Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle We should be prepared to share the Eucharist with “surprising others”, Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle told participants at the 51st International Eucharistic Congress.
“In the meal hosted by the Lord, persons recognise a close neighbour, a fellow sinner, a sister, a brother with a place at the table,” he said at the congress in the Philippine city of Cebu. “In each one, I see myself … sinful but loved, undeserving but invited, shamed but embraced, lost but trusted.”
He explained that Eucharist is supposed to create a welcoming new culture, that perceives others’ flaws and failures solely as reminders of one’s own need for God’s mercy, he said.
Commenting on how concrete, practical realities can point to where our priorities are, he cited as an example how something is revealed of a parish’s culture if it has a huge parking lot and no classroom space; the distance from the first pew to the altar in the church is also revealing, he added.