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Sunday, June 22, 2025

POPE LEO’S ANGELUS MESSAGE FOR CORPUS CHRISTI IS BRILLIANT!

 


Pope Leo makes clear, that the Church’s mission, as exemplified in the Holy Mass, not only with the sanctification of the bread and wine on the altar to become the Body and Blood of Christ, also entails our sanctification to become the Body of Christ in the world. Why? For our salvation! For the salvation of the world! Brilliantly stated, Pope Leo!

I can’t wait for Pope Leo’s Corpus Christi Mass homily at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran this Sunday evening followed by the Corpus Christi procession to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major!

From Vatican News:

Pope at Angelus: Christ's Body and Blood, the ultimate sacrifice of love

At the Angelus on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Pope Leo XIV calls Christ's Body and Blood in the Eucharist "a sacrifice of love for the salvation of the world."

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"The Lord receives, sanctifies, and blesses the bread and wine that we place on the Altar, together with the offering of our lives, and transforms them into the Body and Blood of Christ, a sacrifice of love for the salvation of the world."

Pope Leo XIV offered this reminder during his Angelus address on Sunday.

In his remarks, the Pope recalled that today, in many places, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, also known as Corpus Christi, with the Gospel reading according to St. Luke, which recounts the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

The passage describes how Jesus, in order to feed the thousands of people who had come to listen to Him and seek healing, invites the Apostles to offer Him the little they have and then blesses the loaves and the fish and commands them to distribute them to all.

The Pope recalled that the result is astonishing, for not only does everyone receive enough to eat, but there is even an abundance left over.

"This miracle, beyond being a prodigy, is a 'sign,'" Pope Leo observed, marveling how "it reminds us that God’s gifts—even the smallest—grow all the more when they are shared."

The Holy Father underscored that as the faithful read this passage on the feast of Corpus Christi, they are invited to reflect on an even deeper reality, namely, "a greater sharing" that precedes all human sharing, namely, "God's sharing with us."

How meaningful it is to receive a gift

"He, the Creator, who gave us life in order to save us," the Pope said, "asked one of His creatures to become His mother, to give Him a body—fragile, limited, mortal like ours—entrusting Himself to her like a child."

With this gesture, he said, the Lord "fully shared our poverty, choosing to use, for our redemption, precisely the little that we were able to offer Him."

Pope Leo called on Christians to consider "how beautiful it is when we give a gift—even a small one, according to our means—and see that it is appreciated by the one who receives it."

"How happy we are when we sense that, despite its simplicity," he said, "that gift draws us closer to those we love."

A sacrifice of love for the world's salvation


In the Eucharist, the Pope said, something similar happens between us and God, with the sanctification of the bread and wine on the altar, together with the offering of our lives, to transform them into Christ's Body and Blood to work toward the world's salvation.

"God," he reaffirmed, "unites Himself to us by joyfully accepting what we bring to Him," and "invites us to unite ourselves to Him by receiving and sharing with just as much joy His gift of love."

In this way, Pope Leo noted, citing St. Augustine, "Just as from many grains of wheat, gathered together, one bread is made, so in the concord of charity one body of Christ is formed.”

Corpus Christi celebration in Rome

Prior to concluding, the Holy Father noted that late Sunday afternoon he would lead the traditional Eucharistic Procession for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in Rome, beginning with Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran and leading to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

"We will celebrate Holy Mass together, and then we will set out, carrying the Most Blessed Sacrament through the streets of our city," Pope Leo said. "We will sing, we will pray, and then we will gather in front of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, to implore the Lord’s blessing upon our homes, our families, and all humanity."

Finally, Pope Leo XIV concluded by praying that the celebration would be "a radiant sign of our commitment to be, each day—starting from the Altar and the Tabernacle—bearers of communion and peace to one another, in sharing and charity."

2 comments:

Mark Thomas said...

New Catholic (Rorate Caeli) felt the unfortunate need today to have taken a dig at His Holiness.

First: Pope Leo XIV today:

"The Lord’s actions are not some complicated magical rite; they simply show his gratitude to the Father, his filial prayer and the fraternal communion sustained by the Holy Spirit.

"Jesus multiplies the loaves and the fish by sharing what is available. As a result, there is enough for everyone."

=======-

From: New Catholic (Rorate Caeli):

"Mmm… We didn’t assume they were “magical” or “complicated”, just a miracle. A real miracle, not the “miracle of sharing” or whatever.

"We never really understood the modern obsession with this miracle, which isn’t even one of His greatest (didn’t He create the whole universe ex nihilo?

"Or raise Lazarus from the dead? The multiplication of the loaves seems small change in comparison…)"

=======

There were certain "traditionalists" who, as follows, had reacted initially to Pope Leo XIV:

"Yeah...he's another Vatican II/Novus Ordo/Ecumenical Movement/Interreligious Dialogue/Climate Change Modernist Pope but with some lace, and nice candlestick arrangements."

"But he may toss us something in regard to the TLM. So, we will look the other way for a while."

Well, in regard to said folks, their honeymoon with Pope Leo XIV is just about over.

The digs at Pope Leo XIV will increase.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

rcg said...

Mark, wrt your examples we can see that both make the error to think Pope Leo's comments were directed to them personally. Rather than contemplate it in the context of their own situation they sought to be admired for their superior understanding. There was a Carly Simon song about that. Likewise, there was a movie made near Fr Allan's home where the character famously said, 'stupid is as stupid does'. When you go for a jog do you stop to bark back at the dogs? Contemplate the messages of the Holy Father in a positive way and add it to your spiritual treasure. If someone is critical of the Holy Father, especially in a foolish way, just say a prayer for them and don't let them waste any more of your time.