Stay with Us, Lord

An apostolic letter to the bishops, clergy and faithful for the Year of the Eucharist, October 2004 to October 2005, dated 7 October 2004, the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, and one of the last documents of his pontificate. It takes its title and its frame from the disciples on the road to Emmaus: 'Stay with us, Lord, for it is almost evening' (Luke 24:29). After an introduction, a first section places the Year of the Eucharist in the line of the Second Vatican Council, the Great Jubilee, Novo Millennio Ineunte, the Year of the Rosary and the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia. The following sections present the Eucharist as a mystery of light, in the liturgy of the Word and the breaking of bread; as the source and manifestation of communion, with a call to Sunday Mass and to adoration outside Mass; and as the principle and plan of 'mission', including thanksgiving, solidarity and care for the poor. The conclusion asks bishops and parishes for concrete initiatives for the year.