He will return with his immense heart, with his heart of fire, his poor man's soul
and his smile. He will return! And the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph!

« Sacramentum Caritatis »

« What amazement must the Apostles have felt in witnessing what the Lord did and said during that Supper! What wonder must the Eucharistic mystery also awaken in our own hearts! » (Sacramentum Caritatis, n° 1)

Benedict XVI will find no one more anxious than the people of the Counter-Reformation to respond to his « Apostolic exhortation “ Sacramentum Caritatis ” » addressed  « to the bishops, clergy, consecrated persons and the lay faithful, on the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Church’s life and mission »

It must be said that we have been particularly well prepared by the teaching of the Abbé de Nantes, our Father, to understand that of the Holy Father.

« In this Sacrament, the Lord truly becomes food for the man thirsting for truth and freedom. Since only the truth can make us free (cf. Jn 8.32), Christ becomes for us the food of Truth. » (n° 2) Thus, the Abbé de Nantes is right: freedom is not a right of the human person; he is born a slave of sin; Jesus Christ alone delivers him, and Jesus Christ crucified.

Recalling that from the beginning of the public life of Jesus, John the Baptist designated Him as « “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1.29) », the Pope writes: « Jesus is the true paschal lamb who freely offered Himself in sacrifice for us, and thus brought about the new and eternal Covenant. The Eucharist contains this radical newness, which is offered to us again at every celebration. » (n° 9)

There follows a recalling of the institution of the Eucharist, which the Pope places within the whole of universal history as its centre. Prepared, announced by « the foundational event of the people of Israel: their deliverance from slavery in Egypt […], the proclamation of a deliverance yet to come […], Jesus introduces the newness of His offering. In the prayer of praise, the Berakah, He does not simply thank the Father for the great events of past history, but also for His own “exaltation”. In instituting the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus anticipates and integrates the sacrifice of the Cross and the victory of the resurrection. At the same time, He reveals Himself as the true sacrificial lamb, destined in the Father’s plan from before the foundation of the world, as we read in The First Letter of Peter (cf. 1.18-20).

« By placing His offering of Himself in this context, 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 that the death of Jesus, it itself violent and absurd, became in Him a supreme act of love and mankind’s definitive deliverance from evil. » (n° 10)

Contrary to the alleged Protestant Reform, the Pope affirms that the memorial of this « perfect gift » of Christ « consists not in the mere repetition of the Last Supper, but in the Eucharist itself, that is, in the radical newness of Christian worship ».

This means that in order to receive sincerely this exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI, it is really necessary to be an advocate of the Counter-Reformation. The reaction of Henri Tincq in Le Monde clearly shows it. According to him, « Benedict XVI stands firmly on the most intransigent positions », maintaining the « compulsory character in the Latin tradition » of the celibacy of priests, recalling that they alone have the power to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, that « Sunday assemblies in the absence of a priest » are a stopgap measure and do not have the character of a true Mass, that those who are divorced and remarried « are still not admitted to the Sacrament », « a doctrine lacking charity » in the opinion of Henri Tincq! The insolent man believes that he can thus make the Pope seem to contradict the first words of his “exhortation”, presenting the Eucharist as the « Sacrament of love », Sacramentum Caritatis!

Presented in this manner, the “exhortation” appears to be a series of arbitrary prohibitions. The Pope, however, takes care « to reaffirm the profound meaning of priestly celibacy, which is rightly considered a priceless treasure, and is also confirmed by the Eastern practice of choosing Bishops only from the ranks of the celibate. This choice on the part of the priest expresses in a special way the dedication that conforms him to Christ and his exclusive offering of himself for the Kingdom of God. The fact that Christ Himself, the eternal priest, lived His mission even to the sacrifice of the Cross in the state of virginity constitutes the sure point of reference for understanding the meaning of the tradition of the Latin Church. It is not sufficient to understand priestly celibacy in purely functional terms. Celibacy is really a special way of conforming oneself to Christ’s own way of life. This choice has first and foremost a nuptial meaning; it is a profound identification with the Heart of Christ the Bridegroom who gives His life for His Bride. » (n° 24)

As for the « intrinsic relationship between the Eucharist and the sacrament of Holy Orders, it clearly emerges from Jesus’ own words in the Upper Room: “Do this in memory of me.” (Lk 22.19) »

« On the night before He died, Jesus instituted the Eucharist and at the same time established the priesthood of the New Covenant. He is priest, victim and altar: the mediator between God the Father and His people (cf. Heb 5.5-10), the victim of expiation (cf. 1 Jn 2.2; 4.10) who offers Himself on the altar of the Cross. No one can say “this is My Body” and “this is the cup of My Blood” except in the name and in the person of Christ, the one high priest of the new and eternal Covenant (cf. Heb 8-9). » (n° 23)

Henri Tincq already sees looming the spectre of a “Counter-Reformation”: « As one who looks back nostalgically to the pre-Vatican II tradition, Benedict XVI is above all preparing minds for a “reform” of the reform. »

Unfortunately, we have not reached this point, because the Pope recommends that « the quality of homilies needs to be improved » (n° 46), without stipulation to ban heresy!

It is necessary, however; otherwise this “Apostolic Exhortation” will remain a dead letter! For a restoration of the divine liturgy, it is extremely urgent that Fr. Xavier Léon-Dufour, S.J., who does not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, be condemned, and no longer be considered as the law and the prophets in the booklet of First Communion preparation for children from eight to eleven years old, used in the Diocese of Troyes. Yet in order for his condemnation to be implacable and produce concurrently a delightful advance in the knowledge of the mystery, a metaphysical gap must be filled. This is the subject of the following pages. Next month, we will study the exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, in order to respond fervently to the exhortation of our Common Father inviting us to restore, to renovate in ourselves and around us, devotion to the holy mysteries of the Body and Blood of the Lord.

Brother Bruno of Jesus