At noon today, 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 who had gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday, the liturgy proposes, in the Gospel of John, the speech Jesus gave concerning the Bread of Life, which He himself is and which is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Today's scripture passage (Jn 6:51-58) presents the last part of the speech, and refers to a few among the people who were scandalized because Jesus had said: Whoever eats of my flesh and drinks of my blood will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day (Jn 6:54). The listeners' astonishment is understandable. In fact, Jesus uses the style typical of a prophet in order to lead the people - and us too - by means of his questions and ultimately he drives them (and us) to making a decision. First among the decisions - what does it mean to eat the flesh and to drink the blood of Jesus? - is this only an image, a way of speaking, a symbol that indicates something that is real? In order to respond to these questions, we need to be intuitive about what was going on in Jesus' heart while he shared the bread with the hungry crowd. Knowing that he was to die on the cross for us, Jesus identified himself with this bread, broken and shared; for him, it became the sign of the Sacrifice that awaited him. The process culminated at the Last Supper, where the bread and the wine would truly become his Body and his Blood. And the Eucharist that Jesus left us has a precise purpose: so that we could become one with Him. In fact, he says: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him (Jn 6:56). This word remain: Jesus in us and we in Jesus. Communion is an assimilation: as we eat of Him, we become like Him. But his requires a yes on our part, our ascent in faith.
Sometimes, when you think about Mass, you might think: What's the purpose of Mass? I go to church when I feel like it, or I prayer better in solitude. But the Eucharist is not a private prayer or just a beautiful spiritual experience. It's not a simple commemoration of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. We say, in order to understand things well, that the Eucharist is a memorial, a gesture that brings about or renders present the event of the death and resurrection of Jesus: bread truly becomes his Body, given for us; wine truly becomes his Blood, poured out for us.
The Eucharist is Jesus himself who gives himself entirely to us. Fed by him and remaining in him through eucharistic Communion, as long as we receive it in faith, transforms our lives, transforms them into gifts from God, gifts for our brothers and sisters. Fed by the Bread of life means being in tune with the heart of Christ, incorporated among his choices, his thoughts, his behaviours. It means entering into a dynamic of love and becoming a person of peace, a person of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of sharing in solidarity. The same things that Jesus himself did.
Jesus concluded his discourse with these words: Whoever eats this bread will live forever (Jn 6:58). Yes, to live in true communion with Jesus on this earth already allows us to pass from death to life. Heaven begins in this communion with Jesus.
And in Heaven, Mary our Mother already awaits us - yesterday, we celebrated this mystery. May she obtain for us the grace to always be fed by Jesus, the Bread of life.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all with affection, Romans and pilgrims: families, parish groups, associations and youth.
I greet the folk choir from the Organización de arte y culture mexicana, the young people from Verona who are living an experience in Rome, and the faithful from Beverare.
A special greeting is extended to the numerous young people from the Movimento Giovanile Salesiano, gathered in Turin in the footsteps of Saint John Bosco to celebrate the bicentennial of his birth; I encourage them to live the joy of the Gospel every day, in order to share the gift of hope with all the world.
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!
This Sunday, the liturgy proposes, in the Gospel of John, the speech Jesus gave concerning the Bread of Life, which He himself is and which is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Today's scripture passage (Jn 6:51-58) presents the last part of the speech, and refers to a few among the people who were scandalized because Jesus had said: Whoever eats of my flesh and drinks of my blood will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day (Jn 6:54). The listeners' astonishment is understandable. In fact, Jesus uses the style typical of a prophet in order to lead the people - and us too - by means of his questions and ultimately he drives them (and us) to making a decision. First among the decisions - what does it mean to eat the flesh and to drink the blood of Jesus? - is this only an image, a way of speaking, a symbol that indicates something that is real? In order to respond to these questions, we need to be intuitive about what was going on in Jesus' heart while he shared the bread with the hungry crowd. Knowing that he was to die on the cross for us, Jesus identified himself with this bread, broken and shared; for him, it became the sign of the Sacrifice that awaited him. The process culminated at the Last Supper, where the bread and the wine would truly become his Body and his Blood. And the Eucharist that Jesus left us has a precise purpose: so that we could become one with Him. In fact, he says: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him (Jn 6:56). This word remain: Jesus in us and we in Jesus. Communion is an assimilation: as we eat of Him, we become like Him. But his requires a yes on our part, our ascent in faith.
Sometimes, when you think about Mass, you might think: What's the purpose of Mass? I go to church when I feel like it, or I prayer better in solitude. But the Eucharist is not a private prayer or just a beautiful spiritual experience. It's not a simple commemoration of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. We say, in order to understand things well, that the Eucharist is a memorial, a gesture that brings about or renders present the event of the death and resurrection of Jesus: bread truly becomes his Body, given for us; wine truly becomes his Blood, poured out for us.
The Eucharist is Jesus himself who gives himself entirely to us. Fed by him and remaining in him through eucharistic Communion, as long as we receive it in faith, transforms our lives, transforms them into gifts from God, gifts for our brothers and sisters. Fed by the Bread of life means being in tune with the heart of Christ, incorporated among his choices, his thoughts, his behaviours. It means entering into a dynamic of love and becoming a person of peace, a person of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of sharing in solidarity. The same things that Jesus himself did.
Jesus concluded his discourse with these words: Whoever eats this bread will live forever (Jn 6:58). Yes, to live in true communion with Jesus on this earth already allows us to pass from death to life. Heaven begins in this communion with Jesus.
And in Heaven, Mary our Mother already awaits us - yesterday, we celebrated this mystery. May she obtain for us the grace to always be fed by Jesus, the Bread of life.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet you all with affection, Romans and pilgrims: families, parish groups, associations and youth.
I greet the folk choir from the Organización de arte y culture mexicana, the young people from Verona who are living an experience in Rome, and the faithful from Beverare.
A special greeting is extended to the numerous young people from the Movimento Giovanile Salesiano, gathered in Turin in the footsteps of Saint John Bosco to celebrate the bicentennial of his birth; I encourage them to live the joy of the Gospel every day, in order to share the gift of hope with all the world.
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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