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

The Eucharist heals people from their wounds, emptiness and sadness and gives them the strength to share Christ's loving mercy with others, said Pope Francis.

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

"This is the strength of the Eucharist, which transforms us into bearers of God, bearers 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, most of whom wore masks and kept social distance.

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

Over many decades, the popes celebrated the feast in different districts of Rome and its surroundings or in the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, followed by a procession of a mile towards the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The solemn procession, in which the pope or a priest carried a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament on the streets, would have been flanked by thousands of people.

For the feast of June 14, however, the entire ceremony took place inside the Basilica of San Pietro and ended with a long moment of silent Eucharistic adoration and Blessing of the Blessed Sacrament. The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ celebrates the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

In the homily, Francis said: “The Lord, offering himself to us in the simplicity of bread, also invites us not to waste our life by chasing the myriads of illusions which we think we cannot do without, but which leave us empty inside ".

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

"It relieves us of our comfortable and lazy lifestyle and reminds us that we are not only mouths to feed, but also his hands to use to help feed others."

"Now it is particularly urgent to take care of those who are hungry for food and dignity, those who have no job and those who struggle to continue," said the pope. "This we must do in a real way, as real as the bread that Jesus gives us" and with true solidarity and sincere closeness.

Francis also spoke of the importance of memory to remain rooted in faith, united as a community and part of a "living history".

God helps by leaving "a memorial", that is, "he has left us the bread in which he is truly present, alive and true, with all the flavor of his love", so every time people receive it, they can say: "It is the Lord ; do you remember me! "

The Eucharist, he said, also heals the many ways in which a person's memory can be hurt.

"The Eucharist heals above all our orphan memory", caused by a past obscured by a lack of affection and "bitter disappointments caused by those who were supposed to give them love and instead orphan their hearts".

The past cannot be changed, he said, however, God can heal those wounds by "putting in our memory a greater love - his own love", which is always comforting and faithful.

Through the Eucharist, Jesus also heals the "negative memory", which houses all the things that have gone wrong and leaves people to think that they are useless or only make mistakes.

"Every time we receive it, it reminds us that we are precious, that we are guests that he invited to his banquet," said the pope.

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

In the end, the Pope said, the Eucharist heals a closed memory full of wounds that make people fearful, suspicious, cynical and indifferent.

Only love can heal fear at the root "and free us from the self-centeredness that imprisons us," he said.

Jesus gently approaches people, "in the disarming simplicity of the guest", like bread that has been broken "in order to break the shells of our selfishness," he said.

After mass, the pope greeted a few hundred people scattered in St. Peter's Square for the midday recitation of the Angelus prayer.

After the prayer, he expressed his deep concern about the ongoing conflict in Libya, urging "international bodies and those with political and military responsibilities to start again with conviction and resolve the search for a path towards the end of violence, leading to peace, stability and unity in the country “.

"I also pray for the thousands of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons in Libya" as health conditions have deteriorated, making them even more vulnerable to exploitation and violence, he said.

The pope called on the international community to find ways to provide them with "the protection they need, a dignified condition and a future of hope".

After the outbreak of the civil war in Libya in 2011, the country is still divided between rival leaders, each supported by militias and foreign governments