Pope focuses Sunday message on Body & Blood of Christ

Pope's Angelus Address

"He did not come into this world to give something, but to give Himself, His life, as nourishment for all those who have faith in Him.

Vatican City, June 22, 2014 (Zenit.org)        

Here is a translation of the address Pope Francis gave today before and after praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter's Square.

BEFORE THE ANGELUS:


Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
Celebrated in Italy and in many other countries this Sunday is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ – often the Latin name is used: Corpus Domini or Corpus Christi. The ecclesial community gathers around the Eucharist to adore the most precious treasure that Jesus left it.
John’s Gospel presents the discourse on the “bread of life,” held by Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum, in which he affirms: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51). Jesus stresses that he did not come to this world to give something, but to give himself, his life, as nourishment for all those who have faith in him. This communion of ours with the Lord commits us, his disciples, to imitate him, making of our existence, with our attitudes, bread broken for others, as the Master broke bread which is really his flesh. For us, instead, it is our generous behavior towards our neighbor which demonstrates the attitude of breaking our life for others.
Every time we take part in the Holy Mass and nourish ourselves with the Body of Christ, the presence of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit acts in us, it molds our heart, communicates to us interior attitudes that are translated in behavior according to the Gospel. First of all docility to the Word of God, then fraternity among us, the courage of Christian witness, the inventiveness of charity, the capacity to give hope to the distrustful, of receiving the excluded. Thus the Eucharist makes a Christian lifestyle mature. The charity of Christ, received with an open heart, changes us, transforms us, renders us capable of loving not according the human measure, always limited, but according to the measure of God. And what is God’s measure? It is without measure! The measure of God is without measure. All! All! All! The love of God cannot be measured: it is without measure! And then we become capable of loving even those who do not love us: and this isn’t easy -- to love someone who doesn’t love us … It isn’t easy! Because if we know that a person doesn’t love us, we are also led not to love him. And instead, no! We must also love one who doesn’t love us. We must oppose evil with good, we must forgive, share and welcome. Thanks to Jesus and to his Spirit, our life also becomes “broken bread” for our brothers.
And living this way we discover true joy! The joy of making ourselves gift, to exchange the great gift that we received first, without our merit. This is beautiful: our life becomes gift! This is to imitate Jesus. I would like to remind you of these two things: First: the measure of the love of God is to love without measure. Is this clear? And, with the love of Jesus, receiving the Eucharist, our life becomes gift, as Jesus’ life was. Do not forget these two things: the measure of the love of God is to love without measure. And, following Jesus, with the Eucharist we make our life a gift.
Jesus, bread of eternal life, came down from heaven and was made flesh thanks to the faith of Mary Most Holy. After having borne him with ineffable love, she followed him faithfully to the cross and to the Resurrection. Let us ask Our Lady to help us to rediscover the beauty of the Eucharist, and to make it the center of our life, especially in Sunday Mass and in Adoration.