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Pope Benedict XVI- Angelus |
Angelus Message
On Daily Bread
"He Became Our Food to Give Us Life"
H.H. Benedict XVI
May 25, 2008
www.zenit.org
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
The solemnity of Corpus Domini is celebrated in Italy and in various
countries today. It was observed in the Vatican and in other
countries Thursday. It is the feast of the Eucharist, the wondrous
gift of Christ, who in the Last Supper wanted to leave us a memorial
of his Passover, the sacrament of his Body and his Blood, pledge of
his immense love for us.
Last week our gaze was attracted by the mystery of the most holy
Trinity; today we are invited to look upon the consecrated Host: It
is the same God! The same Love! This is the beauty of Christian
truth: The Creator and Lord of all things became "a grain of wheat"
to be sown in our earth, in the furrow of our history; he became
bread to be broken, shared, eaten; he became our food to give us
life, his own divine life. He was born in Bethlehem, which in Hebrew
means "House of Bread," and when he began to preach to the crowds he
revealed that the Father sent him into the world as "living bread
come down from heaven," as "bread of life."
The Eucharist is the school of charity and solidarity. Those who eat
the Bread of Christ cannot remain indifferent before those who, even
in our days, lack daily bread. Many parents are barely able to
provide for themselves and their children. It is a grave and growing
problem that the international community finds hard to solve. The
Church does not only pray "give us this day our daily bread," but,
following the Lord's example, works in every way "to multiply the
five loaves and two fish" with countless humanitarian efforts and
sharing so that no one remains without the necessities of life.
Dear brothers and sisters, may the feast of Corpus Domini be an
occasion to grow in this concrete attention to our brothers,
especially the poor. May the Virgin Mary obtain this grace for us.
From her, the Son of God took his flesh and blood, as we say in a
celebrated Eucharistic hymn, set to music by great composers: "Ave
verum corpus natum de Maria Virgine," and which concludes with the
invocation: "O Jesu dulcis, o Jesu pie, o Jesu fili Mariae!"
May Mary, who, carrying Jesus in her womb, was the living
"tabernacle" of the Eucharist, communicate to us her faith in the
holy mystery of the Body and Blood of her divine Son, that he may
truly be the center of our life. We will be gathered around her next
Saturday, May 31, at 8 in the evening in St. Peter's Square for a
special celebration and conclusion of the month of Mary.
[After the Angelus the Holy Father made the following remarks:]
I greet the Chinese-speaking pilgrims who have come to Rome from all
over Italy on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Church
in China. I entrust to God's mercy all of your countrymen who died
in the earthquake that recently struck a vast area of your homeland.
I renew my personal nearness to those who are experiencing hours of
anxiety and tribulation. Thanks to the fraternal solidarity of all,
the populations of these zones can soon return to the normality of
daily life.
Together with you I ask Mary, Help of Christians, Our Lady of
Sheshan, to support "the efforts of those who, among their daily
toil, continue to believe, to hope, to love so that they never fear
to speak of Jesus to the world and of the world to Jesus," ever
remaining "credible witnesses" of his love and "keeping themselves
united with the rock of Peter on which the Church is built."
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]
[The Holy Father then greeted the people in several languages. In
English, he said:]
I am happy to greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors
present for this Angelus. Today the Church celebrates in different
places the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. On Thursday
with many of the faithful, I had the joy of taking part in the
Corpus Christi procession and venerating this Holy Sacrament in
prayer and adoration. Our faith invites us to receive the Body and
Blood of Christ with pure hearts so as to enter into communion with
him. May his presence always renew our Christian love as we journey
with him to Eternal Life. I wish you all a pleasant stay in Rome,
and a blessed Sunday!
© Copyright 2008 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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