Southwest Liturgical Conference gathering links Eucharist, justice

Published: 2008-01-25

TUCSON, Ariz. (CNS) -- Eucharistic justice calls everyone "to see ourselves and all others in the same light in which the Father sees us," said Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory in remarks prepared for the Southwest Liturgical Conference study week in Tucson. Because of a snowstorm, Archbishop Gregory did not make it to Tucson for the Jan. 16-19 gathering but his remarks were delivered by Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas. About 1,200 people from Texas, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma and elsewhere were in attendance. The agenda featured workshops on a variety of topics and the performance of a play titled "The Line in the Sand," which dramatized the plight of Mexicans seeking a better life in the U.S. The theme of the 46th annual study week was "Eucharist and Justice: Walking in Charity and Peace." In his prepared remarks, Archbishop Gregory repeated the words said at each Mass: "Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." "That prayer should remind us that we are recipients of the favor of the Lord and none of us approaches the banquet of life based upon our own merits," he said. "The Eucharist is an invitation to reconsider how the Father's love has been poured out into all of our lives."

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