Pope Francis at Corpus Christi Mass says “God does not abandon us" and at the Procession “We are not doing this to show off...but to invite everyone to participate, in the Bread of the Eucharist, in the new life that Jesus has given us.”
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This afternoon, the Holy Father Francis left the Vatican by car to go to St. John Lateran, where he presided over the rites of Corpus Domini, Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, according to the liturgical calendar.
At 5.00 pm, the Pope presided over the Eucharistic Celebration in the Basilica of Saint John in Lateran.
The Eucharistic Procession then took place which, traveling along Via Merulana, reached the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the Pope imparted the Solemn Blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.
We publish below the homily that the Holy Father addressed to the faithful during the Eucharistic celebration:
FULL TEXT - Homily of the Holy Father
«He took the bread and recited the blessing» (Mk 14,22).
It is the gesture with which the story of the institution of the Eucharist in the Gospel of Saint Mark opens. And we could start from this gesture of Jesus - blessing the bread - to reflect on the three dimensions of the Mystery we are celebrating: thanksgiving, memory and presence.
First: thanks. The word "Eucharist" really means "thank you": to "thank" God for his gifts, and in this sense the sign of bread is important. It is the food of every day, with which we bring to the Altar everything we are and have: life, works, successes, and even failures, as symbolized by the beautiful custom of some cultures of picking up and kissing the bread when it falls to the ground : to remember that it is too precious to be thrown away, even after it has fallen. The Eucharist, then, teaches us to bless, to welcome and kiss, always, in thanksgiving, the gifts of God, and this not only in the celebration: also in life.
For example by not wasting the things and talents that the Lord has given us. But also by forgiving and lifting up those who make mistakes and fall due to weakness or error: because everything is a gift and nothing can be lost, because no one can remain down, and everyone must have the opportunity to get up and resume the journey. And we can also do this in daily life, carrying out our work with love, with precision, with care, with precision, as a gift and a mission. And always help those who have fallen: only once in your life can you look down on a person: to help them get back up. And this is our mission. To give thanks we could certainly add many other things. They are important "Eucharistic" attitudes, because they teach us to grasp the value of what we do, and what we offer. First, give thanks. Second: “blessing the bread” means remembering. About what? For ancient Israel it was a matter of remembering the liberation from slavery in Egypt and the beginning of the exodus towards the promised land. For us it is reliving Christ's Easter, his Passion and Resurrection, with which he freed us from sin and death. Remembering our lives, remembering our successes, remembering our mistakes, remembering that outstretched hand of the Lord that always helps us lift ourselves up, remembering the presence of the Lord in our lives.
There are those who say that those who think only of themselves are free, those who enjoy life and those who, with indifference and perhaps arrogance, do everything they want despite others. This is not freedom: this is hidden slavery, a slavery that makes us even more slaves. Freedom is not found in the safes of those who accumulate for themselves, nor on the sofas of those who lazily settle into disengagement and individualism: freedom is found in the cenacle where, without any other reason than love, one bows before brothers to offer them their service, their life, as "saved".
Finally, the Eucharistic bread is real presence. And with this he speaks to us of a God who is not far away, who is not jealous, but close and in solidarity with man; that he does not abandon us, but seeks us, waits for us and accompanies us, always, to the point of placing himself, defenseless, in our hands.
And this presence of him also invites us to be close to our brothers where love calls us.
Dear brothers and sisters, how much need there is in our world for this bread, for its fragrance and its scent, a fragrance that tastes of gratitude, that tastes of freedom, that tastes of proximity! Every day we see too many streets, perhaps once smelling of baked bread, reduced to piles of rubble due to war, selfishness and indifference! It is urgent to bring back into the world the good and fresh aroma of the bread of love, to continue to hope and rebuild without ever tiring what hatred destroys.
This is also the meaning of the gesture that we will make shortly, with the Eucharistic Procession: starting from the Altar, we will bring the Lord between the houses of our city. We do not do it to show off, or even to flaunt our faith, but to invite everyone to participate, in the Bread of the Eucharist, in the new life that Jesus has given us. Let's carry out the procession in this spirit. Thank you.
At 5.00 pm, the Pope presided over the Eucharistic Celebration in the Basilica of Saint John in Lateran.
The Eucharistic Procession then took place which, traveling along Via Merulana, reached the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the Pope imparted the Solemn Blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.
We publish below the homily that the Holy Father addressed to the faithful during the Eucharistic celebration:
FULL TEXT - Homily of the Holy Father
«He took the bread and recited the blessing» (Mk 14,22).
It is the gesture with which the story of the institution of the Eucharist in the Gospel of Saint Mark opens. And we could start from this gesture of Jesus - blessing the bread - to reflect on the three dimensions of the Mystery we are celebrating: thanksgiving, memory and presence.
First: thanks. The word "Eucharist" really means "thank you": to "thank" God for his gifts, and in this sense the sign of bread is important. It is the food of every day, with which we bring to the Altar everything we are and have: life, works, successes, and even failures, as symbolized by the beautiful custom of some cultures of picking up and kissing the bread when it falls to the ground : to remember that it is too precious to be thrown away, even after it has fallen. The Eucharist, then, teaches us to bless, to welcome and kiss, always, in thanksgiving, the gifts of God, and this not only in the celebration: also in life.
For example by not wasting the things and talents that the Lord has given us. But also by forgiving and lifting up those who make mistakes and fall due to weakness or error: because everything is a gift and nothing can be lost, because no one can remain down, and everyone must have the opportunity to get up and resume the journey. And we can also do this in daily life, carrying out our work with love, with precision, with care, with precision, as a gift and a mission. And always help those who have fallen: only once in your life can you look down on a person: to help them get back up. And this is our mission. To give thanks we could certainly add many other things. They are important "Eucharistic" attitudes, because they teach us to grasp the value of what we do, and what we offer. First, give thanks. Second: “blessing the bread” means remembering. About what? For ancient Israel it was a matter of remembering the liberation from slavery in Egypt and the beginning of the exodus towards the promised land. For us it is reliving Christ's Easter, his Passion and Resurrection, with which he freed us from sin and death. Remembering our lives, remembering our successes, remembering our mistakes, remembering that outstretched hand of the Lord that always helps us lift ourselves up, remembering the presence of the Lord in our lives.
There are those who say that those who think only of themselves are free, those who enjoy life and those who, with indifference and perhaps arrogance, do everything they want despite others. This is not freedom: this is hidden slavery, a slavery that makes us even more slaves. Freedom is not found in the safes of those who accumulate for themselves, nor on the sofas of those who lazily settle into disengagement and individualism: freedom is found in the cenacle where, without any other reason than love, one bows before brothers to offer them their service, their life, as "saved".
Finally, the Eucharistic bread is real presence. And with this he speaks to us of a God who is not far away, who is not jealous, but close and in solidarity with man; that he does not abandon us, but seeks us, waits for us and accompanies us, always, to the point of placing himself, defenseless, in our hands.
And this presence of him also invites us to be close to our brothers where love calls us.
Dear brothers and sisters, how much need there is in our world for this bread, for its fragrance and its scent, a fragrance that tastes of gratitude, that tastes of freedom, that tastes of proximity! Every day we see too many streets, perhaps once smelling of baked bread, reduced to piles of rubble due to war, selfishness and indifference! It is urgent to bring back into the world the good and fresh aroma of the bread of love, to continue to hope and rebuild without ever tiring what hatred destroys.
This is also the meaning of the gesture that we will make shortly, with the Eucharistic Procession: starting from the Altar, we will bring the Lord between the houses of our city. We do not do it to show off, or even to flaunt our faith, but to invite everyone to participate, in the Bread of the Eucharist, in the new life that Jesus has given us. Let's carry out the procession in this spirit. Thank you.
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