Acta Benedicti Pp. XVI 565

grow. Yet not infrequently, the revision of liturgical forms has remained at

an external level, and « active participation » has been confused with external

activity. Hence much still remains to be done on the path of real liturgical

renewal. In a changed world, increasingly fixated on material things, we must

learn to recognize anew the mysterious presence of the Risen Lord, which

alone can give breadth and depth to our life.

The Eucharist is the worship of the whole Church, but it also requires the

full engagement of each individual Christian in the Church's mission; it

contains a call to be the holy people of God, but also one to individual

holiness; it is to be celebrated with great joy and simplicity, but also as

worthily and reverently as possible; it invites us to repent of our sins, but

also to forgive our brothers and sisters; it binds us together in the Spirit,

but it also commands us in the same Spirit to bring the good news of

salvation to others.

Moreover, the Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross,

his body and blood given in the new and eternal covenant for the forgiveness

of sins and the transformation of the world. Ireland has been shaped by the

Mass at the deepest level for centuries, and by its power and grace genera-

tions of monks, martyrs and missionaries have heroically lived the faith at

home and spread the Good News of God's love and forgiveness well beyond

your shores. You are the heirs to a Church that has been a mighty force for

good in the world, and which has given a profound and enduring love of

Christ and his blessed Mother to many, many others. Your forebears in the

Church in Ireland knew how to strive for holiness and constancy in their

personal lives, how to preach the joy that comes from the Gospel, how to

promote the importance of belonging to the universal Church in communion

with the See of Peter, and how to pass on a love of the faith and Christian

virtue to other generations. Our Catholic faith, imbued with a radical sense of

God's presence, caught up in the beauty of his creation all around us, and

purified through personal penance and awareness of God's forgiveness, is a

legacy that is surely perfected and nourished when regularly placed on the

Lord's altar at the sacrifice of the Mass. Thankfulness and joy at such a great

history of faith and love have recently been shaken in an appalling way by

the revelation of sins committed by priests and consecrated persons against

people entrusted to their care. Instead of showing them the path towards

Christ, towards God, instead of bearing witness to his goodness, they abused

people and undermined the credibility of the Church's message. How are we