Eucharistic Congress
Part I. How to hold a Eucharistic Congress today.
Part II. How this one would probably be held today.
Part III. How it was actually held.
Part I. How to hold a Eucharistic Congress today.
1. The blessings from an Eucharistic Congress
In an Eucharistic Congress, there must a congress and the Eucharist. The Congress (the Catholic Church) is described in Vatican II “Lumen Gentium” while the Eucharist is described in “Mysterium Fidei.”
A Eucharistic Congress is one of the most powerful celebration that can strengthen the Faith and bring prosperity to a Catholic nation. Specially if that nation while celebrating the Congress, consecrates itself to Christ the King or the Sacred Heart of Jesus present in the Eucharist. This nation would be blessed from heaven beyond one’s imaginings by the solution of most of its problems by Almighty God, Himself. And all it takes is an act of consecration where both Church and political leaders bend their knees and recite a prayer proclaiming God’s sovereignty which is a factual truth.
An actual example.
Prophesied by the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Good Success, consecration of Ecuador by President Gabriel Garcia Moreno, ‘the great Catholic President,’ and Bishop Jose Ignacio Checa y Barba to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, took place and was described by a Jesuit author. This was followed by immense blessings to the nation; unattainable by any political means. Yet, it was done without a Eucharistic Congress.
The Philippines had a similar opportunity during a Eucharistic Congress. The first Eucharistic Congress was held in France in 1881. That was at the time of St. Therese of Lisieux. 50 Congresses had been held. The 33rd Eucharistic Congress was held here in Manila, Philippines in 1937. Pictures of the event are eloquent to describe the state of the Faith of the Filipino people. We could be proud of their Catholicity if we can say it that way. There was union of Church and State. Manuel Quezon was the President during that Congress. The Papal legate stayed at the Presidential Palace, in Malacanang, as guest of Aurora Quezon. The Liturgy was solemn and regal. All the ladies seems to be wearing veils and the baldichino over the altar like a giant unbrella was the symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A very apt symbol for the Eucharist, Mary with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in her womb, worshiped by Filipinos with women wearing veils.
It was not clear if any consecration took place. But if in 1937, President Quezon and Bishop Douherty did in Manila what Moreno-Barba did in Ecuador and consecrted the Philippines to Christ the King probably today we would not have all the spiritual and political problems we have.
But no consecration is known to have taken place. And the Philippines was under the rule of the evil daughter of the French Revolution, American democracy; the Philippines was doomed to lose her Faith.
2. Attempts in what we believe.
Believing in the Moreno-Barba Ecuador phenomenon because it is a dogma that was never tried before until then, this was tried here several times without waiting for a Eucharistic Congress.
A first attempt was made to join Church and State to consecrate the Philippines to Our Lady of Guadalupe who had been declared irrevocably as the Principal Patroness of the Island by a Bull by Pope Pius XI. It didn’t even reach first base, because the President was deposed and the President of the Bishop’s Conference did not want to obey the Bull of Pius XI. The State was more disposed to the consecration than the Hierarchy. Imagine.
The attempt was to, first, get the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe (like the help of Our Lady of Success in Ecuador) to aid in uniting Church and State to eventually consecrate the whole islands to Christ the King present in the Blessed Sacrament. This is similar to what President Moreno and Bishop Barba did in Ecuador. Then we tried again.
Without waiting for a Eucharistic Congress a second attempt was made to consecrate the Islands to Our Lady of Guadalupe by a joint Church and State; headed by the President of the Philippines and the President of the Bishops Conference of the Philippines. Again, it was a failure due to the on going heated discussion between the State and the Church on the RH bill. Again, the President was more disposed than the Church. The President of the Bishop’s Conference refused the joint ceremony scheduled on Dec. 12 feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a bishop substitute just went on his own. While the President went on with the consecration in a private chapel in the presidential palace. It is impossible to get Mary’s help this way. It was again a missed opportunity with the Church to blame. The life size image of Our Lady of Guadalupe sent for the purpose is still in the Palace, silent witness to the failed attempt.
The present 51st International Eucharistic Congress being held today in Cebu is a grand opportunity for a joint State-Church consecration of the Philippines to Christ the King present in the Eucharist and imitate what a Jesuit author described in Ecuador.
We have a president trained by the Jesuit. We have many bishops, like the Bishop of Manila, trained by the Jesuits. We have a Pope, who will address the Congress who is a Jesuit. The picture is perfect for a grand consecration of this nation to the true God. Maybe someone have read that book written by the Jesuit about Ecuador and its greatest President. Is anything happening towards that direction?
3. Since everything necessary is present, then this consecration should take place, i.e. if everything necessary is present. What are the things necessary? First, a Eucharistic Congress needs a Church and, secondly it needs a Sacrament. Both documents are available during Vatican II.
4. ‘Lumen Gentium’ is the description of a Church within which the Sacrament is consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ. ‘Lumen Gentium’ is a Vatican II document describing the Catholic Church. Its teachings were mainly taken from St. Augustine and St. Robert Bellarmine. The latter being a Jesuit saint Doctor of the Church.The document describes the True Catholic Church as differentiated from other religions and beliefs. And the Eucharist is explained in ‘Mysterium Fidei’ by Pope Paul VI written immediately after Vatican II
A Eucharistic Congress is an international meeting of the members of the Catholic Church held in a particular church. So it is a meeting of the international members of the Catholic Church held in a particular church, like in the Catholic church of Cebu, with the presence of the Eucharistic Christ in their midst. The Eucharistic Congress is the Sacrament of the Mystical Body of Christ in the world. The Physical and Divine Presence of Christ amidst His Church of believing members.
‘Lumen Gentium’ describes the Church. And ‘Mysterium Fidei’
describes Christ in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (an Encyclical of Pope Paul VI, written after Vatican II.)
5. Vatican II and ‘Lumen Gentium’
‘Lumen Gentium’ is the Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution on the Church. Its main teaching is this; that all must adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ as taught by the Apostles and proposed by the Magisterium of the Church through the Pope in matters of Faith and Morals with a loyal submission of will and intellect…. even when the Pope does not speak ‘ex cathedra.’
A Eucharistic Congress must be held by people from the world coming together in a particular place (like Cebu) all of whom are adhering to all the teaching of Christ as taught to the Apostles, interpreted by the Fathers of the Church and proposed by the Magisterium of the Church on matters of Faith and Morals whose spokesman are all the Popes through the centuries, with a loyal submission of will and intellect even when the Pope does not speak ‘ex-cathedra.’
To simplify the application of ‘Lumen Gentium’ to the Eucharistic Congress, just see to it that the Congress has a handful to true Catholics that will make up the true members of the Congress. It cannot be avoided to have cockles but there must be more wheat otherwise the consecration of the Eucharist cannot take place if it is consecrated by the cockles.
An easier way of checking on this is by applying the four visible signs of the true Church found in the Nicene Creed. See to it that a portion of the crowd have the four visible signs of the true Church. Or even easier to see if a portion of the crowd has the 15 Marks of the true Church according to St. Robert Bellarmine. If there is, at least, a portion, then there is a Congress within which the Holy Eucharist can be consecrated. Christ cannot be present in an entirely unbelieving crowd; He can only be within His Church. So it must be proven that His Church is present in the Congress otherwise there will be no Eucharist. Just a Congress no different from the one in Quezon City.
Even more important is that the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, priests and nuns participating have, either the four visible signs of the Church from the Nicene Creed or the 15 Marks of the true Church from St. Robert Bellarmine. It almost follows if the hierarchy has the signs, the probability is great that the laymen attending would have the same signs; and vice versa, if the majority of the hierarchy do not have the signs, the probability that most of the laymen do not have the visible signs.
And if those without the visible signs surpass those who have the visible signs of catholicity there is a danger that the Congress is more a group of unbelievers and the danger that the Eucharistic Presence might not there.
6. Important
It is important that everybody in the Congress check if they are Catholics by using the only visible signs the Catholic Church had taught to be the only dependable visible signs of true Catholicity; the four visible signs from the Nicene Creed and……to make is easy for all,… the 15 Marks enumerated by St. Robert Bellarmine, which are identical with the four signs. They should specially check on their speakers.
If everybody, both the priests, bishops and cardinals and the laymen have the visible signs of Catholicity, then surely the Eucharistic Presence will be there during Mass; even if there are cockles as long as they are in the minority. Why do I say that? What if the minority is the one who celebrates Mass? Will the Eucharist be present? The Old Testament figure during the time of the Maccabees and New Testament figure on Good Friday tells us that at these times this eschatological figures of the absence of the Ark of the Covenant will again occur today; the Blessed Sacrament will one day not exist in our tabernacles.
It is because of this threat prefigured in Scriptures that we must be very careful when celebrating Eucharistic Congresses lest we celebrate an empty tabernacle.
7. If ‘Lumen Gentium’ is followed faithfully, ‘Mysterium Fidei;’ the encyclical on the Holy Eucharist will automatically be observed. If ‘Lumen Gentium’ is not observed, there will be no ‘Mysterium Fidei.’ Just a vast picnic in Cebu.
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