Abide with us, Lord these words from Luke's gospel account of the supper at Emmaus resonate throughout this document in which John Paul II inaugurates the Year of the Eucharist, from October 2003 to October 2004.
The Pope calls not for novelty in promoting devotion and love for the Eucharist but for depth, the Year of the Eucharist is meant to take place on a deeply spiritual level, so that it will in no way interfere with the pastoral programmes of the individual Churches. Rather, it can shed light upon those programmes, anchoring them, in the very Mystery which nourishes the spiritual life of the faithful. The document also contains messages for Bishops, priests, religious and the lay faithful and in particular the young to rediscover the great gift of the Eucharist.
More than ever, our troubled world, which began the new Millennium with the spectre of terrorism and the tragedy of war, demands that Christians learn to experience the Eucharist as a great school of peace