Set out in joy

"The two disciples of Emmaus, upon recognizing the Lord, 'set out immediately' (cf. Luke 24:33), in order to report what they had seen and heard.

"Once we have truly met the Risen One by partaking of his body and blood, we cannot keep to ourselves the joy we have experienced.

"The encounter with Christ, constantly intensified and deepened in the Eucharist, issues in the Church and in every Christian an urgent summons to testimony and evangelization.

"I wished to emphasize this in my homily announcing the Year of the Eucharist, based on the words of Saint Paul: 'As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes' (1 Corinthians 11:26). The Apostle closely relates meal and proclamation: entering into communion with Christ in the memorial of his Pasch also means sensing the duty to be a missionary of the event made present in that rite. The dismissal at the end of each Mass is a charge given to Christians, inviting them to work for the spread of the Gospel and the imbuing of society with Christian values."

John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine, 24