Eucharist heals, gives strength to serve others, Pope Francis says

Friday, Jun. 19, 2020

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Eucharist heals people of their wounds, emptiness and sadness, and gives them the strength to share Christ’s loving mercy with others, Pope Francis said.

The joy of the Lord can change lives, the pope said in his homily during Mass June 14, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

“This is the strength of the Eucharist, which transforms us into bringers of God, bringers of joy, not negativity,” he said during the morning Mass, which was celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica with a small congregation of about 50 people, the majority of whom wore masks and maintained social distance.

Drastically reducing the size of the congregation and not holding a traditional outdoor Corpus Christi procession after Mass were part of the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

For the feast day celebration June 14, the entire ceremony was held inside St. Peter’s Basilica and concluded with a long moment of silent eucharistic adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ celebrates the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

In his homily, Pope Francis said, “The Lord, offering himself to us in the simplicity of bread, also invites us not to waste our lives in chasing the myriad illusions that we think we cannot do without, yet that leave us empty within.”

Just as the Eucharist satisfies the hunger for material things, it also kindles the desire to serve others, he said.

“It raises us from our comfortable and lazy lifestyle and reminds us that we are not only mouths to be fed, but also his hands to be used to help feed others.”

The Eucharist, he said, also heals the many ways one’s memory may be wounded.

Through the Eucharist, Jesus also heals “negative memory,” which harbors all the things that have gone wrong and leaves people thinking they are useless or only make mistakes.

“Every time we receive him, he reminds us that we are precious, that we are guests he has invited to his banquet,” the pope said.

“The Lord knows that evil and sins do not define us; they are diseases, infections. And he comes to heal them with the Eucharist, which contains the antibodies to our negative memory,” he said.