杏MAP导航 at Mass on Corpus Christi: 鈥極vercome silent collusion'
By Devin Watkins
杏MAP导航 Francis celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in the Roman sea-side suburb of Ostia on Sunday, becoming the first 杏MAP导航 since 1981 to lead the Eucharistic procession in a location other than the now-traditional tract from St. John Lateran to St. Mary Major.
It comes as part of his visits to the parish communities of the Diocese of Rome.
Overcome silent collusion
In his homily at Mass in Ostia鈥檚 St. Monica parish, 杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on how the Lord prepares a place and a meal for his disciples in the Eucharist. He also invited the port city鈥檚 residents to loosen 鈥渢he knots that keep us bound to the moorings of fear and depression.鈥�
鈥淛esus wants the walls of indifference and silent collusion to be breached, iron bars of oppression and arrogance torn asunder, and paths cleared for justice, civility and legality,鈥� he said.
The 杏MAP导航 said the city鈥檚 beachfront 鈥渟peaks to us of how beautiful it is to open our hearts and to set out in new directions in life.鈥� The Eucharist, he said, is an invitation to be 鈥渃arried along by the wave of Jesus鈥� and 鈥渢o cast into the deep.鈥�
Preparedness
杏MAP导航 Francis also spoke about the role 鈥減reparedness鈥� plays in the Sunday Gospel (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26).
He said Jesus, both at the Last Supper and after the Resurrection, continually reminds the disciples to be prepared. More importantly, he said, Jesus tells them he is preparing a place and a meal for them.
The 鈥渓arge and furnished room鈥� of the Gospel, he said, is 鈥渙ur spacious and vast home here below, the Church, where there is, and must be, room for everyone.鈥� The 杏MAP导航 said Jesus has also reserved 鈥渁 place for us on high, in heaven, so that we can be with him and with one another for ever.鈥�
Eucharist: both meal and place
杏MAP导航 Francis said the meal Jesus prepares is 鈥渢he Bread in which he gives himself鈥�. Both the place and the meal, he said, are Jesus鈥� gifts for us in the Eucharist.
鈥淛esus prepares a place for us here below, because the Eucharist is the beating heart of the Church. It gives her birth and rebirth; it gathers her together and gives her strength. But the Eucharist also prepares for us a place on high, in eternity, for it is the Bread of heaven.鈥�
The Holy Father said this Bread 鈥渟avors of eternity鈥� and 鈥渟ates our greatest expectations and feeds our final dreams.鈥�
The Bread of heaven, he said, is 鈥渢he pledge of eternal life鈥�, a 鈥渃oncrete anticipation of what awaits us there.鈥�
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