Yesterday's General Audience began in Saint Peter's Square at 10:15am local time. Pope Francis met there with pilgrims who had gathered from all parts of Italy and from every corner of the world. During the Audience, the Holy Father spoke in Italian, continuing the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the Sacraments, this week focusing on the Eucharist.
Following the syntheses of the catechesis, presented in various languages, His Holiness also addressed greetings to various groups of visitors who were present. The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning, but it is not a nice day; the weather is a bit nasty …
Together with Baptism and Confirmation, the Eucharist is at the heart of Christian initiation, and it constitutes the source of the very life of the Church. In fact, from this Sacrament of Love flows every authentic path of faith, of communion and of testimony.
What we see, when we come together to celebrate the Eucharist -- the Mass, makes us realize what we are about to live. At the centre of the area allocated to the celebration is the altar, which is a table, covered with a cloth, and this makes us think of a banquet. On the table there is a cross, to indicate that on that altar the sacrifice of Christ is offered: He is the spiritual food that is received there, under the signs of bread and wine. Next to the altar is the pulpit, that is, the place from which the Word of God is proclaimed: this indicates that we gather there to hear the Lord who speaks through the Sacred Scriptures, and therefore the food that is received is also His Word.
Word and Bread become altogether one in the Mass, as in the Last Supper, when all Jesus’ words, all the signs he made, were condensed in the gesture of breaking the bread and offering the chalice, anticipation of the sacrifice of the cross, and in those words: Take and eat, this is my Body … Take and drink, this is my Blood.
The gesture Jesus made in the Last Supper is His utmost thanksgiving to the Father for His love, for His mercy. Thanksgiving in Greek is eucharist. And for this reason the Sacrament is called the Eucharist: it is the supreme thanksgiving to the Father, who has loved us so much that He give us his Son out of love. This is why the term Eucharist recapitulates all that gesture, which is the gesture of God and man together, the gesture of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Therefore, the Eucharistic celebration is much more than a simple banquet: it is in fact the memorial of Jesus’ Passover, the central mystery of salvation. Memorial does not mean only memory, a simple memory but it means that every time that we celebrate this Sacrament we participate in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. The Eucharist is at the apex of God’s action of salvation: the Lord Jesus, making himself broken bread for us, sheds on us in fact all His mercy and His love, so as to renew our heart, our existence and our way of relating to Him and to our brothers. It is because of this that ordinarily, when we approach this Sacrament, we say we receive Communion, or we make our Communion: this means that, in the power of the Holy Spirit, participation at the Eucharistic table conforms us in a unique and profound way to Christ, giving us a foretaste already now of the full communion with the Father that characterizes the heavenly banquet, where with all the Saints we will have the unimaginable joy of contemplating God face to face.
Dear friends, we never thank the Lord enough for the gift He has given us with the Eucharist! It is a great gift and for this reason it is very important to go to Mass on Sunday. Go to Mass not only to pray, but to receive Communion, this bread that is the body of Christ that saves us, forgives us, that unites us to the Father. It is beautiful to do this! And every Sunday we go to Mass, because it is the very day of the Resurrection of the Lord. For this reason, Sunday is so important for us. And with the Eucharist we feel this belonging to the Church, to the People of God, to the Body of God, to Jesus Christ. We will never end gathering all its value and richness. Let us ask Him then that this Sacrament may continue to maintain His presence alive in the Church and mould our communities in charity and communion, according to the heart of the Father. And this is done during your whole life, but it begins to be done on the day of First Communion. It is important that the children are prepared well for First Communion and that each child does it, because it is the first step of this strong belonging to Jesus Christ, after Baptism and Confirmation. Thank you!
Following the presentation of the above teaching on the Eucharist, this catechesis was also summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father issued greetings to each of the language groups of pilgrims who were present. To the English-speaking pilgrims, His Holiness said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those from England and the United States. I greet in particular the group of Pallottine Missionary Sisters. Upon you and your families I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!
Following the syntheses of the catechesis, presented in various languages, His Holiness also addressed greetings to various groups of visitors who were present. The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning, but it is not a nice day; the weather is a bit nasty …
Together with Baptism and Confirmation, the Eucharist is at the heart of Christian initiation, and it constitutes the source of the very life of the Church. In fact, from this Sacrament of Love flows every authentic path of faith, of communion and of testimony.
What we see, when we come together to celebrate the Eucharist -- the Mass, makes us realize what we are about to live. At the centre of the area allocated to the celebration is the altar, which is a table, covered with a cloth, and this makes us think of a banquet. On the table there is a cross, to indicate that on that altar the sacrifice of Christ is offered: He is the spiritual food that is received there, under the signs of bread and wine. Next to the altar is the pulpit, that is, the place from which the Word of God is proclaimed: this indicates that we gather there to hear the Lord who speaks through the Sacred Scriptures, and therefore the food that is received is also His Word.
Word and Bread become altogether one in the Mass, as in the Last Supper, when all Jesus’ words, all the signs he made, were condensed in the gesture of breaking the bread and offering the chalice, anticipation of the sacrifice of the cross, and in those words: Take and eat, this is my Body … Take and drink, this is my Blood.
The gesture Jesus made in the Last Supper is His utmost thanksgiving to the Father for His love, for His mercy. Thanksgiving in Greek is eucharist. And for this reason the Sacrament is called the Eucharist: it is the supreme thanksgiving to the Father, who has loved us so much that He give us his Son out of love. This is why the term Eucharist recapitulates all that gesture, which is the gesture of God and man together, the gesture of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Therefore, the Eucharistic celebration is much more than a simple banquet: it is in fact the memorial of Jesus’ Passover, the central mystery of salvation. Memorial does not mean only memory, a simple memory but it means that every time that we celebrate this Sacrament we participate in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ. The Eucharist is at the apex of God’s action of salvation: the Lord Jesus, making himself broken bread for us, sheds on us in fact all His mercy and His love, so as to renew our heart, our existence and our way of relating to Him and to our brothers. It is because of this that ordinarily, when we approach this Sacrament, we say we receive Communion, or we make our Communion: this means that, in the power of the Holy Spirit, participation at the Eucharistic table conforms us in a unique and profound way to Christ, giving us a foretaste already now of the full communion with the Father that characterizes the heavenly banquet, where with all the Saints we will have the unimaginable joy of contemplating God face to face.
Dear friends, we never thank the Lord enough for the gift He has given us with the Eucharist! It is a great gift and for this reason it is very important to go to Mass on Sunday. Go to Mass not only to pray, but to receive Communion, this bread that is the body of Christ that saves us, forgives us, that unites us to the Father. It is beautiful to do this! And every Sunday we go to Mass, because it is the very day of the Resurrection of the Lord. For this reason, Sunday is so important for us. And with the Eucharist we feel this belonging to the Church, to the People of God, to the Body of God, to Jesus Christ. We will never end gathering all its value and richness. Let us ask Him then that this Sacrament may continue to maintain His presence alive in the Church and mould our communities in charity and communion, according to the heart of the Father. And this is done during your whole life, but it begins to be done on the day of First Communion. It is important that the children are prepared well for First Communion and that each child does it, because it is the first step of this strong belonging to Jesus Christ, after Baptism and Confirmation. Thank you!
Following the presentation of the above teaching on the Eucharist, this catechesis was also summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father issued greetings to each of the language groups of pilgrims who were present. To the English-speaking pilgrims, His Holiness said:
I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims present at today’s Audience, including those from England and the United States. I greet in particular the group of Pallottine Missionary Sisters. Upon you and your families I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!
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