Saint Peter-Julian Eymard was canonized on 9 December 1962 by Pope Saint John XXIII and Pope Saint John Paul II introduced his name into the Church’s universal liturgical calendar with his feast on 2 August each year. The SSS Congregation is One, but the situation of each sociocultural context requires adapting to its particular challenges, realizing that the primordial reference is Jesus in the Eucharist.
The Lima community presents many challenges in promoting our charismatic identity and our Eymardian Eucharistic Spirituality. Being a particular community, with a significant presence of the faithful only on Sundays, it was decided to postpone the Founder's feast until the 7th of August.
In preparation for the festival, a triduum was organized from 4 to 6 August on the theme: “With Saint Peter-Julian Eymard we live the experience of Synodality” with the following schedule:
1st day: Eucharistic adoration on the model of the 4 ends of sacrifice, bringing parishioners closer to this spiritual legacy in a creative and dynamic way.
2nd day: An approach to the life of Saint Peter-Julian Eymard and the spirituality of the congregation based on the integral Eucharist, that is, the Eucharist celebrated, adored and lived according to the sss pillars: Fraternity-Prayer-Service.
3rd day: A Eucharistic workshop based on a creative and dynamic work of the participants regarding the values of the Eucharist and its implications from the Gospel.
At 10 a.m. on Sunday, 7 August, representatives of the 9 communities of the parish gathered at the Saint Paul Church, the 2nd parochial venue, to celebrate the solemn feast of the Founder with the Eucharist presided over by Fr Elibien Joseph, sss.
The celebration was characterized by enthusiasm, joy, creativity and Eucharistic communion, in which unity is expressed in diversity. Finally, the community held a moment of fraternal sharing around the table, cultivating our sss tradition.
The experience of Synodality must be illuminated by the riches, values and demands of the Eucharist
The epistle of Saint John, one of the texts suggested for this liturgy, continues to question us about experiencing the Eucharist, from which Fr Eymard understood the need for “God’s extreme love” to be internalized, expressed, and always concretized in the Eucharist.
The Founder understood the Eucharist as a force for the renewal of the Church and society. Hence, the experience of Synodality must be illuminated by the riches, values and demands of the Eucharist. The challenges of the 21st century, such as social inequality, massive migration, social injustice and war still present in the world today, continue to challenge us so that everything will be renewed in the light of the Paschal mystery celebrated. May the Eymardian family confront the challenges with dedication, creativity and enthusiasm, always endeavouring to respond to current needs in the light of the source of Jesus’ extreme love manifest and amply witnessed in the Eucharist (RL 3).
10 August 2022
Father Elibien Joseph, sss