Inspiring Homily of the 53rd Eucharistic Congress in Quito "Jesus wanted to always stay by our side and that he will never separate from us”

 The LIII International Eucharistic Congress 2024 is the Eucharistic congress  from September 8 to 15, 2024 in Quito, Ecuador. It is the sixth time that it takes place in the American continent, after the various congresses in some cities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia and after the held in the capital of Hungary, Budapest in 2021. Background After the visit made by Pope Francis in 2015, during the period of the then president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, the pope chose Quito for the ecumenical congress. 

FULL TEXT HOMILY AT THE INAUGURAL MASS OF IEC2024
Quito, September 8, 2024
❖ Today Quito becomes the “Great Eucharistic Church” by inaugurating with
this celebration the 53rd International Eucharistic Congress.
❖ Quito, the “Face of God” as we affectionately call it, will be a
meeting place for all continents gathered to reflect and live the great
Mystery of the Eucharist, a mystery that challenges us to be true
builders of Fraternity to “heal the wounds of the World” and commits us
to be authentically brothers in the midst of a world full
of violence, death, wars; a world that divides, not a world that
unites; a world that turns man into an enemy and not a brother. There
is the call that, “From Ecuador, to the whole world,” as our Hymn
says, “we announce: You are life, Jesus.”

❖ And it is that Jesus, dear boys and girls of the Archdiocese of Quito, whom
you will receive today for the first time in your lives. Today is a day of celebration,
a great day in your lives, today you make your First Communion, and
you do it in a unique setting, at the opening of this International Eucharistic Congress. This memory will remain engraved for a lifetime in your
hearts and you will be able to say with certainty that you are the “Eucharistic
missionaries” of our Church of Quito and grow knowing that you are
called to build Fraternity, beginning in your own families.
❖ I see you today with your white vestments, with your traditional costumes, this is an
important and beautiful sign and it is, because you are “dressed for a party.” “First Communion is first and foremost a feast in which we celebrate that
Jesus wanted to always stay by our side and that he will never separate
from us” (Francis).
❖ Dear boys and girls, it is a Feast that you come to today thanks to your
parents, your grandparents, your families and the parish communities that
have helped you grow in faith.
❖ Today, to celebrate this Feast, you have come from many parts of
our Archdiocese, from parishes near and far. You have come
to participate in this wonderful feast that I am convinced you will
never forget. You have come to meet Jesus. How will you be able to
meet Jesus? You will be able to meet him because he has made a gesture
of immense love to save all men of all times.
“Today we can meet him in the Eucharist. We do not see him with these
eyes, but we see him with the eyes of faith” (Francis).
❖ You have followed a catechism itinerary, and your priests,
catechists and parents have accompanied you on this journey that leads you today
to meet Jesus and to receive Him in your hearts.
❖ Today we celebrate that Jesus, your best friend and that of all, is
present in the Bread of Life. Open your hearts, dear children, to
receive Him with joy, and may the encounter with Him in the Eucharist that you are going to receive
for the first time lead you to know how to share, dream, be thankful, trust and
honour others.
❖ Pope Francis tells you today, listen carefully: “Making your First
Communion means wanting to be closer to Jesus every day, to grow in
friendship with Him and that others can also enjoy the joy that He
wants to give us. The Lord needs you to be able to perform the miracle
of His joy reaching many of your family and friends.” And I
would add, this Archdiocese needs you children, it needs you to grow as
true builders of fraternity in order to change this world.
Receive Jesus with joy and be those missionaries with a pure heart and
an open smile, boys and girls who walk hand in hand with Jesus.
❖ And today, as we inaugurate this International Eucharistic Congress, let us ask the
Lord to perform in our lives the same miracle that he performed with the
deaf man who could barely speak. Yes, Lord, we want to hear your word
that tells us “Effetá,” that is, “Open up.” May our hearts always be
opened, but above all, our ears, to hear the cry of pain
of the whole world, the cry of those who suffer and the cry of the poor, and
may we be able, from the Eucharist, to be authentic “missionaries of Fraternity,”
to heal and perform the miracle of all being one.
❖ May Mary, the Virgin of El Quinche, Patroness of our Archdiocese, here present in her Historical Image, bless you children and shelter under her mantle all of us who participate in this Eucharistic Congress to make Fraternity more than a word, but a reality of life. SO BE IT.

Press Release from the Eucharistic Congress of Quito