Encountering Jesus Christ in the Eucharist
Broken Bay Pastoral Letter by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
The second Pastoral Letter by Bishop Anthony Randazzo to the people of God in the Diocese of Broken Bay invites everyone to deeply reflect on what it truly means to be Eucharistic people. The letter "The Mystery of Faith: Encountering Jesus Christ in the Eucharist" references the 54th International Eucharistic Congress in Sydney in 2028. This momentous occasion will draw the attention of the global Church to our shores and invite us into a deeper encounter with the central mystery of our faith: the Most Holy Eucharist. The Congress offers a profound opportunity, not only to celebrate, but to renew our understanding, appreciation, and lived experience of the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the Christian life.
The Pastoral Letter calls all parish and faith communities, families, individuals, clergy and consecrated religious, to prepare their hearts for the historic 2028 Congress event.
The letter emphasises the period before the Congress as not merely a calendar timeline, but as a spiritual pilgrimage. The Bishops of the Second Vatican Council, in their wisdom and vision for a regenerated and revitalised Church, reminded us that the faithful must be led to a "fully conscious and active participation" in the liturgy.
This invitation is not simply about external gestures, standing, sitting, singing, or responding at the right time. It is about allowing the Eucharist to shape our hearts and our lives. It is about bringing all that we are, our sorrows and our joys, our sins and thanksgiving, and uniting them with the offering of bread and wine, which, through the power of the Holy Spirit, become for us the Body and Blood of Christ.
The letter also encourages everyone to pray and reflect on all aspects of the Eucharist including the enduring presence of Jesus, receiving the Lord in the heart of the Mass, receiving Christ worthily, and receiving the Body of Christ as a sacred encounter.
As we progress together toward the Eucharistic Congress of 2028, may we grow in wonder at the gift of the Eucharist and renew our commitment to be, in all we say and do, a people formed and sent by the Eucharistic Lord.
Bishop Anthony Randazzo
The Pastoral Letter is available at the link below and in booklet form throughout the Diocese.
The Mystery of Faith: Encountering Jesus Christ in the Eucharist