The liturgical feast of Saint Peter-Julian Eymard, our founder, was held in the community of Lima on 6 August 2023. The celebration involved three (3) stages: preparation, celebration and sharing.
1. By way of preparation, a Triduum was organized on the theme: We go forward with Saint Eymard in the Experience of a Eucharistic Life.
The first day began with a very profound and enriching meeting focused on a prayerful dynamic, illuminated by the Word which the faithful shared in reflective and meditative experience.
The second day consisted in a meeting of a formative nature regarding the Eucharist and the Christian life presented in the logic of the Second Vatican Council that dealt with the way the Eucharist influences the life of all the baptized persons’ prophetic mission. Some members of the Blessed Sacrament laity were able to bear witness to their lived experience about an integral vision of the Eucharist as focused on the Eymardian spiritual and charismatic logic.
The Triduum concluded with a workshop on some dimensions of the Eucharist that enabled the participants to become aware of how this Mystery encompasses the entire mission of the Church for an active and participatory life in the work of evangelisation (cf. Mt 28:16-20).
2. The Celebration: The celebration of the founder’s feast was held at 9 am on 6 August (the XVIIIth Sunday Ordinary Time) in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption, bringing together the representatives of the nine (9) chapels of the parochial community.
The celebration was presided over by Father Elibien Joseph, sss, concelebrated by Fathers: Alexander Espitia, sss, and Fr. Edmundo Alarcón. Also present was the Novice Adán Timoté, who is in his last stage of the Novitiate experience in Lima, as well as some sisters from the religious congregations present in the parish jurisdiction.
It was a joyous celebration, full of contemplative signs of God’s Mystery. Fr. Elibien focused his homiletic reflection on a passage in St John’s account in his profoundly Eucharistic gospel about the generosity of Jesus to satisfy the hunger of the people of God and openness to conform to Christ, who nourishes them with his body and blood. Jesus becomes the bread of life to satisfy our material and spiritual hunger, offering us the grace to configure ourselves with Him each day and reach the fulness of life, that is, salvation (cf. Jn 6:55-58).
Such an occasion was fitting to recall briefly how during his life Saint Peter-Julian Eymard deepened, lived and was thoroughly permeated by a Eucharistic life to the last consequences as shown by these words: “We have only one thought, one objective and one centre: the Eucharist.”
He led a very fruitful life in the mystery of the Eucharist. This impelled him to found a religious family dedicated to the Eucharist in all its dimensions from an integral vision of human reality. “Whoever has the Eucharist, has everything.”
Hence, the Eucharist has implications regarding present situation of the world today, such as: massive migration, the problem of corruption, social injustice, the decadent state of world politics, among others. It is urgent to assume the founder approach regarding the Eucharist as a transforming force of society through the commitment of all the baptized "being and acting in the world".
3. Sharing: In keeping with the sss tradition, the Eucharistic celebration is always continued around the table. At the end of the celebration, the community gathered in a fraternal sharing commemorating this joyous occasion as a Eucharistic family. May God always enlighten us in the Eucharistic virtues through the intercession of Saint Peter-Julian Eymard.
Father Elibien Joseph, sss
Parish Priest
