The Pope: The Eucharist is an effective remedy against closures

Vatican News

On the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, the The body of the Lord celebrated today, in Italy and in other countries, as the Pope explained before the Marian prayer of the Sunday Angelus, Francis explained the Gospel according to Saint Mark who presents us the story of the Last Supper (Mc 14, 12-16, 22-26). And he said that “the words and deeds of the Lord touch our hearts.”

Jesus gives us the greatest sacrament

The Holy Father affirmed that “with simplicity”, “Jesus gives us the greatest sacrament” with “a humble gesture of giving, of sharing”. And he showed that “at the height of his life he did not distribute bread in abundance to feed the multitudes, but rather broke up at the Passover supper with the disciples.” To which he added:

Thus – continued the Pope – “today we find the greatness of God in a piece of bread, in a fragility that overflows with love and sharing”. And he continued:

The strength to love those who make mistakes

The Holy Father explained that “there is another strength that emerges in the fragility of the Eucharist: the strength to love those who are mistaken”. Recalling that it is “the night when he was betrayed that Jesus gives us the Bread of Life”, Francis said that “he gives us the most beautiful gift by feeling the deepest abyss in his heart: the disciple who eats with him, who drinks his mouthful on the same plate, he betrays him ”.

And betrayal is the greatest pain for those who love

Asked what Jesus is doing in this circumstance, Francis said that “he reacts to evil with a greater good”. Because “to the no of Judas he answers with the yes of mercy”. Moreover, the Lord “does not punish the sinner, but gives his life for him”. For this reason, he explained that:

Jesus knows we need it

Indeed, the Lord “knows that we need it” – said the Pope – “because the Eucharist is not the price of the saints, but the Bread of sinners”. And “each time we receive the Bread of Life, Jesus comes to give a new meaning to our weaknesses”.

The Lord heals our frailties with love

And above all – continued the Pope – the Lord “heals us with love of these weaknesses that we cannot heal by ourselves”:

The Eucharist is an effective medicine

This is why he affirmed that “the Eucharist is an effective remedy against these closures. The Bread of Life, in fact, heals rigidities and transforms them into docility. The Eucharist heals because it unites us to Jesus: it makes us assimilate his way of life, his capacity to separate and to give himself to his brothers, to respond to evil with good ”. In addition, the Holy Father said that the Eucharist:

The logic of the Eucharist

Towards the end of his address, and before praying to the Mother of God with the faithful and the pilgrims who, prudently removed, have followed his teachings in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope evoked “the logic of the Eucharist”. This is what allows us to receive “Jesus who loves us and heals our weaknesses in order to love others and help them in their weaknesses”.