Springtime of the Eucharist from Hyde Park to Belgium

On Wednesday Pope Benedict said that the Church is witnessing a “springtime in Eucharistic devotion”, particularly among young people who are finding time to “ stop in silence before the tabernacle to spend time with Him”. The Pope described this as a “wonderful development” and in comments in Italian specifically mentioned the Eucharistic Adoration he led in Hyde Park London during his recent apostolic visit there. He said he hoped that this “springtime of the Eucharist” would spread to other parishes, particularly in Belgium, the birthplace of St Juliana of Liège, a 13^th century Augustinian nun, whose devotion to the Eucharist gave rise to the universal feast of Corpus Christi, and to whom he dedicated his catechesis this week:

“Intelligent and cultured, she was drawn to contemplative prayer and devotion to the sacrament of the Eucharist. As the result of a recurring vision, Juliana worked to promote a liturgical feast in honour of the Eucharist. The feast of Corpus Christi was first celebrated in the Diocese of Liège, and began to spread from there. Pope Urban IV, who had known Juliana in Liège, instituted the solemnity of Corpus Christi for the universal Church and charged Saint Thomas Aquinas with composing the texts of the liturgical office. The Pope himself celebrated the solemnity in Orvieto, then the seat of the papal court, where the relic of a celebrated Eucharistic miracle, which had occurred the previous year, was kept. As we recall Saint Juliana of Cornillon, let us renew our faith in Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist and pray that the “springtime of the Eucharist” which we are witnessing in the Church today may bear fruit in an ever greater devotion to the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood”.

In his traditional greetings to English speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father extended a warm welcome to the delegation from the International Catholic Migration Commission. He also offered prayerful good wishes to the Sisters of Notre Dame of Coesfeld meeting in General Chapter and greet the priests from England and Wales celebrating their anniversaries of ordination. “Upon all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially the pilgrim groups from Israel, Nigeria, England and the United States of America, I invoke God’s abundant blessings”. Listen to teh full report by Emer McCarthy: