At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today, in Italy and in other nations, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Domini, is celebrated. The Gospel presents the episode of the miracle of the loaves (cf Lk 9:11-17) that takes place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is intent on speaking to thousands of people and healing. At nightfall, the disciples approach the Lord and tell Him: Send the crowd to go to the villages and the surrounding countryside, to lodge and find food (Lk 9:12). Even the disciples were tired. In fact they were in an isolated place, and people had to walk and go to the villages to buy food. And Jesus saw this and answered: "You give them food" (Lk 9:13). These words provoked the astonishment of the disciples. They did not understand, perhaps they were also angry, and they replied: We have only five loaves and two fish, unless we go to buy food for all these people (Lk 9:13).
Instead, Jesus invited his disciples to make a true conversion from the logic of each one for himself to that of sharing, beginning with the little that Providence makes available to us. And he immediately showed that he was clear about what he wanted to do. He told them: Let them sit in groups of about fifty (Lk 9:14). Then he took in his hands the five loaves and the two fishes, turned to the heavenly Father and pronounced the prayer of blessing. Then, he began to break the loaves, to divide the fish, and to give them to the disciples, who distributed them to the crowd. And that food did not end until everyone had been satisfied.
This miracle - very important, so true that it is told by all the Evangelists - manifests the power of the Messiah and, at the same time, his compassion: Jesus has compassion on people. That prodigious gesture not only remains as one of the great signs of Jesus' public life, but it anticipates what will eventually be the memorial of his sacrifice, that is, the Eucharist, the sacrament of his Body and his Blood given for the salvation of world.
The Eucharist is the synthesis of the whole existence of Jesus, which was a single act of love for the Father and for his brothers. There too, as in the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus took the bread in his hands, offered the blessing prayer to the Father, broke the bread and gave it to the disciples; and he did the same with the wine. But at that moment, on the eve of his Passion, he wanted to leave in that gesture the Testament of the new and eternal Covenant, a perpetual memorial of his passover of death and resurrection. Every year the feast of Corpus Christi invites us to renew the wonder and joy for this wonderful gift of the Lord, which is the Eucharist. Let us welcome him with gratitude, not in a passive, habitual way. We must not get used to the Eucharist and go out and tell others as if by habit: no! Whenever we approach the altar to receive the Eucharist, we must truly renew our amen to the Body of Christ. When the priest says the Body of Christ, we say amen: but be sure that it is an amen that comes from the heart, that we are convinced. It is Jesus, it is Jesus who saved me, it is Jesus who comes to give me the strength to live. It is Jesus, living Jesus. But we must not get used to it: every time it should be as if it were the first communion.
One of the expressions of the Eucharistic faith of the holy people of God are the processions with the Blessed Sacrament, which take place everywhere in the Catholic Church on this Solemnity. This evening, in the Casal Bertone district of Rome, I will celebrate Mass, followed by a procession. I invite everyone to participate, even spiritually, through radio and television. May Our Lady help us to follow Jesus who we adore in the Eucharist with faith and love.
Testo originale in italiano
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in Madrid, María Carmen Lacaba Andía and 13 other Sisters from the Franciscan Order of the Immaculate Conception, killed out of hatred for the faith during the religious persecution between 1936 and 1939, were beatified. These cloistered Sisters, like the prudent virgins, awaited the arrival of the divine Spouse with heroic faith. Their martyrdom is an invitation for all of us to be strong and persevering, especially in times of trial. Let us greet these new Blessed with applause!
I offer my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims. In particular to those who have come from Brazil, from the Island of Guam (United States of America) and those who have come on pilgrimage from Liverpool under the direction of the Sisters of Our Lady of Namur.
I greet the faithful from Salerno, Crotone and Lanciano.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
prior to the recitation of the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today, in Italy and in other nations, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Domini, is celebrated. The Gospel presents the episode of the miracle of the loaves (cf Lk 9:11-17) that takes place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is intent on speaking to thousands of people and healing. At nightfall, the disciples approach the Lord and tell Him: Send the crowd to go to the villages and the surrounding countryside, to lodge and find food (Lk 9:12). Even the disciples were tired. In fact they were in an isolated place, and people had to walk and go to the villages to buy food. And Jesus saw this and answered: "You give them food" (Lk 9:13). These words provoked the astonishment of the disciples. They did not understand, perhaps they were also angry, and they replied: We have only five loaves and two fish, unless we go to buy food for all these people (Lk 9:13).
Instead, Jesus invited his disciples to make a true conversion from the logic of each one for himself to that of sharing, beginning with the little that Providence makes available to us. And he immediately showed that he was clear about what he wanted to do. He told them: Let them sit in groups of about fifty (Lk 9:14). Then he took in his hands the five loaves and the two fishes, turned to the heavenly Father and pronounced the prayer of blessing. Then, he began to break the loaves, to divide the fish, and to give them to the disciples, who distributed them to the crowd. And that food did not end until everyone had been satisfied.
This miracle - very important, so true that it is told by all the Evangelists - manifests the power of the Messiah and, at the same time, his compassion: Jesus has compassion on people. That prodigious gesture not only remains as one of the great signs of Jesus' public life, but it anticipates what will eventually be the memorial of his sacrifice, that is, the Eucharist, the sacrament of his Body and his Blood given for the salvation of world.
The Eucharist is the synthesis of the whole existence of Jesus, which was a single act of love for the Father and for his brothers. There too, as in the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus took the bread in his hands, offered the blessing prayer to the Father, broke the bread and gave it to the disciples; and he did the same with the wine. But at that moment, on the eve of his Passion, he wanted to leave in that gesture the Testament of the new and eternal Covenant, a perpetual memorial of his passover of death and resurrection. Every year the feast of Corpus Christi invites us to renew the wonder and joy for this wonderful gift of the Lord, which is the Eucharist. Let us welcome him with gratitude, not in a passive, habitual way. We must not get used to the Eucharist and go out and tell others as if by habit: no! Whenever we approach the altar to receive the Eucharist, we must truly renew our amen to the Body of Christ. When the priest says the Body of Christ, we say amen: but be sure that it is an amen that comes from the heart, that we are convinced. It is Jesus, it is Jesus who saved me, it is Jesus who comes to give me the strength to live. It is Jesus, living Jesus. But we must not get used to it: every time it should be as if it were the first communion.
One of the expressions of the Eucharistic faith of the holy people of God are the processions with the Blessed Sacrament, which take place everywhere in the Catholic Church on this Solemnity. This evening, in the Casal Bertone district of Rome, I will celebrate Mass, followed by a procession. I invite everyone to participate, even spiritually, through radio and television. May Our Lady help us to follow Jesus who we adore in the Eucharist with faith and love.
Testo originale in italiano
Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Yesterday in Madrid, María Carmen Lacaba Andía and 13 other Sisters from the Franciscan Order of the Immaculate Conception, killed out of hatred for the faith during the religious persecution between 1936 and 1939, were beatified. These cloistered Sisters, like the prudent virgins, awaited the arrival of the divine Spouse with heroic faith. Their martyrdom is an invitation for all of us to be strong and persevering, especially in times of trial. Let us greet these new Blessed with applause!
I offer my greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims. In particular to those who have come from Brazil, from the Island of Guam (United States of America) and those who have come on pilgrimage from Liverpool under the direction of the Sisters of Our Lady of Namur.
I greet the faithful from Salerno, Crotone and Lanciano.
I wish you all a good Sunday. Please, don't forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
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