At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with pilgrims who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
This Sunday's gospel passage (cf Jn 6:51-58) introduces us to the second part of the speech that Jesus made in the synagogue in Capharnaum, after having fed a large crowd with five loaves and two fish: the multiplication of the loaves. He presents himself as the living bread that came down from heaven, the bread that gives eternal life, and he adds: The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). This passage is decisive, in fact it provokes the reactions of his listeners, who began to argue among themselves: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (Jn 6:52). When the sign of shared bread leads to its true meaning, that is, the gift of self-giving to the point of sacrifice, misunderstanding emerges, even the rejection of the One who, just before, they wanted to celebrate. Let us remember that Jesus had to hide because they wanted to make him king.
Jesus continued: If you do not eat the flesh of a man's son and do not drink his blood, you do not have life in you (Jn 6:53). Blood is also present here along with flesh. Flesh and blood in the biblical language express concrete humanity. The people and the disciples themselves understand that Jesus invites them to enter into communion with him, to "eat" him, his humanity, to share with him the gift of life for the world. Much more than triumphs and successful mirages, this is precisely the sacrifice of Jesus who gives himself for us.
This bread of life, the sacrament of the Body and of the Blood of Christ, is given to us freely at the table of the Eucharist. Around the altar we find what feeds us and quenches our thirst for eternity. Every time we participate in the Mass, in a certain sense, we anticipate heaven on earth, because from the Eucharistic food, the Body and the Blood of Jesus, we learn what eternal life is. It is living for the Lord: He who eats me will live for me (Jn 6:57), says the Lord. The Eucharist shapes us because we do not live only for ourselves, but for the Lord and for our brothers and sisters. The happiness and eternal nature of life depend on our capacity to make the evangelical love we receive in the Eucharist fruitful.
As he said then, Jesus repeats to each one of us today: If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you (Jn 6:53). Brothers and sisters, this is not material food, but living and life-giving bread, which communicates the very life of God. When we receive communion we receive the very life of God. In order to have this life, it is necessary to eat the Gospel and the love of our brothers and sisters. Faced with Jesus' invitation to nourish us with his Body and Blood, we might feel the need to discuss and even dispute among us, as did the listeners of today's Gospel. This happens when we struggle to shape our existence according to that of Jesus, to act according to that criteria and not according to the criteria of the world. By nourishing ourselves with this food we can enter fully into harmony with Christ, with his feelings, with his behaviour. This is so important: going to Mass and receiving communion, because receiving communion is receiving the living Christ, who transforms us and prepares us for heaven.
May the Virgin Mary support our hopes to live in communion with Jesus Christ, who feeds us with his Eucharist, so that we in turn can become bread that is broken for our brothers and sisters.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In recent days, the inhabitants of Kerala (India) have been hit hard by extremely heavy rains, which have caused flooding and landslides, with heavy loss of lives, numerous missing and displaced people, and extensive damage to crops and houses. These brothers and sisters of ours are counting on our help and the concrete support of the international community. I am close to the Church in Kerala, which is on the front line to bring relief to the population. We are also close to the Church in Kerala and we can pray together for those who have lost their lives and for all the people who have experienced this great calamity.
Let us pray together in silence ... Hail Mary ...
I wish to cordially greet all of you, Italian pilgrims and those who have come from various other countries. In particular, I greet the young people from Ukraine and I encourage you to be creators of peace and reconciliation. I greet the new seminarians along with your superiors from the North American College in Rome; as well as the teenagers and the young adults from the dioceses of Verona.
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's gospel passage (cf Jn 6:51-58) introduces us to the second part of the speech that Jesus made in the synagogue in Capharnaum, after having fed a large crowd with five loaves and two fish: the multiplication of the loaves. He presents himself as the living bread that came down from heaven, the bread that gives eternal life, and he adds: The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). This passage is decisive, in fact it provokes the reactions of his listeners, who began to argue among themselves: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (Jn 6:52). When the sign of shared bread leads to its true meaning, that is, the gift of self-giving to the point of sacrifice, misunderstanding emerges, even the rejection of the One who, just before, they wanted to celebrate. Let us remember that Jesus had to hide because they wanted to make him king.
Jesus continued: If you do not eat the flesh of a man's son and do not drink his blood, you do not have life in you (Jn 6:53). Blood is also present here along with flesh. Flesh and blood in the biblical language express concrete humanity. The people and the disciples themselves understand that Jesus invites them to enter into communion with him, to "eat" him, his humanity, to share with him the gift of life for the world. Much more than triumphs and successful mirages, this is precisely the sacrifice of Jesus who gives himself for us.
This bread of life, the sacrament of the Body and of the Blood of Christ, is given to us freely at the table of the Eucharist. Around the altar we find what feeds us and quenches our thirst for eternity. Every time we participate in the Mass, in a certain sense, we anticipate heaven on earth, because from the Eucharistic food, the Body and the Blood of Jesus, we learn what eternal life is. It is living for the Lord: He who eats me will live for me (Jn 6:57), says the Lord. The Eucharist shapes us because we do not live only for ourselves, but for the Lord and for our brothers and sisters. The happiness and eternal nature of life depend on our capacity to make the evangelical love we receive in the Eucharist fruitful.
As he said then, Jesus repeats to each one of us today: If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you (Jn 6:53). Brothers and sisters, this is not material food, but living and life-giving bread, which communicates the very life of God. When we receive communion we receive the very life of God. In order to have this life, it is necessary to eat the Gospel and the love of our brothers and sisters. Faced with Jesus' invitation to nourish us with his Body and Blood, we might feel the need to discuss and even dispute among us, as did the listeners of today's Gospel. This happens when we struggle to shape our existence according to that of Jesus, to act according to that criteria and not according to the criteria of the world. By nourishing ourselves with this food we can enter fully into harmony with Christ, with his feelings, with his behaviour. This is so important: going to Mass and receiving communion, because receiving communion is receiving the living Christ, who transforms us and prepares us for heaven.
May the Virgin Mary support our hopes to live in communion with Jesus Christ, who feeds us with his Eucharist, so that we in turn can become bread that is broken for our brothers and sisters.
After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:
Dear brothers and sisters,
In recent days, the inhabitants of Kerala (India) have been hit hard by extremely heavy rains, which have caused flooding and landslides, with heavy loss of lives, numerous missing and displaced people, and extensive damage to crops and houses. These brothers and sisters of ours are counting on our help and the concrete support of the international community. I am close to the Church in Kerala, which is on the front line to bring relief to the population. We are also close to the Church in Kerala and we can pray together for those who have lost their lives and for all the people who have experienced this great calamity.
Let us pray together in silence ... Hail Mary ...
I wish to cordially greet all of you, Italian pilgrims and those who have come from various other countries. In particular, I greet the young people from Ukraine and I encourage you to be creators of peace and reconciliation. I greet the new seminarians along with your superiors from the North American College in Rome; as well as the teenagers and the young adults from the dioceses of Verona.
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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