Saint Paschal Baylon
by Fr. Ferdinand Pratzner, S.S.S.
Pope Leo XIII, in the apostolic brief Providentissimus Deus of November 28, 1897, proclaimed Saint Paschal Baylon patron of Eucharistic congresses and all Eucharistic associations whether presently existing or which will exist at a future date.
In proclaiming Saint Paschal Baylon patron of Eucharistic congresses (international, national, Diocesan, and parochial) and all Eucharistic associations, the pope was motivated by the increasing devotion toward the sacrament of the Eucharist thanks to Eucharistic congresses celebrated in a critical period for the Christian faith and society. "There is no more efficacious means than this for nourishing and increasing the piety of the people toward this admirable pledge of love which is a bond of peace and of unity" he wrote in the letter. Among all those most devoted to the Eucharist, Paschal Baylon seemed to the pope to be "the greatest."
The son of Martin Baylon and Isabella Jubera, Paschal was born at Torre Hermosa in the kingdom of Aragon, in Spain, March 16, 1540, Pentecost Sunday. Right from boyhood, he clearly showed the piety of his soul with an intense love for prayer and a particular devotion toward the Eucharist, which later characterized the whole of his religious life which he embraced in the Order of Saint Francis as a lay brother, after having carried out the humble task of a shepherd of his father's flock.
His ardent love for Jesus Christ in the Eucharistic mystery was expressed was expressed in a particular way by frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament in all the churches he could reach on foot and with a "book of sayings" dealing with the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
The "servant of the Eucharist," as he was commonly called, died May 17, Pentecost Sunday, in 1592. His tomb (in the Royal Chapel in Villareal, Valencia, Spain) immediately became the object of innumerable pilgrimages, even by the king and the nobles of Spain. His cult, because of his miracles during his life and after his death, spread rapidly throughout Spain, Austria, and the Kingdom of Naples, and finally throughout the whole of Europe and America. Beatified by Paul V in 1618, he was canonized by Alexander VIII on October 16, 1690. His liturgical commemoration is on May 17.
Let us take this opportunity to put some flesh onto the bare facts of Eucharistic worship in the centuries immediately preceding Vatican Council II and its renewal after the council.
SPREAD AND DEVELOPMENT OF EUCHARISTIC WORSHIP OUTSIDE OF MASS
The institution of the feast of Corpus Christi, with the bull Transiturus issued at Orvieto in 1264 by Urban IV, as well as the introduction of the Forty Hours devotion and visits to the Blessed Sacrament at the beginning of the century are a result of the evolution of various forms of Eucharistic worship outside of Mass.
The promoters of all this were the religious Orders of the Franciscans and the Dominicans, as well as various religious Congregations (more than 70 had names referring to the Blessed Sacrament) and Confraternities. The Arch-confraternity that served as a reference point for every similar institution in the world was that established by the Dominicans at Rome in the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in 1538. Still in existence today is the Association for Nocturnal Adoration, spread throughout more than 40 countries and with its headquarters in Madrid.
Perpetual adoration was a new development which Eucharistic piety introduced in the fifteenth century and which then became widespread, especially from the nineteenth century onward. In recent times. it is practiced among some religious Institutes and by the Association of Perpetual Adoration, which is particularly present in many parishes of South Korea, the Philippines, Ireland, and the United States.
Eucharistic congresses, which began in 1881 at Lille in France, had the aim of promoting Eucharistic works (confraternities and associations of laity and priests) which were intended to bring about an understanding, love of adoration, and worthy reception of Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist. They later became more and more also the expression of the communion between Christ (with his vicar, the pope) and the particular local churches.
THE EUCHARIST ADORED AND LIVED
Certainly it was not the Second Vatican Council's intention to suppress the Eucharistic devotion of the previous centuries, but rather to center it more securely on the Eucharistic celebration.
"The mystery of the Eucharist is the true center of the sacred liturgy and indeed of the whole Christian life. Consequently, the church, guided by the Holy Spirit, continually seeks to understand and to live the Eucharist more fully." These are the first words of the instruction Eucharisticum Mysterium, published 30 years ago by the council for the implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
By now, part of the renewal of Eucharistic worship outside of Mass consists in "considering the mystery of the Eucharist in all its fullness, not only in the celebration of Mass but also in devotion to the sacred species which remain after Mass and are reserved to extend the grace of the sacrifice" (EM 3g).
Deep reflection was given to this subject in the preparations for the International Eucharistic Congresses with the national delegates. His Excellency, Pere Tena, former Under-secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said: "The more common forms of Eucharistic adoration presently in use originate more from a limited concept of 'presence' than from the universal fact of 'celebration.' The history of visits to the Blessed Sacrament, of solemn exposition, etc., confirms this. We observe the consequences of this even today. . . ." And let it not be forgotten that "adoration is not just something Christians do after having celebrated the Eucharist . . .; on the contrary, adoration is already an attitude with which the church celebrates the Eucharist . . .; when there is a tendency to forget adoration within the celebration, it is also forgotten outside of it" (from Reflections on Eucharistic Catechesis for the Celebration of International Eucharistic Congresses for a New Evangelization, Vatican Edition, 1991, 89).
Fr. John M. Canals, an official of the same Congregation, presenting a panoramic view of the history of Eucharistic worship during the first and second millenniums with its theological and pastoral aspects, concludes: "The Eucharistic spirit as renewed and recommended by Vatican Council II should not diminish but rather enrich the church, in such a way that within and outside the celebration of the Eucharist there is brought about a full participation in the sense of the words anamnesis, Emmanuel, maranatha, so that the Eucharist may become a mystagogy for Eucharistic worship outside of Mass and such worship, in its turn, become a mystagogy for the Eucharistic celebration" (from The Cult of the Eucharist, Barcelona, 1996, 60).
During the 46th International Eucharistic Congress celebrated from May 25 to June 1, at Wroclaw in Poland, in order to achieve a life shaped by the Eucharist, the movement Life in the Eucharist (whose administrative center is in Houston, Texas, USA) gave, in eleven languages a seminar during the entire week of the Congress with hundreds of participants.
All this is a faithful echo of the words of the Holy Father John Paul II when he wrote in the letter Dominicae Coenae (3) of Holy Thursday 1980: "This worship, directed toward the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, accompanies and permeates above all the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy. But is should also fill our temples outside of the time of holy Masses. . . ." "The adoration of Christ in this sacrament of love ought to find its expression in various forms of Eucharistic devotion: personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, hours of adoration, short, prolonged, annual (40 hours) expositions, Eucharistic benedictions, Eucharistic processions, Eucharistic congresses. . . ."
"The animation and deeper reflection given to Eucharistic worship are indications of that authentic renewal which the council took as its goal and form its central point. And that, venerable and dear brothers and sisters, deserves a reflection all on its own. The church and the world have great need of Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love."
In the apostolic letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente, the Holy Father announced an International Eucharistic Congress for the Great Jubilee at Rome. And he adds: "The year 2000 will be an intensely Eucharistic year; in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the Savior, having become incarnate in the womb of Mary 20 centuries ago, continues to offer himself to mankind as the source of divine life" (55).
Saint Paschal Baylon, patron of Eucharistic Associations and Congresses, together with Saint Peter Julian Eymard, apostle of the Eucharist who opened the way to them, will accompany us.
(From Ensemble/Together, March 1998, Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, 71)