杏MAP导航 at Angelus: 'In the Eucharist is Jesus' life given for all of us'
By Linda Bordoni
杏MAP导航 Francis on Sunday reminded believers that the Lord, who is present in the Eucharist, takes each and everyone of us to heart, cares for us and satisfies our need for nourishment, companionship, consolation.
Addressing pilgrims gathered for the Angelus in St. Peter鈥檚 Square, the 杏MAP导航 noted that on this Sunday, 19 June, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated in Italy and in other countries.
鈥淚nstituted during the Last Supper,鈥� he explained, 鈥渢he Eucharist was like the destination of a journey along which Jesus had prefigured it through several signs, above all the multiplication of the loaves鈥� narrated in the Gospel according to Luke ( Lk. 9:11b-17).
Everyone can experience the Lord鈥檚 loving attention
He recalled how Jesus took care of the huge crowd that had followed him to listen to his word and to be freed from various evils, and of how 鈥淗e blesses five loaves and two fish, breaks them, the disciples distribute them, and 鈥渢hey all ate and were satisfied.鈥�
In the Eucharist, the 杏MAP导航 said, "everyone can experience this loving and concrete attention of the Lord.鈥�
Jesus takes care of everything
杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on how the miracle of the loaves and fish does not happen in a spectacular way, but almost secretly, 鈥渢he bread increases as it passes from hand to hand.鈥�
As the crowd eats, he said, they realize that Jesus is taking care of everything: 鈥淭his is the Lord present in the Eucharist.鈥�
The Eucharist is not distant to everyday life
The 杏MAP导航 said that 鈥渟ometimes there is the risk of confining the Eucharist to a vague dimension, perhaps bright and perfumed with incense, but rather distant from the straits of everyday life,鈥� but in reality, he explained, 鈥渢he Lord takes all our needs to heart, beginning with the most basic.鈥�
The 杏MAP导航 said there is hunger for food around us, but also of companionship, consolation, friendship, good humour, attention.
鈥淲e find this in the Eucharistic Bread 鈥� the attention of Christ to our needs and the invitation to do the same toward those who are beside us. We need to eat and feed others,鈥� he said.
In the Eucharist is His life given for each of us
杏MAP导航 Francis went on to explain that 鈥淚n addition to eating, however, we cannot forget being satisfied.鈥�
He said not only we need to nourish ourselves, 鈥渨e also need to be satisfied, to know that the nourishment is given to us out of love.鈥�
Jesus, he continued, not only gives us help to go forward, but he gives us himself: 鈥渉e makes himself our traveling companion, he enters into our affairs, he visits us when we are lonely, giving us back a sense of enthusiasm.鈥�
鈥淭his,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥�satisfies us, this gives us that 鈥渕ore鈥� that everyone is looking for 鈥� the presence of the Lord! For in the warmth of his presence, our lives change. Without him, everything would truly be grey.鈥�
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