within China, President Hu Jintao first put forward the notion of creating a harmonious world at the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2005.

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more support to the five patriotic religious communities (Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestant Church). Especially when it comes to training the next generation of clergy, settling and building the sites of religious activities and working spaces, the investment is rather considerable. What is ironic is: The support and trust that China now has for the native religions are much more than those for the foreign religions, but the specially appropriated funds to the government agencies on different levels for managing the foreign religions are much more than those for managing the native religions. Both China and the Vatican have either renewed or established diplomatic relationships with most of the countries in the world, but the ice of Sino-Vatican relationship still remains intact. The Vatican has established friendly diplomatic relationship with many neighboring countries, including South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, India, Singapore, and has contributed very positively to the development of these countries. In reality, in today’s globalized world, if China wants to join the family of international society, the Pope and the CCC can be the best promoter and bridge between China and the West. Pope Benedict XVI’s public praying for China and for Beijing Olympic Games when the Olympic torch relay was being resisted and desecrated engendered

long-lasting influence.25 For a long time, China has been constantly criticized and castigated by the international society for her human rights and religious issues. Once the Sino-Vatican relationship becomes 25 On May 7th, 2008, the Chinese Government purposely arranged the China Philharmonic Orchestra to perform for Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican and Pope gave his blessings to the Beijing Olympic Games. Isn’t this what the Chinese Government had been hoping for at that moment? Had the Government agencies concerned arranged to get in touch with the Pope and asked him to bless the Holy Fire before the March protest against the torch relay, would there have been so many people to resist and desecrate the Holy Fire blessed in the name of God?

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normalized, the friendship between China and the Vatican will for sure dispel many misunderstandings and bias that the international society has for China over the religious issues. There will be much less verbal wars between China and the West over these issues as well. This helps not only to enhance the image of China on the international stage, but is also very conducive to the unity of the country, the settlement of Tibetan issues and the peace of the World. Therefore, the normalization of the Sino-Vatican relationship is win-win situation for many, and is in accordance with the interests of both sides. It is also in line with the general trends. Once this normalization takes place, the external obstacles on the way to unity and communion for the CCC will for sure disappear.

III To look at the unity and communion of the Catholic Church in China from its inside: conflicts and resistance to change On the way to Jerusalem with his disciples, Jesus talked about his suffering, death and resurrection three times. The twelve apostles did not understand the things that would happen to their Master and the meaning of Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; telling his suffering. On the contrary, they argued who was the greatest. This brings division among the apostles. The disappointing result is that for twice the apostles have conflicted with one another. The first conflict happens after Jesus speaks about his arrest, death and resurrection for the second time (Mk.9:31-32). The second conflict takes place after Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talking about his suffering for the third time (Mk 10:32-34).

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Then they came to Capernaum. After Jesus was inside the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. (Mk.9:33-34) …… Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?” They said to him, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience, but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give. It is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Now when the other ten heard this, they became angry with James and John. (Mk.10:35-41) After the first conflict, Jesus kindly persuades them. Shortly after, two of Jesus’ three beloved disciples, James and John, ask their Master about their place in his kingdom. The other beloved disciple of Jesus is Peter. Although the Gospel does not say that he joined the rest of the disciples, he did ask Jesus about the reward: “Look, we have left everything to follow you….” (Mk. 10:28) According to Mark, the request is put forward by two apostles themselves (Mk. 10:35). However, Matthew writes that the request is brought forward by their mother (Mk. 20:20-21). No matter who requested, the improper behavior and the incorrect understanding of the Kingdom of God draw other disciples’

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criticism. The Gospel uses the word “angry” to describe the dissatisfaction of other ten disciples. The conflict that happened among Jesus’ disciples exists in the Chinese Catholics and clergy today. In this conflict, many have been hurt deeply. Within some Catholic families, conflicts arose between husband and wife, father and son, mother and daughter, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, and between sisters-in-law as well, just because they belonged to two different communities. Some longtime friends and good neighbors became strangers and even enemies due to the same reason. Some Catholic villages that had enjoyed friendship and good relationship as everyone went to the same church and attended the same Eucharistic celebration are now tragically divided and became strangers as a result. Although in the beginning the division within the Catholic Church in China originated from the interference of the political power, the nature of the conflict has changed substantially. At the present, the conflict has been shifted, willingly or unwillingly, from the union of the two Communities and obedience to the successor of St. Peter to the argumentation of the new and old Diocese and the conflicts among different factions, which seek their own advantage, inside of a particular Diocese. Some people and communities put their priority over power, honor, self-interest and personal fame of loyalty. These Catholics and clergy, like Jesus’ disciples, ignore the teaching of Jesus, namely, the heart of the Gospel— to share love, life and communion. They only consider for themselves: Do the Catholics belong to me? Do the priests belong to me? What power do the priests and Bishops have over their jurisdiction? With regard to the candidate of Bishop, they do not take what is the best for the Church as the top priority; rather, they only look at their own side for choice. Though it rarely happens, some of them form their own groups

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so that they can create things against other people and attack them. Even worse, they utilize the political, social and Church relationship to suppress others to the point of taking any means possible. The closer the normalization of China and Vatican relationship, the tenser this situation becomes. The two different Communities work harder than before to seek the advantage for their own Community or for themselves. Therefore, many have overly reacted and lost their right direction; as a result their Community involves constant confliction and cannot turn back. Furthermore, some parts are more severe than others. Obviously, the division and conflict, as well as self-interest inside of the Church are the internal reasons that block he union of the CCC. One pious old underground bishop was taken to a hotel by the Government agency concerned. After having studied religious policy in isolation for some time, he was sent back. Some of his priests and laity started to disbelieve him and isolate him. They expressed their doubt: “The bishop was released, he must have surrendered! Otherwise, how could they let him out so easily?” The people, who have lived in a suppressed environment for a long time, like to view things from the negative side. It is not surprising that they see their bishop in such a way. Some bishops want to push for the union of the CCC according to the spirit of the letter from Pope Benedict XVI, but many are against them and they encountered a big resistance. As a result, this kind of doubt and unbelief against each other bring some dioceses further division. The Church in China is full of hurts all over her body. 26

26 This kind of doubt, defense, and mistrust is spreading out like a epidemic. To use “trustworthiness and untrustworthiness” to evaluate a Chinese Church leader has become a standard practice both in and outside of China. In actuality, the political persecution from outside makes one more solid with his or her faith, but the mistrust, suppression and hurts from those in Christ hurts people much worse and deeper.

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Some particular bishops express their obedience to the Holy Father publicly, but when the Church asks them to retire, they not only refuse, but also fight against the decision, and even create more problems for the Church. The spirit of refusing to retire among the old clergy is great, but should not for the sake of disrespecting the Church Law on retirement age and rejecting the Church decision for them to retire. All of these reasons have hampered the unity and development of the Diocese. One priest, who had studied abroad for many years, returned home and found that his Diocese finally had some changes: For example, two or three parishes tried to unite together, the relationship between the conflicting Open and Underground Communities got better. People did not hate each other as in the past. However, the Diocese does not have substantial change in reconciliation of the two Communities and peace within each Community. As a result, the Diocese is still in chaos. In the newly united parishes, the priests from one Community must first sign his name before the Bishop of another to express their loyalty (obviously it must express repentance) before being received by the Bishop. Even in the united parishes, each priest celebrates mass separately, only a few concelebrations or none. Over the past more than ten yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time, the Chinese Catholics have been mainly concerned about who is right and who is wrong, who is licit and who is illicit. They do not think what is the best for the Diocese, naturally they do not focus their energy on spreading the Gospel and on educating themselves either. Both the open Bishop and underground Bishop in the Diocese want to do better, but they do not have sufficient energy. Moreover, they do not have the intention to sit down together to unite the two Communities and even worse they do not have a clear vision to develop the Diocese, let alone the long-term plans. Since Pope Benedict XVI issued the pastoral letter to the CCC

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in 2007, it has become, with a great influence on the believers, a guide for the Church, and some progress has been made on the way to reconciliation, fellowship and unity. Improvement in the relationship between China and the Vatican is encouraging on the one hand, but on the other hand, it is a formidable challenge for the believers (both leaders and laity) who have been hurt deeply and yet not been healed. These are the questions they have in mind: Is there any practical meaning and value for unification? After so many years of insisting on oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principle, emotionally, it is hard to accept the people who belong to the other Community, and theoretically difficult to explain to their own people why to do so. These difficulties have made the leaders of some Dioceses want to keep the things as they are, and safely guard their good reputations, without thinking of change or making any progress. In addition, escape is considered by many as the best way when facing the seemingly unbearable responsibility and complex circumstances. They would rather shift the attention of their own and others to the external factors and pressure. They are reluctant to change, dare not face the reality and overcome the difficulties. What makes the things worse is that some Bishop do not have enough education at all, with very limited theological knowledge and incapable of management. All of these have made nearly impossible the unification and progress of the local Churches. An aged Bishop who had been through the vicissitudes of life once spoke out of the worries and difficulties that he was facing, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am so old that God may call me back to him any time. How can you expect me to change? It is better not to change at all. Before the relation between China and the Vatican becomes certain, it is rather safe to keep the things as they are, and it is safe for all of us. I have been following my principle for so long, if a compromise and some changes are made now, how could

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the people who have been following me stand up with straight back in front of others? Any instance of being inadvertent can cause damage to the relationship between the two sides and many may complain and some may even say that I have become a betrayer. The good reputation which I have acquired through the hard way will be destroyed entirely. It is better to do nothing and we would rather wait until the appropriate time comes. “Wait and see” is the mainstream of attitude of the CCC. This attitude exists not among the old-generation of Bishops and clergy only, but widely does so among the younger ones. I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-inlaw and daughter–inlaw against mother-in-law.”(Luke 12:49-53) In this paragraph there are words like “fire”, “baptism”, “peace” and “division”. Jesus uses the word “fire”, hoping the apostles will be kindled; “wish”, hoping them to take actions and complete their mission. Biblical scholars think that we are to understand the meaning of the sentence “I have a baptism with which to be baptized” in the light of “the baptism” and “cup” spoken by Jesus in his reply to James and John (Mark 10:38). Here “the cup refers to Jesus’ suffering, and the baptism the death of the

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Lord.” 27 Thus Jesus challenges the apostles and leads them to turn again their eyes to his suffering, death and resurrection, and invite them to go with him into Jerusalem, and to go through a new baptism of suffering, death and resurrection. If the leaders and laity of the CCC want to make reconciliation and unification possible, they too have to endure the process full of suffering and challenge, and to accept Christ and the Holy Spirit as their guide and leader. The joy and peace of resurrection and new life comes only after they have conquered themselves. At the same time, we may ask question why Jesus, the prince of peace, would bring division even to the society’s most basic units--families. The answer is that the division Jesus brings will make changes, and he seems to say: Do not think that I have come to bring an easy, comfortable and secure life to you. Instead, I will wake you up from your muddleheaded sleep, and I want you to adventure, to act and to change for the sake of the kingdom of God.

“Jesus has come to the world to

establish the kingdom of God. He wants to make a change to the world full of evil. And this change cannot be made without difficulties.” 29 This mission will be possible only when everyone and every community are willing to change and make their contributions. The only way to the true peace is to take off the old self and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Jesus Christ wants people to be kindled and take action, change themselves and turn to Him. Since the internal dispute and the attitude of “not to change” are currently the main obstacles in the way to progress and unity for the 27 SCRIPTURE: Luke 12:49-56, Exegesis by Richard Niell Donovan, 2004. 28 John Fuellenbach, “Throw Fire”, (Manila: Logos [Divine World] Publications, Inc. 1998), pp. 20-21. 29 SCRIPTURE: Luke 12:49-56, Exegesis by Richard Niell Donovan, 2004.

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CCC, if believers (both leaders and laity) want to remove the obstacles, they have to turn their eyes to Christ. In other words, they have to fix their eyes on Jesus. This Jesus was on the road to Jerusalem, was in the Upper Room, (is present in the form of bread and wine), sat at the dining table, nailed on the cross, came out of the tomb and rose again. The process of this Passover is especially long for the Church in China. From the three-hundred year long “Rites Controversial” following Matteo Ricci’s time till the recent half-century long Church-State conflict, the suffering that the Church in China has endured is too long to be easily understood. Every time when the conflict took place between the State and the Church, the Chinese Catholic clergy and faithful and those missionaries who remained bravely in mainland China suffered the most and gravely. For this reason, Pope Benedict XVI connects the suffering and persecution that the Church in China and in Asia are undergoing to the scene of “dismay” in the vision of John recorded in Revelation to help us understand better. In fact “the subject of one of the most important visions of the Book of Revelation is [the] Lamb in the act of opening a scroll, previously closed with seven seals that no one had been able to break open. John is even shown in tears, for he finds no one worthy of opening the scroll or reading it (cf. Rev 5:4). History remains indecipherable, incomprehensible. No one can read it. Perhaps John’s weeping before the mystery of a history so obscure expresses the Asian Churches’ dismay at God’s silence in the face of the persecutions to which they were exposed at the time. It is a dismay that can clearly mirror our consternation in the face of the serious difficulties, misunderstandings and hostility that the Church also

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suffers today in various parts of the world. These are trials that the Church does not of course deserve, just as Jesus himself did not deserve his torture. However, they reveal both the wickedness of man, when he abandons himself to the promptings of evil, and also the superior ordering of events on God’s part.”30

In other words, though Jesus and the disciples should haven’t endured these sufferings, the Savior chose the way of salvation through suffering. Even though the beloved disciples of Jesus didn’t understand this completely on the way to Jerusalem, they were eventually not only strengthened by the risen Christ but also gave remarkable witnesses to Him. At the present, the clergy and faithful of the Church in China are still waiting for the Passover on the way to Jerusalem, at the side of the Cross and Jesus’ tomb. Through this Passover, the risen Lord will bring confidence and hope, healing and reconciliation, communion and unity, peace and joy to the Chinese clergy and faith as he did to the disciples in the past. For the reason that the disciples had argued for the first time on the road to Jerusalem who was the greatest, when Jesus and the disciples arrived to Capernaum, he sat down, called the Twelve to him and calmly asked and taught them, saying, “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35). When they again were hostile to each other because James and John asked Jesus for high place in his kingdom, he spoke to them to serve each other in a grave tone. (Mark 10:42-45) In Jerusalem, his last hour has finally arrived. At the last supper, Jesus has to face not only Judas who would betray him but also all his 30 See Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 3.

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other disciples who would abandon him, including his beloved disciple Peter (head of the apostles). That evening, when Jesus announced to the community of disciples the news that he would be betrayed, Mark described that “the disciples were distressed” (Mk 14:19), John recorded that Jesus at that moment was “troubled in spirit.” Jesus though grieving, sad and suffering, washed the feet of the twelve apostles, including those of Judas’ ( Jn 13: 1-20). After that, he blessed the bread and wine and invited them to receive. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” (Mark 14:18) While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mark 14:22-24) When he instituted the Holy Eucharist, Jesus did not reject any of his unfaithful disciples. Therefore in the Last Supper room the climax of communion took place within the Eucharist for the Church on earth. Even though he knew that Judas would betray him, Jesus still loved and accepted him, washed his feet and sat at table with him.

Actually not only his disciples who betrayed and abandoned him sat at table with Jesus, there were also many of those rejected by society who 31 What led to Judas’ death was his guilt, disappointment and lack of trust (Mt. 27: 3-5), not God’s punishment.

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often appeared at table with Jesus (e.g., tax collectors, sinners and those who are defiled). “The meal scenes usually include conversations about

the reign of God and who can participate in it.” 32 Of course, this is Jesus’ unconditional love, service, sharing, forgiveness and acceptance, to the extent of giving his own body and blood to his disciples, achieving thus God-man integration, communion, and unity. As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out during the Holy Thursday mass, “Breaking the bread is an act of communion, an act of uniting through sharing.”33

With Christ’s compassion, Pope Benedict XVI hasn’t given up on any Bishop in China. In his Letter, he showed full compassion and understanding for all the Bishops ordained either through normal channels or abnormal channels, including those ordained secretly and illicitly. For this reason, with the assistance of the Sacred Congregation of the Evangelization of Peoples and of his assistants, Pope Benedict XVI accepted many self-selected and self-consecrated Bishops in 2008. At the same time, he also appealed to the Government to accept those Bishops ordained secretly and expressed his hope for those Bishops whose ordinations have not been accepted yet: “What great spiritual enrichment would ensue for the Church in China if, the necessary conditions having been established, these Pastors too were to enter into communion with the Successor of Peter and with the entire Catholic episcopate! Not only would their episcopal ministry be legitimized, there would also be an enrichment of their communion with the priests and the faithful.” 34

In Christ and in the Holy Eucharist, the apostles finally emerged 32 Gilbert Ostdiek, "Who's Invited," Word and World 17 (Winter 1997), 70. 33 The Homily of His Holiness Benedict XVI, at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Thursday, 9 April 2009. 34 See Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 8.

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from disputes among themselves and the apostolic community filled with the risen Lord, achieved reconciliation and communion and, they were gradually renewed, changed and strengthened. So it is only in Christ and the Eucharist can conversion, change and breakthrough take place and real communion, reconciliation and unity be finally realized. While praying in the garden and on the cross, Jesus already had forgiven his unfaithful disciples. (Lk 23:34) As the High Priest, Jesus’ prayer for his disciples was sincere and touching. ( John 17:11, 20-23) The Prayer of Christ the High Priest can be considered as the prayer of communion. Jesus portrayed vividly the Father-son and Master-disciple relationship of communion and unity in the Father. Communion and unity can be realized in the love of the Father and of Christ. Finally, the Chinese clergy and laity should turn from the empty tomb--confusion, disappointment and suffering--to the last words of the Risen Christ before his ascension: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”(Mk 16:15) “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) The risen Jesus once again strengthened the apostles, helping them to break the deadlock within the small circle of self and disputes and gave them the mission to proclaim and witness the good news. As a member of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the CCC, like the first apostolic community, should also receive this sacred mission from Jesus through the Pope, the successor of St. Peter, and must make known this same Jesus to the 1.3 billion countrymen and share the good news of his resurrection.

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Conclusion At the same time when we strive for reconciliation and communion in the Sacrament of Eucharist of Christ, every Christian is called to share the same good news and mission – Christ’s resurrection. Therefore, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia), and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable. 35 These three goals are the invitation for both Communities in China, so that they can reconcile in the Eucharist of Christ, leading to final unification and communion. For this reason, Pope Benedict XVI pointed out the mission for the Catholic faithful in China: My dear lay people, you are called, today too, to incarnate the Gospel in your lives and to bear witness to it by means of generous and effective service for the good of the people and for the development of the country: and you will accomplish this mission by living as honest citizens and by operating as active and responsible co-workers in spreading the word of God to those around you, in the country or in the city.36

At least before the unification, the two Communities can cooperate with each other in carrying out the non-controversial and non-conflicting but at the same urgently needed works. For example: to 35 Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas est. No. 25. 36 Ibid. No. 15.

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reinforce the evangelical activities, to practice charity, to strengthen the formation of male and female religious vocations and on-going education of priests. In preaching the good news, bearing witness to the gospel and imitating Christ, the two Communities will find the core value of the gospel and their vocations, and finally lead to the communion and unification in Christ and His communion. Just like the disciples of Jesus in the old days, the Catholic clergy of various levels in China must constantly reflect on their vocations and realize the meaning of their vocations. They must wake up from their confusion, wonder, pain, and conflicts and let Christ strengthen them. When it comes to the faith principles and traditions, the words and acts must be clear and definitive, no room for compromise. At the same time, when it comes to other aspects, the responses must be flexible and appropriate. At this historical moment, “don’t be afraid!” the Bishops in China: “Bear the responsibilities that history has placed upon you! In this critical moment, your choice could revive the Church or it could let her languish for a long time.”37

Although at the present the deadlock of the Sino-Vatican relationship has not had any major breakthrough, and the external conditions for communion and unity of the Catholic Church in China is not ready yet, every side and every Community must have the mentality and thinking of late Sino-Vatican relationship. Pope Benedict XVI understands deeply the pain of the divided Church in China and foresees the difficulty in its reconciliation and communion. It will be a long road, reconciliation is not easy and will be under tension and various challenges. Therefore, he wrote to comfort the 37 Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, “Inspiration from St. Stephen’s Martyrdom,” Kung Kao Po. January 4th, 2009.

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Catholic faithful in China as follows: The history of the Church teaches us, then, that authentic communion is not expressed without arduous efforts at reconciliation. Indeed, the purification of memory, the pardoning of wrong-doers, the forgetting of injustices suffered and the loving restoration to serenity of troubled hearts, all to be accomplished in the name of Jesus crucified and risen, can require moving beyond personal positions or viewpoints, born of painful or difficult experiences. These are urgent steps that must be taken if the bonds of communion between the faithful and the Pastors of CCC are to grow and be made visible. We all realize that this journey cannot be accomplished overnight, but be assured that the whole Church will raise up an insistent prayer for you to this end. 38

To show the support of the Universal Church to the CCC, and the care and love of the successor of St. Peter, on May 27, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI invited the Catholics all over the world to pray for the church of China on May 24 of each year and appointed that day as “the Prayer Day for CCC.” Also, with heartfelt feelings, he composed the “Prayer to our Mother, the Lady of Sheshan.” Given these factors, the Universal Church and CCC have formed a more intimate and more visible relationship of communion. The clergy and faithful in China must believe that the Holy Spirit has always been working. Once the Sino-Vatican relationship has become normalized, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the loving 38 Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. No. 6.

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understanding, care and leadership of the Holy Father, as the Catholic Church in China strives to proclaim and witness the Good News to the 1.3 billion countrymen, the reconciliation, communion and unity in the Eucharist will become a reality eventually. (Translated by Haobo, June 06, 2009)

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THE EUCHARIST IN THE LIGHT OF THE COMMON PRIESTHOOD AND LAY EMPOWERMENT Case Study From India Fr. Francis Gonsalves

Introduction The irony of me – a Catholic priest – speaking about lay empowerment and the common priesthood of all the faithful seems suggestive of the superior role that priests either appropriate or are accorded within ecclesial structures, often resulting in the silencing of the varied voices of the ‘People of God’ that VC II gave so much weight to. In this case, I have been requested by the organizers to speak on this topic. And therefore, to be somewhat representative of the laity in India, I conducted a sample survey of a cross-section of laymen and laywomen whose voices and views I shall echo in my presentation. A questionnaire was prepared with 18 questions and sent to 45 people living in 6 important cities in India: (1) Delhi, (2) Mumbai [Bombay], (3) Chennai [Madras], (4)

Kolkata [Calcutta], (5) Ahmedabad and (6) Bangalore. My choice of respondents was based on the following criteria: a) Each is deeply committed to her/his faith; b) Each has been involved at some time or the other in Church work or held an ecclesial office at the parish, diocesan or national levels, c) Each has a capacity to responsibly reflect, and constructively criticize, if need be. The limitation of this exercise is that I was unable to reach the Out of those who were sent the questionnaire, 30 responded at the time of preparing this presentation. The number of men was 13 and the number of women was 17. Although a few youth were sent the questionnaire, no one below the age of 20 responded. Of the 30 respondents, 3 women are in the age-group of 20 to 30 years. All the others are above 30 years of age, the oldest being 70. See appendices for details.

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poor, rural laity due to the constraints of time and the inaccessibility of internet in India’s rural areas. Also, since there were no face-to-face, personal interviews of the respondents, certain comments and views sometimes seemed ambiguous. These lacunae notwithstanding, what emerges is not so much a ‘Theology of the Eucharist’ from the laity’s perspective, but rather a glimpse into the ‘Understanding and Practice of the Eucharist’. Collating the responses to the questions, four areas can be identified from the questionnaire pertaining to: (1) Meaning – what does the Eucharist mean to you, personally? (2) Identity – who do you see yourself to be in the Eucharist? (3) Priesthood/Empowerment – what is your priestly role/power at the Eucharist? (4) Mission – how does the Eucharist affect your commitment to the world? I shall divide my presentation into three parts: (1) Present a few findings in the four areas mentioned above; (2) Provide a framework for understanding the Eucharist from today’s context of the common priesthood; (3) Propose suggestions that have emerged from the survey which will foster more meaningful eucharistic practice among the laity in India.

1. A Representative Overview of Eucharistic Practice in Urban India VC II’s Lumen Gentium n.11 described the Eucharist as the “source

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and summit of Christian life”. The centrality of the Eucharist has been reiterated in the past four decades or so in various ecclesial and papal documents. Since the laymen and women who responded to the questionnaire belong to Christian communities dating back to the apostle Thomas or to the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier and the first Jesuits who did missionary work along coastal India, there is a long eucharistic tradition treasured by the people. This is evident from the fact that to the question (Q.1): “Which is the most important spiritual observance to you?” 70% answered that it was the Eucharist (26 % said ‘Bible reading’ and 4% said ‘Rosary’) 1.1. The Meaning of the Eucharist: Sacrament of Communion It is necessary to see what exactly most people understand by the Eucharist. Hence, Q.2 inquired: “According to you, which of the following words is most meaningful to you and personally best expresses what the Eucharist is?” The respondents had to choose one option from six options given – meal, sacrifice, memorial, thanksgiving, communion and Bible service. As a theologian, I expected most people to choose ‘sacrifice’ or ‘meal’ or ‘memorial’ since these aspects are stressed in almost all ecclesial and papal documents. However, what emerged most prominently was the word ‘communion’ (52%). Gauging f rom the explanations given in later responses, ‘communion’ can be understood in three ways. First, it could signify Holy Communion or the ‘host’ that one consumes. For example, Vimala Padmaraj (Chennai) wrote, “Today, people go mechanically for Holy Communion without confessing their sins” and Ruth Noronha (Chennai)

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wrote: “At Communion something special has been offered to me: the wonderful gift of God himself.” Second, and connected to the first meaning, is the ‘vertical aspect’ of communion, namely, relationship with Jesus through consuming of the sacred host. Thus, for instance, Joycelin Jose, editor of Delhi’s Catholic youth magazine Yu-Kris wrote: “I love going to church, sitting through Mass in silence and contemplation. It deepens my communion with God.” So also, A. Chinnappan, Secretary General of the Catholic Association (Delhi) wrote, “The Eucharist raises us up to a different platform altogether to be in communion with God and God alone.” Third, is the ‘horizontal aspect’ of relationship among members of the eucharistic community. Margaret Kings (Kolkata) feels that she is an important part of the communion wherein: “we celebrate with people. It’s one big family gathering.” All three aspects seemed important to the respondents. In fact, among Indians – and, among Asians, in general – the aspects of ‘coming together’ as family, clan, tribe, and community is essential at various moments in life, be it to celebrate births or marriages, or to console one another in times of disaster or death. Besides ‘communion’, other words to describe the Eucharist were also mentioned as significant. Q.3 asked: “After choosing the most meaningful word in Q.2 above, how would you arrange the other five words in descending order of importance?” To ascertain how important the other words were, I worked out a weighted average giving fewer points in the descending order in which the respondents arranged the words (i.e. 6 points for most important and 1 point for least important. On the basis of tally of points, I worked out what could be called a

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‘percentage of preference’). Thus, in descending order of importance, the respondents chose: (1) communion – 24%; (2) sacrifice – 21%; (3) thanksgiving – 18%; (4) memorial – 16%; (5) meal – 13%; and (6) Bible service – 8%. On seeing such a high percentage of lay faithful choose ‘communion’ over sacrifice, memorial and meal, one wonders whether it is reasonable to conclude that there is wide divergence between magisterial teaching and daily eucharistic practice. While one could say that there is, surely, some degree of divergence, it must be noted that the lay faithful who have done some theological studies are able to make finer distinctions. For instance, in response to Q.3, lay theologian Dr Astrid Lobo Gajiwala (Mumbai) distinguished between what was ‘theologically meaningful’ to her (memorial, sacrifice, meal) and what was ‘personally meaningful’ (communion, thanksgiving). 1.2. The Identity of the Laity at the Eucharist: Beneficiary or Co-Celebrant? ‘Who’ one is unfailingly affects the way one participates in or celebrates the Eucharist. To Q.5. “Do you feel you have an important role to play in the Eucharist?” an overwhelming 89% said “Yes” and 11% said “No.”. This question was followed by asking in Q.6, “If yes, then, according to you, which one of the following words best describes your role?” Of the options given – namely, (a) I am an observer; (b) I am a co-celebrant; (c) I am an offerer; (d) I am a beneficiary of graces – 48% said “I am a cocelebrant, while 36% wrote, “I am a beneficiary of graces.” This probably indicates that while the people consider themselves as an important part of the celebration – and therefore see themselves as ‘co-celebrant’ –

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they also feel that they receive many graces and blessings through their participation at the Eucharist. The active and passive dimensions of the Eucharist are best highlighted by the words ‘co-celebrant’ and ‘beneficiary of graces’, respectively, since while one actively participates in the liturgy through prayers, singing, the responses and so on, one also keeps silence and waits to be ‘acted upon’ by God. N. Lourdunathan (Bangalore) who said, “yes” to having an important role to play at the Eucharist saw himself as a ‘beneficiary of graces’. Later, in Q.13, when asked whether he felt that the laity had a sufficient role to play during the Eucharist, he said “yes” and mentioned this role as “seeking forgiveness”. A. Chinnappan (Delhi) who saw his role as important and saw himself as a “beneficiary of graces” wrote, “Through the Eucharistic assembly, my communication with God is established. There is a peaceful satisfaction which I cannot get from anywhere else.” 8% of respondents wrote ‘offerer’ and ‘observer’ as their role in the assembly. Dr Lucas D’Souza (Ahmedabad) who chose ‘offerer’ explained that: “As a part of the Mystical Body of Christ, I become an indispensable part of the sacrifice and thanksgiving being performed at the altar.” Another person felt that, at every Mass, he was offering up his family to God. This response is not very different from saying that one is a cocelebrant. Since only 8% wrote ‘observer’, we can conclude that many feel that they have an active role to play no matter how that role and the corresponding responsibility are understood

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1.3. The Priesthood of the People and Lay Empowerment The documents of VC II – for instance, Lumen Gentium 31 – exhort the laity to share in the “priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ.” While Scripture and many Church documents speak about the “triple

function’ and “the priesthood of the faithful,” there is little awareness among the laity of its role as prophet-priest-pastor. Thus, despite 89% of the respondents saying that they “feel we have an important place in the Eucharist” (in (Q.5) and that they “like the participation of the people,” (45% in Q.4), yet, when it comes to elaborating on the question (Q.12): “Do think that the laity has a sufficient part to play in the Eucharist?” the faithful are dissatisfied and almost unanimously feel that their roles are not only subordinate to the priest, but often they are either taken for granted or altogether denied any important part in the eucharistic celebration. Dr Astrid Lobo Gajiwala wrote: “Only the priest is important. The assembly is important only in so far as it ensures that the priest has an audience.” Keith Lasrado-Shenoy (Mumbai) wrote: “Priests are extremely autocratic and consider their opinion final.” The answer to the question (Q.10): “VC II stressed that the faithful, like their priests, are also to fulfill the roles of prophet-priestpastor. Have priests spoken about this in their homilies during Mass?” is alarmingly negative. No one chose ‘often’ while 48% chose ‘never’ and 22% chose ‘rarely’ – a total of 70%. The reason for this varies. Dr John Dayal, Member of the National Integration Council of India and National See, for instance, 1 Pet 2:4-10; also the documents of VC II like Lumen Gentium nn. 10,12,31,34; Apostolicam Actuositatem nn. 2,3; Ad Gentes nn. 1,5; also The Code of Canon Law 204.1. Pope John Paul II s 1988 Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici nn. 9,18, also reiterates the same.

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President of the All India Catholic Union, wrote: “The clergy never speak about the priesthood of the people. They are either not aware (or give us the impression that they are unaware) of the importance of educating the faithful in all that was expressed in VC II.” The question arises: Are the clergy truly not well versed with the documents of VC II themselves? From all that has been expressed and experienced, it hardly seems as if the clergy are keen on impressing on the faithful their roles and responsibilities as prophet-priest-king. A respondent wrote, ““It suits the clergy not to educate the laity about their role and priesthood in the Church.” Said another: “I think the priests feel threatened by the involvement of the laity.” A couple of verbatim statements from the respondents will give us an idea of how little the laity get empowered as a result of present eucharistic practice and how little is their awareness of their role as prophet-priest-pastor: * Shyamala Raj (Chennai): “Priests might say something positive on Laity Sunday; but Laity Sunday comes and goes without a whimper, and nothing changes.” * Subir Gomes (Kolkota): “Most priests talk down to the laity, and do not recognize their priestly, prophetic and pastoral functions.” In sum, there is little awareness of the faithful being prophetpriest-king. Moreover, apart from the laity’s usual role of singing hymns, reading the first and second readings and responding to the priest’s prayers, many of which require but an ‘Amen’ response, there is neither much responsibility given to the laity nor are sustained efforts being made at empowering them through the Eucharist.

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1.4. Mission of the Laity Flowing from the Eucharist Although the English word ‘Mass’ – from the Latin missa, meaning, sent – is perhaps not as theologically rich as its synonym ‘Eucharist’, meaning, thanksgiving, a vital component of the Eucharist is undoubtedly the ‘sending’. The eucharistic community is not merely a worshipping assembly that praises God or a contemplative gathering that silently reflects upon God’s gift of Jesus Christ, but it is also a ‘sent community’ (comunitas in missione) – commissioned to live out existentially what it has celebrated ritually and sacramentally. Thus, unless the faithful are inspired, as well as empowered, to launch out into committed action as outcome of their eucharistic celebration, the Eucharist remains but a sterile ritual, far removed from what Jesus envisioned it to be. The mission normally flows from an understanding of the Word of God (Scripture) in prophetic perspective in the sense that the Christian is called to proclaim the good news in word and witness. In other words, do priests inspire people through their homilies to love God’s Word (Scripture) and to be committed to life? Two questions – Q.8 and Q.9 – inquire whether the Sunday sermon (homily) given by most priests “gives you a love for Scripture,” and “inspires you to live a more committed life of love and service during the week?” 48% of respondents wrote ‘rarely’ and 12% ‘never’ for the first question, and 41% and 11% wrote ‘rarely’ and ‘never’, respectively for the second question. The ‘often’ in both cases is only 15%. This is a serious lacuna since, if the priests and deacons – who are the only ones permitted to read the Gospel and deliver the homily at present – are not able to inspire the faithful and lead them outwards in love and service, then, how do we expect the faithful either to counter the

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consumerist currents that sweep most people off their feet (negatively), and to (positively) give effective witness of the Lord’s love and self-giving, which is celebrated at every Eucharist? A Hindu convert – who joined the Catholic Church 10 years ago and wishes to remain anonymous – reads and relishes the Bible and is “desperate to hear God’s Word and experience his consolation.” She is disappointed with the ‘secular’ attitude of priests whose homilies “neither refresh our souls nor challenge us to life a radical life of love.” She says, “Priests must openly speak the truth about moral issues such as abortion, sterilization, live-in relationships and bribery….. I don’t come to church only to feel good and have my prayers answered, but I also come to be challenged with the truth of the Gospel.” Finally, a respondent wrote that, “For many people, the Church is not a missionary body but a kind of club….All you have to do is follow the rules – not of Christian living but the obligations laid down by the Magisterium.”

2. The Eucharist: Towards Building Christic Communion and Cosmic Community Having highlighted a few elements of the eucharistic understanding and practice of some of the laity in India, I shall now strive to develop a framework to more meaningfully understand and celebrate the Eucharist. Although the structure that I suggest is personal, the inspiration comes from the views of the respondents to the questionnaire. It is necessary to first stress that a big majority of laity feels that

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the Eucharist is central to its spiritual life and religious practice. Yet, a majority also feels that its role is marginal in the celebration and that its practice is mostly determined by the priests – many of whom fail either to inspire devotion or to impel for action. It is also evident that there is a significant gap between ‘what’ the Church’s magisterium teaches about the Eucharist (as regards belief, its celebration and effect on life) and ‘how’ the laity actually understands, celebrates and lives the Eucharist.

Moreover, there is discrepancy between the teaching and preaching

of theologians and priests, on the one hand, and the everyday life and eucharistic practice of the faithful, on the other. To bridge this gap, I suggest that instead of repeatedly reiterating the importance of the Eucharist as meal, sacrifice, memorial, thanksgiving, and so on, it would be better to launch out from what the laity sees as important, namely, ‘communion’. The idea of communion is fully consonant with Jesus’ vision. This is also what His Body, the Church, must strive to accomplish, hereand-now. 2.1. The ‘Com-munia’ of the People of God For most people communion is important. As mentioned earlier, the communion refers to: (a) the bread, (b) The Host, Jesus Christ, (c) and the community. Communion can be understood from its etymological roots, com-munia (i.e., a co-sharing of functions, duties and offices). In this “coming together” (Greek, syn-erchomai) that the earliest eucharistic text speaks about (1 Cor 11:17-20), there must be perfect equality and The tripartite division of The Eucharist as: (a) mystery to be believed, (b) mystery to be celebrated, and (c) mystery to be lived, has been followed in Pope Benedict XVI s Sacramentum Caritatis The 2007 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation.

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a sharing of gifts-offices-functions and duties that Paul elaborates in 1 Cor 12 by giving the example of a human body. This ‘coming together’ and sharing of gifts-offices-functions truly makes a non-people into a ‘eucharistic People of God’. Before any church-building or any wellstructured priestly hierarchy ever existed, the group of early Christian believers came together and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, fellowship and the breaking of the bread (Acts 2:42-7; 4:32-7). This ‘communia’ with Christ, the Head, and with fellow-Christians, as Body of Christ, is fundamental to every eucharistic celebration; and, in this sense, “the Eucharist makes the Church.”

The ‘People of God’ and the ‘Body of Christ’ terminology of VC II

must be retrieved. While there is sufficient stress on the ordained priest

as president of the assembly in persona Christi or as alter Christus, there is hardly any importance given to the fact that the faithful is the Body of Christ, too. Therefore, at the Eucharist the priest must be a committed servant of this Body of Christ, the Church, assembled in the name of the Lord. He must realize that he is not the host, but a servant of the Host, Jesus, and a servant of the guests who have come together not only to eat at the Lord’s table, but also to strengthen the bonds that exist between them and God (vertical) and among themselves (horizontal). The vertical and the horizontal dimensions of the eucharistic communion must always be held in harmony. One cannot exist without The oft-quoted maxim The Eucharist makes the Church; the Church makes the Eucharist attributed to Henri de Lubac, succinctly expresses what is intended here. This has been done, to some extent, in John Paul II s Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, n. 28.

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the other. In the most ancient eucharistic text available, Paul reminds us: “The cup of blessing that we bless is it not a communion (koinonia) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a communion (koinonia) in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). The communion that is celebrated must be one of participation, sharing, fellowship, equality and joy. Everyone must feel that s/he is an indispensable part of the community with no distinction of high-low, superior-inferior, fe/male and so on. Rather than pose any threat or provide opportunity for misinterpretation, such an understanding of communion will enhance our understanding of Eucharist as our Lord’s supper, now celebrated as a communitarian meal that provides a foretaste of God’s Kingdom, which has already arrived, and is yet to attain fullness. In our world today, fostering the ideal of communion is imperative even beyond the confines of Church. Today, communion – be it between married partners or among members of any family or community – is threatened by globalisation that promises to create a ‘global village’ but has engendered excessive individualism, materialism, consumerism, secularism, alienation, isolation and a break up of marriage, family and community. Hence, first, true communion in the Church, symbolized and strengthened by the Eucharist, will serve as an antidote to the present-day ills that destroy family and community. Secondly, communion is also a valuable ecumenical ideal that unites all the churches and denominations. Thirdly, we must note that the Church is a distinctive religious society in that it is a ‘sacramental community’ unlike most of the other religious

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traditions. And the best representatives of this sacramental community in the world today are the ‘faithful’: People of God. 2.2. Identities, Rights and Responsibilities of God’s People Connected to communion is the issue of identity and responsibility. The

laity is mostly defined negatively in Church documents. For instance, LG 31 defines the laity as “all the faithful except those in holy orders and those in a religious state sanctioned by the Church.” Similarly, in the new Code of Canon Law (CIC 207.1), the lay people are the “others” who are not “sacred ministers.” In this regard Prof. K.T. Sebastian writes, “Lay people are not interested in knowing what they are not: They want to know what they are.” Today, in a global world when identities are constructed, contested and clamour for recognition, responsibilities and rights, the issue of identity is important since identities inform our values, guide our choices and give us a sense of purpose, direction and coherence. It is important, therefore, to examine the identity of the laity. Pope John Paul II used the scriptural images of the vine and branches ( Jn 15:1-8) and the labourers in the vineyard (Mt 22:1-14) to Keith Ward, Religion and Community (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999), 184-203, explicates how, unlike, for instance, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam that foster community based on socio-political state, individual release from the cycle of rebirth, escape from the world to achieve nirvana and obedience to divine law, respectively the Christian community is a distinctive sacramental community . Liberation is given by strengthening and universalizing the bonds of community, not dissolving them. This lacuna is, however, noted in Pope John Paul II s Christifideles Laici n. 9 of 1988, which calls for a more positive definition See his The Era of the Lay People: Reflections on the Role of the Lay People in the Church and in the World (Bombay: Pauline Publications, 1998), 76.

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speak about the identity and responsibility of the laity. Other images

he used were the ‘Body of Christ’ and ‘Temples of the Holy Spirit’. 10 He said that: “Only from inside the Church’s mystery of communion is the ‘identity’ of the lay faithful made known, and their fundamental dignity revealed.” 11 Although the idea of communion is inspirational

and biblical, it has an inherent danger, namely, communion could be used as a veil to cover up the absence of rights and adequate structures of governance. 12 Without providing for the rights of the laity and clearly

delineating responsibilities in the ecclesial and eucharistic community, although the faithful might be told time and again that they are ‘offerers’ and ‘co-celebrants’ at the Eucharist, their role will, at best, be limited to being mere beneficiary of graces, and, at worst, to being passive observers of what the priest and the others do during the Mass. It would do the Church good to evolve and explain the role of the lay faithful with better terminology like ‘co-worker’ in ministry or ‘cocelebrant’ at the Eucharist. In his message on World Mission Sunday, 2007, Pope Benedict referred to the faithful as being ‘co-responsible’, saying: “[F]or the individual members of the faithful it is no longer merely a matter of collaborating in evangelizing work but of feeling that

See his Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, nn. 1-3,8,9,18 10 Christifideles Laici nn.10-3. 11 Christifideles Laici n.8. Italics added. 12 To substantiate this point, one can think of the text of Novo Millennio Ineunte (n.44) that reads: How can we forget in the first place those specific services to communion which are the Petrine ministry and, closely related to it, episcopal collegiality? Here, it seems as if the episcopal structures are of prime importance in the communion, and all other structures are of lesser importance.

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they themselves are protagonists and co-responsible.” 13 If the faithful are

truly to be ‘co-responsible’, 14 then there is need to involve them much more in preparing for the Eucharist and celebrating it appropriately so

that the Eucharist might truly make the Church, and vice versa. In the questionnaire, although many respondents felt that there is not much awareness of the faithful being prophet-priest-king, Virginia Saldanha (Mumbai) personally felt and wrote: “We are the Church!” However, she simultaneously felt that most people do not fully understand this statement and are not aware of its implications. 2.3. ‘Faithful’ Priests-Prophets-Pastors: Negotiating Power and Authority Taking the debate of identity a step further, one must clarify what exactly “sharing in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ” really means. Besides being clearly stated in the documents of VC II, Pope John

Paul II repeatedly spoke of this triple function; 15 and, in his message to the Congress of the Catholic Laity organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity held in Rome in 2000, he said, “No baptized person can be idle. As participants in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ and enriched by a variety of charisms, lay Christians can make their own contribution to the liturgy, catechesis, and different kinds of missionary and charitable programmes.” 16

13 See his Message for 81st World Mission Sunday held on October 21, 2007. The text was published earlier in Vatican s ZENIT news, June 22, 2007. 14 Note that Pope John Paul II had also earlier used the word co-responsible in Christifideles Laici n.21. 15 See Christifideles Laici nn. 9,14,23,33,34,35,51 (with special mention of women, too), 52 (with regard to family, conjugal life) and 64. 16 Text taken from the Pontificium Consilium Pro Laicis document The Congress of Catholic

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Since Pope John Paul II desired that the faithful in this new millennium: “make their own contribution to the liturgy, catechesis and different kinds of missionary programmes,” it is necessary to state what these contributions could concretely be in liturgy, catechesis and missionary work. The answer in ecclesial documents is usually that the lay faithful must be active in the ‘secular realm’ or the ‘temporal sphere’. 17

Thus, for instance, in Christifideles Laici, especially in nn. 9,14, although the lay faithful are reminded of their triple function as prophet-priestking, their roles and responsibilities must be exercised somewhere ‘outside’ in the secular realm: family, society, nation, world and universe. Further, n.15 is subtitled: “The lay faithful and their secular character;” and, although n.23 is subtitled “The ministries, offices and roles of the lay faithful,” it proceeds to include a caution about: “a too-indiscriminate use of the word ‘ministry’, the confusion and the equating of the common priesthood and the ministerial priesthood,” and a second caution about: “the ‘clericalization’ of the lay faithful and the risk of creating, in reality, an ecclesial structure of parallel service to that founded on the Sacrament of Orders.” Thus, with a minimal role to play in the eucharistic liturgy and the breaking of the word of God, have the prophet-priest-king functions brought corresponding roles and rights for the faithful in ecclesial ministry? Could not much more be done in this realm? In living out the ‘common priesthood’ and ‘ministerial priesthood’ greater awareness is needed of the dynamics of power and authority. Although authority and power are used interchangeably, a slight Laity (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2000), n.6, pp.6-7. 17 LG 31 of VC II that speaks about the triple function also states: The secular character is proper and peculiar to the laity. This is reiterated in Christifideles Laici n.15.

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distinction could be made between the two. Vimala Padmaraj (Chennai) opined: “We desperately need priests with the authority of Jesus and not the power of the Pharisees.” Power (from the Latin potestas) refers to the level of ‘having’ while ‘authority’ (Latin, auctoritas) – with its root in augere meaning “to grow” or “to increase” – is about ‘being’. Thus, one has power but is an authority. Power is usually physical, delegated by/from an external source and hence can be revoked at any time. Authority, on the other hand, is usually moral, has to be cultivated from within and can never be taken away. Jesus attracts a large following since his authority (Mt 7:28; Lk 4:32; Jn 8:28) stems from his intimacy with Abba and his anointing with the Spirit. Today, the Church must seek its unique place in the world not through appropriation of power but through cultivating authority in matters of religion, morality, spirituality so as to be a prophetic presence in civil society. And this authority is not merely the monopoly of the Church’s hierarchy, but of all the faithful as a corporate Christic Body. The term “Teaching Authority of the Church” normally brings to mind a hierarchical structure with the pope and bishops teaching, the theologians defending the teaching, and the faithful listening and obeying. Such a structure is not implied in LG 12 that holds: The whole body of the faithful who have an anointing that comes for the holy one (cf.1 Jn 2:20 & 27) cannot err in matters of belief. This characteristic is shown in the supernatural appreciation of the faith (sensus fidei) of the whole people, when, “from the bishops to the last of the faithful” they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals. By this appreciation of

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the faith, aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth, the People of God, guided by the sacred teaching authority (magisterium), and obeying it receives not the mere word of men, but truly the word of God (cf. 1 Thess 2:13), the faith once for all delivered to the saints (cf. Jude 3). The People unfailingly adheres to this faith, penetrates it more deeply with right judgment, and applies it more fully in daily life. Here, infallibility is situated with the whole People of God and does not merely apply to theoretical truths but with ‘daily life’. Indeed, the authority of the Church comes not from its teaching but from the witness of its lived life. Thus, from the sensus fidei, under the action and guidance of God’s Spirit, the Church as Body of Christ reaches a consensus fidelium so that its belief-worship-actions might more fully mirror that of Jesus, our Lord. The call to holiness is a universal call. Rather than dichotomizing sacred versus secular or spiritual versus temporal, all Christians – ordained priests and the faithful – are called to ‘be holy’ and ‘make holy’. The essence of ‘sacrifice’ is precisely to ‘make holy’ (Latin, sacer + facere). A close reflection on Jesus’ life indicates that there was no separation between sacred and secular, priest and layman. Indeed, Jesus did not use the title ‘priest’ for himself probably because it was identified with the highly exploitative priestly structure around the Temple of Jerusalem. There is also no scriptural evidence to show that Jesus desired to establish a two-tier hierarchical community of priests and lay people as we have, today;

but he became ‘servant’ (Mk 10:43; Lk 22:26; Jn

18 See Herbert Haag, Did Jesus Want a Two-Tier Church? Tr. R. Nowell (Kent: Burns & Oates, 1997).

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13:14) and wanted his disciples to be servants, too. Discipleship in the early Church meant radical ‘social uprooting’ from attachments of family and enticements of wealth in order to be fully involved in ‘ministry’ as servants.

Thus, seeing the Eucharist as sacrifice is meaningful. The

washing of the disciples’ feet and breaking of the bread was sacramental anticipation of the true sacrifice of Christ – the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood. 2.4. Our Priestly Mission: Baptismal or Eucharistic? Christomonistic or Trinitarian? Traditionally, Christian identity and the common priesthood are understood as stemming from one’s baptism. One becomes a member of both, the Church and the common priesthood by virtue of one’s baptism. However, the ‘club’ terminology that respondents have used for the Church seems to suggest that many people think that being baptized is enough for one to belong to the Christian community or the Christian club. Thus, on the one hand, many baptized Christians live lives as they please and never come together to church to celebrate the Eucharist, and unscrupulously receive communion on occasions like weddings and anniversaries; while, on the other hand, although many non-baptized people are deeply ‘Christian’ in their service, often come to the Eucharist to pray, and love Jesus, they are never able to be in eucharistic communion with their friends and coworkers.

19 See, for instance, Gerd Theissen, Social Reality and the Early Christians: Theology, Ethics, and the World of the New Testament, tr. M. Kohl (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992), 60-93, for details.

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Although in the early Church people were mostly baptized as adults, today, most Catholics are baptized soon after birth. To hold that one is inducted into ‘common priesthood’ and sent on mission at the infancy stage makes little sense. Hence, it would be appropriate to locate the grace, roles and responsibilities of the common priesthood not merely as accruing at baptism, but of being constantly conferred, exercised and renewed at the Eucharist, too. To live an authentic Christian life, we all know that it is not enough to be baptized or even confirmed. Since apostolic times, the Christian community realized the importance of the ‘breaking of the bread’, the Eucharist, as the sacrament par excellence to encounter the crucified-risen Lord. Hence, although baptism ensured entry into ecclesial communion, it was the Eucharist that empowered for action in the world. The Eucharist has always ‘made’ the Body of Christ, so to say. And, at the Eucharist, the community continues to proclaim and celebrate its identity as ‘Body of Christ’ so as to go out into the world on mission to serve the ‘People of God’ in the larger sense of the whole world. Hence, true initiation (coming in) and commissioning (going out) takes place, daily, at the Eucharist where roles, responsibilities and charisms are exercised and pledged at the service of the world at large. Church documents earlier spoke of the ‘two tables’ – of the word of God and of the Body of Christ – where we encounter God and are nourished by our Lord. 20 We could add a ‘third table’ where we encounter

20 Dei Verbum 21 of VC II proposes the idea that one partakes of the bread of life and to offers it to faithful from the one table of the Word of God (Scripture) and the Body of Christ (Eucharistic meal). In 2004, Pope John Paul II s Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine n.12 spoke of the unity of two tables of the Word and of the Bread. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI s Sacramentum Caritatis n.44 once again reminded us of the two tables being intimately connected.

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God and are challenged to live out the great commandment of love: the table of the world. 21 Here, not only Baptism – but also Confirmation and

the Eucharist – must be seen as the sacramental wellsprings that provide the faithful with their identity, food and mission. The ordained priest will always be a ‘minister’ in the eucharistic assembly not in the sense of replacing Christ (since the whole assembly is the body of Christ) but in serving Christ (intra ecclesia) and God’s People (ad extra). In this way, the dichotomy between ecclesial and societal, inner and outer, sacred and secular will disappear, and all the faithful – ordained priests included – will have to be made aware of their responsibilities as missionaries, in the best sense of the term: as sent by God to follow in the footsteps of Jesus in the power of the Spirit. The ‘missa’ (dismissal) of the Eucharist is not just a Christic commissioning but a Trinitarian one, for there is a triadic movement at every Eucharist, modeled, as it were, on the relationship among the persons of the Trinity. The call to communion is by God, the Father. Hence, all the prayers and intercessions are addressed to the First Person of the Trinity. Second, what is proclaimed-celebrated and realized is the life-death-resurrection of Jesus. Thus, the memory, sacrifice, meal, communion, thanksgiving and so on focus specifically on Jesus (anamnesis). Nonetheless, all the liturgical actions and the transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, as well as the transformation of the communicants into ‘other christs’ are accomplished

through the power of the Holy Spirit (epiclesis). 22 Unless this ‘coming 21 See my article Covenantal Celebrations at Three Tables, in Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 72/10 (October 2008):725-38, for details. 22 In Christifideles Laici n.14. Pope John Paul II writes: Not only has our head been anointed

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in’ and ‘going out’ as ‘Body of Christ’ is celebrated through effective eucharistic practice, we will neither be a praying church nor a prophetic church that God chooses, calls, consecrates and commissions to practise and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all peoples. To conclude, I refer to Pope Benedict XVI’s comment in his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, n.51 on the ‘dismissal’ at the end of the Eucharist. He says: In antiquity, missa simply meant “dismissal.” However in Christian usage it gradually took on a deeper meaning. The word “dismissal” has come to imply a “mission.” These few words succinctly express the missionary nature of the Church. The People of God might be helped to understand more clearly this essential dimension of the Church’s life, taking the dismissal as a startingpoint. In this context, it might also be helpful to provide new texts, duly approved, for the prayer over the people and the final blessing, in order to make this connection clear. The Mass is not ‘ended’ but it begins since the dismissal is a “starting point”. The Pope’s asking for new texts is significant and present ones like: “Go, the mass is ended!” really do not capture the essence of eucharistic mission since the eucharistic Body of Christ must now go out to bring about in their daily life that forgiveness, reconciliation and communion that they proclaimed, celebrated and realized through but we, his body, have also been anointed ... therefore anointing comes to all Christians, even though in OT times it belonged only to two persons. Clearly we are the Body of Christ because we are all "anointed" and in him are "christs", that is, "anointed ones".

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their own participation in the Eucharist. Having established the basic dynamics of Eucharistic ‘coming together’ (communion) in order to be ‘sent out’ (missa, mission), we move on to the final section to see how this can be made concretely possible in the celebration of the Eucharist.

3. Towards Lay Empowerment at the Eucharistic Table If the Eucharist is to truly become a sacrament wherein and whereby the faithful are empowered to live their call and consecration as prophetpriest-king, then, there is need for the whole Church to introduce effective ways and means for ‘coming in’ for com-munia – to share and celebrate gifts-offices-functions bestowed on it by the crucified-risen Lord – and for ‘going out’ to make Christ present in a loving, life-giving, liberative way. A circular movement from the Table of the World → to the Table

of the Word → to the Table of the Bread → and back to the Table of the World must be consciously created within a general awareness of a larger circle within which the community celebrates the Eucharist – i.e., the Divine Circle comprising Spirit → Son → Father. These two circles

are representative of the whole of reality and, as such, one cannot create a dichotomy between the sacred and the secular, the inside and the outside, the Church and the Kingdom of God, the clergy and the laity and so on since the Christian narrative is a story of creation-sanctification-salvation in-community and with-community. In the Eucharist the Church – the Mystical Body of Christ –

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proclaims, celebrates and realizes the life, love and liberation of the Christ event with words-symbols-gestures and songs until we finally enjoy the fullness of eschatological salvation. In the First Mission Congress in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from October 18 to 22, 2006, the Church of Asia dwelt on the theme ‘Telling the Story of Jesus’ in an Asian way. In its ‘Mission Orientations and Priorities’ it spoke of two points that are relevant for our purposes: a) “Making the story of Jesus come alive through a deeper study and living of the Word of God in such a way that the power of Jesus’ story transforms our life” and b) “Making the celebrations of the community – especially the Eucharist – as powerful moments of making the story of Jesus come alive through the symbols used in the liturgy.” 23

The hopes and joys, disappointments and sorrows, births and deaths of the Asian peoples could be brought into the Eucharist in the ‘coming in’ of God’s faithful, even as the eucharistic community is ‘sent out’ on mission to respond to these, mindful that it is, ultimately, the Body of Christ in the world, and a Servant to all peoples. 3.1. General Principles Central to Effective Celebration of the Eucharist: a. The communion aspect must be highlighted. God (The Father) calls us to ‘come together’ as Body of Christ (Son’s Mystical Body) so that through ‘a sharing of graces-offices-duties’ (in the Spirit), 23 Text taken from First Asian Mission Congress: Orientations and Priorities, in Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 71/1 ( January 2007): 74.

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we become empowered to ‘go out together’ on mission. b. The ‘subject’ of liturgical action is always Christ as there is only one priesthood, which belongs to Him alone, as Mediator. The Church – through its ministerial and ecclesial/ collective priesthood – makes this mediation visible as it comes in and goes out. c. The active and receptive dimensions of the Eucharist must be stressed. True, the Eucharist is Christ’s parting gift to the Church. Nonetheless, the faithful are not to be only silent spectators at the Eucharist, but co-celebrants. Thus, greater participation is required, which also includes moments of silent prayer and thanksgiving for God’s gift in the body-and-blood of Jesus Christ. d. Structurally, rather than sanctuary-nave, sacred-secular, priestlaity, offerer-beneficiary pyramidal and hierarchical distinctions that are made and upheld, a circular seating or squatting arrangement can be made – especially in smaller groups like BCC, BHC, neighbourhood groups, etc., that celebrate the Eucharist. e. The Word of God must be given great importance, for God speaks to us here-and-now. Scripture contains the story of our creation, sanctification and salvation. Thus, we must be nourished at this ‘first table’. f. We encounter the Lord Jesus through the gift of himself – his body and blood given for our sustenance. We must receive strength from this ‘second table’. g. The community must be made aware of the ‘missa’ into the world – the dismissal that challenges us to nourish others at the ‘third table’ of the world.

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3.2. Particular Suggestions to Foster the Faithful ’s Participation in the Eucharist: The respondents have given some suggestions to foster participation of the faithful at the Eucharist. I simply jot down the suggestions that have emerged: 3.2.1. Entrance Rite and Rite of Reconciliation • The priest should make the people aware that they are ‘coming in’ and ‘bringing in’ the whole world to the Eucharistic table for offering and reconciliation. • The priest must remind the people of their communion at various levels – with God and with one another – and their responsibility at the Eucharist. • A brief word about the main point of the readings should be given at the start, and the faithful must be made to enter into the right mood for prayer and celebration. • In smaller groups arrange for a ‘circular seating’ around the Eucharistic table so that everyone may feel that s/he is important part of God’s ‘family circle’. • At the entrance of the Church, special boxes could be kept so that people put in (a) their requests for forgiveness, (b) special needs, (c) their thanksgiving for graces received. These could be read out during the Mass without giving names.

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3.2.2 The Breaking of the Word at the ‘Table of the Word’ • In India, printed handouts are available of the Sunday readings. These should be made available one week in advance so that people might come prepared for the Eucharist at least on Sundays. • Time ought to be given for interaction among people on the Scripture readings at Sunday Mass – this time could be given soon after the homily or during the time of ‘kiss of peace’. • There can be the enactment of the Gospel scene with a contemporary dimension added to the passage. This could be entrusted to a ‘liturgy committee’ that plans the breaking of the word in consultation with the priest. • Audio-visual aids like PPP could be used to more effectively explain Scripture and its relevance for the lives of people. • A short introduction can be given before the readings, especially on Sundays. • Priests must be reminded that people are hungering for the word of God; thus, they must not just give some pious platitudes or a set of dos and don’ts but effectively interpret the word of God for the faithful. • Priests must be made aware that that people need to be truly fed and nourished at this ‘table of the word’. This point came up in the Synod on the Word of God. • On special occasions the faithful must be invited to share their experiences keeping in mind the occasion – like Laity Sunday, Mission Sunday, Holy Family feast, Holy Childhood Day, Justice Sunday, Mothers’ Day, etc. • Have a spiritual ‘action plan’ at the end of each homily, which

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should be repeated at the ‘dismissal’. This way people will feel that the word of God must be carried on and carried out into the world and their everyday lives. 3.2.3. The Prayers of the Faithful and the Offertory • Break away from the usual structure where almost always the first prayer is reserved for the pope, bishops and priests; and only at the end the faithful are remembered. • Insist that this is the payer of the ‘faithful’ and it must, on no account, be read by the priest or deacon. • Allow for a time of silence so that people can add their prayers and intentions; • Allow for people to come up to the lectern and make prayers so that all the others may join them in praying for their special intentions. • On Sundays, there could be time kept at the Offertory when people come up to offer gifts with their own prayers. The gift – in terms of food items or cash – could be used for the poor. 3.2.4. The Eucharistic Prayer • Eucharistic Prayers be prepared on various themes for various occasions. These themes could be Eucharistic like meal, sacrifice, memorial, etc., as well as themes that directly deal with everyday life like marriage, death, births, anniversaries, Mothers-Father’s Day, examinations, etc. • Prepare a set of Eucharistic prayers with Indian-Asian themes to

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make the Eucharist meaningful in Indian-Asian festive contexts. • Printed copies of all prayers should be provided to the faithful with more responses so that active participation and more interaction is fostered. • There should be a time of silence during the intercessions after the consecration so that people can pray for their personal intentions. 3.2.5. The Kiss of Peace, Communion and Thanksgiving • A little more time should be set aside for the ‘kiss of peace’ so that people can look around and greet others and not merely their immediate neighbours. • There is need to reconsider the giving of the Eucharist to people of other faiths – especially to co-workers who deeply love and believe in Jesus Christ but cannot be baptized due to socialpolitical problems. 3.2.6. The Dismissal • Priests must not use the standard “Go, the Mass is ended,” but must remind the faithful that they are sent out in the power of the Spirit for mission. • The people must be reminded that the Eucharist must have an impact not only among Christians, but it must affect all people since the Christian is sent out to practice and preach the good news with a view to transforming the whole world.

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Conclusion The paper has examined Eucharistic practice among a few laymen and laywomen in urban India based on a questionnaire sent out to them. The understanding of the Eucharist varies; yet, it seems that the aspect of ‘communion’ is very important for most people. By and large, the lay faithful know that they are an important part of the Eucharist. However, when it comes to their identity as co-celebrant or as prophet-priest-king, there is a lack of awareness. Moreover, many people feel that neither do priests take pains to foster Eucharistic devotion nor do they assign to people valuable roles and responsibilities at the celebration of the Eucharist. As a result, the Eucharist remains a largely clerical, routine ritual that does not fully nourish people. In view of the latest ecclesial documents on the Eucharist, and given the theme of the 2006 First Asian Mission Congress of “telling the story of Jesus in Asia,” it is important that people be encouraged to bring in their live-stories into the Eucharistic communion. Then, nourished by the story of Jesus (at the table of the word), and the story of his mealsacrifice-death-resurrection (at the table of the bread), the faithful must be ‘sent out’ (missa) to feed others and to be fed at the table of the world. The circular dynamic of the Eucharist must never be lost. Indeed, it is reminiscent of the circular dynamic Trinitarian God who constantly calls in, empowers, and sends out the Body of Christ, the Church, for commitment to the whole cosmos. If we succeed in making more and more people aware of the dynamism of the Eucharist, and their empowerment through it, we will certainly succeed in creating a Church that is a servant-Church – ready

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to love and serve all peoples. It’s time that we break boundaries and build bridges so that through the Eucharist we may enter into, and exit, ever echoing the mystery of our faith: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!”

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APPENDIX 1

COPY OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE THAT WAS SENT

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BRIEFLY For question nos. 1 to 10, please block your answer and either highlight with bold face, or underline or put in CAPITAL LETTERS so that your answer becomes clear to me. 1. Of the following spiritual observances, which is the most meaningful ONE for you and makes you feel closest to God? (a) Rosary; (b) Novenas; (c) Bible Reading; (d) Mass/Eucharist; (e) Stations of the Cross 2. According to you, which of the following words is most meaningful to you and personally best expresses what the Mass/Eucharist is? (Choose ONE) (1) Meal; (2) Sacrifice; (3) Memorial; (4) Thanksgiving; (5) Communion; (6) Bible service. 3. After choosing the most meaningful word in question no.2 above, how would you arrange the other FIVE words in no. 2 above in descending order of importance; i.e., put nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 (from most important à to least important) 4. Of the following, what do you like most about the Mass/Eucharist? (a) The hymns; (b) The active participation of the people; (c) The leadership of the priest in helping people to pray; (d) The appropriate prayers during the service. 5. Do you feel that you have an important role to play in the Mass/Eucharist? (a) Yes; (b) No 6. If yes, according to you, which ONE of the following words best describes your role? (a) I am an observer; (b) I am a co-celebrant; (c) I am an offerer; (d) I am a beneficiary of graces.

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7. Do you look forward to going to Mass/Eucharist …. especially on Sundays? (a) Often; (b) Sometimes; (c) Rarely; (d) Never 8. Does the Sunday sermon (homily) given by most priests give you a love for the Bible (Scripture, or the Word of God)? (a) Often; (b) Sometimes; (c) Rarely; (d) Never 9. Does the Sunday sermon (homily) given by most priests inspire you to live a more committed life of love and service during the week and at your home or work place? (a) Often; (b) Sometimes; (c) Rarely; (d) Never 10. Vatican Council II stressed that the faithful, like their priests, are also to fulfill the roles of prophet-priest-pastor. Have the priests spoken or preached about this in their sermons (homily) during Mass/Eucharist? (a) Often; (b) Sometimes; (c) Rarely; (d) Never Note: Questions from 11 to 18 are meant to further your reflection and response. You can answer all or some of the following. Feel free to give other information that might help. 11. Do you think that many adult Christians are aware that they are an important and indispensable part of the Church? (By ‘Church’ I would give the broadest meaning in terms of ‘ Kingdom of God’) What percentage (approximately) do you think would have such an awareness? 12. Whenever you take part in the Eucharist, do you think that you are an important, indispensable part of the Eucharistic assembly? How and why? 13. Do you think that the laity (people or ‘faithful’) have a sufficient role to play during the celebration of the Eucharist? If ‘yes’, which are these roles? If ‘no’, what other roles do you think the faithful could perform or be given in the celebration of the Mass? 14. In your opinion, do priests, today, seriously undertake their responsibility

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to celebrate the Mass with devotion, to prepare their sermons, to facilitate an atmosphere of prayer, to delegate responsibility to the faithful according to their competence – e.g., altar servers, choir and singers, readers, Eucharistic ministers? 15. Are you a member of a BCC (Basic Christian Community) group or a BHC (Basic Human Community) group or Anbiam or Palliyogam? In a sentence of two, what is your experience of the Eucharist celebrated in such groups? 16. Have you ever given advice and offered suggestions to priests to improve the quality of Eucharistic celebrations or to foster greater devotion in the Eucharist? If yes, what were the suggestions you gave? 17. The Church today speaks of ‘two tables’ at which the People of God must be fed, namely, first, the ‘Table of the Word’ (i.e. Mass readings and sermon) and second, the ‘Table of the Eucharist’ (consecration prayers and Holy Communion). Do you truly feel nourished at both these tables during the Mass or do you feel as if nothing has changed? 18. If the Federation of Asian Bishops were to invite you to be a speaker on the topic “How to Foster Active Participation of the Laity at the Eucharist,” what points would you like to include in your talk so as to improve the present situation? Please mention any other opinions or issues pertaining to the celebration of the Eucharist that might be relevant but are not covered by the above questions.

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APPENDIX 2

LIST OF THE RESPONDENTS TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE Serial No.

Name of Respondent

Sex

Place

Ashirvadam D.

Delhi

1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Dr. John Dayal

Jenis Francis

Eric Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Souza

A. Chinnappan

Grace David

Jyotsna Paul

Joycelin Jose

Dr Astrid Lobo Gajiwala

Virginia Saldanha

Melania Noronha

Ligia da Fonseca

Dr Leela Francisco

Dr Ruth Miranda

Keith Lasrado-Shenoy

Jaime da Fonseca

Sidney Gonsalves

Margaret Kings

Subir Gomes

Ruth Noronha

Patricia Fernandes

Vimala Padmaraj

Shyamala Raj

Renita Aloysius

Allan Govias

A. Pushparajan

Maragatham Simon

N. Lourdunathan

Dr Lucas Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Souza

Pamela Pereira

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Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi

Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Kolkota Kolkota

Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai

Bangalore Bangalore Bangalore

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad

APPENDIX 3

RESULTS OF TEN QUESTIONS OF THE SURVEY Q1. Which spiritual observance is most meaningful to you? Rosary 4%

Bible Reading 26% Mass 70%

Novenas 0% Stations of the Cross 0%

Q2. Which word is most meaningful to you? Bibleservice Meal 4% 7% Sacrifice 11%

Communion 52%

Thanksgiving 22%

Memorial 4%

Q3. Arranging words in order of importance.

Bibleservice 8% Meal 13%

Communion 24%

Thanksgiving 18%

Sacrifice 21%

Memorial 16%

Q4. What do like most about the Mass/Eucharist? Hymns 7%

Prayers 26%

Priestleadership 26%

Peopleparticipation 45%

Q5. Do you feel you have an important place in the Eucharist?

No 11%

Yes 89%

Q6. Which word best describes your role at the Eucharist? Observer 8%

Gracebeneficiary 36%

Offerer 8%

Cocelebrant 48%

Q7. Do you look forward to going to Mass on Sundays?

Sometimes 11%

Often 89% Rarely 0% Never 0%

Q8. Do Sunday sermons give you a love for scripture?

Never 11%

Rarely 48%

Often 15%

Sometimes 26%

Q9. Do Sunday sermons inspire you to deeper commitment?

Never 11%

Rarely 41%

Often 25%

Sometimes 33%

Q10. Have priests preached about laity being prophet-priest-pastor?

Sometimes 30% Never 48%

Rarely 22% Often 0%

CASTE CULTURE VS. EUCHARISTIC CULTURE The Challenges for the Indian Church from Dalit Perspectives Fr. A. Maria Arul Raja, SJ

1. Church in India 1.1 India Seduced by Casteism Indian society, for not less than the past three millennia, has been under the demonic grip of the system of social hierarchy of casteism. It is founded upon the iniquitous mind-set of ‘permanent’ purity and pollution legitimized in the name of ‘the divine’ conveniently interpreted by the traditional Brahminic culture of domination. And accordingly, ‘the sacred’ or ‘the impure’ is attributed to one’s birth or origin, and any upward or

downward mobility is neither permissible nor possible. Being projected as the harmonious one, this atrocious caste system is further claimed by the minority of the dominant and the privileged as the natural, moral, and even the divine order. This very abominable sin as such is drilled into the collective consciousness of the majority of the people systematically disempowered by this systemic evil. The caste system reducing a large number of people as untouchables (about 250 millions out of 1000 millions) refuses to treat them as co-humans with the so-called caste people. But the same very untouchables are demanded, with meager pittance and scanty respect, to be involved in the productive labour for the welfare of the community at large. The untouchables are needed for the labour, but not as dignified co-humans with others.

The rebellion against caste system is as old as the caste system

One can change one’s nationality, one can change his/her religion, and one can climb the ladder of economic affluence but one cannot change one’s caste. Consequently the lowest in the social ladder socially discriminated, religiously neglected, politically ignored, and economically pauperized. Right from the inception of the practices of casteism and untouchability, the victims have been revolting against them. The following list has to be seen as the multiple forms of protest

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itself. But the power structures- legislature, judiciary, and executiveright from the ancient era up to the present neo-colonial era of market globalization are deployed as the handmaids serving the needs of the oppressive caste minority. As part of the self-assertion of the victims of untouchability against the derogatory names imposed by the caste

people, they have chosen the self-designation as Dalits to empower themselves by annihilating the caste system. 1.2 Church Seduced by Casteism

It is claimed that the Christian presence has been active right from the 1st century A.C.E. in the south-western coastal land of South Asia, currently known as India. But it has to be also noted that such a Christianity purportedly spread among the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala confined the Gospel of Christ only as an in-house affair meant only for a few privileged castes living there. In other words, the light against the hegemony of those practicing casteism and untouchability down the centuries in the Indian soil: Buddhism and Jainism (B.C.E.), Bhakti Movements and Protest Movements (Siddhars, Sufism, itinerant mendicants) from the subaltern cultural soil (A.C.E.), the Mass Conversion Movements towards Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism, and the Counter-Cultural Movements initiated by Mahatma Phule, Iyotheethaasa Pandithar, Ambedkar, Periyar, Vaikundasamy, Ayyankali, Narayanaguru (18-20 centuries A.C.E.). The names like atishudras, chandalas, bhangis, chamars, churhars, malas, madhikas, mushikars, pulayas, parayas, pallas, chakkiliyas are attributed to Dalits in various regions. The Gandhian title for them Harijans is dismissed by them for its condescending attitude. The legal and the bureaucratic title Scheduled Castes does not connote the humiliation they are subjected to. Dalits is the umbrella concept seeking to unify the untouchables across the country. The term ‘Dalit’ comes from the Sanskrit root ‘Dal’ with the meaning effects of ‘being torn asunder, torn apart, crushed to pieces, smashed into nothing, liquidated into non-entity’. The connotation of the passive voice underscores the significance of the Dalit necessity of locating and naming the agency of the perpetrators of such violence while working out their own emancipation.

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of the Gospel was buried underneath the bushel of the casteism. The Christians seemed to have denied the opportunity for those counted to be of the inferior caste to listen to the voice of the Gospel. But even when the Portuguese missionaries started their work of democratizing the Gospel of Christ in the 16th century A.C.E., their missiological approach seemed to be along the lines of the ‘trickle-down-process’ of first evangelizing the privileged and the powerful and thus then the least and the last of the hierarchized Indian society. Defying all these missiological expectations, the people from among those reduced to be untouchables thronged in large numbers to embrace the Gospel.

‘Casteism is Sin’ and ‘Untouchability is a Crime against

Humanity’ - Such statements are found in the documents of the CBCI, TNBC, and of the Diocesan Synods. Some welfare measures are announced in the TNBC at the regional levels. Even the Ad Limina visit of the TNBC with the Holy Father in 2003 was the official occasion for the Holy Father to propel the Indian Church to earnestly address the

In the context of recent incidents of violence and vandalism against Christians and their Churches in Orissa and elsewhere, an eminent veteran Indian journalist Kushwant Singh indicates that the ‘largest number of converts come from communities discriminated against’. He cites the examples of Dr Ambedkar ‘who led his Mahar community to embrace Buddhism because they were discriminated against by dominant caste Hindus’ and ‘Indian Muslims whose ancestors being lower caste embraced Islam which gave them equal status’. This is true also with regard to Catholic Church. Cf. Kushwant Singh, Hindustan Times, October 03, 2008. “The Church in India, particularly in recent years, has been actively involved in denouncing caste system and discrimination against the Dalits. Further, it has taken positive measures for their development. However, we have to admit that the situation still remains a serious concern. The prevalence of the Caste syatem, not only in society but also in some parts of the Church in India even at the close of the 20th century, is a matter of shame and disgrace to all of us. It is a cause of sorrow and expression of our inability to live our Christian faith adequately. It is not only a denial of human dignity and equality, but also against the fundamental teaching of Christ who was a friend of the outcastes of His time, and freely mixed with them….” Statement of the CBCI General Body Meeting at Varanasi(March, 21-28, 1998).

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sinful practice of Untouchability and Casteism in the Church. In the Church- both in the Hierarchy and the people of God- especially from among the non-Dalits, only a negligible minority is genuinely expressing solidarity with the struggles of the Dalit Christians in their to claim of constitutional rights from the Government of India on a par with Dalits belonging to other religions. In general, the attitude of the Christians

towards the Dalits has been ranging from solidarity, indifference,

defiance,10 and even condemnation.11

“At all times, you must continue to make certain that special attention is given to those belonging to the lowest castes, especially the Dalits. They should never be segregated from other members of society. A semblance of a caste-based prejudice in relations between Christians is a counter sign to authentic human solidarity, a threat to genuine spirituality and a serious hindrance to the church’s mission of evangelization. Therefore, customs or traditions that perpetuate or reinforce caste division should be sensitively reformed so that they may become an expression of the solidarity of the whole Christian Community.” Address of Pope John Paul II to the Bishops of Tamil Nadu on November 17, 2003 during their ad limina visit. Way back in 2002 during the UN Conference on Discrimination based on one’s Origin and Xenophobia held in South Africa, the Dalit representations were supported by CBCI and Vatican quarters. “The abolition of the caste among Christians and the integration of Scheduled Caste origin in the mainstream as equals will be for us a top priority. The continuation of untouchability and discrimination based on caste is diametrically opposed to the Gospel message of love and brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind…. We will become builders of peace by raising our voice against all forms of injustice and discrimination. As in the Church so also in the country as a whole we will stand for the rights of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.” Report of the General Body Meeting of the CBCI, Kottayam, 1988, 171-172. Though it was stated as early as 1988, concerted attempts in alleviating the discrimination against the Dalits in the Church are much desirable. 10 “Out of a total number of 3,53,683 students in the Church-run colleges, the number of SC students is 27, 603 (7.8%)”. S. Lourdusamy, Towards Empowerment of Dalit Christians: Equal Rights to all Dalit Christians, (Delhi: Centre for Dalit/ subaltern Studies, 2005), 27. “[T]he upper caste Christians, pastors, priests, religious in charge of these institutions contend themselves with tokenism when it comes to Dalits.” Felix Wilfred, Dalit Empowerment, (Bangalore: NBCLC, 2007), 152. 11 The defiant attitude of the caste-obsessed Christians of Eraiyur parish of the Archdiocese of Pondicherry against the Dalits is the tip of the iceberg. Cf. AJX Bosco, A. Joseph Xavier & Cosmon Arockiaraj, “Eraiyur Still Under Caste Shadow”, Indian Currents, (October, 13-19,

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1.3 Church Still in Struggle The Church is the extension of the outburst of the abounding grace in and through the Jesus-event. With this self-perception, the Church could take upon herself the burden of the ideology supposedly equipped with royal or divine powers. Or she could squarely encounter the challenges posed by the culture of Eucharist. This could be done by way of introspecting into herself why she struggles a lot in adequately facing the Eucharistic challenges. One of the challenges is to listen to the reminder of Jesus and the cry of the marginalized that there is no genuine salvation in the culture of self-pontificating purity as claimed by the Pharisaic and Brahminic culture of domination. The Church is herewith called upon to tread upon bare footed to the dust of the down-to-earth history filled with the tears and sweat of the crying Dalits struggling to claim their God-given human dignity in order to realistically encounter the challenges posed by them. If so, the Church has to explore into how she could operate as the grace-filled instrument in the hand of God who intervenes in the sociocultural and the politico-economic realms of the Dalits in tune with the heart-beat of the Eucharistic Lord.

2. Church Challenged by Eucharist Going beyond the cultic obsession, the Church in India could undertake 2008), 34-37. Also cf. http://indiancurrents.org.in/images/Archives/ic%2017.pdf and http://www. dalitchristians.com/Html/TNBCSCST.htm browsed on March 31, 2009.

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the healthy but painful process of self-introspection on how to accompany the Dalits. This could be done after honorably seeking pardon from them for the Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attitudes of indifference, condescension, or contempt even in the act of doing charity to them down the centuries. This would empower her to persuasively create the Eucharistic culture by credibly joining hands with the Dalits and convincingly collaborating with all people of good will irrespective of their creed or caste, and denomination or diversity. When the originary inspiration of the Eucharistic culture permeates into the prevailing ethos of the Church in India, her inadequacies and shortcomings will be replaced by the hope-generating counter-cultural elements. These shortcomings could be short listed as follows: (1) Worship not attuned to the Socio-cultural Soil (2) Worship of Casteism (3) Worship Shying Away from Intervention 2.1 Worship not attuned to the Socio-cultural Soil The Eucharist constitutes the Church and the Church celebrates it. Though we proclaim that the Eucharist is the origin and summit (roots and fruits) of the Church, one has to ask whether in actual practice, the routinized Eucharistic celebrations perform this legitimate expectation from the divine heartbeat. Do they reflect the actual day to day struggles of the marginalised Dalits? If liturgy has to be the extension of searches and struggles of life of these disowned people and the vice versa, then the cries and claims of the Dalits have to be reflected in them. When the other-worldly discourses dominate the liturgy, it gets alienated from the

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here-and-now historical commitment to the Dalits. The culture of accumulation of mammon at any cost is advocated by globalisation of the market economy. The culture of casteism is upheld

by the Indian brand of religious fundamentalism.12 In both instances, the privileged deem it an absolute necessity to exclude the marginalised with a sense of contempt and hatred. It is here that the ‘here-and-now’ historical commitment becomes an indispensable mandate to ‘do this in memory of me’ (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:25) and to “wash one another’s feet’ ( Jn 13: 14). This is how the Eucharistic celebration could be spared from being deployed as the escapist dream world obsessed with other-worldly agenda. Rather it becomes an instrument in bringing about relevant intervention with pertinent intensity at an appropriate moment of history of the Dalits in a given conflict situation. Quite often the Eucharistic celebration is marked with majestic solemnity or aesthetic grandeur evoking a sense of artistic forms of lamenting over the torture that Jesus underwent. Such a narcotic amnesia clouds the historical commitment to ‘this-worldly concerns’. But the main agenda of the Eucharist has to identify the grace-filled energies both at the individual and collective levels by way of locating the roots of individual and collective sins of exclusion and fragmentation of the community. These are to be uprooted. The Eucharist can never be imprisoned within the fossilized linguistic formulae, rituals of the order of magical consciousness, or dramatic expectation for miraculous 12 The allegation used by the religious fundamentalists in India to justify their attacks is that ‘Christians force conversion of Hindus’ but according to the Indian Episcopal Conference it is “merely a strategy developed by vested interests in order to prevent Christian services of health, education, poverty alleviation and development on behalf of deprived communities.” Cf. http:// www.zenit.org browsed on September 30, 2008. That once the discriminated communities are empowered they would become the leaders in the society is not acceptable to the caste people. The same attitude is unfortunately found within the Church as well.

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outbursts. It has to be a struggle for removing the sins of the world both at the individual and collective levels. In other words, in continuity with the movements of transition and transformation which were taking place in and through the body of Christ in his time, the divine intervention has to take place in and through the body of each and every one of us in our time. That exactly is the nature of the genuine Eucharistic celebration. 2.2 Worship of Casteism While attempting at baptizing the Indian soil in the name of the Good News of Christ, the Church in India in the course of time got ‘baptized’ into the waters of the Wicked News of Casteism. The tragedy is that even in the Eucharistic celebration, this casteist ‘baptism’ gets reflected. The Church in India should be challenged to shy away from the existing patterns of worshipping Casteism.13 What gets transpired in terms of

slavery to Casteism is the inordinate attachment and even unquestionable allegiance to one’s own family, kinship, inner circle, native places which are quite prevalent in the so-called spiritual governance of the Church. While among the laity, each of the castes or sub-castes form its own association or union to promote its interests through lobbying or pressure tactics within the Church, the Clergy and the religious organize themselves in the name of castes and sub-castes in view of claiming the lion’s share in the administration, resources, and vocation promotion in 13 The discrimination against the Dalits practiced in the Indian Church could be enumerated as follows: “segregation in the churches during worship, separate burial places, refusal of membership, in various Church-bodies which are controlled by the upper caste Christians, lack of involvement on the part of the upper castes in the struggle for the cause of Dalits, subtle forms of exclusion of Dalit vocation to priesthood, religious life, and so on. Analysis of of these different factors will expose the actual situation suffered by the Dalits within the Christian Churches.” Felix Wilfred, Dalit Empowerment, (Bangalore: NBCLC, 2007), 152.

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the dioceses as well as religious congregations. This is overtly or covertly visible in the meetings of Diocesan Council or Chapter Meetings of the Congregations. So much so, some of the dioceses and religious congregations are openly claimed to be in the hands of the some of the dominating caste groups. Being thrown down to the lowest rungs of the social ladder of the Caste hierarchy in the Indian context, the Dalits are the broken people asserting themselves with the agenda of demolishing the same very caste system in order to create the space for becoming the co-humans in equal footing with others. This inclusive ideology of Dalits seeking to walk with others indeed is the liberative factor which the Dalits bring to every public realm of life including the Church. Especially when the question of appointment or election for leadership arises for the offices of the Bishop, Treasurer, Council Member, Senator, Principal, Headmistress, Provincial, General, one cannot escape witnessing the clandestine and surreptitious rat-race of the power mongers from among the Clergy and the Religious. To a great extent, it is a virtual caste war. But when the question of the Dalit leadership appears to prospectively emerge, then one could invariably observe all the caste groups in total alliance under the single anti-Dalit banner of defeating the Dalits by all means in the name of the welfare the people of God. Another way of hiding the Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discrimination against the Dalits in the Church is to keep such stories under the carpet in the name of prudence and discretion. Dalit self-assertion against the practices of untouchability and casteism is sought to be dampened with the readymade explanation that the centuries-old practice of casteism die hard and hence the Dalits are supposed to practise the virtue of enduring patience with the spirit of love towards caste terrorists within the Church. The

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status quoism operative in favour of the Dalit-haters within the Church is sought to be protracted with the deviant labeling against the Dalits as if they are the unreliable, disloyal, ungrateful, indisciplined, rebellious, unruly, disobedient, or indecent creatures of the Church. If by chance one or two Dalits are promoted to the responsibilities of leadership, then they are haunted by anonymous letters with obscene allegations to demoralize them from rendering their responsibilities. 2.3 Worship Shying Away from Intervention When tsunami wreaked havoc in the Indian coasts in 2005, even before the entry of the Government agencies, the Indian Church rose to the occasion by way of reaching out to the affected victims, thanks to the prevailing Eucharistic culture of building the broken. The relief measures on the basis of charity and the reconstructive programmes on the basis of development were the commendable attempts to build the Reign of God from the debris of the tsunami. But when the question arose on enabling the affected people to empower themselves to face the powerhungry agencies- both from the Government and the non-Government sectors- the Church could not accompany the victims to negotiate with the powers that be. In other words, the Church has neither the political will not skill to be with people whom it seeks to serve especially when they are in dire need of politically empowering themselves. Shying away from the political dimensions seems to be the customary subculture operative in the ethos of the Church. Its presumption is that the process of salvation and sanctification is incompatible with the process of political intervention by the Christians as the civil society. The faith praxis of experiencing salvation and sanctification

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is apparently confined to the campus of the Church building, sacristy, rituals, novenas, car processions, shrines, or religious pilgrimages. By and large, the attitude of compromise with the powers that be seems to be operative in the governance of the Church, except perhaps when the Minority Rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution are seen to be violated or the Church personnel are directly subject to humiliating violence leading to rape and murder. This â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;intra-ecclesialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; outlook does not lead the Church to raise her voice on behalf of victims from various walks of life whose Human Rights of aggressively violated. The same attitude does not help the Church to look forward to the spontaneous and issuebased collaboration with the partners irrespective of their religious affiliation, belief system, or ideological perspective. Unless the appropriate intervention in the civil space is made at the appropriate moment of history, one cannot claim that the salvific process is complete. Mere selflaudatory appraisal of our services rendered to the nation with no sharp commitment to the vast number of the marginalized Dalits will lead the Church to the corner of mediocrity.

3. Counter-cultural Elements of Eucharist Here comes the challenge from the Eucharistic Lord whose spirituality of struggle leads the Church from the existing stagnancy towards the following dimensions: (1) Eucharist with Historical Commitment (2) Eucharist Breaking the Caste System (3) Eucharist Intervening on Behalf of the Victims of History

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3.1 Eucharist with Historical Commitment The Eucharist has an in-built sense of urgency while encountering the pain and the agony of the people whose destiny was not in their own control (ochlos). This sense of urgency defies the past-centred PharisaicBrahminic ritualism, and the future-obsessed daydreaming spiritualism. Jesus’ motherly compassion commanded the disciples to feed the large multitude of hungry stomachs ‘there and then’, even when they were least prepared to do so in the late hours that too in the lonely wilderness (Mk 6:35-37; Mt 14:13-15; Jn 6:5-6). The imminence of salvation to the household of the deplored house was ‘today’ (Lk 19:9). Mere exterior recital of the formal sloganeering of prayers (Mt 7:21-23) or ceremonial offers of sacrifices (Mk 12:33) without promoting the culture of concrete sharing-cum-solidarity will never impress the Lord of history. Resisting Mary’s sentimental attachment to his venerable feet with the devotional bhajan ‘Rabbouni’, the Risen Lord hastened to literally drive her away to communicate to his brothers his next project of departure to ‘my Father and your Father’ ( Jn 20:16-17). All those who encountered the Eucharistic Lord have been catapulted to the historical involvement with a sense of reaching out to the needy with a sense of urgency. The remembrance of the Lord in breaking his bread and drinking his cup (1 Cor 11:23-25) is unambiguously to break the blockades of the divisions between the humiliated lots and the humiliating elite; between the hungry stomach and the well-fed bellies (1 Cor 11:17-34). The memory of Jesus’ body broken and the blood spilled over is not to get cosily bogged down to the reminiscences of the episodes related to his ruthless slaughter on the cross in the 1st century ACE. It has to propel the Jesus-centred community into the present day struggles of the

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disempowered like the Dalits imposed with the conflicts created by the power-drunk communities like caste-ridden society. Experience of hairraising excitement cannot be the end to be achieved by the Eucharistic celebrations in the name of promoting spiritual life. Abilities to resiliently encounter the conflict-ridden situations have to be the outcome of the memory of the Slain yet Uprising Lamb of God, in order to empower the silenced and to annihilate the infections and possessions like the practices of casteism and untouchability, ever sickening the society. 3.2 Eucharist Breaking the Caste System The marginalized in the socio-cultural, and politico-economic realms have been conveniently dubbed as sinners (moral realm) before God by the Pharisaic-Brahminic cultures. But the Eucharistic culture embraced such deplored lots as ‘my sheep’ ( Jn 10:1-15), ‘blessed are you who are poor (in spirit)’ (Lk 6:20; Mt 5:3), and ‘little ones’ (Mk 9:36-37). The Samaritan women and men, relegated as the shamefully untouchable creatures by the self-styled puritans, are looked upon by the Eucharistic ethos, in the public realm, as the respectable dialogical partners ( Jn 4:1-42). The utmost humanitarian sensitivity of the ‘untouchable’ Samaritan to reach out to the faceless and nameless victim of the roadside is emphasized in contrast with the self-designated ‘purity’ of the Jewish priest and Levite (Lk 10:25-37). It has the courage to publicly acknowledge their human maturity of gratefully acknowledging the gift of healing received from the divine (Lk 17:11- 19). And further Jesus’ disciples are educated with a rebuke by the same ethos that the Samaritans, even though not readily welcoming the people of Jewish origins into their villages, do never deserve the ‘fire from heaven’ (Lk

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9: 51-55). Even from the persistent pursuit of the gentile Cannanite woman, the Eucharistic culture did not hesitate to readily learn the solemn lesson of great faith (Mt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30). It further stoops down to cleanse the dirty feet of the servants ( Jn 13:1-11), knowing fully well that the ‘servants are not greater than the master’ ( Jn 15:20). There is a deliberate attempt on the part of the Eucharist to shy away from the culture of hegemonic ‘purity’ and to live out a life of genuine solidarity with the so-called ‘polluted’. It refuses to name the banquet of the wellfed bellies as the ‘Lord’s Supper’, when it manifests the zero tolerance towards the delayed arrival of the famished stomachs (1 Cor 11:17-34). It challenges every one ‘in humility regard others as better than yourselves’ (Phil 2:3) for creating a harmonious community in Christ (Phil 2:1) with spontaneous sense of sharing with and caring for one another (Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-37). These Eucharistic orientations are the antidotes to the existing demonic systems of casteism and untouchability. These propel every one to identify the divine elements operative in the most deplored Dalits in the Indian Church. In the light of the enlivening faith recognized by Jesus from the woman suffering from the evil of social death (“Daughter, your faith has made you well”-Mk 5:34), the Indian Church has to learn from the faith of the Dalits, the mobile gospels, subjected to the evil of untouchability. The resurrection of the deadened creatures of the Indian caste-ridden society has to be the outcome of the Eucharistic intervention. 3.3 Eucharist Intervening on Behalf of the Victims of History The Church in India is a minority community in the vast array of people of India with pluralistic demography (multi-lingual, ethnic, religious,

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and cultural). That is why the Indian Constitution has ensured the Rights for the Minority to the organizations of the Church. With this provision, the Church has undertaken many of the social interventions much more at the intra-ecclesial levels, especially when the Rights of Minority are perceived to be violated. Much is desired at the level of appropriate intervention of the Church as a civil society into those historical moments in which the lives of the vast populace (extraecclesial) of the society at large in affected, positively or negatively. The Eucharist forces the Church to tread upon the civil society barefooted to encounter the issues related to the people at large day in and day out. The effective denial of the Human Rights, the Rights of Reservations of job or educational opportunities for some of the traditionally exploited segments of the society, Rights of equal human dignity, Rights of women and children, Rights of at least primary and secondary education, Rights of health care, Rights of employment, Rights for owning up the land, Rights to Information, Rights related to the ecological concerns are some of the areas where the Church could join hands with the people of good will (civil society) seeking to protect and promote the lives of the victims of history. Quite often, the idioms like reconciliation, forgiveness, obedience, peace, law and order are deployed by the ruling elite as the ideological tools conveniently expressed through the traditional spiritual idioms for the purpose of dampening the legitimate assertive spirit of the victimized people while being in conflict with the same repressive powers. But the Eucharistic spirit tries to understand the why and how the marginalized people seek to create or resolve conflict from their own perspectives. The reconciliation expected by the deer caught up in the mouth of the tiger is not as same as the reconciliation imposed by the tiger reducing its

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victim as the dinner for its voracious hunger. The law and order, or the peace and harmony as expected by the marginalized Dalits are not the same as promoted by the caste-minded power-mongers. It is from the perspectives of the marginalized, the Eucharistic culture seeks to make appropriate interventions in the conflict-ridden and caste-infested Indian society. Jesus’ intervention with every victim of the possession is on behalf of those afflicted by demons and not the other way round. In the context of the simmering wrath of the Jews, mild or wild, heaped upon the deplored Samaritans, his intervention is on behalf of the latter and never in the form of the catharsis of the Jewish rage of hatred. And further the matrix of the socio-cultural intervention of Jesus is never ever on behalf of the power brokers like Herod the fox, the Torah-obsessed custodians of culture, the real estate owners, the self-pontificating intelligentia, and the business-minded clergy of the Temple. It is from the wounded location of the ochlos- the unorganized and faceless masses of people whose relentless labour is awarded with only ignominy and anonymity with no bargaining powers in all the walks of life- that the Eucharistic Lord undertakes his interventions in every conflict-situation. Against this backdrop, this pro-ochlos individual is sought to be annihilated for the survival of the organized infra-structure of the powers in alliance with Mammon, colonial hegemony, and the murderous traditions of heartless judiciary, crowds of stooges, torturing military, and the sadistic intelligentia. This exactly is the heavy price to be paid by ‘the logos’ for having taken the risk of pitching its tent as ‘the sarx’ striking roots with ‘the most vulnerable’ disparagingly counted as ‘the most polluted’ ( Jn 1:14). It took courage to create new bond of union with strangers and aliens by asking “Who are my mother and my brother?” (Mk 3:33) and by saying

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“Woman, here is your son…Here is your mother” ( Jn 19:26-27). These networks of organic relationship transcend every form of biological, cultural, geographical, national, ethnic, and caste bond of union.

4. Beyond the Boundaries If the claim of the Church that she is the extension of the very broken body and the spilled over blood of the same Eucharistic Lord, then she can never shy away from her mission of ever becoming a communitybuilding communities with inclusive orientations challenging every brand of human-made barriers of fragmentation. Entering into every lanes and by-lanes of the conflict-ridden society, she will identify the broken people and join hands with people of good will to empower the marginalized including the Dalits. Empowered by the Eucharistic culture, the Church cannot have the luxury of ghettoizing herself into an intra-ecclesial organization with her own little world of cultic idioms and functions. The actual worship of the demonic caste system will be replaced by the worship of the egalitarian Lord of History. The prevailing culture of touch-menot-ism will be replaced by her energetic and innovative interventions in the civil space enabling the marginalized to lead and create history. In the following manner the Church can very well Eucharistise the broken world of Dalits as well as the broken world of the anti-Dalit humans: Never worship any thing or any one who should not be worshipped. Never shy away from democratizing the hope-generating and life-promoting prophetic stories, even if the stiff-necked stick on to the culture of domination leading to death, at their own risk. Continue

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to do the works in continuity with the affirming accompaniment of the Lamb of God, as the beginning and the end of history where God is also working with right intervention with right intensity in the right time. Cherish the sense of belonging to God as an eagerly awaiting spouse with an open mind and open heart welcoming every initiative for making the universe fertile with life-giving water. Celebrate life in enlivening others by immersing yourself in the culture of life, as the hope-engendering agents of God and never as the minions of the devilish Empires of dehumanization.14

All those who have been counted as untouchable and polluted by the mind-sets of the power centres are the privileged medium of divine revelation. It is through these despised lots the inclusive culture of embracing every human as the co-human is manifestly expressed by the divine. If the Indian church is awakened to this, then she could proceed with the rare courage and confidence of exorcising the Indian soil from the scourge of casteism. Excluding the realization of the emancipation of the Dalits and the Tribals, India can never become the people of God.

14ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Cf. A. Maria Arul Raja, The Revelation to John- Dalit Commentary Series- Volume 10, (Delhi: Centre for Dalit and Subaltern Studies, 2009), 124.

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LIVING THE EUCHARIST AMIDST ARMED CONFLICT Reflections from Sri Lanka Mr. Rukshan Fernando

1. Introduction Almost a decade ago, I read a book called “Eucharist and Human Liberation” by a Sri Lankan priest, Fr. Tissa Balasuriya. It helped me to

see the Eucharist as the offering of Jesus’s body and blood, for liberation of all peoples, especially the oppressed, and helped me to understand the Eucharist and its relevance to actual lives of ordinary people, in a way that more than a decade of Catechism and Religion classes didn’t. In this paper, I try to share my own reflections on the Eucharist, as a lay Christian, largely based on my personal experience of interacting and trying to assist people living in despair and fear due to the ethnic conflict and war in Sri Lanka. Amongst these people that have shaped these reflections are: • Internally displaced people • Those held in detention • Those tortured • Family members of those killed and subjected to enforced disappearances • Journalists and activists fleeing from threats and intimidation, and their family members The reflections are based on my personal experiences in the North and East (frontlines of the war) camps and other places where displaced people live, detention centres and prisons, police stations, courts, on the streets and places where civilians have been subjected to all forms if Eucharist and Human Liberation, Quest Series 50, Published by Centre for Society and Religion, Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 1977

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abuses and repression. Reflections are also based on the interactions and work I have been involved in with church leaders and Christian groups, as well as other religious leaders, civil society groups in Sri Lanka and abroad, diplomats, UN officials, media etc. Bases on these experiences and reflections, I try to offer some perspectives towards a more authentic living of the Eucharist amidst armed conflict, which is common to many Asian countries.

2. Background on the ethnic conflict and war in Sri Lanka 2.1Ethnic and Religious groups in Sri Lanka • Major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka o Sinhalese are about 74%, Tamils 18%, Muslims 7% and Veddahs (Indigenous peoples) and others form about 1%. • Tamils consider themselves primarily two groups o Hill country Tamils (Those living in the hill country, sometimes referred to also as Indian Tamils or Estate Tamils) o Sri Lankan Tamils (They are the majority in the North, a large number in East and around Colombo, and also present in many other parts of the country) • Buddhists are about 70% of the population, Hindus about 16% , Christians about 7% (Catholics are the largest) and people of Islamic faith about 7% • Almost all Buddhists are Sinhalese • Almost all Hindus are Tamil

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â&#x20AC;˘ Almost all Islamic people are Muslim â&#x20AC;˘ Christians are both Tamil and Sinhalese 2.2 History and present status of the conflict Ever since Sri Lanka gained political independence from the British in 1948, Tamil community has been subjected to various forms of discriminations and harassments in several areas such as language, land, education etc. Tamil political leaders agitated peacefully for several decades for equality and form of governance that will not centralize power with the Sinhalese dominated central government in Colombo. However, these were ignored, and on some occasions, violently and brutally repressed. In the 1970s, young Tamils started to form armed groups, and demands for a separate state (Eelam) for the Tamils began to emerge. Not all Tamils supported these, but there was indeed wide spread sympathy and support from the Tamil community. Later, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (widely known as LTTE / Tamil Tigers) became the most powerful and largest, after wiping off most other armed Tamil groups in violent clashes in the 1980s. The LTTE soon turned to acts of terrorism, massacring hundreds and thousands of civilians in villages and in public places. They set off many bombs and claymore attacks in public places such as buses, trains and other public buildings, and also attacked the two of the most sacred Buddhist shrines in Sri Lanka. Buddhist monks were also massacred

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and Muslim community, who had been living in the North for a long time, was chased out of the North by the LTTE. The LTTE also became notorious for forced recruitment, including very young children. Many leading Tamil political leaders who espoused Tamil rights, but held dissenting views and criticized the LTTE were also killed. The response of the Sri Lankan government and armed forces was equally brutal and repressive. Tamil civilians were targeted and it was clear that the Government suspected all Tamils to be LTTEers or their supporters. In 1983, the government allowed massive ethnic riots to take place, where more than 2000 Tamils are estimated to have been killed and large number injured and property destroyed. This started a massive of exodus of Tamils from Sri Lanka, in fear of their lives and convinced that they could not live in safety and dignity in Sri Lanka. Tens of thousands of Tamil men and women, many of them youth, were killed, subjected to enforced disappearances, detained without charges and tortured. Hundreds of thousands were displaced and severe restrictions were placed on freedom of travel and traditional livelihoods such as s fishing and farming. Except during the limited respites offered when the government and the LTTE came together for talks, this trend continued, and till today. As I write this, about 150,000 people are estimated to be trapped in a tiny piece of land about 4 square kilometers in the North in Sri Lanka. As I finally got around to editing this reflections, on my way to Korea, I recall the countless times in the last three weeks that I had

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to stop, as I tried to in some way respond to urgent messages about yet another attack that kills and injures civilians, aid workers, doctors and priests. These are people literary waiting to be killed inside their hand dug bunkers.

3. Eucharist in Sri Lanka â&#x20AC;&#x201C; contradicting experiences Eucharist is celebrated in different ways and different situations in Sri Lanka. Historically and today, but I will focus on today, based on my personal experiences. In the past few weeks and months, the Eucharist continued to be celebrated in the Vanni region in Sri Lanka, where helpless civilians are being subjected to merciless shelling and bombing, including in hospitals and churches. The Eucharist is also celebrated by people who are displaced, people whose family members have been killed and disappeared, people who are being detained unjustly and their family members, people who have been tortured and families of children who have been forcibly recruited. It is also celebrated by people who are rich and powerful, who are Ministers in the government, high officials in the military. (I do not know whether armed groups, such as the Tamil Tigers, who forcibly recruit children, set off suicide bombs and engage in many abuses, also celebrate

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the Eucharist, probably not) In the same way, the Eucharist celebrated in different churches seems to be totally different. I have joined Eucharistic celebrations in big churches in and around Colombo and other such big cities in Sri Lanka. One experience that I remember vividly, and painfully, is the Eucharistic celebration I joined last Christmas, in my parish (suburb of Colombo), where prayers were offered for military victories, but no prayers were offered for those who had been displaced, killed, injured, and their families due to military operations.

On the other hand, in the north of the country, I have also celebrated Eucharistic celebrations in churches that gives shelter to the civilians when they flee shelling, bombing and other violence, and civilians were killed and injured. I had celebrated the Eucharist inside camps of displaced people. I have celebrated Eucharist during services offered for priests who have been killed or disappeared due to humanitarian and human rights work. Here lies the contradiction of the Eucharist in Sri Lanka. On one hand, the Eucharist has clearly failed to sensitize many Sri Lankan Christians about the suffering of their brothers and sisters, in ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; See these reflections in full at http://www.groundviews.org/2008/12/25/christmas-2008-insri-lanka/#more-1051

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the manner that Jesus was sensitive. The Eucharist had not even brought about small actions from many of these peoples, to help their suffering brothers and sisters, leave alone taking the radical step that Jesus took of sacrificing himself for the liberation of others. On the other hand, far worse, is that Eucharist, which essentially promotes life, is even being used to promote death, destruction and suffering, and bless and justify exactly what Jesus chose to struggle against, injustice and oppression. How else can I explain the prayers offered for success of military operations and victories, which have killed thousands, probably tens of thousands, since January 2009 alone? How else could some of those responsible for such horrible abuses, such as Government Ministers and officials, hang ranking military and police officers, continue to celebrate the Eucharist, Sunday after Sunday, and maybe even more often?

4. “Doing it in his memory”: Bloody Eucharist in Sri Lanka Despite the widespread contradictions of celebrating the Eucharist, I have also seen Eucharist coming alive in Sri Lanka, in a manner that closely resembles the original Eucharist and its spirit. The original Eucharist was a forecast of a bloody and tragic event – the torture and killing of Jesus, in a manner that was contradictory to principles of natural justice and rule of law. Just as the Jesus sacrificed his body and blood to liberate oppressed people, Churches in Sri Lanka have

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also come forward to courageously live the Eucharist and give hope to affected people, amidst fear, suffering and pain. Sinhalese and Tamil priests and lay people stood up for justice and paid a supreme price, and shed their blood, just like Jesus did. One priest, Fr. Michael Rodrigo, was shot dead as he was celebrating the Eucharist in 1987. Since 2006, as the ethnic conflict intensified, and most Tamil people came to be suspected as “terrorists”, churches and some church leaders have come forward courageously to protect and assist those facing danger. In this process, churches and church leaders also became targets. As Sri Lanka again became a island of blood, tears and fear, Churches, especially in the North, also saw blood as they stood up and struggled to save lives and let people live in dignity. They shed their blood, and gave their lives, so that others would be saved and would live. Like Jesus shed his blood and sacrificed his body for liberation of all peoples. Below are some striking examples: • In August 2006, Fr. Jim Brown, a Parish Priest ( Jafna diocese), disappeared after being last seen at a Navy checkpoint. He had welcomed people seeking refuge from intense fighting to the church he was in charge of, and did his best to protect them. Later, he pleaded with the Navy to allow the injured to be taken to hospital. “If not for him (Fr Jim Brown) I would not be alive today, and many others would have been killed” was how several people described him to me, more than an year after he disappeared,

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amidst the ruins of the bombed out church. Along with Fr Jim Brown, Mr. Venesulaus, a lay worker also disappeared. • In September 2007, Fr. Pakiaranjith, (Mannar diocese) Coordinator of Jesuit Refugee Service, was killed as he was delivering aid to displaced people, travelling on a road known to be dangerous. • In April 2008, Fr. Karunaratnam ( Jaffna diocese), who headed the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) was killed. He had been involved in documenting human rights violations, especially of Tamil people, and had been instrumental in maintaining an ongoing dialog with Sinhalese groups in the South of the country. • In April 2009, Fr. James Pathinathan and Fr. Vasanthaseelan ( Jaffna diocese), were injured due to shelling inside the No Fire Zone declared by the Government. They had both opted to remain with the tens of thousands of civilians trapped by the warring parties, and being subjected to shelling and bombing, with no adequate food, medicine, shelter etc. Fr. Vasanthaseelan was the Director of Caritas Vanni branch, which had stayed back in the Vanni to provide humanitarian assistance the people, even when the Government compelled all UN and International NGOs to leave the area. • In June 2006, the Catholic Church in Pesalai (Mannar diocese) was subjected to grenade attacks, and an old woman was killed and many more injured. The church was sheltering thousands of fearful civilians who had sought shelter there as fighting flared and fishermen were killed. • In August 2006, the Catholic Church in Allaipiddy was

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subjected to attacks, and many people who were taking refuge from the intense fighting in the area, were killed and injured inside the church. The church building was also severely damaged. • In October 2008, members of the Christian Solidarity Movement, an Ecumenical group I was part of starting, was threatened by a Deputy Minister, for distributing leaflets about plight of displaced people and collecting aid for them. • In March 2009, Mr. Santha Fernando, Executive Secretary of the Commision for Justice and Peace of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, was arrested at the airport. No formal charges have been made, but it is alleged that he was arrested due to his carrying information about plight of displaced and caught in the shelling.

5. Limits of a Sunday Eucharist: One of the striking things about the book “Eucharist and Human Liberation” by Fr. Tissa Balasuriya is his emphasis that the test of Eucharist would be not the number of times, places the Eucharist is celebrated, neither how beautiful the setting is nor how many participate in it. Rather, Fr. Balasuriya asserts that the real test of an authentic Eucharist would be how it will motivate the participants to do what Jesus did – stand up for justice and struggle against oppression, to bring about the reign of God, here on earth, today, or in other words, liberation in

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concrete way to suffering people. According to Fr Tissa Balasuriya, “The Eucharist has to be

related positively to human liberation if it is to be faithful to its origins” Fr. Balasuriya goes on to say that if there is to be truthfulness in the

celebration, the Eucharist should deepen faith and commitment and tend towards effective building of unity amongst those who participate in the Eucharist and rest of society. 30 years after first published, I find Fr. Balasuriya’s thinking is even more valid today in Sri Lanka. In my experience, and sadly, Sri Lankan Christians and Churches are still very far from this. As I see it, for most Christians, Sunday, or rather one hour or so on Sunday, is the time to celebrate the Eucharist and business can go on as usual after that. Business as usual means any kind of abuses can continue – shelling and bombing of civilians, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture etc. Some, such as Government officials, military, police are part of these, and others, including priests and lay people, are part of this by their absolute silence. As far as I know, there is no repentance for these abuses, and next Sunday, the Eucharist will continue! Sadly, the Eucharist has become more of a ritual that a powerful and inspiring life experience of Jesus that we are all called to try and follow. The Eucharist and Human Liberation, 1979, by Fr. Tissa Balasuriya, chapter X, page 80

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6. Towards a Living and Action Oriented Eucharist Indeed it is a gloomy scenario I have painted. But I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but to this, as this is the reality. However, I still see signs of hope. From these experiences in Sri Lanka which I have neen part of, seen and benefitted, I draw some elements. I have focused on efforts of Churches and Christian groups, but it must be understood that Churches are only a part of these efforts, there are many groups and individuals involved in these efforts. It is these that make me believe that the Eucharist is still very relevant to the situation of armed conflict in Sri Lank. The challenge is to have a more widespread living of the original spirit of the Eucharist, in the specific context of armed conflict in Sri Lanka. i. A spirituality of contextual prayer: Making our prayers relevant to whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening around us â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bombing and shelling of civilians, hospitals, churches. Mass displacement, illegal detention, child recruitment, killings and disappearances etc. In Sri Lanka, Christian groups and churches have organized special prayers, liturgies on key issues affecting people, including commemorative prayer services remembering events such as ethnic riots, killing of priests etc. There have been attempts to integrate such real life problems into regular Eucharistic celebrations, such as on Sunday. One of the significant values of these services have been that they have served as a form of public dissent against the war and related abuses on civilians, at a time when

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dissent is minimal. ii. Spirituality of witnessing to the truth: Truth had come to be the one of the biggest casualties of the war. Propaganda of all armed actors in Sri Lanka had manipulated public reaction towards the war and suffering of the civilians, and this has also contributed towards insensitivity and inaction by ordinary citizens, including Christian and churches as institutions. Thus, finding the truth, making it known, and standing by the truth, rejecting untruths and half truths have become a key part of a spirituality practiced by Christian groups in Sri Lanka. Contextual prayers played an important role in this, and interventions such as testimonies in churches and other events, leaflets, briefing papers, blogs have also been used. iii. Spirituality of mobilization: One of salient features of the present phase of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka has been that there is minimal resistance and public outcry to war, despite massive loss of life, injuries, displacement and suffering. This is also true in relation to the Christians and some church leaders, who have not shown much resistance to stop the war, and indeed, some support the war. It is in this context that efforts to mobilize people have become important. Christian groups have initiated, and supported marches, vigils and protests, despite threats and intimidations, but these are yet to reach levels that have made an actual impact.

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iv. Spirituality of accompaniment and presence: One of the most important roles Christian groups have started to play is a by opting to be with those most and directly affected by the war and violence. In the theatre of war, in the Vanni, priests and religious men and women, opted to stay with their people, despite repeated displacement and in particular this year, repeated bombing and shelling that has killed and injured more than ten thousand civilians in a very small area. Church based aid agencies Caritas and Jesuit Refugee Services, opted to remain with the people and serve them, even when the all UN agencies and International aid agencies to left the area on the orders of the Government, despite desperate pleas from the people. Bishops of the North, braved resistance from Government and military, and took the risk to visit people trapped in the conflict. Christian groups also visits to detention centres, and meet families of those disappeared, killed, detained. Christian groups from South undertook solidarity and fact finding visits to the North to visit displaced people and churches involved in assisting them in the North. Religious sisters have now volunteered to be present amongst the nearly two hundred thousand people that had been displaced and now detained in camps by the Government. Accompaniment and presence has offered solace to thousands of traumatized civilians and also offered physical protection. v. Spirituality of Protection: Tamil people, even those in Colombo and other parts of the country

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distant from the war zone, live in fear. This is due to the fact that thousands of Tamil men and women, are routinely detained, tortured, abducted, and killed. It is in this context that Churches and church leaders continue protect these people, including by offering shelter, assistance to families of those in hiding, and even helping some people, especially human rights defenders flee the country. This is indeed, a direct response to the call of the Eucharist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; promote and protect life. vi. Spirituality of Helping: Churches have also come forward to provide much needed assistance to those in need, in the form of counseling, material needs such as financial and material support. Last year, as the war intensified and when there was no mobilization amongst ordinary people to offer material support to displaced people, a few Church groups in the South went from Church to Church and to the streets, to mobilize public support. This was a radical step in that specific context, and inevitably, we were threatened by the Government as classed as terrorists by state TV . vii. A Spirituality of Conversion: While continuing above initiatives, Churches also continued appealing and dialoguing to the key parties to the conflict â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly the Government and the LTTE, to change their behavior and adopt more humane and peaceful means to resolve tensions and issues. In the recent past, five Bishops (Anglican and Catholic) made several appeals to remove restrictions on access to humanitarian agencies, urgent materials such as food, medicine, shelter and for at least a temporary ceasefire. At a

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more local level, church leaders had dialogues with military officials and with the LTTE on issues affecting civilians and churches. Church leaders have also engaged in advocacy at the international level, including with diplomats, with visiting high level officials, and in the United Nations in Geneva and New York.

7. Conclusion: Thousands of Eucharistic celebrations across the country every Sunday, and indeed almost daily, have failed to make Christians sensitive and respond to the tears, blood and fear of their fellow citizens, and indeed, fellow Christians. Sinhalese Catholics in the south celebrate the Eucharist, but there is still no sensitiveness to the discrimination, harassment and fears that their Tamil brothers and sisters who celebrate the same Eucharist have faced for decades, particularly today. Government, military and police officials join Eucharistic celebrations on Sundays and other days, but continue their abusive behavior. Priests who preside over the celebration of Eucharist, seem content to reduce the Eucharistic celebration to a symbolic ritual, instead of celebrating it as a significant junction of Jesusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life and struggles for justice and liberation on earth. Priests seem unable or perhaps unwilling to engage with the communities they minister to, in order to make the Eucharist relevant to the context of armed conflict and suffering it has heaped on innocent civilians that Sri Lankan has been living with for the

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last three decades Today, more than ever, the people of Sri Lanka need a authentic celebration of life giving Eucharist that can propel men and women, to go beyond themselves and join the struggles for justice to enable all people, particularly minority communities, to live in dignity as God’s children and to respond to the simple call of “love your neighbor”.

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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EUCHARIST TO MIGRANT WORKERS Fr. Desmond de Sousa CSsR

Introduction Let me begin my presentation on a very personal note. I was ordained on September 24, 1966. As a newly ordained, young priest my imagination was fired by the life story of Camilo Torres, a priest from Columbia. It was said that while celebrating the Eucharist , he came to the Our Father and he stopped. He took off his vestments and laid them on the altar and explained to the people, that he could not say the Our Father and ask God to give us daily bread, unless he himself was ready to share his daily bread with his people. So he was laying down his priesthood, in order to work so that every person in Columbia gets bread and does not have to go hungry. Then he would pick up his priesthood again and celebrate the victory that God has won through them. He wrote, “I have taken off my cassock in order to be a truer priest” He joined the guerrillas fighting for justice in the hills. He truly became a “campanero”, a companion who breaks bread with the poor people on a pilgrimage towards a new heaven and new earth in Columbia. He wrote, “I have put aside the privileges and duties of the clergy, but I have not stopped being a priest. I think I have given myself to the revolution out of love for my neighbor. I have stopped offering Mass to live out the love for my neighbor in the temporal, economic and social orders. When my brother no longer has anything against me and when the revolution has been completed then I will offer mass again, if God so wills it. I believe that in this way I am following Christ’s injunction ‘If you bring your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering on the altar, go and be reconciled first

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with your brother and then return and offer your gift (Mt 5:23-4)” On February 15, 1966, just over 7 months before my ordination, he was shot dead by the government forces. I’ve often felt over these years that I’m still alive because I have not taken the Eucharist and the ‘Our Father’ as seriously as Camilo Torres. He was just 37 years old. In 1959, the year I finished my novitiate as a Redemptorist, a 14-year-old Bolivian, Nestor Paz entered the minor seminary. In 1962, while I studying philosophy, he joined the Redemptorist novitiate in Cordoba, Argentina. In 1966, the year I was ordained he left the seminary and two years later was married. In July17, 1970, he left his wife, his family and professional career to join the guerrillas against one of the most repressive governments in Latin America. Surrounded by government troops, he shared his meager food with his companions and on October 8, 1970 he died of starvation a day before his 25th birthday. “My Life for my Friends”, his campaign diary, revealed his dedication to the revolutionary cause through suffering unto death. This kind of prophetic spirituality goes back to Bartolomeo de las Casas, a Spanish Dominican missionary in Latin America, (1474-1566, bishop of Chiapas, Guatemala, from 1544)) who took a radically anticolonial interpretation of the Eucharist early on in the colonial history. The text which inspired his radical anti-colonial critique was: “If one sacrif ices ill-gotten goods, the offering is blemished; the gifts of the lawless are not acceptable.

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The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the ungodly, nor for a multitude of sacrifices does he forgive sins. Like one who kills a son before his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes, is the person who offers a sacrifice from the property of the poor. The bread of the needy is the life of the poor; whoever deprives them of it is a murderer. To take away a neighborâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s living is to commit murder; To deprive an employee of wages is to shed blood. When one builds and another tears down, what do they gain but hard work? When one prays and another curses, to whose voice will the Lord listen? If one washes after touching a corpse, and touches it again, what has been gained by washing? So if one fasts for his sins and goes again and does the same things, who will listen to his prayer? And what has he gained by humbling himself (Sirach Chapter 34, vs. 21-31) The same history was re-enacted in the struggle in El Salvador, where Archbishop Romero was murdered during the celebration of the Eucharist for his valiant stand against the military junta on March 24,

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1980. He was a radical witness to the true meaning of the Eucharist. In Sri Lanka sometime during the 1980s, Fr Michael Rodrigo OMI, who had been deeply involved in the struggle for justice in his island nation, had just finished celebrating the Eucharist with a group of nuns, when an unknown assassin shot him dead at the altar. Over the last 43 years as a priest based both in India and the Phillipines. I have been confronted by the lives and death of priests like Nuno Valerio SVD (Phillipines) and nuns like Sr Rani Maria in India, dragged out of a public transport and savagely stabbed to death in front of stunned people on the main road. Each of them have re-lived the “dangerous memory” of Jesus Christ whose life, death and Resurrection is our inspiration like it was for them. If we are still alive today, is it because we are not living the Eucharist as a “dangerous memory” of the Lord Jesus we profess to follow in our life unto our death? The mystery we celebrate in the Eucharist is the mystery we are called to live In the Synoptic Gospels the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is followed by the Lord Jesus’ admonition, “Do this in memory of me.” This does not mean that we recall some pious memory of long ago. It means that we continue the “dangerous memory” of Jesus of Nazareth, who loved his friends so much that he laid down his life for them ( Jn 15:12-17). In St John’s Gospel, the last of the written gospels (about 60-70 years after the death of Christ), there is no mention of the actual

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institution of the Eucharist like in the other three Gospels and St Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians. The Eucharist, in John’s Gospel, is connected with the memory of the feeding miracle of Jesus, the multiplication of the loaves and the emphasis on food sharing in the desert. John’s Last Supper account has only the washing of the feet. It would seem that by the time the Gospel of John was written, the ritual of “This is my Body…Blood” has become common, routine, but the living out of the ritual in self-sacrificing service still needed to be highlighted. Jesus saying “Abide with me, and I in you,”( Jn 15:4) means that in the Eucharist we enter into communion (common union) with Christ and with one another (1Cor.10:17). Jesus says to the disciples of John the Baptist, “Go and tell John what you hear and see (Mt 11:3-5) Unfortunately in Catholic Church for various historical reasons especially around the Reformation (16th century), the ritual has been mystified and “sacralized” by the miracle of “transubstantiation,” while the practice of living out the challenge of the “dangerous memory” of Jesus Christ in daily life has become diluted to the extent of becoming optional. God first became a human person, before becoming present in the Eucharistic species. Therefore the document Gaudium et Spes can say, “For by his Incarnation the Son of God has in a certain way united himself with each person….This sharing in Christ’s Resurrection holds true not only for Christians but for all persons of good will in whose hearts grace is active invisibly…we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being partners in the Paschal mystery in a way known only to God.”(n.22)

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Eucharistic spirituality today emphasizes Christ’s “presence” in the host as more important than the “presence” in human persons. It would seem that according to the practice of our skewed Eucharistic spirituality, God first became a host before becoming a human person in Jesus of Nazareth! This highly individualistic spirituality of the Eucharist is very sensitive to the insult to God in the host, but increasingly insensitive to the insult to God in the degradation of human persons and the “wounds” created in human persons by the “sinful structures” of society. Spiritual counseling and spiritual direction is gradually raising awareness of the “wounds” human persons carry from the different stages of their growth and development. But there is need for much greater awareness of the ‘sinful structures” that cause these “wounds” in countless human persons from the womb to the tomb – class, caste, gender, ethnic, religious and other systemic discriminations and injustices that are endemic in the social system itself. In his Apostolic Letter ‘Stay with us Lord’ (Lk 24:29), Pope John Paul II wrote, “over this universal longing [for life], threatening shadows gather: the shadow of a culture that denies respect for life in each of its phases; the shadow of an indifference that condemns so many people to a fate of hunger and underdevelopment; the shadow of a scientific quest that at times is at the service of egoism of the most powerful.” The Gospel account (Lk 24:13-31), highlights the fundamental fact that the two disciples fail to recognize the Risen Lord on the road of life, but only recognize him in the ‘breaking of the bread.’ We too

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recognize the Risen Lord with the eyes of faith in the Eucharistic species, but fail to recognize him on the road of life. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus immediately became witnesses to what they had experienced. As the Risen Lord came to meet the two disciples, or Zacchaeus on the road of life before they came to meet him, he comes to meet us in the persons, events and daily happenings of life, and we most often fail to recognize him. Our ‘eyes of our faith’ are clouded with a certain darkness when the Risen Lord comes to meet us in the helpless, battered, poor women, the disheveled alcoholics and drunkards, the abused children etc. Finally in each Eucharist we celebrate the victory that Christ has won over the power of sin (Satan=selfishness) in our own lives, and the power of the structures of sin (called Mammon= the cluster of values that come from money – power, prestige, status that are anti Gospel values) in the world. ( Jn 16:33; I Jn 5:3-5). Therefore in each Eucharist we are assured that the new heaven and new earth as “a new order of grace” is actually building up in the arteries of history of this world and will come to fulfillment at the end of time. (Rev.21: 1-2). This new heaven, new earth (new society) will not be something we achieve, but something we receive from God. During our life time we have the privilege to contributing and participating in it. This is the assurance we receive in the Eucharist. It is clear, that we need a renewed, a radical interpretation of Eucharistic spirituality today, if we want to do justice to the radical option, which Jesus took in his own life. The Eucharist is the summit of the Life and Mission of the Church because we all are supposed to

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bear testimony as witnesses of what we have actually experienced with our eyes and ears (1Jn 1: 1-3). St Paul says exactly the same thing in the institution narrative (1Cor.11: 26). Only then will the Eucharist become the “Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church”

We need the religious symbolism of the Eucharist to infuse hope of transformation of the dysfunctional social structures that force people to migrate The socio-economic and political significance of the Eucharist in the present situation of globalization is of enormous significance as a crucial “sinful structure” that “wounds” the life of millions today. Eucharistic spirituality has also to highlight the feminist interpretation of exploitation of the human body, as a symbol of human suffering and the need for redemption. It needs to be connected also with an ecological perspective. The overall global-local context today is that of an apocalyptic struggle for food security and land and the need to overcome grisly global violence – like war and terrorism – that provokes it. The global-local flashpoints over land in Palestine and Kashmir are fragile tinder-boxes ready to erupt at any time. Feminist interpretations are of great relevance here. The point is that men are incomplete humanity as long as violence rules the world. The Incarnation cannot be conceptualized without taking into account women’s bodies: abused, bleeding, polluting, sexually active, life giving,

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nurturing, and widely advertised, venerated in motherhood as well as feared, glorious as well as wretched. This female reality is normally banned from the Eucharist when it comes to understanding â&#x20AC;&#x153;the bodyâ&#x20AC;?. It was the reality of child bearing and child rearing while being a full time faculty member, which triggered Dr. Gabriele Dietrich to express her anger and despair in this poem of which I choose some extracts relevant to my topic. The Blood of a Woman

Hiroshima Day August 1984

I am a woman and my blood cries out: Who are you to deny life to the life givers? I am a woman and the blood of my abortions is crying out I had to kill my child because of you who deny work to me so that I cannot feed it. I had to kill my child

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because I am unmarried and you would harass me to death if I defy your norms. I am a woman and the blood of being raped is crying out. This is how you keep your power intact, how you make me tremble when I go out at night. This is how you keep me in place in my house where you rape me again, I am not taking this any longer. I am sick of you priests who have never bled and yet say: This is my body given up for you and my blood shed for you

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drink it. Whose blood has been shed for life since eternity? I am a woman and my blood cries out. We are millions and strong together. You better hear us or you may be doomed. She concludes, “I think it is self evident that the understanding of a woman’s physical-ness and the spirituality arising out of this physical existence needs to inform our understanding of “full humanity”. Obviously, the Eucharist in this day and age can only have full meaning if it commemorates and expresses such crucial experiences. The question is how this can be done effectively and creatively.” Migration and the history of salvation In the Bible the weakest of the weak are ‘the orphan, the widow and the migrant (stranger, foreigner)’. The feminist perspective highlights the feminization of migration, which today seriously affects masses of women and their children through forced migration and illicit trafficking.

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The Vatican Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People issued a monumental pastoral letter entitled “The love of Christ towards migrants” (2004) from which I quote. “In migrants, the Church has always contemplated the image of Christ who said, “I was a stranger and you made me welcome.” (Mt 25:35). Born away from home and coming from another land (Lk 2:4-7), “he came to dwell among us” ( Jn 1:11,14) and spent his public life on the move, going through towns and villages (Lk 13:22; Mt 9:35). So Christians are followers of a man on the move “who has nowhere to lay his head. (Mt 8:20; Lk 9:58) In the same way Mary, the Mother of Jesus, can be equally well contemplated as a living symbol of the woman migrant. She gave birth to her Son away from home (Lk2:1-7) and was compelled to flee to Egypt (Mt 2:13-14). Popular devotion is right to consider Mary as the Madonna of the Way.” (n..15) “In the foreigner, a Christian sees not simply a neighbor, but the face of Christ Himself, who was born in a manger and fled into Egypt, where he was a foreigner, summing up and repeating in his own life the basic experience of His people. Israel traced its origins back to Abraham, who in obedience to god’s call left his home and went to a foreign land, taking with him the divine Promise that he would become the father of a great nation (Gen12:1-2). Jacob, a wandering Aramaen, went down into Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation, great, strong and numerous. (Dt 26:5). After its long servitude in Egypt, Israel received its solemn investiture as the People of God during its forty year Exodus through the desert. The hard test of migration and deportation is therefore fundamental to the story of the chosen people in view of the salvation of all people: Israel knew the

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return from exile (Is42:6-7); 49:5). With these memories it could take new heart in its trust in God, even in the darkest moments of its history. (Ps 105:12-15; Ps 106:45-47). With regard to the foreigner living in the country, the Law enjoins the same commandment on Israel as applies to the children of your people (Lv 19:18), that is, You must ..love him as yourself (Lv 19:34).â&#x20AC;? (n. 14-15) Relevance of the Eucharist to migrants today The vast globalization process underway around the world brings a need for mobility. It also induces many young people to emigrate and live far from their families and their countries. In fact, todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic and political interdependence has shown that international migrations have become a structural component of modern societies: temporary and permanent migrant workers, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, trafficked women and men, multinational corporations transferred personnel. Estimates now give more than 200 million persons in the world living and working in countries different than the one in which they were born or were citizens and the 90 million workers among them are almost three percent of the 3 billion strong labor force. The numbers, in a way, are the tip of the iceberg revealing the complexity of a phenomenon that affects countries of origin, transit and destination, laws and administrative regulations, cultural, religious and social modalities of coexistence. New categories emerge like internal and cross-bordersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; displaced people forced to move by the degradation of the environment, certain types of development projects and climate change. The social teaching of the Catholic Church, and in fact that of all religious traditions, looks at

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migrants as human beings in the first place and then as citizens or guests, or as economic and cultural agents. The Church looks with very particular attention at the world of migrants. Two important dimensions of contemporary migrations are not adequately discussed and paid attention to in the formulation of policies: the victims of migration flows and the priority that persons have over the economy. The whole system of protection and of human rights is relegated to a secondary supporting role instead of serving as it was intended, as an assurance that the dignity of all human persons must take precedence. Among the young people, there are also girls who fall victim more easily to exploitation, moral forms of blackmail, and even abuses of all kinds. What can we say, then, about the adolescents, the unaccompanied minors that make up a category at risk among those who ask for asylum? These boys and girls often end up on the street abandoned to themselves and prey to unscrupulous exploiters who often transform them into the object of physical, moral and sexual violence. For the young migrants, the problems of the so-called “difficulty of dual belonging” seem to be felt in a particular way: on the one hand, they feel a strong need to not lose their culture of origin, while on the other, the understandable desire emerges in them to be inserted organically into the society that receives them, but without this implying a complete assimilation and the resulting loss of their ancestral traditions. The Vatican document on the “Love of Christ towards migrants” challenges the local Church to make its Eucharistic liturgy inspire the local community towards the pastoral care of migrants.

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“The ecclesiological foundation of the pastoral care of migrants will also help give shape to a liturgy that is more sensitive to the historical and anthropological aspects of migration, so that the liturgical celebrations become a living expression of the communities of believers who here walk here and now on the ways of salvation This raises the question of the relation of liturgy with the character, tradition and genius of different cultural groups and how to respond to the particular social and cultural situation of such groups by pastoral care that shuld consider their specific liturgical formation and ways of making liturgy more lively and also promote the wider participation of the faithful in the particular Church” (n.44)

Conclusion It is of great importance that the revolutionary implications of the Eucharist are better understood in today’s situation. This is a challenge to our faith and our creativity. In a way, the Eucharist implies an integration of economic rights of migrants and the political human rights of the local population, which in our present day history have always been polarized against each other. Like the struggle of the workers for human rights against the greed of their employers, the struggle of migrants for human rights against the chauvinism of the local population, will claim many innocent lives. The revolutionary implications of the Eucharist are the assurance that their struggle will meet with victory and their lives will not be lost in vain.

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I would like to conclude with a song to the numerous young migrants, who along with Camilo Torres, Nestor Paz, Oscar Romero, Michael Rodrigo, Rani Maria, lost their lives struggling to earn a living for their families. It is a song that moved me deeply the first time I heard it. May they all share in the paschal mystery of Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Death and Resurrection that we celebrate in the Eucharist.

GONE TOO SOON Like a comet blazing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cross the evening sky Gone too soon Like a rainbow fading in the twinkling of an eye Gone too soon Shiny and sparkly and splendidly bright Here one day, gone one night Like the loss of sunlight on a cloudy afternoon Gone too soon Like a castle built upon a sandy beach Gone too soon Like a perfect flower that is just beyond your reach Gone too soon Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight Here one day, gone one night Like a sunset dying with the rising of the moon Gone too soon. (2x)

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THE EUCHARIST AND THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS Fr. Prisco A. Cajes, OFM, ThD

I. Introduction All creatures in the natural world or creation are interrelated and mutually interdependent. There is a fundamental ecological unity of all parts of the whole creation. This ecological unity is a communion that sustains and makes the creation as an integral whole more than just the sum total of its parts. All creatures have integrity and intrinsic values given by the Creator God, who is Trinity. We, Christians, believe that everything – the whole creation and each one of its parts - were created by the Triune God, who by declaring all of God’s creatures good has given to it the intrinsic value that comes from God’s own purpose and will. The significance of this truth is affirmed and made perfect by the Redemption of all creation brought about by Jesus Christ. I am assigned to write and talk about “The Eucharist and the Ecological Crisis in Asia” - a broad topic that needs enough and concrete data to be satisfactorily explained. At the outset I must confess that the data brought about in this talk may not be complete and some may need updating. However, I believe that these will do for our purpose. I will argue for the need of a Christology and a theology of the Eucharist that can respond to the urgent ecological crisis in today’ s world. My approach is from Ecology to Eucharist. I will also discuss the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which can be regarded as an initial recapitulation of all creation in Christ. I will put importance on communion not only among humans but also the whole creation’ s communion with God in and through Christ – as I propose that the Eucharistic celebration be extended to the day-to-day living of every Christian in order to perpetuate this communion towards recapitulation

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in Christ. Finally, at the end of this talk I will put forward some recommendations.

II. Ecological Crisis The ecological crisis knows no boundaries. It is global. 1. Worsening Global Warming. Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. The rise of the average temperature is due to the increase of the greenhouse gases concentrations. The greenhouse gases are released by activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing, etc. An increase in global temperatures can in turn cause other changes, including rising sea level due to the melt down of the ice and glaciers in the Polar Regions and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation - increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, tornados, typhoons, flash floods, heat waves, drought, etc. Another impact of global warming is extreme heat wave. In 2003, extreme heat waves caused more than 20,000 deaths in Europe and more than 1,500 deaths in India.

A study in Southeast Asia, specifically the area that is called the ‘Coral Triangle’ – the home to half of the world coral reefs – showed the deadly effect of raisin temperature caused by global warming on the water of the ocean and on an area as big as half of the United States of America National Resources Defense Council, “Global Warming Basics” (file://G\NRDC Global Warming Basics.htm) accessed 3/16/2007, p. 2.

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where corals are now continually dying. Leaders from the different countries concerned – Philippines, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands – are meeting to save this Coral Triangle. 2. The Present Rate of Deforestation. According to the report of the United Nation, published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “deforestation continues; and it continues at an unacceptable

rate.” FAO said that an average of 18 million acres was lost annually in the last five years, down from 22 million acres a year between 1990 and 2000. The FAO report also accounted the growth from new planting and

natural expansion of existing forests. The report covered 229 countries. Deforestation was most extensive in South America, where an average of 10.6 million acres were lost annually over the last five years, followed by Africa with 9.8 million acres. 3. Ongoing Extinctions of Species. We do not really know exactly the rate of extinction but it is estimated that 137 species disappear

worldwide each day. There are more than 16,000 species of animals and plants threatened with global extinction today including Polar bears and

hippopotamus according to the World Conservation Union (WCU). “The biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down” summed up the WCU. Philippine Daily Inquirer (Saturday, May 16, 2009), pp. 1,17; The Philippine Star (Saturday, May 16, 2009) pp.1, 7. Philippine Daily Inquirer (Thursday, March 15, 2007), p. 26. USA TODAY, “U.N. Agency: Rate of Deforestation Slowing” (file://G:\USATODAY_comU_N_agency Rate of deforestation slowing.htm) accessed 3/302007, p. 1. Earth Observatory, “Tropical Deforestation” (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Deforestation/printall.php) accessed 3/27/2007, p. 4. USA TODAY, “Group: 16,000 Species Said to Face Extinction” (f ile://G:\ USATODAY_com - Group 16,000 species said to face extinction.htm) accessed 3/30/2007, p. 1.

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4. Current Poverty and Hunger. Over 800 million people go

to bed hungry each night, mostly women and children. Of this figure almost 200 million are children under five years of age. One child dies

every seven seconds from hunger and related causes. Sadly, about 25,000 people die from the effects of hunger each day. That is one person every 3.5 seconds.

In Asia and Pacific region alone 525 million people or 17% of the total population of 3 billion suffer from under-nourishment. In SubSahara Africa 180 million people or 33% of the total population of 539 million suffer from under-nourishment. In the Near East and North Africa, 33 million people or 9% of the total population of 360 million suffer from under-nourishment. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, 53 million people or 11% of the total population of 481 million suffer under-nourishment.

5. Upcoming Food and Water Crisis. The above data about hunger will become very astute due to global warming. According to the survey by the world’s top climate scientists, which was released April 6, 2007, the

global warming will have intensified impacts on many natural systems.10 In the equator, even a small increase of temperature will have already a huge negative effect of the harvest of crops. Poverty will intensify too. Thus, the survey says that global warming could cause severe food and

water shortages for millions of people by the year 2100.11

In Asia there is a need for safe drinking water at this very moment. Solcomhouse, “Hunger” (file://G:\World Hunger.htm) accessed 3/30/2007, p. 4. Ibid, p. 1. Ibid, pp. 4-5. 10 Philippine Daily Inquirer (Thursday, March 15, 2007), p. 26. 11 Ibid.

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Asia has 60% of the world’s population (about 700 million) but only has 36% of renewable water supply.12 This is already a major problem

in the cities like Beijing and Bangkok. Mismanaged safe and drinking water supply, rapid urbanization and poor infrastructure, in the cities like Manila and Quezon City in the Philippines, Penang and Johor in Malaysia, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, New Delhi in India, etc., contribute to water problems in Asia.13

III. The Integrity of Creation and Jesus Christ 1.The Meaning of Integrity of Creation. The “integrity of creation” is a phrase and a concept that came to be used since the Vancouver assembly of the World Council of Church (WCC) in 1983. To understand the full meaning of this phrase and concept, let me use Larry Rasmussen’

s ideas of the six (6) dimensions of its meaning.14 The first dimension

is that this concept describes of the integral functioning15 of endless natural transactions and processes, which include cycles and other natural exchanges in and throughout the biosphere and geosphere. All these natural transactions and processes have an integrity that must not be violated, if life and existence are to continue. The second dimension is that the concept refers to the restless

self-organizing dynamism 16 of nature. There is a dynamism, which 12 Glenn Van Zutphen, “The New Green” in Reader’s Digest (Nov. 2008), p. 66. 13 Ibid, p. 67. 14 Larry L. Rasmussen, Earth Community Earth Ethics…pp. 99-107. 15 Ibid, p. 99. 16 Ibid, p. 100.

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is essentially related to an endemic creativity, in nature. It is restless and self-organizing. It is the source of changes and novelty, as well as, the source of order. Thus, “integrity of creation” means “the dynamic, internally connected, and organized condition of creation.”17

The third dimension is that the concept “integrity of creation”

refers to earth’s resources as a one-time endowment. 18 Though the

planet is self-renewing and immensely rich, it is also finite, limited and exhaustible. Its richness was there even long before humans came. Once its resources are exhausted humans cannot produce them again. The earth’ s resources are a one-time gift; and indeed once this gift is gone, it is forever gone. The fourth dimension is that the concept means the integral

relation of social and environmental justice.19 Simply stated, justice for humans and for the rest of entities in the nonhuman world is knotted together. Social and environmental justice is integrally one. The fifth dimension is that the “integrity of creation” as a concept

points to a creator or divine source and a certain intrinsic dignity20 of all the entities in the natural world. This means that using the concept “integrity of creation” one affirms the faith that creation is God’s handiwork, which has its own inherent integrity as a whole as well as each entity in it. Creation possesses goodness and integrity by virtue of its origin in the Triune God’s will and love. Finally, the sixth dimension is that the concept “integrity of 17 Ibid, p. 101. 18 Ibid, p. 102. 19 Ibid, p. 103. 20 Ibid, p. 105.

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creation” carries with it the specific ethical freight of its religious content. 21 As symbionts all entities depend on each other. For humans who are sentient beings this fact carries moral content – a moral imperative (or a sense of duty and obligation). It resists natural anthropocentricism. It says that humankind is morally responsible to nourish and support the wellbeing of the otherkind and of the whole of creation. 2. The Intrinsic Value in Creatures. According to Christian Faith, God created everything and has given each of the creatures and the whole of God’s creation intrinsic value by pronouncing them “good”; made in the “image” of God, the human being, as the caretaker of God’s creation, does not only protect, nourish and sustain his/her own well-being but also that of all creatures’; and finally, God, who originated every creature, has manifested God’s being, goodness, beauty, wisdom, and holiness, in

God’s creation.22 God gives the value for each of His creature. In Jesus Christ, this value and the value of the whole creation is being revealed, affirmed and perfected. 3. Christ is the Completion of Creation: Its Beginning, Center and End. In the Franciscan theological tradition, Christ in relation to Creation is seen as: (i) the Blueprint of Creation and (ii) the Beginning, Center and End of Creation. Thus, (iii) Creation is essentially involved, affected and completed by Christ’s Life and Mission. (i) Christ, the Son of God, is the Blueprint of Creation. This means that Christ is the first in God’s intention to love. This further means the primacy of Christ. St. John proclaimed; “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was 21 Ibid, p. 106. 22 Karl H. Peschke, SVD, Christian Ethics: Moral Theology in the Light Vatican II, Vol. (Manila: Logos Publications, Inc., 2001), p. 755.

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with God in the beginning. Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him” ( John 1:1-3). Moreover St. Paul wrote; “For in Christ where created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible…all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:15-16). In the plan of God before creation there was already this divine desire to be incarnated. For this incarnation to come about there has to be a creation and beings that are capable of understanding and freely responding to divine initiative. Therefore, creation was only a prelude to a much fuller manifestation of divine goodness and love, namely, the Incarnation. As a Blueprint or a Motif of creation, Christ is the perfect divine-creature communion. Christ exemplifies the meaning and purpose of creation, which is the glory of God in a communion of love. (ii) Christ is the Beginning, Center and End of Creation. Christ the reason and goal of creation is indeed its beginning and end. The Johannine and Pauline traditions as quoted above can attest to this Faith. Since everything is created through, in and for Him, Christians should see the meaning and purpose of creation in Jesus Christ. We should see that the creatio ex nihilo at the beginning is through, in and for Christ; and because the Christian view of Creation is that it is not yet complete, the recapitulation of all things or the completion of creation at the ultimate end is through, in and for Christ. How about Christ during the process of creatio continua or at the center of the process of continuing creation? One should be able to see that this Jesus Christ that we are talking about in relation to creation is the same Jesus of Nazareth. It is in his incarnation, passion, death and resurrection that Christ saved us. Creation is united with the Creator in the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Christ. His presence in the Eucharist is located also here.

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Jesus Christ is indeed the center of creation. Creation and Redemption are made into one – through, in, for - or centered in Christ. (iii) Christ’s mission or Redemption includes the whole of creation, even the non-human creatures, as its objects. Creation or the natural world, with all creatures in it, is essentially involved in, affected and completed by the incarnation and redemption of Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul II wrote: Christians believe that the Death and Resurrection of Christ accomplished the work of reconciling humanity to the Father, “who was pleased…through Christ to reconcile to himself all things whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:19-20). Creation was thus made new (Rev. 21:5). Once subjected to the bondage of sin and decay (Rom. 8:21), it has now received new life while “we wait for the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pt. 3:13). Thus, the Father “has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery…which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, all things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:9-10).23

Jesus Christ entered into human history, participating in natural processes and redeeming not only the humankind but also all the otherkind and the whole of creation. Every part and the whole of creation is a recipient of the redemption that Christ has given. Hence, Christ is 23 Quoted from the 1990 Peace Message of Pope John Paul II and cited in Prisco A. Cajes, OFM, Anitism & Perichoresis: Towards A Filipino Christian Eco-Theology Of Nature (Quezon City: Our Lady Of The Angels Seminary, 2002), pp. 139-140.

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indeed the Savior of all! This shows and gives evidence to the value of all creatures! The belief of cosmic Redemption brought about by Christ, which includes the deliverance from death, is rooted in the Scripture (Col. 1:14-20; 1 Cor. 15:28; Eph. 1:10; Rom. 8:19-22) and the patristic tradition. This belief greatly affirms the value of creatures to God.24

IV. The Eucharist – Body and Blood of Christ Building from such a kind of creation-mindful Christology as discussed above, we can talk about the Eucharist. We can now relate Christ’s words, actions, and person with the Eucharist and deepen this by relating it with the Ecological crisis. At the Last Supper the Eucharist was instituted by Jesus when he took the bread, blest it and said, “Take this, all of you and eat it. This is my body which will be given up for you” (cf. Mk. 14:22; Mt. 26:26; Lk. 22: 19; 1 Cor. 11; 24). Then Jesus took the cup of wine, blest and said; “Take this all of you and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all, so that sins may be forgiven” (cf. Mk. 14:24; Mt.26: 27-28; Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11; 25). Finally he said; “Do this in memory of me” (Lk. 22:19). It is a fact that since the time of the Apostles until today the Church celebrates the Eucharist in memory of the Lord Jesus Christ. St. Paul has interpreted this memorial meal as communion. He wrote; “The cup of blessing which we bless is it not a communion of the 24 James A. Nash, “Toward the Ecological Reformation of Christianity” in Interpretation, Vol. 50, No. 1 ( January 1996), p. 9.

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blood of Christ? The bread which we break is it not a communion of the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf ” (1 Cor. 10: 16-17). Humans with all of God’s creatures await the new heaven and the new earth (cf. 2 Pt. 3: 13) when all every creaturely being will be united with Christ (cf. Eph. 1:10). Since the Eucharist is the summit towards which all creation is moving forward - communion with God, the Eucharist is the response to the urgent concern of today’s world, the global ecological crisis.25

Vatican II goes further and elaborates the understanding of Eucharist as communion which is being brought about every time the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is celebrated on the Eucharistic altar in the Church (LG, No.3). 1. The Bread and Wine. The significant meaning of the bread and wine as natural elements and actual representations should be retained and clearly shown when we present a theology of the Eucharist, which is ecologically-informed. I would like very much to follow up the point made by David N. Power when in his article “Eucharist” he wrote: The significance of the bread and wine and of the common table in themselves is important to an understanding of the presence of Christ in these elements. They represent fundamental human needs and desires. They represent the work that is done to bring them to the table. They represent humanity’s communion with the whole of creation and with its cycles of production and reproduction. The breaking of the bread and sharing of a common 25 “Intrumentum Laboris” (no. 3) of the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church. 2005.

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cup are ritual actions brought into many a human situation to express both a necessary mutual dependency and a common hope. When the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ, they lose none of this significance but carry it with them into the reality of communion in Christ, renewed in the lifegiving and eschatological power of the Spirit... The reconciliation and the justice of God’s rule are embodied in the symbols that represent Christ and with and in Him a transformed humanity and a transformed creation26 (underline is mine).

The elements of Bread and Wine chosen by Jesus Christ in every celebration of the Eucharist bind the Eucharistic celebration to all creatures or all of Creation entrusted to the care of human beings (cf. Gen. 1:28). The Bread that will become the Body of Christ is the fruit of a productive and unpolluted land. The Wine to be changed into the Blood of Christ also signifies the transformation of Creation to meet the needs of the present and future generations. The Water united with the Wine symbolizing the union in Christ our human nature and Christ’s divine nature signifies as well the satisfaction of our thirst for God and the “living water” (cf. Jn. 4: 14).27

As the accidents - the colors, sizes or volumes, weights, being organic matters, natural appearances, and others - of the Bread and Wine are not lost so also their natural significance, even when we believe that they have been already transubstantiated through the power of the Holy 26 David N. Power. “Eucharist” in Francis Schussler Fiorenza and John P. Calvin, eds. Sytematic Theology: Roman Catholic Perspectives (Minneapolis: Ausburg Fortress. 1991), pp. 282-283. 27 Ibid, “Instrumentum Laboris” (no. 3) ...

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Spirit and are the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This means that the Bread and Wine still represent in a clear manner the fundamental human need for food and the desire to be nourished and fed. The Eucharistic Bread and Wine still represent or are food for the hungry and drink for the thirsty. Can one community continue to use the Bread and Wine and celebrates the Eucharistic meal when thousands (even millions) of its members are dying of hunger? The Eucharist should be our communion with the hungry and needy. It should make us share not only our food but also our lives to those who need. And this is yet at the level of the natural significance of the elements of Bread and Wine. Then, put on the significance of the presence of Christ as the Bread and Wine – with Christ’s dying to give the fullness of life, his commandment of love, or feeding the hungry, or giving one’s life for one’s friend; the more that the Bread and Wine signify food especially for the hungry! This understanding of human communion with the other beings is deepened in its reality and significance with the fact that the Bread and Wine is the Body and Blood of Christ; they are Christ Himself. It becomes the cosmic communion with the divine. The process of transubstantiation that is effected by the Holy Spirit in the anaphora or more precisely at the epiclesis, brings the creaturely elements of the bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This would be like the idea of Christification of Tielhard de Chardin. 2. Transubstantiation. Transubstantiation as a philosophical term derived from the root concept of substance. Substance, most usually, is often used only in relation to humans and spiritual beings not so much on the artificial things like bread and wine in the Eucharist. So, there are those who object transubstantiation as a concept to explain

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the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This objection really does not invalidate or nullify the idea that Christ’s presence is real in the Eucharistic Bread and Wine. The late Karl Rahner argued that transubstantiation was used only to logically present an explanation of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We are saying that the use of the concept of transubstantiation has problems philosophically, though these problems do not really deny the faith of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. St. Thomas of Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae, questions nos. 75-76, insisted that Christ’s real body is present in the Eucharist; most precisely the substance of the transformed bread and wine is the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ. What did St. Thomas mean by substance? Substance means identity of a thing in the simplest way of explaining it. Every individual thing is itself, it has an identity. What St. Thomas would call substance, we would call identity. We have to strengthen the faith of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and we should point out that in Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (no. 9), that Christ is really present (a) “in a body of the faithful gathered”, (b) “in his Word”, (c) “in the person of the minister”, and above all (d) “under the species of the Eucharist.” What is the meaning and effect of this real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist? For some, they follow Tielhard de Chardin who thought that the effect is Christification, which means that is not only the mere sanctification of humanity and the whole creation; it is most importantly a Christification or the recapitulation, as St. Ireneaus would term it, of all creation in Christ. In the Eucharist the actualization of a perfect communion between creatures and their Creator through, in and with Christ initiates this recapitulation.

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This meaning and these effects of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist to humanity and creation should be clearly understood and realized. The implications of this in relation to looking for an effective response against the ecological crisis should be recognized and explored. 3 . Asian Religious Perspective. In the Asian or Eastern perspective of interreligious dialogue, we should be sensitive to other religions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the way of life and the hope for the earth that they have. In Buddhism, for example, the teaching and experience of nirvana is profound and is very important. Nirvana is the end of all dukkha: of all that is suffering, unsatisfactory, limited, and imperfect. Thus, nirvana is not so much to be talked about rather than experienced. There are ways of how to attain it. Moreover, there is a teaching Buddha that each of us is a relationship. Therefore, we are a big network of interrelationship and we do not just exist but exist with. To be is to inter-be. The whole of creation is therefore is Inter-Being. This is a grand communion of beings. In Hinduism, we should be sensitive of the understanding or faith in the gods Brahma the creator and lord of all creation; Visnu the preserver and sustainer of the world; and, Siva who holds together the opposites and is portrayed as destroyer of evil, union of femininity and masculinity, preserver of the good, and has dual nature of serenity and dynamism. It is in Hinduism that the presence of the divine can be seen in all beings. When one unites oneself with Atman (the universal Self ) and in this way unites oneself with the whole universe. Again the idea and experience of communion is essential. In Islam submission to the will of Allah, the creator God who is the Merciful One is the main teaching. Creation belongs to God alone. This God is found in creation. Thus, everyone who believes and is obedient to Allah is responsible for the shape of things in creation including the care of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brothers and sisters. In Confucianism

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the Chinese stresses the sacredness of life and harmony in nature and this is strongly taught. The life force called Ch’i is in everything that exists. This force harmonizes even the opposites, which are seen as complementary forces called yin and yang. Again here communion or harmony is being stressed. All these are brought out here in order to make the point that in the Asian or Eastern perspective the idea of working for the communion between creation including human beings and God is easy to understand and is readily acceptable. It is present in all of the major religions. This means, also, that the teaching of what we believe in the Eucharist, the communion between creation and Creator, most specifically in the transubstantiation of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, can as well be understood and accepted in the Asian perspective. 4.Eucharist: The Sanctification and Protection of Creation. As understood by the Church’s theologians the effects of the Eucharist are an intrinsic union of the recipient with Christ and the preservation and increase of the supernatural life of the recipient’s soul. Thus the Council of Trent stated that the Eucharist is a pledge of heavenly bliss and of the future resurrection of the body. This theological teaching focuses more on the human participant-recipients of the Eucharist. It is silent with regards to the effect that pertains to the non-human creatures or to the whole of creation. A break of this silence is found in the recent Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist of Pope Benedict XVI entitled Sacramentum Caritatis, the Pope wrote: Finally, to develop a profound Eucharistic spirituality that is also capable of significantly affecting the fabric of society, the Christian people, in giving thanks to God through the Eucharist, should be conscious that

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they do so in the name of all creation, aspiring to the sanctification of the world and working intensely to that end. The Eucharist itself powerfully illuminates human history and the whole cosmos [no. 92]. The Pope clearly saw the essential connection and relevance of the Eucharist to human history and the natural world. So, the Holy Father encouraged the faithful to develop a Eucharistic spirituality that is sensitive to and that works for the sanctification of human history and the cosmos. Further, the Pope saw the fundamental connection between the Eucharist and the protection of the environment. He wrote: The world is not something indifferent, raw material to be utilized simply as we see fit. Rather, it is part of God’s plan, in which all of us are called to be sons and daughters in the one Son of God, Jesus Christ (cf. Eph 1:4-12). The justified concern about threats to the environment present in so many parts of the world is reinforced by Christian hope, which commits us to working responsibly for the protection of creation. The relationship between the Eucharist and the cosmos helps us to see the unity of God’s plan and to grasp the profound relationship between creation and the “new creation” inaugurated in the resurrection of Christ, the new Adam. Even now we take in that new creation by virtue of our Baptism (cf. Col 2:12ff ). Our Christian life, nourished by the Eucharist, gives us a glimpse of the new world – new heavens and a new earth – where the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven, from God, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2) [no. 92]. The Holy Father seeing the Eucharist in connection to the protection of environment argued that there should be a commitment from us, Christians, to the protection of the environment if we have this deep Eucharistic spirituality. There is the opening to a possible rereading and broadening of the

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understanding of the effects of the Eucharist. 5.Proposed Understanding: Eucharist as Initial Recapitulation of Creation. At this juncture, understanding the Eucharist as the continuing Incarnation, especially at the moment when the Bread and Wine is transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, I propose to see and regard the Eucharist as an initial recapitulation of creation in Jesus Christ. If the Eucharist is so, therefore, it has a very important and essential role in the prevention and solution of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecological crisis. It is more than just sanctification of the natural world; it heals and makes the cosmos an integral whole, or initially it makes creation complete and recapitulates it in Christ.

V. Conclusion and Recommendations: Eucharist and Ecological Crisis In conclusion, let me summarize everything that I said and give some recommendations. In this talk I brought out the global ecological crisis by discussing the components of this crisis. I stressed that humans have responsibilities in responding to this urgent crisis by putting forward the important understanding of the concept integrity of creation, stressing our moral imperative in protecting and sustaining this. I argued on the importance of the communion or Fraternitas aspect of this integrity of creation and the distinctionotherness or Haecceitas aspect. Finally, I proposed to see a more ecologically-informed Christology and theology of the Eucharist focusing more on the transubstantiation and on the communion between creation and Creator in the Eucharistic

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Bread and Wine. In the Asian context, I argued that communion of creatures and Creator is not an alien concept. In fact, harmony and communion are present as hope in the major religions in our continent. Therefore, the concept of transubstantiation seen within the bigger concept of communion can easily be understood by Asians. Proposing these and believing that in the Eucharist, more specifically during the epiclesis when the Bread and W ine is transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, is the initial beginning of the recapitulation and completion of creation in Christ, I put forward the following recommendations: 1. The Celebration of the Eucharist. The Eucharist should be celebrated more profoundly by showing clearly not only the effect of sanctification of humanity but most importantly the recapitulation of creation, in Christ. As a liturgy the symbolisms, signs, actions, etc. and the Word of God should be clearly explained. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is a central part of the celebration. The Offertory and Eucharistic Prayers, and what happens during Epiclesis when the transubstantiation occurs, should be clearly explained and elaborated to the faithful. The importance of gifts and the offerings should be made clear, too. Most importantly, the effects of the Eucharist - sanctification, communion and recapitulation - should be clearly explained. Since it is a celebration of the most important sacrament of all, the participants should know that they should bring this Eucharistic celebration to their homes and workplaces or carry the effects of the Eucharist in their day-to-day life. 2. Human Beings as Priests for Creation. Priests are offerers of

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creation to God. They do not only offer gifts and sacrifices to God but also see to it that these offerings are pure, good and wholesome – worthy for God. In other words, humans as priests are caretakers of the materials for sacrifice – creatures of God. This is the aspect of the common priesthood of all the baptized. 3. Moral Living. This should be the living out part of our celebration of the Eucharist. Personal as well as communal acts of ecological degradation are incompatible for those who join the celebration of the Eucharist and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. For example, priests who preside the Eucharist should not smoke or should stop smoking. The integrity of creation should be protected and the intrinsic value of creature should be respected. Persons who committed an act of a grievous ecological destruction should be excommunicated and therefore not allowed to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist until they are absolved by their local ordinaries. 4. Ecology Desk. Parishes and Dioceses should establish a working Ecology Desk for Environmental Advocacy and implementations of other ecological programs. This allows the participants to concretely actualize their continued celebration of the Eucharist even after the liturgical celebration in the church. 5. Other Ecological Activities. Ongoing awareness drive should be made before and after the celebration of the Eucharist. Ecological catechesis, environmental protection and communing with nature activities should be regularly scheduled in every parish and diocese. There are still many ways of responding to the urgent ecological crisis of our time. The Eucharist emphasizes the point that our ultimate goal is creation’s recapitulation with, through and in Christ when we and all creation will be in communion with Triune God. Today, in every

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Eucharist Christ begins with us this recapitulation and communion. Today as we live out the Eucharist in our moral lives we participate in this beginning.

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EUCHARIST AS OPENNESS TO OTHERS An Experience of Interreligious Dialogue in the Vietnamese Context Fr. Francis Xavier Bao Loc

I. The Vietnamese context 1. The Socio-political context The Geneva Accords of 1954 decided the fate of French Indochina after eight years of war between the French Union forces and the Viet Minh. It resulted in the independence of the South Vietnam. The accords dictated the partition of Vietnam at the 17th parallel, with Ho Chi Minh’ s communist Viet Minh controlling the North and the French-backed State, the South of Vietnam. In the mass emigration of northerners that followed the division, many Catholics (around 800.000 people, 2/3 of the Catholics from the North) came to the south. In 1975, on the one hand, the reunification of the nation united many separated families; on the other hand it brought both the North and the South under a communist regime. There are still differences in the social and living condition between the peoples of the two regions. In contrast with the North, the political structure in the South has been more open and the local government has demonstrated a more moderate policy. The decade of the 90’s has been one of more openness as is evident in Vietnam’s international relationships. The peak of this period was joining the WTO in 2006. This political and economic openness has had a cause-effect influence also on Vietnamese’s religious experience: rebuilding, reopening of places of worship, ordination of clergy, foundation of new religious associations, etc. 2. The Religious context Traditionally, Vietnam had a three-fold religious identity, as it is also found in some other Asian countries: Buddhism, Confucianism, and

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Taoism. The adherents of Roman Catholicism, Caodaism, Protestantism, Islam and Hinduism are the minorities. So religious beliefs richly color the influence on Vietnameseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; thought and action, and affect the way the Vietnamese react to others. The majority of Vietnamese are deeply rooted in Buddhist belief and culture and they also practice the cult of the ancestors. Vietnamese are, in general, quite tolerant in matters of religion and live in harmony with the followers of other religions. However the policies of the government also affect, more or less, this harmony. Before 1975 From our perspective, there were two important facts in this period: * For Catholics, the division in 1954 caused the separation of the Church into the North and the South. This division brought about the regional differences of thinking and living between these two areas. Because of the socio-political condition, the laity of the North did not have access to the general instruction and renewal of the Second Vatican Council. * In the 1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, during the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem, the first President of South Vietnam (1955-1963), whose brother was a bishop, there was Buddhist-Catholic tension. Political officials forbade the hanging of the Buddhist flag and used violence to break up a meeting of Buddhists protesting governmental discrimination. This protest which began in Central Vietnam, spread rapidly throughout the South and brought about the Vietnamese Buddhist Movement of 1963. Some Buddhist monks, nuns and laity were involved in self immolation by setting themselves ablaze. This movement claimed equality and liberty for Buddhists. Its goal

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was to protest against the governmental policy, not the governor nor the Catholics. Inspite of this declaration, the relationship between Buddhists and Catholics remains wounded by the tension of this period. After 1975 In 1975, the national reunification gave the opportunity to the Bishops of the two regions to work together to rebuild the Catholic Church. The Pastoral letter of The Bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference of Vietnam in 1980 was the result of this first effort to collaborate and rebuild the Church in Vietnam, emphasizing living of the Gospel in the very heart and center of everyday life. Right after 1975, in the South, the Catholic Christians no longer administered the schools, hospitals as well as charitable activities. The Seminaries and Formation Centers also had many significant difficulties and limitations. Now the Vietnamese Catholic Church serves in three domains: education, medicine and charitable activities, but only as collaborators of the government in a limited range and under the control of the members of the communist party. * * * In this limited socio-religious context, Catholic Christian life can have a tendency to look in upon itself in its parish and religious activities. This tendency on the part of the church could take the place of involvement in society as well as in dialogue with atheists and members of other religions.

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II. The Eucharist: An invitation to openness to others Of its nature, the Eucharist is â&#x20AC;&#x153;opennessâ&#x20AC;?: living with, living for, sharing, offering, communion, etcâ&#x20AC;Ś In principle, Eucharistic spirituality leads Christians to a way of life according to the Eucharistic model. However, the devotion of Vietnamese Christians has a tendency to stop at the emotional, interior level rather than move towards more social interaction and service. 1. The Eucharist is a motivation to renew the Christian life Most of the Vietnamese Catholic Christians are practical and devoted. They frequent their churches for Mass, catechism, sacred music and the activities of the Catholic associations. For the last ten years there has been a spontaneous development in perpetual (24 hours) Eucharistic Adoration in many of the parishes. This form of devotion contributes to renew both family and social life. In some Retreat Centers, the scheduling of this devotion has delighted the lay participants. In the midst of the demands and tumult of daily life, retreatants find again inner peace and balance, thank to their presence before the Blessed Sacrament. All this contributes to the renewal of family and parish life. 2. Eucharistic spirituality creates an educational environment for young Christians The Eucharistic Youth Society assembles many young people from 8 to 25 years old. This movement establishes the relationship and the continuity between the Eucharistic celebration and the Christian life. This Society contributes also to the education of the young and the formation of the

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catechists and the future leaders of the other catholic Associations. This is very necessary in the situation where there are no Catholic Schools and the national education system is still limited and has many shortcomings. 3. The Eucharist is an opening to interreligious dialogue In a setting where Catholics are in the minority, Eucharistic celebrations for weddings and funerals are favorable occasions to practice interreligious dialogue as many members of the other religions are present. This dialogue is manifested in welcoming, the homily and the manner of celebrating the liturgy. All this can express and clarify the Christian faith and bring about a better understanding of the faith and Christian life. This communal celebration demonstrates Christian community and solidarity.

III. Entering into interreligious dialogue Motivated and invited by a Eucharistic spirituality, we feel the urgency and need for interreligious dialogue, an integral part of the evangelical mission of the Church. Moreover, we realize our responsibility to this engagement as Pope John Paul II explained in his Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation in 1999: “Contact, dialogue and cooperation with the followers of other religions is a task which the Second Vatican Council bequeathed to the whole Church as a duty and a challenge” (Ecclesia in Asia, no 31). The pastoral Orientation of The Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam in interreligious dialogue is marked by their Pastoral letter in 2003 (no

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11): “Friendly visiting of the members of the other religions, particularly families and individuals is sharing the Good News, visiting in order to share the joys and the sadness, to support the people who have problems. The activities are living pages of the Gospel helping the others to recognize the true portrait of Jesus - Savior and then understand Christianity better. We can exchange common concerns with non-christians, following the example of Jesus in the story narrated by John: from the little things in ordinary life like “water”, Jesus listened, exchanged and enlightened, leading to the spiritual way, the mystery of the Trinity and of the “eternal water”. We realize that dialogue today plays a very important meaning, lead to sympathy, understanding and reciprocal respect”. However, in reality, such action remains modest and only occurs in private settings. The interreligious meetings or organizations of the Vietnamese migrant community in foreign countries are often colored by political, anti-communist trends. These attitudes can cause confusion or ambiguity about the meaning of the interreligious meetings inside Vietnam. This is why interreligious meetings are seen by the government as political rather than religious, though this is the vision of the Church. Some interreligious meetings are organized by the local government in which the followers of different religions have an opportunity to exchange thoughts. But all these meetings have as a goal the presentation and explanation of governmental parameters. In spite of this ambiguous, delicate socio-political situation, for the past five years we have attempted to realize some interreligious dialogue, without excluding the form called “dialogue of life”:

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1. To enter into contact with Buddhist nuns and monks in order to discover their life and their way of Buddhist formation to inner freedom. (Because the Buddhist doctrine and culture are deeply implanted in the Vietnamese mentality and life, the Buddhist becomes the privileged partner of our interreligious dialogueÂ in Vietnam). 2. To visit pagodas and Buddhist meditation centers in order to study in their own setting their faith and religious practices. 3. To share the knowledge of other religions with all the members of the Church and to form Christians to be the able partners in interreligious dialogueÂ in the Seminary and Christian Formation Centers. 4. To invite the adherents of the other religions to present their faith and to share their own religious experience. 5. To organize an Interreligious Evening of Prayer for the sick, especially for those affected by HIV/AIDS 6. To collaborate with Buddhist nuns and monks in taking care of the H.I.V patients, orphans and the physically and mentally challenged. Example : the collaboration of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate with the Buddhist nuns and monks at Hue, central Vietnam, to serve the H.I.V patients; the help of the intellectual Christian group for an orphanage managed by Buddhist nuns in the 4th quarter of HoChiMinh City.

IV. Reflection > Our communion in the Eucharist invites us to openness to others, to sharing with them the life and the truth received from Jesus who sacrifices himself for the fullness of our lives. > To be aware of the necessity of interreligious dialogue as an important

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way of Evangelization, we must explore this more fully in the life of Church. Dialogue and Mission have a mutually dependent relation, especially in the Asian context. > Our interreligious dialogue finds its source in the dialogue between God and humanity, coming forth from the inner life of the Trinity. This is a dialogue of love for the salvation of all. The Eucharist is both a sign of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love and a way to realize this salvation. Questions: 1. What is the relationship between the Eucharist and interreligious dialogue? 2. How does the Eucharistic celebration favor the announcement of the Gospel in the Vietnamese context? 3. What measures could we take as priests and congregations to make those of other religious traditions feel more welcome? 4. How is the choice of words significant in entering into dialogue so as not to offend others? 5. How can the Catholic Church promote collaboration with the adherents of other religions to solve social problems and to serve the community better? 6. In our unique circumstances as Vietnamese or Indians, etc, how could we be more collaborative with members of other religious traditions?

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THE MEANING OF EUCHARIST IN THE ASIAN CONTEXT A Gender Equality - Gender Justice Perspective Sr. Theresa Yih-Lan Tsou, SSS

I began preparation of this topic by reading previous FABC papers on the

Eucharist and the Address of Bishop Tagle on the Eucharist during the

49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City, June 20, 2008 . The meaning of Eucharist is so rich that its meaning cannot be exhausted. Before entering discussion in this paper, I want to be clear that since gender issue is the special focus of this topic, what has been elaborated in previous papers will not be repeated. This is not to ignore or deny their importance, but rather to present a view which is not usually heard. In contrast to other areas of feminist theology like feminist research on the Scriptures, reference to the Sacraments in feminist theology is scarce, which is not too surprising. So I had to find a different way of discussing this topic. From my background of being a member of Sisters of Social

Service , a physician first served physically disabled, later mentally disordered, in pastoral ministry, with women workers, doing theological reflection among lay groups locally and on Asian level, I will focus this paper on the question of gender equality-gender justice in our church and implications for the Eucharist. As a case study examples from Taiwan will be used, but not to the exclusion of other countries. I want to begin by clarifying some concepts about gender, gender equality and justice and then make connections with our Celebration of the Eucharist.

No. 126: “Being Schools, Becoming Eucharist” (May 2008 meeting); No. 124: “Eucharist as Communication” (Nov 26-Dec 1, 2007 Bishops meeting); No. 92c: A Renewed Church in Asia: In Solidarity with Women” (2000) http://www.zenit.org/article-22964?l=english A Society of Apostolic Life in Canon Law, introduction at http://www.sistersofsocialservice.com/

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I. Gender, Gender Equality, and Gender Justice A. Catholic Church and Civil Law In November, 2008, after a three-day meeting of Catholic school administrators in Taiwan, an announcement appeared in several newspapers that the participants as head of all 46 universities, high schools, elementary schools, and kindergartens signed a statement “not to support the Law for Gender Equality Education in Catholic schools because it is against Catholic dogma”. The law had been passed one year before, with small revision around this time. When some of the school principles or campus ministers were asked to help clarify it, they were not aware of this statement. On the same news it was said that a theology school priest wrote the draft for the Chancellor of Catholic University to make this announcement. This law came into being as the result of an extremely tragic situation. After many instances of “bullying,” a gentle teen age boy was cruelly beaten to death by his schoolmates because his appearance was not masculine enough for them. In his parents and teachers’ eyes he was a very nice boy who offended no one. Because of this incident and similar occurrences in various schools, this law was made. It requires schools to teach students to respect people beyond stereotyped gender impression, also gave students equal opportunity for school education no matter their sexual orientation. The opposition from Catholic schools comes from Catholic teaching against homosexuality. It is important to note that the parameters of gender equality and gender justice have broadened over the past several years. It is not simply a question of women vs. men as two genders any more; from grassroots to graduate studies, many groups outside Catholic Church had come up

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with different arguments like discussion of LGBT justice, that is: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender as four gender categories, besides the male, female, homosexual, bisexual description. Inter-disciplinary conferences on Sexuality Education, Sexology, Trans/Gender Studies, and LesBiGay Studies have been held in Taiwan annually since 1996 to discuss related questions. They will not go away by clicking on our mental screen to delete them or by statements on the sinfulness of homosexuality based on passages from the Hebrew Bible that were set in a different time frame and socio-cultural context. What challenges does the changing of these parameters bring to the Church? Where are we as a church, as People of God in facing these? B. Catholics in Interreligious Settings During the International Interreligious Conference on Gender Ethics in late October, 2007, which was initiated by Taiwan government Department of Interior Ministry and sponsored by Buddhist Universities, the organizers and participants realized that discussing “gender equality” with Catholics was a very limited discussion. Catholics are a little more than 1% of total population in Taiwan. In the past Catholic Church was respected for charitable work and Buddhists have learned to do likewise. Buddhist nuns (bhikkhuni) have been ordained, and the religious rule 八敬法 (“the Eight Heavy Duties”) which required senior female members to be under junior male was changed. In recent years, comments such as “You don’t have equality between men and women in Catholic Church, nuns cannot be ordained as priests;” or “Why in Catholic Church women can not be ordained?” have become commonplace. The inquirers are surprised to learn that Catholics are not even allowed to discuss women’s ordination. Politically, Taiwan has gone

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through a period of Martial Law for several decades until 1987. As a child in that atmosphere one learned what cannot be talked about outside the home. It is difficult for people now to understand that a truth-seeking religion bars such an important issue from discussion. Catholics women’s ordination is an issue cannot be discussed universally. Conferences on Women’s Ordination in US and Europe were interfered; attempts to ordain women resulted in ex-communication from the Church. C. Paradigms for Men-Women Equality

An FABC paper by John D’Mello on “Paradigms for a Feminization of the Church” suggests five paradigms of equality. Brief introduction are given with comments to some of them. 1. The complementary paradigm: On the surface, this complement between women and men sounds ideal; in reality, it is men who decide what are the role of women that complement men. From an Asian Taoist

philosophy point of view , yin and yang elements are fluid and constantly moving to complement and balance each other. It is not a static division. 2. The equality paradigm emphasizes “Equal as Sameness” and is associated with the right of franchise, the right to education and is applied to the right to vote. A Renewed Church in Asia: In Solidarity with Women (FABC Papers No. 92C, Seventh Plenary Assembly: Workshop discussion Guide, 2000), 18-22. He also wrote “Paradigms of Male-Female Partnership” with similar but not exactly same categories for BILA on Women II in 1998; in Discipleship of Asian Women at the Service of Life, Virginia Saldanha, ed. (Bangalore, India,: Claretian Publications, 2007) There is a difference between Taoist religion and Taoist philosophy. Just as Greek philosophy had much impact on West European Christian theology, Taoist philosophy has been very much integrated into Chinese-Taiwanese and some other Asian people’s daily lives without giving a specific religious meaning to it.

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3. The sisterhood paradigm: this stresses “Equal but Separate”. This paradigm posits that men are not able to understand women’s problems and experiences. Therefore, women must form a sisterhood and leave the male-dominated Church to do their own reflection and develop their own symbols and expressions. 4. The difference paradigm understands the sexes as “Equal but Different”. So far, if women don’t fit in the norm set by men, they are considered inferior or inadequate. There needs different norms for men and women, as well as for different groups of women. The differences are to be appreciated instead of looking down upon as unwell like before. 5. Solidarity paradigm: “Equal but in Solidarity” arises from Asian cultures and encompasses elements from the other paradigms. In this paradigm the issues of women, peasants, workers, dalits, tribals, ecology, and violence are all connected. Thus, the Asian paradigm is not just addressing the question of equal rights only, but envisaging a fundamentally different perspective on each and every issue and aspect of society.” D’Mello concludes that “discriminating against women is linked to the discrimination of other marginalized groups;” and a solidarity paradigm was the optimal one for Asian society. D. Justice and Moral Decision Making 1. Justice: Justice can be defined in many ways. It means the quality of being just, fairness, righteousness, equitableness, rightfulness, lawful, the moral principle determining just conduct, conformity to this principle, the administering of deserved punishment or reward, judgment of persons or causes by judicial process, etc.. One may ask: Who sets the standard of justice? From whose point of view the definition of being fair

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or just was made? What criteria were used? Who administered the laws or keep people in just conducts? One meaning of justice concerns the law; groups usually try hard to keep the law in their favor. It is only in recent decades that women have had opportunities to participate in the civil legislation process. In regard to the Church, Canon Law was made by men, and the question of women’s participation in its revision has not yet been raised. 2. Moral Decision Making: Related to concept of justice are theories on ethics. In the West, different Ethical Theories of Justice come from an intellectual approach with emphasis on universal standards and impartiality. The Stages of Moral Development theory by Lawrence Kohlberg in the 1960-1970s was widely used by educators in the west and east. In the 1980’s Carol Gilligan (1982) questioned the research design of Kohlberg’s studies which only included the experience of white middle class men. Gilligan argued that the decision making process of women facing moral dilemma was different from men, with different stages of development. Gilligan and Nel Noddings (1984) developed an Ethics of Care which emphasized the importance of relationships leading to the realization that the best decision of a woman could make in a concrete situation may be seen by a man as morally defective. The situation remains the same today. Examples of this type of thinking in the Catholic Church would be numerous if “universal standards and impartiality” were strictly enforced. 3. Justice in East Asia: For East Asian people, especially those in countries influenced by Chinese culture, Confucian thought is still A milestone is the book by Carol Gilligan: In a Different Voice – Psychological Theory and Women’s Development (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and London, England: Harvard University Press, 1982)

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at work: justice is seen within the context of father-son axis patriarchy system, with the belief that this is basic to reach harmony in a family, state, and the world. In a home women were expected to complement whatever is lacking in the man and is to keep everything in place. She is to be an obedient daughter, wife (good daughter-in-law), and mother. The worst sin against filial piety is not having a male descendant to bear the family name（不孝有三，無後為大）. In Taiwan and China, even though women’s educational level has been raised and civil laws have been revised to achieve more equality between women and men; still, when it comes to pregnancy, this deep-rooted fixation on the importance of the male appears: women have been forced by their parents-in-law or husbands to have an abortion if the fetus is female, even they strongly want to keep the fetus; extramarital relationship of husband is permitted or even encouraged by his parents in order to obtain a boy if the wife did not give birth or only gave birth to girls. After seeing instances of some not-so-just justice principles and practices, we may move on to the discussion of sacraments in general, then the Eucharist.

II. Sacraments and Women Catholic women in Taiwan are influenced by most of the following church traditions but may or may not be aware of it. A. Traditional Catholic History/Herstory 1. From Early Church on: In the early church women were active in mission and ministry. Of the names associated with Paul in Acts or

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mentioned by him in his letters, 18 out of 37 were women. Among them Junia was an apostle (Rom 16:7), Phoebe was a “deacon” and “patron” (Rom 16:1-2), Nympha ran a house church in Colossians (4:15), Euodia and Syntyche were leaders of the Philippian church (Phil 4:2,3); Paul first preached the gospel to women at Philippi (Acts 16:13) and the church was first formed among women in the house of Lydia (Acts 16:15, 40). Paul greeted Priscilla and Aquila as co-workers twice (Rom 16:3-5, 2 Tim 4:19) where wife Priscilla was the leader and husband Aquila played a supportive role on the team. Paul’s following of Jesus in breaking open new horizons for women to be partners in evangelization was not without difficulties. His letters indicate the struggles among new believers concerning attempts to set limitations on gender roles and Paul’s response to these struggles (Eph 5:18-23, 1 Tim 2:11-12). Under the Roman socio-political atmosphere, the early church gradually absorbed the Roman practice of prohibiting women from taking on leadership roles. From the second to the sixth centuries, women deacons decreased gradually leading to a complete disappearance in the ninth century. 2. Around the Middle Ages: Although agreement on seven sacraments was not reached until the late Middle Ages, the first systematic writing on sacramental theology came from Augustine of Hippo (354-430). He described sacraments as signs of God’s grace, to affirm that the sacraments are the church’s acts, not acts of the individual minister. During the Middle Ages the issue of the “real presence” of Christ in the Eucharist emerged as a matter of controversy. Thomas Aquinas’ (1225-1274) response was to use philosophical categories as a means of explanation. While this brought scientific clarity to the question the rich complexity of the symbolic was lost and the importance of juridical

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categories of canon law for sacraments increased progressively. However, there was a contrast between “official theology” and lay belief and practice where women were concerned. In the late Middle Ages some of the Eucharistic devotion took on magical significance. It is interesting to note that women found a confirmation of the importance of the physical in the Eucharist especially since for centuries women had been told that because they were more physical, they were less spiritual than men.

3. Reformation Time and after: During and after the time of the Reformation a juridical mentality was maintained in the Roman Catholic Church. Neither Reformers nor Roman Catholics had an explicit shift in their understanding of the role of women. Certain theological positions paved the way to changes like women’s ordination centuries later. During the four hundred years between the Council of Trent (1545-1563) and the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) sacramental theology and practice remained the same. The administration of sacraments was largely in the hands of the celibate clergy. The maintenance of a distance between the laity and the Sacred Mysteries was physically reinforced by altar rails and cloisters, and psychologically by separation of the sacred and secular spheres. Popular devotions grew in many forms like novenas, benedictions, devotion to Mary and the saints; along with holy objects like scapulars, rosaries, holy cards, etc.; they provided the laity especially women a more immediate connection to the holy.

Susan A Ross, “God’s Embodiment and Women – Sacraments” in Freeing Theology: The Essentials of Theology in Feminist Perspective, Catherine Mowry LaCugna, ed. (New York: HarperSanFrancisco-HarperCollins, 1993), 187-189 Ibid., 189 Ibid., 189-190

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B. More Recent Developments Into the 20th century, Edward Schillebeeckx and Karl Rahner developed sacramental theology further into more personal and dynamic terms, made sacramental praxis the action of the whole church rather than just of the clergy. After 1960 women in Europe and United States began to receive formal theology education. Through their diligent research what had been “forgotten” or misunderstood for centuries started to come to light. Rosemary Ruether argues that women “suffer from linguistic deprivation and Eucharistic famine.”10 Her work, based on our Jewish

and Christian heritage, articulates a new vision. Feminist theologian Christian Gudorf points out that sacraments are also celebrations of women’s physical experiences in ordinary life – birth, meals, and comfort; but as they were celebrated by men, they became spiritualized, and women’s bodily experiences were marginalized and seen as less holy than men. Mary Collins suggests that contemporary women can learn from medieval women, to use sacraments to deepen their own appreciation of their humanity, not let the sacraments be co-opted by the clergy as their own.11

III. Eucharist as a Meal A. The story of a meal Some years ago I began to work at a small hospital in Taipei County. 10 Rosemary Radford Ruether, Women-Church: Theology and Practice of Feminist Liturgical Communities (New York: Crossroad, 1985), 4 11 Susan A Ross, “God’s Embodiment and Women – Sacraments” in Freeing Theology, 190-193

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When lunch time came I was led to the staff dining room where there were two round tables: one for men, the other for women. Since we only had two doctors working there, when I was on duty, the other one – a younger man – was off. So I was guided to where he usually sat. The founder of this hospital, an older man, wanted to create family atmosphere in this institution. This setting reminded me of the stories I heard from the country side of southern Taiwan years before: with men eating first and women eating the leftovers of the food they had prepared and served. It was a practice I thought no longer widely existed. But how is it today? Due to the uneven numbers at these tables we often had extra food left but the other table for women wouldn’t have enough to eat. This story leads to the question of the “table” in our Church. How do we “sit” and how do we “eat” at the table? What kind of table do we have for our “family meal”? B. Coming to the banquet Who come to the dinner? Who are the family members? Who are the quests? Who are welcome to come? Are there people who want to be part of the banquet but not allowed? What is shared? How is it shared? Where does this happen? Although in Taiwan there are active parishes with several scheduled Masses from Saturday evening to Sunday evening, morning and evening Mass during weekdays. However, many churches are locked during weekdays, some may not have Mass even on Sundays due to priest shortage, or have only elderly and children participants, and some are maintained by only a few families or by migrant workers from foreign countries. “Family members” and “guests” are separated by their gestures

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at the time of receiving communion: to hold the palms open to receive communion or to cross arms in front the chest to receive blessing There are those who weep quietly and long for communion. Do we know them? At the vulnerable time when nourishment is needed many are cut off from the opportunity for communion. In mixed marriages where the wife is Catholic but the husband’s parents are not, she may be abused by a family member who says: “She is a Catholic, she cannot get divorced, and we can do whatever we want.” When a woman leaves a violent husband for the sake of keeping herself and children alive, even without civil divorce and raises children in a better manner, some of the parishioners treat her like “divorced sinner” and tell her not to receive communion. Those whose first marriage was a mistake, and who finally find meaning in second marriage, also feel that they are not allowed to receive communion, even though it is not the case according to canon law. Here I am not talking about just any divorce, or any remarriage, but about those marriages in which the partners try very hard to remain faithful to the teaching of the church as they know it. Besides helping them to clarify their situation with the Diocesan Tribunal, some Canon lawyers also see the problems in the 1983 revised Canon Law with some controversial and conflicting areas to be reconsidered. It is true to say that women with difficulties in marriages don’t feel free to share with fellow parishioners for fear of being judged by them and being blamed as if a bad marriage was their own fault. These women find less support in parish groups – which is to be the Body of Christ – and find that their part of the “body” is not welcome. They can find some support with a religious woman or lay woman who prays for healing for their misery and through this connection they gain strength from

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God to continue their struggle. Men usually sense less of a problem in communication within marriage, until it is very serious. They tend to keep to themselves to solve or leave unsolved. Among the most marginalized in the Church are those who are homosexual. They either keep their identity secret when they come to church, or find other ways like going to Christian fellowship run by Protestant ministers to sustain their faith in Jesus Christ. Whichever way they choose it is rather painful, for they cannot be fully true as a real person to him/herself with families, brothers and sisters in the same church family. We have no knowledge if there are any bisexual or transgender women and men coming to the banquet. Surely they will keep their identity secret from those they see in the church. Can we say that the ones with marriage troubles, the homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgender persons are not called by the Lord to the banquet? Are they less worthy to receive the Lord than the rest of the family? The institutional church did express friendly gestures few times, but it is like “come to join us in the banquet, but you are not allowed to eat” so they watch others eat. Can we not be affected when our limbs suffer and we are not an intact body? C. Open up the Table The above discussion involves who can and who cannot come to Eucharist. Is it possible to say that this may be a reflection of the orientation enforced by the institutional church and which has become internalized in lay people’s mind? Is that all? We celebrate Incarnation – God’s embodiment through Jesus, but what kind of God do we see? What kind of God do we think God is? As the Indian Jesuit Paul

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Coutinho says, “How big is your God?”12 Is the God we believe in only a priestly God whom we try to please through the rituals and traditions of

our faith?13 Isn’t God also a Yahwistic God who hears the cry of the poor, near the broken hearted?14 God of course is more than these, but can we only emphasize one part and make it so important as if that’s all? We all know who was given the authority “to bind and to loose,” and there is a need to set boundaries to say who’s “in”, who’s “out” in any institutions. When we try to follow Jesus, it is not that easy. Do we see that he has bound anybody? Isn’t He the Good News to those who are bound, those who were kicked out of the synagogue or social spheres? They were outside the “normal” groups or good people’s arena of activities. But we always find Jesus eating with them, talking with them, and even staying at one of their homes (Lk 18:5-7). Do we only keep people who are “in good standing” in the parish? Do we dare to show up in the church when we don’t feel good enough about ourselves? Do we let children cry or make noise during liturgy as part of family gathering or our disapproving reaction make young parents feel so embarrassed that they will stay away from the church for few years? Do we find ways to accommodate physically disabled to church for liturgies and related activities? Do we accept the few mistakes a mentally disabled person make during liturgy? Do we welcome people who contracted HIVAIDS sit next to us in the pews, or see them like lepers in Jesus time?

12 Paul Coutinho, How Big Is Your God? (Chicago: Loyola Press, 2007) 13 Ibid., 36-37, 48 14 Ibid., 38-41, 49

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IV. Communion in Body of Christ I was challenged by someone about this theme, “What’s the use to talk about Eucharist when Catholics are such a small number here. Do you only have internal concerns?” From Pauline theology, we see that Christ is filled in the faithful (Gal, Phil), Christ is filled in the community (1 Cor, 2 Cor), Christ is filled in the history (Rom 5:19, 11:32), and Christ is filled in the cosmos (Eph 2:16, 21-22; Col 1:15-16).15 Could we say, then, that we see Body

of Christ among the Christian gathering, in the Church communities, and not just the believers but the whole cosmos? “The whole Christ is a

corporate personality, a relational reality, redeemed humanity.”16 When Saul was struck by the light from heaven, the voice asked “why do you persecute me?” He heard the response: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:1-5). Both men and women disciples are identified with Jesus without distinction. Incarnation - God became human, and we live out the life of Christ in us and through us as Gospel proclamation; but what do we know about human being, and how do we see human body? Are there invisible parts of human body ignored? A. This is my body, this is my blood Let us listen to some unheard voices. Once at a retreat a woman shared an experience of her daughter’ 15 穆宏志：《保祿的基督圖像》，慶祝保祿年學術研討會-保祿的宣講與台灣福傳之對話，台北，2009/04/25 ( Jesus Munoz: Paul’s Image of Christ, Dialogue of Paul’s Preaching and Evangelization in Taiwan, Taipei, 2009) 16 Elizabeth Johnson, She Who Is – The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, (New York: Crossroad, 1998), 72

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s giving birth. When the baby was born, she couldn’t help holding the blood-stained sheet and exclaimed, “This is my body! This is my blood!” It was a spiritual moment, a profound mystical experience for her. During later years I found that other women had similar experiences. For women the physical and spiritual are tightly connected, in daily life, in natural events; not only in a specific time, place, and rite which is separate from the rest of life. When I asked some women from several Asian countries on the meaning of Eucharist, most of them said right away, “Break and share”, not only the words said for transformation of bread and wine to Jesus’ flesh and blood. They are married women, religious women, single women, widowed women, they have lived a life of love and service, they know what it is to break their lives open and share that unreservedly like Jesus: “Do this in memory of me”. This brought back a memory: Once a friend came back from Israel after three months of study and said, “Hebrew is concrete, there are no abstract nouns.” Then it occurred to me, to say “This is my body” is a powerful way to say “This is ME”; and to say “This is my blood” is indicating “This is my LIFE”, to pass down in very concrete, visible, audible, touchable, chewable these ordinary means. Women live out being Body of Christ through breaking open and sharing themselves in daily lives. When these words, “This is my body….” “This is my blood…” are said in a Mass, do we see life follows what being said? Is the physical part of fellow human beings appreciated? B. Bread, Broken and Eat “Women are constantly breaking their lives for others,” a woman said, “when you get pregnant you feel this even more: you don’t do this or that because you are pregnant, you eat or not eat certain things because of the

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baby, you don’t go places you had wanted to go because of the baby in you, you adjust your way of sleeping,…a lot of things get changed around for the other.” She never regretted being pregnant and loved all these experiences; meanwhile knowing that it could be a much more difficult process for someone else based on physical size, strong physiological or pathological changes come with pregnancy even the person has very good support system. We know how mothers feed the family, within the poor family a mother manages to put out limited food and tries to divide in a way each can have little something, even she herself only watches them eat and starves. When parents are chronically ill, one of the daughters gives up her opportunity to marriage in order to stay home to take care of them. In many families the oldest daughter begins to take a job at a very young age so her younger brothers can go to school. In poorer families, one of the girls sacrificed herself to go along with parents’ arrangement to work in a brothel at age 12 or 13 so the financial condition in the family would be improved. In households where one salary is not enough to feed and clothe the kids, put them through school, take care of the medical expenses; the mother will find one or several jobs, even if she prefers to stay home as homemaker. In families where the husband gets assigned abroad otherwise will lose his job, the wife takes all the responsibilities at home to raise the children, and not infrequently is expected to understand and forgive his need to have affairs with other women outside. When we celebrate Mass, are we aware of the demand on women, as well as voluntary and involuntary sacrifices from women; are parts of bruised Body of Christ?

Do we see any injustice in some of the

customary practices around us and try to lesson them?

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C. Blood shed for others From the 15th to the 17th centuries in Europe, many women - unmarried women, widows, wise women, women healers, and poor women, who did not have powerful political defenders, were burned to death as witches in the name of purification of the Mystical Body. In the early 20th century in China, some young women who joined the revolution to throw off a corrupt dynasty and build a democratic country were tortured and killed. In recent times in Taiwan, there are women who have shed their blood for others: Women cover their children in an earthquake or house fire to try to keep them from harm. Women who serve in politics to reduce the suffering of those in the minority or those who are disadvantaged can find themselves being harassed and exposed to great harm. There are girls and women who are crucified like Jesus: little girls who have been sexually molested and killed, sometimes by their father, step-father, uncle, or grandfather; teenager girls been cheated or forced taken to places, raped and killed; battered wives in domestic violence; traditional wives faithful to her role but get HIVD-AIDS through her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to prostitutes; migrant workers who are abused; women married from a foreign country being expected to work long hours without tender appreciation or be treated as sex slavesâ&#x20AC;Ś. When we celebrate Mass, do we see that these tortured or killed innocent lives are scapegoats for the rest of humanity, just like Christ Jesus? Do we continue to justify some of the concepts and attitudes without learning the lesson from history? D. Human Body, Human Mind One can say that human beings are partly visible and partly invisible.

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Taoist philosophy, in the book of Lao-Tzu: The Dao-De-Jing17, when yin and yang are referred to as Dao and De, Dao – the yin part is the invisible/unseen essence or principle where De – the yang element is the manifestation of the Dao. It is interesting to note that there seems to be some correlation with the topographical model of mind with the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious in Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)’ s Psychoanalysis; animus and anima as unconscious traits, true inner self in Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)’s Analytic Psychology; and the Personal Iceberg Metaphor of Virginia Satir (1916-1988) as a few examples. Even if they each have their own elaborate theories, they remind us of our own experience: what we say is not all what we think, what we think is not all what we know, and what we know about ourselves is not what we are as a whole. In daily life or analytic session, sometimes we may want to be more deliberate to bring out the unknown, sometimes we may push them down further if they were perceived as threats to us. And all these are in a constant interaction with the physical body. When we weigh intellectual function heavily as if it’s the only mental function, emotional reaction is at work and physical changes occur. No matter our sex or gender, there is the masculine and feminine in each of us. It can be likened to the positive and negative ions in our biochemical fluid and neuron transmission, it is like the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve system. The central regulatory system constantly adjusts the output according to the positive and negative feedback from the peripheral system. We cannot say which is right or more important. When there is too much of “positive” element, system gets too high; we may have hypertension (blood pressure too high), hyperthyroidism (thyroid function and metabolism too high), or mania (mood too high). 17 There are several translations used: Lao-Tze, Lau-Tzu; DaoDeJing, Tao Te Ching

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We cannot say it is bad in the darkness, for we need night time sleep for parasympathetic nerve system and immune system to do their work to maintain the system to operate well. When Carl Jung writes of the anima, it refers to a man’s undeveloped feminine inner personality in the unconscious; there are four levels of anima development, the process in a male is about the male subject opening up to emotionality, a broader spirituality, then psychic sensitivity toward himself and others. The four levels Eve, Helen, Mary

(Our Lady), and Sophia18, are the unconscious idea of the feminine in a man’s mind, rather than the woman herself. While the four roles of animus in female are more complex, women contain multiple masculine attributes and potentials. With this and the left brain-right brain separation vs. connection, women are harder to be understood if men only view women from a left brain linear way of thinking; as a total person also has emotion, intuitive process, creativity, imagination, and the heart which are not so readily described by words, rather expressed through physical change or movement. For this the non-verbal part and the invisible part of a person may be ignored or suppressed, in individual and the collective human race; and this ignorance may even be justified through rational language. When we celebrate Mass, are we so concerned about the visible liturgical rites, and not paying enough attention to look beyond what’ s behind the symbols, beyond the spoken words, beneath the stirrings in the hearts? E. Human Body to Body of Christ How can we be a “healthier” body together? How can the Body of Christ be more alive in the way we treat one another? How do we see 18 Wikipedia: Anima and animus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anima_and_animus

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genders after most of the discussion seems limited to two complementary elements?

Do we see normality in men and women as average on a statistic

curve only?19 Do we see men and women are like two species of human being? We see qualities usually attribute to women like gentle, meek, and compassionate in Jesus, we may also see rational thinking, logic, and decisive, etc. qualities usually attributed to men in women. Besides, more recent studies indicate that genetic and biological components may contribute to sexual orientation;20 not to miss the earlier known finding

on varied genital organ differentiation during embryo stage.21

Could there be men and women, who may have so-called male or female qualities and form a good balance, and there are men and women who have qualities seen as “the other” then get rejected. In God’s eyes, doesn’t everyone have equal dignity and all loved by God? For those gifted women or men, should they be denied of their talents because of their sex or gender, and bury those in the ground; or could we just “go natural” to let them earn more talents for the Reign of God? 19 Normality is seen as Health, as Utopia, as Average, and as Process; together they make the totality of the behavioral science and social science approaches to the subject. from Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences/Clinical Psychiatry, tenth edition, (Philadelphia etc 8 places: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2007), 12-13 20 Ibid, 686 21 Ibid, 681

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In Taiwan where gender equality in society has been improving (though with room to grow further), we had a female vice-President, women have been in government cabinet, as business leaders and religious leaders, pilot and captain; areas where women were prohibited due to taboo of menstruation like ship or temples have been opened to enter. With these opening ups it does not mean most women should or will do the types of work they did not do before; though many women in Europe and US had worked on the farms and in the factories while men went to war. Among the folks who live a traditional life style without discussion of “gender equality”; some of these ordinary women have been accepted as oracles to lead formal Taoist religious ceremony after same training. Likewise in the long patriarchal Confucian rite, the Hsiao’s broke hundred year tradition to have the first woman to preside over the annual ancestral ceremonies of Dou-sun Family Temple22.

The development of human body-Christ body is a process. Four hundred years ago the Church authority denied scientific finding about the earth’s movement around the sun and claimed that it was against our faith; today we know that there are not only this galaxy but millions more of galaxies. Few decades ago children who used left hand to write were seriously corrected by parents and teachers, today we know that they are gifted with more active right brain and are very creative. It is interesting that Jung’s highest level for men’s anima development is Sophia, while Elizabeth Johnson speaks of Jesus-Sophia, Wisdom made flesh, Christ the Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24).23 Jesus as human being is beyond

maleness. 22 http://www.awker.com/ethics/gender/invitation-web.htm 23 Chapter 8 of Elizabeth Johnson, She Who Is – The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, (New York: Crossroad, 1998), 150-154, 165-167

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What are we really afraid of? “Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.” (Lk 12: 2) To bring the unseen part of us to be visible does not mean to replace what it is known; rather, to make it fuller. From infant period girl began to learn to other-oriented in her relationship, while boys learn to separate and became independent (even the independent part may not apply to Asian that well); boys’ concern on the rules to make sure a game

continue while girls may stop the game to keep the relationship.24 There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The Church is not without creative, mystical elements, somehow becomes more limited to leftbrained rational level thinking, using words to make rules to define and control. Attempts to control tightly will not cut human longings off from the divine beyond words; when the image of God gets too male-like and distant, devotion to Mary turns to divine-like as connection by many people. To balance the masculine and feminine in each individual, in Church, in humanity as a whole, and with the creation, we let many layers of beauty, creativity, wisdom surface, where hearts will touch with God’s Spirit. When Mass is celebrated, are we aware of the development of human race to a fuller state within the cosmos, beyond narrow definition of maleness and femaleness?

24 Carol Gilligan: In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983), 10-11

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CONCLUSION What was said here is by no means a well thought of theory. It is only an attempt to approach this topic from a different angle, to lessen the oppositional tension related to “gender equality” and “gender justice”, and hopefully to bring some new possibilities of dialogue. If we see Eucharist with focus more on the Communion of Body of Christ, we cannot ignore the way how we balance the masculine and feminine in each person, in a small community, to the collective humanity; and the Church cannot be totally outside of the path of human cultural growth and development. The resistance or rejection to this flow creates pain and suffering by placing part of human beings as “the other”. We remember and celebrate Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection with God’s everlasting love for all people; for this we share and try to live out in solidarity with all who are marginalized.

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EUCHARIST AND ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA Bishop D.K.Sahu

Introduction One activity of the koinonia (fellowship) of the people of God is worship. The importance of worship lies in it being that activity which seeks to evoke the fundamentals and induct the worshipper into the heart of the story of the Creator. Stephen Sykes suggests that the phenomenon of Christian worship makes a vital difference to the conditions under which vigorous argument of a radical kind may be regarded as a constructive contribution to the performance of Christian identity .

The centrality of worship has been an emphasis more evident in the recent theological discussions irrespective of different traditions. This is evident in the World Council of Churches publication Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (hereinafter referred to as BEM). The document BEM was formulated by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches at its meeting held in Lima, Peru in 1982. The text is one of the most important documents of the ecumenical movement .

At the heart of Christian worship is the recognition of the story of the triune God, celebrated in the act of thanksgiving. Praise is a central fact of Christian life. All creation is a work of God s love and Jesus Christ is God s giving of Himself in love to restore and fulfil all creation. The Holy Spirit is the pouring out of this love in endless fresh creativity. Praise of God recognizes, enjoys and celebrates it. It is an activity related to God and to other people in the context of creation. Worship is central in that life where the identity of God is witnessed to by a people in ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Sykes, Stephen. The Identity of Christianity, SPCK, London,1984,p265 ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, Faith and Order paper No 111,WCC,Geneva,1982

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praise, confession, repentance, hearing the word and breaking bread. Worship is that activity which Christians engage in together where the community remembers and expresses the Christian story. The worship of the Christian community celebrates and anticipates the glory of God that will be consummated in the eschatological renewal of all creation. It is suggested that the Supper incorporates different elements of worship and that the story, doctrine and institutional identities are evoked in the performance of the Supper.

i. Story of the Supper Stephen Sykes proposes that the notion of story remembering itself coheres closely with major elements of Eucharistic theology. He notes that there are four components in story grammar; a setting, a theme, a plot, and a resolution. These four align with thanksgiving to the Father (creation), memorial of the Son (redemption), communion of the faithful (church), meal in the kingdom (eschatology). There is an extrinsic as well as intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist as sacrament and the performance of a public narrative memorial .

An important implication of his proposal is to recognize that the Eucharist theology which uses the idea of story is not open to the same objections a can be brought against some traditional doctrines. From the beginning the Christians have focused their concerns in the Supper as seen in Paul s first letter to Corinth. The early Christians gathered at the Table to break bread and drink wine. This coming together in brotherly ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Sykes, Stephen. The Story and Eucharist, Interpretation, October,1983,p365

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love was certainly not a Christian innovation. The Jews who lived in those days used to gather at the table in brotherly love. The Romans also used to assemble in brotherly love. The Romans also used to assemble in brotherly love in associations, and there was need for special laws concerning such associations which were called Collegia . They used to address each other in the association by the title brethren . The Jewish gathering was on the basis of race and the Roman gathering was on the basis of profession. The Christian gathering was based on the declaration that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, rich nor poor, master nor slave. The central aspect of the Supper is praise. It has its root on the Jewish berakah (Blessed art Thou, O Lord Our God ). God is blessed and thanked for his goodness in creation and redemption. In that blessing, the plea is that God will extend his graciousness into the present and also to the future. Through the blessing, a proclamation is made about the Lord s death and his resurrection. An understanding of the nature of God is displayed at the Supper. This culminates in grateful praise of God for his marvellous work in Christ. The decisive fact of this aspect of praise is that it tells a story and an invitation is extended to come to the Table. The Supper relates to a story of a great feast . Jesus looked to the feast in the final kingdom of God when many will come from east and west, north and south, and sit at the Table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Mt. 8:11, Lk. 13:29). The story is retold again and again during the Supper. In telling this story, it needs to be remembered that it cannot be understood unless it is placed in the right context. ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Gorringe,Timothy. Redeeming Time, DLT,London,1986,p150-174

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There are two major roots to the story of the Supper. One was Jesus table-fellowship. The table fellowship of Jesus was a matter of great importance. Jesus had extended the meal across social boundaries, even to those who did not keep the Law. There were some who could not understand this; it was offensive and difficult for the Scribes and the Pharisees. They questioned Jesus dining with the tax collectors and sinners (Mk. 2:16-17). The Lucan account of the story of a meal with Zacchaeus is an example of the table fellowship of Jesus which he used as a sign of forgiveness and acceptance (Lk. 19:1-10). The other root of the story of the Supper was the meal which Jews celebrated, and still celebrate each year at the Passover. The Passover meal was a celebration of the way in which God had brought the people of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt and set them on the road to the Promised Land. It was an occasion for reminding themselves of the gracious act of God. The book of Exodus, which records the institution of the Passover, states that This day shall be for you a memorial day and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance for ever. (12:14) The word memorial gave the Jewish paschal meal its whole meaning as an actualization of the deliverance of the people of God. It is not a subjective remembrance, but a strong power in forming the identity of the Jews. And when your children say to you, what do you mean by this service? you shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord s Passover . (Ex. 12:26, 27) The Jews as a people of God recall what God once did so that He may continue it today. It involved also a thanksgiving to God, a praising of God. Psalm 116 was sung during the meal

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render unto the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord (116:12,13) The Supper in the context of Passover is a blessing for the wonderful deeds of God, a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. The Church in continuation with the story of Passover celebrated the Supper with praise and by recalling the death and resurrection of Jesus. The story is told that it is God who has reconciled the world to Himself. This story of reconciliation gives the worshipping community its identity at the Table.The Church gathers around the Table to hear the story of what God has done for all mankind in Jesus, and goes out to tell the story. Jesus is a crucial part of that story but it begins with the call of Adam. The call sets the agenda of God s engagement with human history. The table fellowship background of the story of the Supper reminds one of the importances of the meal. We for whom a meal is often a rushed cup of coffee and a piece of toast, or a hamburger taken on the run from a station buffet, need to realize afresh the importance of meals in the ancient world, and still today in other cultures. The meal is an expression of friendship and hospitality. To break bread with

another was to share something of that person s life . Jesus accepted many invitations to meals and much of his teaching was also given in the context of a meal. Quite a number of parables featured a meal or banquet theme. The Passover background of the Supper is a reminder of the Jewish antecedents of the Christian Supper.

ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Dunn, J.D.G. Whatever happened to the Lord s Supper? Epworth Review, Vol. IX,No1,January,1992,p35

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In both cases the background of the Supper is a meal. The significance of the meal lies in the fact that it was a sharing of food and drink together. In one case, a meal eaten in company as an expression of the character of Jesus mission and the fellowship of the kingdom of God. In the other, a meal re-enacting Israel s history of salvation as focused in the exodus. They both give reminders that in essence the Supper is a celebration. It was celebrated on the first day of the week. He who was crucified, was expected to come and was experienced in the power of the Spirit. One failure on the part of the Church is to treat the Supper as just a matter of individual piety rather than a corporate community celebration in anticipation of a meal in the kingdom. The perpetuation of individual piety in a caste society like India becomes again a barrier to communion where eating together with the outcastes is still a problem. The Supper narrates the fundamental event of the Christian community and gives substance to the values and aspirations of that community, and enhances its sense of unity and purpose. It is maintained that the existence of the community is derived from the tradition concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Supper evokes the memory of this narrative. The retelling of this narrative affirms values and beliefs of central importance to the community of faith. It tells a story and thereby generates values. A narrative identity of the Supper makes a minimum of presuppositions and thus is ideally suited as a starting point for exposition of the nature of the meal. In this way it is capable of functioning as a

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point of entry for those who experience difficulties in making sense of the Supper, on account of a multiplicity of difficult ontological assumptions. A narrative account of the Supper provides the community of faith with a sense of historical location as does the table fellowship of Jesus and the Passover . They narrate the fundamental events. The story of the death and resurrection of Jesus is affirmed to be the story of the community of faith, inviting hearers to correlate their situation with the pattern of death and life disclosed in the narrative of the Supper. The Supper as a story is vulnerable to abuse or misinterpretation. George Stroup refers to those Protestant traditions which insist that celebration of the Lord s Supper and baptism should always be accompanied by the sermon. The theological presupposition for this position is that the spiritual presence of the Word in the sacraments should not be separated from the appearances of the Word in Scripture and sermon . The Word is present when the Spirit enables personal and

community identity to be fused to the narrative history of God s grace. Sacraments without narratives are vulnerable and this is what Sykes means when he speaks of the extrinsic relation between Eucharist as a sacrament and the performance of public narrative memorial. The intrinsic relation between the Eucharist as a sacrament and performance of public narrative memorial is to link the sign character of the eating and drinking to the sign character of the public recitation of the narrative. The ritual of eating and drinking of eucharist elements and the performance of narratives are together indicative of an interior intention; it is by means of both that the proclamation of the meaning of Christ s death is ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Stroup,George.The Promise of Narrative Theology, SCM,London,1981,p253

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constantly made.

ii. Doctrine of the Supper The origin of different denominational identities that went into the formation of the CNI goes back to the conflicts of sixteenth century Europe. The Reformers emphasized the importance of a visible Church. The intention of the Reformers was to reform in order to preserve the true identity of the Church. They felt that the identity of the early Church had become distorted by the late medieval Roman Church. They were engaged in discovering the Biblical perspective. According to them the Church is nourished by the Word of God. It is the community or fellowship of believers, anchored in a common faith in a common Lord. This community meets together to hear God s word preached and to participate in the sacraments. The identity of the community is determined by the preaching of the Gospel of Christ and by the correct administration of the sacraments. The reformers placed word and sacrament at the centre of the ministry of the church. The Lord s Supper was the bond of charity that united the faithful community. Communion was a function of community by which all were joined in one body. The story of the history of the Supper is one of controversy. The division between the churches has centred upon the question of the nature of the real presence , and sacrifice . In this respect the eschatological aspect has been undermined, which ought to be a celebration, an act of praise, in anticipation of the coming reign of God. Much doctrinal difference centres on the word anamnesis (memorial).

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Scholars give different nuances to their explanations. There have been arguments between Catholics and Protestants, and among Protestants, concerning both the Eucharistic sacrifice and the presence of Christ; and between East and West about the relation between the roles of Christ and the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist. The doctrinal dispute over the centuries has led to the mutual alienation of the traditions of East and West and within the Western tradition, to alienation between Rome and the Reformation. It has also caused difficulty in understanding the meaning of the Supper for those entering the Church from other religious traditions. For example the theology of the Eastern churches has stressed the Divine Liturgy as a reflection of the heavenly liturgy before the throne of God. In the West the emphasis came to lie on the words of institution as relating to the representation of Jesus sacrifice on the cross, and the significance of Jesus words over the giving of bread and wine. Within the ecumenical movement, a wide-ranging consensus has come into being over the doctrine of the Supper. One widely accepted multilateral document is BEM. In BEM, the doctrine of Eucharist is treated under five headings. They are Thanksgiving, Memorial, Invocation of the Spirit, Communion, and Anticipation of the Meal in the Kingdom. One important category of all these is the anticipation of the Meal in the Kingdom. To achieve consensus in this respect one fundamental error into which the church is prone to fall is that of subordinating the

eschatological to the historical . The Church is treated as having, for ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; See also Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, The Final Report, 1981,SPCK,London,1982

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practical purposes, the whole plenitude of God s grace in itself now. God has, as it were, deposited His grace with the Church and left it to her to administer. The fact is that the Church is not there to administer grace; rather it is a worshipping community of men and women who celebrate the reign of God. At the heart of that celebration is a rehearsing of His words and deeds. A congregation which believes and lives by the Gospel is characterized by its eschatology. The Supper points to an inclusiveness because it is rooted in the story of the Table Fellowship of Jesus and the Passover. Jesus shared a meal with tax collectors and sinners and the Passover with his disciples. The Supper in itself is a redemptive act, an effective sign that also creates the possibility for openness to the future. Seen in this perspective it depicts what is needed to remove all that hinders fellowship, and incorporates the idea of the coming reign of God, giving rise to a new vision. Eschatological belief points to the possibility of a new order based on faith that in the incarnation the word of God entered into His own disordered world. The divine economy entered into historical and creaturely existence. This is what Paul spoke of when he referred to the gathering up of all things into Christ, things visible and invisible. It is an ordering within the eternal purpose of divine love and fellowship. The celebration of the Supper is anchored in the adoration of God. In celebration the ultimate essence of catholicity lies not in doctrinal controversy but in the transcendence of all divisions in Christ. It covers all areas and all dimensions of life.

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iii. Institutions and the Supper The Supper as a church doctrine is essential to the identity of the group. It helps to constitute faithful adherence to a community. But disagreement on the matter of doctrine constitutes one of the main reasons for refusing to resume table fellowship between different denominations. There is a glaring discrepancy between the theological character of the Supper as a sacrament of fellowship and the historical situation of mutual excommunication. In the present ecumenical context the debate centres on the question of inter-communion. Some believe that it is Christ present in the Supper who invites all to His Table. This cannot and should not be thwarted by ecclesiastical discipline. Others believe that there cannot be inter-communion between separated Christians as it implies full unity in the wholeness of his truth. All Christians wish to overcome this gap. Ecumenists have differed on ways and means. Some think that communion at the Supper should be the final goal of Christian unity, and others think that intercommunion should be seen as an effective step on the way to fuller unity. The common participation in one Eucharist will allow the Lord creatively to bring us closer to the perfect peace and unity that will mark the final kingdom, for such a Eucharist will be the occasion for Him to exercise the three eschatological functions of casting out from us in judgement what is amiss in us, of uniting us closer to Himself in divine fellowship, and of joining us together in common enjoyment of His presence and gifts .

ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Wainwright, Geoffrey. Eucharist and Eschatology,Epworth,1971,p143

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The Church as a koinonia cannot live except as a visibly defined body with a structure. But that does not indicate continuation of one structure. It means repudiations of tradition are to be followed by reassertions when a break occurs; then a new structure is formed. Order is the co-ordination of the life of the Church. In the biblical story the concept of order is viewed over against disorder and chaos. The beginning of the story is that the world was without form and void except for the creative word of God. Sin entered into the ordered cosmos and brought chaos. The story ends with the point that the covenant of God contains the promise of a new order, a new creation when all things will be restored to order. So order is part of the story which must be reflected in the institutional identity of a community. Intercommunion is associated with the ordering of the institutional life of the Church. Substantial agreement on doctrine does not automatically lead all churches to intercommunion, because intercommunion involves the issues of ministry and authority. In most churches the celebrant at the supper is normally an ordained minister. The general recognized responsibility of the ordained ministry is to proclaim the word of God, and to celebrate the Sacraments. The ordained ministry becomes a visible focus of institutional identity in the celebration of the Supper as well as a cause of disrepute for intercommunion. Being one of the concerns of the ecumenical movement, the missionary witness of the Church is vital. Ministerial order must be ancillary. Saying this is not to discredit the role of the ordained ministry, but to draw attention to the concept of the priesthood of the people of

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God. The minister is a representative of the people and thus is understood to represent the priestly people .

In the community celebration of the Supper, the minister is to be seen as seeking the response and acknowledgement of the community. It is by committing his life to the community that a minister has the authority to celebrate. The authority is governed by mutual love within the community and is exercised with respect to the community. It is shared by all, and not exclusive to any group within the people of God. The goal of ecumenism is the ordering of the Household of God, where He is the Head. The word oikonomia is the ordering of a house. God came into the world to take control of His household and it is He who will gather everything to Himself. His oikonomia is not an imposition on the world but operates from within. Reordering of the household is done through Jesus in the form of a servant. In the course of that reordering the Church is called to obedience through the Spirit. In that calling the Church on earth shares all historical contingents. The question of management of the household as a concern of the present is wide ranging. One contemporary set of questions is concerned with liberation and social justice. The Church as a koinonia means fellowship with God as well as with fellow human beings. Therefore koinonia is not a cover for individualism in which each looks out for himself or for herself at the expense of others; neither is it a cover for toleration, to maintain harmony among free individuals. The Church as a koinonia speaks of the manifestation of the love of God. Therefore the prophetic role in ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Schillebeeckx,Edward, The Church with a Human Face, SCM,London,1985

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koinonia is essential; that also constitutes one element in the institution of the Supper. The church always requires a contemporary prophetic ministry like that of Paul s to the Corinthian congregation. Alongside the narration of the events of the Supper, Paul needed to elucidate what it meant to discern the true nature of the Church as the body of Christ (I Cor. 11:33). In Corinth s case there was failure of discernment that led to the persistence of social division in the congregation. The Supper is a challenge to the Church when it remains static and unquestioning with regard to injustice within the life of the community. If hope rests on God, then the Church must endeavour to leave behind any tendency towards stabilization and go on with readiness to be open to the future. That means to be in constant dialogue with the present, maintaining hope in God for a new situation. Such an aim cannot consist in adaptation or preservation of the status quo but in readiness to be the instruments for the reconciling purpose of God. India is not by tradition individualist. The family and the community play a great part in Indian life. In the east the family has a much wider significance than in the west since it consists of not only husband and wife but parents, brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren. The Christians in India have also learnt from the Bible that God the Father cares for individuals and society, and that the individual has his own worth in society. It is possible to see in the Church that type of life which perfectly reconciles the individual and community. The community that celebrates the Supper is reminded of a divine relationship where there is a correspondence between human rights and

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dignity, and the place of every human being in the eternal will of God. It is the place where God is the Father, Jesus Christ is the brother, and the Spirit is the counsellor. Every human being is a person whose rightful place is within the divine relationship. The individual person emerges within the community in the free giving of himself or herself in surrender to the other. In such an act of surrender to each other the personhood becomes real and there arises a community. When several persons surrender to each other in this way there arises a community in which Love finds communion without seeking it, or rather precisely because it does not seek it10.

The historical character of Christian faith demands that the Bible as a witness to the integration of individual and community must be taken seriously. The socio-cultural background of the Old Testament and the New Testament is a witness that confessions of faith are not theoretical statements but are based on God s redemptive acts and his message as applied to particular situations. Individual conversion is not complete outside of a reconciled community. The ideal is a community which has a vision to transcend the divisions of society. The inclusiveness of community consists in recognition of the importance of the family in society and the humanity of all, and the acceptance of sick, weak, outcastes, poor and rich. Implicit in this recognition is a risk-taking love for others which is proclaimed and celebrated in the act of the Supper. The question of self-emptying when applied to the community is ultimately based on Christ s self10ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Sanctorum Communio,Collins,London,p125

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giving obedience unto death. Therefore one fundamental feature of self-emptying for the community is an activity. It is found by the persons in the community in participation within divine relationship. This community is composed of those people who have their place within it not by virtue of their capacity to love but by virtue of the reality of the gift of the Holy Spirit. So the community is helped to be free from introversion of love which could work as a fragmenting force and lead to a tyrannical collectivism. The community constituted by the love of the triune God is neither a continuing self-perpetuating institution in which God does nothing new, nor simply a momentous event which happens ever anew when a group of Christians meet together. The community constituted by the love of God is visited by the Lord in both love and judgement as it praises, listens to His word, prays for the world and breaks the bread together. Therefore worship constitutes an important element in shaping the identity of the Christian community. It is a fact that the majority of Indian Christians are from the outcastes but are excluded from receiving any privileges such as are afforded to scheduled castes by the Government. The Mandal Commission reported that : In view of this the Scheduled Caste converts to Christianity, Islam, Buddhism etc. should not be denied the benefits extended to Scheduled Castes and the same should hold good in respect of Other Backward Classes. At some places it was also contended that all Muslims and all Christians should be included in the list of Other Backward Classes as these communities were really very

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backward11. It is also argued in some circles that a communal church is ideal on the basis that the churches drawn from homogeneous caste or tribal groups are among the strongest in India. They have carried over some of their old social cohesion intact. But the question is whether that ought to be an ideal for the Church in India with regard to dealing with the issues of justice, and witnessing to the reconciling power of the gospel. The compartmentalization of India into different religious communities has the effect of isolating Christians from being a part of the ferment in the life of the nation. India deals with foreign elements much as an oyster deals with a piece of grit. The invader is allowed to become a part of India, but he is prevented from contaminating the

national life by a protective wall of social distance12. Any new religions that enter India have a good chance of survival, but they often become in effect a new caste. The religion is accepted as a recognized component of Indian society, but in return it is expected not to disturb the existing pattern. For example the Jews and Parsees have long been accepted on this basis. BEM in the section on Eucharist draws attention to the communion of the faithful. The ecclesiological section particularly emphasizes the socially reconciling character of the relationship in the new community, and the challenge of the Eucharist to social separation and injustice. Section E Meal of the Kingdom, continually affirms the 11ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Mandal,1980,p47 12ă&#x20AC;&#x20AC; Grant,John W. God s People in India, London,1959,p21

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vision of the renewal of creation and mission to the whole world. The bread and wine is offered in a setting which transcends the social as well as natural divisions. In that setting the offering of bread ad wine speaks of the goodness of the created order, the offering of One life for many, and the sharing of that blessing by all. The very act of sharing embraced in the Supper questions the oppressive structure of the society and the division of the community between rich and poor, male and female, black and white, high caste, low caste and outcaste. As a celebration it incorporates both aspects of remembrance, the past as well as the future. Suggesting the interrelation of the three categories : narrative , doctrine and institution through the performance of the Supper as an act of worship, is to draw attention to the basis of Christian identity. It is the human tendency to cling to the past and to a structure that makes them insensitive to the Lord s active visitation of His people in judgment and renewal. Institutional blindness could be one important factor in the persistence of divisions among Christians, and therefore hassled to continued celebration of the Supper in mutual isolation. The eschatological dimension of worship assists in challenging a community. It contains a polarity of the already and the not yet . The most obvious thing regarding the Supper is that it was instituted during the course of a meal and it has to do with food and drink. Yet its nature as a real meal has hardly been prominent in the popular conception of the Supper. A rethinking of the importance of the Supper in the life of a united Church would bring the different perspectives of ecclesiology to the whole.

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Conclusion One dominant feature of the debate during the negotiation in north India in the formation of the Church of North India was the question of unification of ministry and right practice of baptism. The debate continues about a valid form of baptism and its place in the socioreligious context of India. The issue of baptism is debated in the context where the Church has to take into account the question of conversion because in India conversion has never been a strictly individual matter. Baptism as well as being a personal acceptance of Christ, includes a social aspect, that is, the need to take into account the significance of a religious community as a social unit. Pressure from without and an ingrained attitude from within compel the Church to operate as a religious community like any other. The converts leave behind one set of personal relationships and accept another and this involves shifting the delicate balance of communal power. The new loyalty in the community does not abolish the old. For example while rigid retention of caste is not general in the Church, the underlying attitude is very powerful in the relationships between the members of the Church. Conversion from one group to another means not only a change in spiritual allegiance but also a shift in political power Therefore communalism has been a fertile source of political and social tension. Today in India it shows itself in the rivalries of different castes, language groups, and in some cases the threat of secession from the Indian Union.

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To suggest replacing koinonia with an individual piety would be the end of the ecumenical movement. Rather the need is for a right understanding of the social identity of Christian koinonia . Being with God is fundamentally interpersonal. Discussing social identity based on the triune God is to focus on the sociality of being within God. As Karl Barth says, human inter-relationship is derived from the relationship which is within God s own being. Human community is thus grounded in the community of God s own being. So the human being created in correspondence with God s own being is not solitary but a being in relation . Inter-relating ecclesiology through the Supper draws attention to an intermediate category for remembering God s presence in the world. It does not mean that such a category is exhaustive but that it is a particular category through which the bond of being one in Christ could be realized in the community. The identity of the church as a community is shaped by the story. In a world where people feel lost, there is a powerful urge for individuals and groups to reaffirm their distinctiveness, doing this perhaps in racial, national, tribal and local ecclesiastical terms. It is feared that consensus would lead to a disappearance of identities, which would be in danger of being swallowed up in the uniformity. Christians have always tried to maintain their identity amidst differences of geographical area, language, lifestyle, belief systems, and programmes of action; and Indian Christians are no exception. But it is vital to ask how the Church as a community incorporating different

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former ecclesial, caste and language identities, could sustain its own identity without falling into uniformity or chaotic diversity. One fundamental challenge is to sustain the multiform identity of Christianity in a coherent way. The object in depicting the identity of the Church through Supper is to focus on the corporate nature of the Church as the people of God. The way this has been described suggests that it is not an invisible people of God but an actual people on a journey.

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DECLARATION of the “Eucharist and Community: Beyond all Borders” Forum — a Theolegical Forum in preperation for FABC 2009

(1) A special theological forum in preparation for FABC 2009, which focused on the relationship between the Eucharist and Community, was held at the St. Benedict Retreat Center in Seoul, Korea, from May 18-20, 2009. This international gathering of 80 participants from 11 countries was organized by Pax Romana, ICMICA (International Catholic Movements for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs) and WTI (Woori Theological Institute). (2) The design of the program included five major presentations along with eleven case studies. Michael Amaladoss presented the Keynote Address: “The Eucharist: Anthropological, Theological, Intercultural and Interreligious Perspectives.” Other major presentations focused on the Last Supper and Eucharist (Tae-Sik Park), Interreligious Perspectives on the Eucharist (William LaRousse), Eucharist and Poverty (Johannes Pujasumarta), and Eucharist and Evangelization (James Kroeger). Case studies were drawn from Sri Lanka, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia. (3) Asia’s great and beautiful diversity set the context for the enriching exchanges between the participants. The social, cultural, religious, artistic, political and economic panorama of Asia, while a rich potential, is often not recognized for the marvelous gift it is. Ideally it should be an enriching force, unfolding and molding peoples, their lives and futures. Tensions remain and vigilance is needed so this

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immense cultural diversity serves Asia’s peoples—rather than causes division and degenerates into factionalism. (4) Love for the Eucharist and a thankful appreciation of this gift to the Church prompted participants to the search deeply on how Eucharist and daily life could be better integrated. Often it was observed that the ritual sacramental celebration does not connect well with the lived realities of daily life. There are also contradictions between those who celebrate the Eucharist and the lived example of their daily life. What, if anything, does Eucharist have to say to issues of ethnic violence, Dalits, the laity, poverty, communication, ecumenism, gender justice, divided Church communities, minorities, migrants, ecological issues, communications, and suffering Churches? The panorama of challenging issues to be addressed by Eucharistically renewed Christians is vast indeed. If one employs the three-fold framework used by Benedict XVI to appreciate the Eucharist (Sacramentum Caritatis), this assembly focused less on the Eucharist as a mystery to be believed and to be celebrated, and more on it as a mystery to be lived. The participants sought to explore the relevance of Eucharist from the side of people’ s daily lives; how does Jesus’ “dangerous memory” challenge contemporary realities? (5) Frequently, participants drew upon the Church’s rich theological, pastoral, and scriptural sources for appreciating and renewing Eucharistic faith and practice. Twice within the Pauline narrative (I Cor 11:23-27) Jesus repeats: “Do this in remembrance of me.” He also says: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). “Anyone who eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:58). Jesus shows compassionate solidarity with the least and last (Mt 25:31-46). He washes the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper, the Passover meal with his friends (John 13:2-15). Eucharistic appreciation is enriched by setting it within Jesus’ frequent “tablefellowship” with friends, Pharisees, sinners, tax-collectors, and outcasts—often a social “barrier-breaking” symbolic action. Eucharist always contains a prophetic dimension. (6) One particular biblical-theological theme that emerged frequently was that of the paschal mystery and the paschal reality of life. Christians appreciate how the Eucharist celebrates Christ’s suffering, dying and rising; the mystery of redemption

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is renewed “when we eat this bread and drink this cup … until he comes again in glory.” The paschal mystery is at the heart of the Eucharist and the Reign of God. (7) With the Second Vatican Council, the Church asserts, as Christians, “we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the Paschal mystery” (GS 22). This profound statement challenges us and opens pathways for engaging in Kingdom-centered dialogue, for meeting suffering humanity, and discovering “paschal” insights in Asia’s cultures and religions. Depth perception of the paschal heart of the Eucharist can become an Asian dialogical pathway; it can foster deeper solidarity both within and beyond the Church. (8) On several occasions throughout the plenary sessions and small group discussions, participants humbly admitted the slowness and hesitancy of the part of the Church to bring its Eucharistic faith to bear on concrete realities and the life situations of common folks. One speaker noted that a complete Eucharist needs “three tables,” the Word (Scripture), the Eucharist (Sacrament), and the World (all secular and cosmic reality). We need to become one bread, one body, one world. There is a hesitancy to engage contemporary questions, because it seems that orthodoxy (correct dogmatic teaching) often trumps orthopraxis (correct action); dogmatic, notional faith seems to take priority over performative faith. (9) The vast variety of religious and cultural realities and expressions present throughout Asia challenges the Church to search for Eucharistic expressions (symbols, art, drama, dance, stories, music, pastoral programs and activities, etc.) that will more adequately express the nature and meaning of the Eucharist. Admittedly, some symbols in current use seem distant or even foreign to various groups of Asian peoples. Focus on core symbols such as sharing meals, family solidarity, or acts of generous fraternal service can readily speak across cultures. (10) A recurring question throughout the forum asked: “Is there an Asian way”? To respond, one must understand key elements in the context of contemporary Asia. There is the inherent religiosity and contemplative attitude of the people. Across Asia there remains massive “forced” poverty with other areas of affluence. A revival and upsurge of Asian religions is apparent—often with fundamentalist

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overtones. A population increase continues almost unabatedly. Living a Christian and Eucharistic life remains a clear challenge for Asia’s minority Christian population (less than 3% of Asia’s nearly four billion people). (11) The promotion of the culture of life and the culture of communion remains an ongoing task of the Church. Eucharistic communion [cum-unio and cummunus] (unity; sharing of offices and duties) remains an only partially realized dream (e.g. the empowerment of the laity and women, a genuine option for the poor, etc). Renewed by the Spirit and strengthened by the bread of life, the pilgrim Church will continue to walk in hope during her earthly sojourn to become living bread for the world. (12) Energized by the three days of engaging discussion and reflection, the participants see some “new horizons” and resolve to promote through concrete steps a revitalized theology and the practice of Eucharistic spirituality. Thus, the participants are committed to: _ develop a more comprehensive catechesis on the Eucharist, showing its relevance for daily life. _ use the power of the Eucharist for a more effective appreciation of FABC s triple dialogue with Asia s peoples, their cultures and religions. _ continue to seek a broader communion by fostering hospitality for a wide variety of groups (e.g. the marginalized and poor, followers of other faiths, fellow Christian churches, etc.) _ foster research-based reflection and decision-making so that Church programs will address the true needs of people. _ develop a variety of sharing plans and projects on the local community level (e.g. the five loaves and two fish initiative). _ promote the Eucharist as a source of hope, unity and reconciliation. _ link the Eucharist and the Holy Spirit with initiatives to preserve the integrity of all creation. (13) The theological forum with the theme “Eucharist and Community: Beyond All Borders” unfolded as the Church was approaching the feast of Pentecost— and springtime was arriving in Korea. Participants experienced the gentle action

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of the Spirit, prompting them to renew their appreciation of Christ’s gift of the Eucharist, particularly as it impacts the life of the world of Asia. All were deeply moved and challenged by the words of John Paul II (Mane Nobiscum Domine 28); the pope examined suffering and evil in the world and challenged Christians to address these realities. Why? The pope noted that it is how Christians respond to these world-wide situations that will be “the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged.” Veni, Sancte Spiritus!

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ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

Fr. Michael Amaladoss is the Director of the Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religions at Loyola College in Chennai, India. He is the former President of the International Association of Mission Studies and teaches at Jesuit-run Vidyajyoti Theologate in Chennai. email : mamaladoss@hotmail.com Fr. William LaRousse is the secretary of the FABC-OEIA(Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs). email : wlarousse@maryknoll.org Bishop Johannes Pujasumarta is the bishop of Bandung diocese, Indonesia. He launched the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Five Loaves and Two Fish" movement for the poor in Semarang archdiocese in 1992. Through the movement, students in Catholic schools saved and collected money for poor students and their families. email : pujasumarta@ gmail.com Fr. James H. Kroeger, M.M. is a professor of Systematic Theology at the Loyola School of Theology in Manila. He is also the president of the Philippine Association of Catholic Missiologists (PACM) and the secretary-convenor of the Asian Missionary Societies Forum (AMSAL). email : jhkroeger@gmail.com Fr. Baskara T. Wardaya SJ is a professor of History at the Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He is also the Director of the Post Graduate School of the same university. email : baskaramu@yahoo.com Fr. John Freeman Jr. is a senior researcher on the Catholic Church in China.email : woorith@chol.com Fr. Francis Gonsalves is a professor of Systematic Theology at the Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi, India. email : fragons@gmail.com

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Fr. A. Maria Arul Raja, SJ has been teaching the Sacred Scriptures since 1993 in Arul Kadal, (Jesuit Regional Theology Centre, Chennai) which is the extension centre of Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Dalit Commentary Series published by the Delhi-based Centre of Dalit/ Subaltern Studies. email : arulrasa@yahoo.com Mr. Rukshan Fernando is the Coordinator of Law and Society Trust of Sri Lanka. He was the awardee of the 2009 Tji Hak-soon Justice and Peace Award launched by its foundation based in Seoul, South Korea. email : rukiiiii@gmail.com Fr. Desmond de Sousa CSsR is the former secretary of the FABC-OHD (Office of Human Development). He is currently working as the regional coordinator of Goa Domestic & Migrant Workers Forum. email : desmonddesousa@hotmail.com Fr. Prisco A. Cajes, OFM, ThD is a Board member of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP). He is also the president of the Christ the King College in Calbayog city in the Philippines. email : priscajes@yahoo.com Fr. Francis Xavier Bao Loc is a professor of Theology of Religions at the Archdiocesan Seminary of St Joseph, Vietnam. He is a member of the Committee for Doctrine of the Faith of the Vietnamese Bishops' Conference and an expert on interreligious dialogue, working as the director of the Pastoral center in Ho Chi Mihn City. email : tamgiao@online.fr Sr. Theresa Yih-Lan Tsou, SSS is the co-founder and current Secretary General of Taiwan Catholic Sprout Women-Concerns' Association, Taiwan. email : theresaylt@ yahoo.com Bishop D.K.Sahu is the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCCI), India. email : bishopsahu@sancharnet.in