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 ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II
TO PILGRIMS OF THE DIOCESE OF
CORPUS CHRISTI IN TEXAS

Clementine Hall - Saturday, 20 June 1987

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

i am happy to welcome you who have come from the Diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas to celebrate here in Rome your patronal feast. You come as pilgrims of faith, eager to pray at the places made holy by the Apostles and Saints, desiring to deepen your love for Christ and the Church. I greet you most cordially in the peace of the Lord.

The name of your Diocese, Corpus Christi, draws attention to the mystery of the Eucharist, the central action of the Church’s life and worship. During his public ministry, Jesus told his disciples: “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world” (Io. 6, 51). This saving truth lies at the centre of our Christian faith. Our lives are made up of many activities which can draw us closer to the Lord and help to build up the Kingdom of God. But there is no action of the Church which can match the Eucharist for its power and fruitfulness. It is the Sacrament that gives life and nourishes the whole Church: the Universal Church, the Church in each individual Diocese, the "domestic Church" that is every Christian family.

Dear friends from Corpus Christi: in a special way your Diocese is associated with this saving mystery. Both in name and in fact you are the Body of Christ. This is a wonderful work of Divine Providence. I hope that you will always value the honour and privilege which is yours, and that you will always be joyful witnesses to the presence of Christ in the world.

To all of you I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

 

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