杏MAP导航

By Vatican News staff writer

Presiding over the Corpus Christi Mass in Saint Peter鈥檚 Basilica, present in the passage from Mark's Gospel read in the day's liturgy.

The first image is that of the man carrying a pitcher of water, the guide who would bring the disciples to the Upper Room. The 杏MAP导航 said this image can be seen as a call to recognize 鈥渙ur thirst for God, to sense our need for Him, to long for His presence and love, to realize that we cannot go it alone, but need the Food and Drink of eternal life to sustain us on our journey.鈥� The sad thing is that in modern times, this thirst for God has become weaker, the 杏MAP导航 observed, and the Church today is called 鈥渢o encounter people and to learn how to recognize and revive their thirst for God and their desire for the Gospel.鈥�

The second image the 杏MAP导航 mentioned was that of the Upper Room where Jesus and His disciples would celebrate the Passover meal. He noted that it was 鈥渁 large room for a tiny piece of Bread,鈥� symbolizing how 鈥淕od makes Himself tiny, like a morsel of bread鈥�, and why we 鈥渘eed a great heart to be able to recognize, adore and receive Him.鈥� The 杏MAP导航 went on to say that we need to open up the spaces of our hearts to break out of ourselves and enter the large space of the Upper Room to experience 鈥渢he vast expanse of wonder and adoration鈥� of God鈥檚 humble, boundless, loving presence. That is why adoration represents 鈥渢he attitude we need in the presence of the Eucharist,鈥� he said.

杏MAP导航 Francis added the Church, too, must be a large room, and not a small, closed space, but instead, 鈥渁 community with arms wide open, welcoming to all鈥� where everyone can enter. He recalled that 鈥渢he Eucharist is meant to nourish those who are weary and hungry along the way鈥� and that 鈥渁 Church of the pure and perfect is a room with no place for anyone.鈥�

The last image from today鈥檚 Gospel recalls Jesus breaking the Bread, 鈥渢he Eucharistic gesture par excellence.鈥� 杏MAP导航 Francis called this the 鈥渄istinctive sign of our faith鈥�where we encounter the Lord who offers Himself so that we can be reborn to new life.鈥� Jesus becomes the Lamb offering Himself in sacrifice in order to give us life, he explained, and so 鈥渋n the Eucharist, we contemplate and worship the God of love.鈥� Here we appreciate the Lord鈥檚 boundless love and gift to us, and that by 鈥渃elebrating and experiencing the Eucharist鈥� we share in this love, but our hearts must be open to our brothers and sisters by sharing in their sufferings and helping them in their needs. He said our Eucharistic celebrations transform the world in as much as we allow ourselves 鈥渢o be transformed and to become bread broken for others.鈥�

In conclusion, 杏MAP导航 Francis recalled the procession with the Blessed Sacrament, the hallmark of the feast of Corpus Christi, 鈥渞eminds us that we are called to go out and bring Jesus to others.鈥� He encouraged everyone to do so with enthusiasm, 鈥渂ringing Christ to those we meet in our daily lives,鈥� also as a community of believers, a Church that becomes a 鈥渓arge and welcoming room where everyone can enter and meet the Lord.鈥�