Desiderio Desideravi

Jul 7

Desiderio Desideravi

The other day Sr. Pat [McNiff] asked if I had read Pope Francis’ recent letter on the liturgy. I had not. I’m glad she asked.

The title of the letter, Desiderio Desideravi, comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, verse 15, when Jesus says to his disciples, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” You can find the letter on our parish website as well as the USCCB or the Vatican website. I do think it is worth reading.

Pope Francis immediately explores the depth of the impact of Jesus’ desire to eat the Passover meal with his disciples, and subsequently with us, soon before he was to become the sacrificial lamb. Pope Francis says Jesus’ desire is “the crevice through which we are given the surprising possibility of intuiting the depth of the love of the persons of the Most Holy Trinity for us.” He adds that the Last Supper is God’s “infinite desire to re-establish that communion with us that was, and remains his original design. ”

The Liturgy guarantees for us the possibility of such an encounter. For us a vague memory of the Last Supper would do no good. We need to be present at that Supper, to be able to hear his voice, to eat his Body and to drink his Blood. We need Him. In the Eucharist and in all the sacraments we are guaranteed the possibility of encountering the Lord Jesus and of having the power of his Paschal Mystery reach us . [11]

Pope Francis uses the letter to offer further commentary on the divisions that are present within the Church, particularly in regard to our liturgical celebration of the Eucharist. He explains the importance of the liturgical reform that began at the Second Vatican Council. He calls for the “rediscovery of the theological understanding of the Liturgy and of its importance in the life of the Church.” In paragraph 16, he adds, “With this letter I simply want to invite the whole Church to rediscover, to safeguard, and to live the truth and power of the Christian celebration. I want the beauty of the Christian celebration and its necessary consequences for the life of the Church not to be spoiled in service of some ideological vision, no matter what the hue. The priestly prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper that all may be one [Jn 17:21] judges every one of our divisions around the Bread broken, around the sacrament of mercy, the sign of unity, the bond of charity. [cf Sr. Augustine, in Ioannis Evengelium tractatus XXVI, 130]

When we celebrate the Eucharist, we come together as a people of faith to remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and in doing so we give praise and thanks to God. The celebration of our Eucharistic communion is one that unites us with the sacrifice of Christ and with one another as together we pray that the Holy Spirit transform us into the body of Christ so that we can then go out and be the body of Christ for one another and for the world.

I’m sure we have all heard the expression, “United we stand, divided we fall.” The scriptural equivalent would be from Mark 3:25, “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” I that it is OK that we have differing opinions. Unity does not mean uniformity. Sometimes the best route might be agreeing to disagree, but it is my hope, and I would think it is certainly the hope of Pope Francis, that even if we do not agree, we may always respectfully and conscientiously work toward a unity that would fulfill Jesus’ prayer. I pray God grant us that grace.

Peace and All Good!

Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM

Pastor