This morning's General Audience began at 10:15am in Saint Peter's Square, where His Holiness, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and all parts of the world.
In his discourse, spoken in Italian, the Holy Father continued the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the Sacraments, concentrating once again this week on the Eucharist. Following the syntheses of the catechesis in various languages, the Pontiff offered particular greetings to each of the groups who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imposition of the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
In the last catechesis I highlighted the fact that the Eucharist introduces us to real communion with Jesus and His mystery. Now we can ask ourselves some questions regarding the relationship between the Eucharist we celebrate and our life, as a Church and as individual Christians. We ask ourselves: how do we live the Eucharist? When we go to Mass on Sunday, how do we live it? Is it only a moment of celebration, a consolidated tradition, an occasion to meet with one another and feel good, or is it something more?
There are very concrete signs to understand how we live all this, how we live the Eucharist; signs that tell us if we live the Eucharist well or if we don’t live it too well. The first indication is our way of looking at and of considering others. In the Eucharist Christ always acts anew, sharing the gift of Himself that he made on the Cross. His whole life was an act of total sharing of Himself out of love; that is why He loved to be with the disciples and with the people He was able to meet. For Him, this meant sharing their desires, their problems, what agitated their souls and their lives. Now when we participate in Holy Mass, we meet with men and women of all kinds: young people, elderly people, children, poor people and the well-off, those who are native to the place and foreigners alike. Sometimes we are accompanied by relatives and at other times we can be alone … However, does the Eucharist I celebrate lead me to truly regard them all as brothers and sisters? Does it make my capacity to rejoice with the joyful and to weep with those who weep grow? Does it push me to go in search of the poor, the sick, the marginalized? Does it help me to recognize Jesus’ face in them? We all go to Mass because we love Jesus and we want to share in the Eucharist, in his Passion and Resurrection. But do we love, as Jesus wants us to love, especially those brothers and sisters that are most in need? For example, in Rome in these days we see so many social hardships or challenges because of the rain, which has done so much damage to entire neighbourhoods, or due to the lack of work, or as a consequence of the economic crisis in the whole world. I ask myself, and each one us should ask ourselves: I, who go to Mass, how do I live this? Do I make sure to help, to come close to, to pray for those who have this problem? Or am I a little indifferent? Or maybe I’m concerned with gossip: have you seen how that woman is dressed, or how that man is dressed? Sometimes this is done, after Mass, and it shouldn’t be done! We should worry about our brothers and our sisters that are in need because of a sickness or a problem. Today, it would do us well to think of our brothers and sisters that have these problems here in Rome: problems caused by the tragedy provoked by the rain, social problems and work. Let us ask Jesus, who we received in the Eucharist, to help us to help them.
A second, very important indication is the grace of feeling oneself forgiven and ready to forgive. Sometimes there are those who ask: “Why should we go to church given that those who habitually take part in the Holy Mass are sinners like others? How many times have we heard that! In reality, one who celebrates the Eucharist doesn’t do so because he believes, or wants to appear better than others, but precisely because he sees himself always in need of being received and regenerated by the mercy of God, made flesh in Jesus Christ. If each one of us does not feel in need of the mercy of God, does not feel like a sinner, it is better that we do not go to Mass! We go to Mass because we are sinners and we want to received the forgiveness of God, to participate in the redemption of Jesus, in his forgiveness. That I confess which we say at the beginning is not a pro forma, it is a true act of penance! I am a sinner and I confess it, that is how the Mass begins! We must never forget that Jesus’ Last Supper took place on the night He was betrayed (1 Corinthians 11:23). Renewed every time in that bread and wine that we offer and around which we gather, is the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ for the remission of our sins. We should go to Mass humbly, as sinners and the Lord reconciles us.
A last precious indication is offered to us by the relation between the Eucharistic celebration and the life of our Christian communities. We must always keep present in our minds, the fact that the Eucharist is not something we do; it is not our commemoration of what Jesus said and did. No. It is in fact an action of Christ! It is Christ who acts there, who is on the altar. It is a gift of Christ, who makes Himself present and gathers us around Himself to feed us with His Word and with His very life. This means that the mission and very identity of the Church flow from there, from the Eucharist, and they always take shape there. A celebration could even be impeccable, from the external point of view, but if it doesn’t lead us to an encounter with Jesus, it risks not bringing any nourishment to our heart and to our life. Through the Eucharist, instead, Christ wants to enter into our existence and permeate it with His grace, so that in every Christian community there is coherence between the liturgy and life.
Our hearts are filled with confidence and hope as we think of Jesus’ words reported in John’s Gospel: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (6:54). Let us live the Eucharist with a spirit of faith, of prayer, of penance, of communal joy, of concern for the needy and the needs of so many brothers and sisters, in the certainty that the Lord will fulfill what He has promised us: eternal life. Amen!
Following the entire catechesis (above), this text was summarized and translated into various languages. At the same time, the Holy Father spoke greetings to each of the linguistic groups who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, the Pope said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Denmark, Hong Kong and the United States. May Jesus Christ confirm you in faith and make you witnesses of his love and mercy to all people. God bless you all!
In his discourse, spoken in Italian, the Holy Father continued the cycle of catecheses dedicated to the Sacraments, concentrating once again this week on the Eucharist. Following the syntheses of the catechesis in various languages, the Pontiff offered particular greetings to each of the groups who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imposition of the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
In the last catechesis I highlighted the fact that the Eucharist introduces us to real communion with Jesus and His mystery. Now we can ask ourselves some questions regarding the relationship between the Eucharist we celebrate and our life, as a Church and as individual Christians. We ask ourselves: how do we live the Eucharist? When we go to Mass on Sunday, how do we live it? Is it only a moment of celebration, a consolidated tradition, an occasion to meet with one another and feel good, or is it something more?
There are very concrete signs to understand how we live all this, how we live the Eucharist; signs that tell us if we live the Eucharist well or if we don’t live it too well. The first indication is our way of looking at and of considering others. In the Eucharist Christ always acts anew, sharing the gift of Himself that he made on the Cross. His whole life was an act of total sharing of Himself out of love; that is why He loved to be with the disciples and with the people He was able to meet. For Him, this meant sharing their desires, their problems, what agitated their souls and their lives. Now when we participate in Holy Mass, we meet with men and women of all kinds: young people, elderly people, children, poor people and the well-off, those who are native to the place and foreigners alike. Sometimes we are accompanied by relatives and at other times we can be alone … However, does the Eucharist I celebrate lead me to truly regard them all as brothers and sisters? Does it make my capacity to rejoice with the joyful and to weep with those who weep grow? Does it push me to go in search of the poor, the sick, the marginalized? Does it help me to recognize Jesus’ face in them? We all go to Mass because we love Jesus and we want to share in the Eucharist, in his Passion and Resurrection. But do we love, as Jesus wants us to love, especially those brothers and sisters that are most in need? For example, in Rome in these days we see so many social hardships or challenges because of the rain, which has done so much damage to entire neighbourhoods, or due to the lack of work, or as a consequence of the economic crisis in the whole world. I ask myself, and each one us should ask ourselves: I, who go to Mass, how do I live this? Do I make sure to help, to come close to, to pray for those who have this problem? Or am I a little indifferent? Or maybe I’m concerned with gossip: have you seen how that woman is dressed, or how that man is dressed? Sometimes this is done, after Mass, and it shouldn’t be done! We should worry about our brothers and our sisters that are in need because of a sickness or a problem. Today, it would do us well to think of our brothers and sisters that have these problems here in Rome: problems caused by the tragedy provoked by the rain, social problems and work. Let us ask Jesus, who we received in the Eucharist, to help us to help them.
A second, very important indication is the grace of feeling oneself forgiven and ready to forgive. Sometimes there are those who ask: “Why should we go to church given that those who habitually take part in the Holy Mass are sinners like others? How many times have we heard that! In reality, one who celebrates the Eucharist doesn’t do so because he believes, or wants to appear better than others, but precisely because he sees himself always in need of being received and regenerated by the mercy of God, made flesh in Jesus Christ. If each one of us does not feel in need of the mercy of God, does not feel like a sinner, it is better that we do not go to Mass! We go to Mass because we are sinners and we want to received the forgiveness of God, to participate in the redemption of Jesus, in his forgiveness. That I confess which we say at the beginning is not a pro forma, it is a true act of penance! I am a sinner and I confess it, that is how the Mass begins! We must never forget that Jesus’ Last Supper took place on the night He was betrayed (1 Corinthians 11:23). Renewed every time in that bread and wine that we offer and around which we gather, is the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ for the remission of our sins. We should go to Mass humbly, as sinners and the Lord reconciles us.
A last precious indication is offered to us by the relation between the Eucharistic celebration and the life of our Christian communities. We must always keep present in our minds, the fact that the Eucharist is not something we do; it is not our commemoration of what Jesus said and did. No. It is in fact an action of Christ! It is Christ who acts there, who is on the altar. It is a gift of Christ, who makes Himself present and gathers us around Himself to feed us with His Word and with His very life. This means that the mission and very identity of the Church flow from there, from the Eucharist, and they always take shape there. A celebration could even be impeccable, from the external point of view, but if it doesn’t lead us to an encounter with Jesus, it risks not bringing any nourishment to our heart and to our life. Through the Eucharist, instead, Christ wants to enter into our existence and permeate it with His grace, so that in every Christian community there is coherence between the liturgy and life.
Our hearts are filled with confidence and hope as we think of Jesus’ words reported in John’s Gospel: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day (6:54). Let us live the Eucharist with a spirit of faith, of prayer, of penance, of communal joy, of concern for the needy and the needs of so many brothers and sisters, in the certainty that the Lord will fulfill what He has promised us: eternal life. Amen!
Following the entire catechesis (above), this text was summarized and translated into various languages. At the same time, the Holy Father spoke greetings to each of the linguistic groups who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, the Pope said:
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Denmark, Hong Kong and the United States. May Jesus Christ confirm you in faith and make you witnesses of his love and mercy to all people. God bless you all!
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