Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today, in many countries, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi, is being celebrated, and the Gospel recounts the miracle of the loaves and fishes (cf. Lk 9:11-17).

In order to feed the thousands of people who came to listen to him and to ask for healing, Jesus invited the Apostles to bring him what little they had; he then blessed the loaves and fishes, and told them to distribute them to everyone. The result was astonishing: not only did everyone receive enough food, but there was an abundance left over (cf. Lk 9:17).

Beyond being a marvel, the miracle is a “sign” that reminds us that God’s gifts, even the smallest, grow whenever they are shared.

Reading this on the day of Corpus Christi, however, leads us to reflect on an even deeper reality. For we know that at the root of every human sharing lies a greater sharing that precedes it, namely God’s sharing with us. He, the Creator, who gave us life, in order to save us asked one of his creatures to be his mother, to give him a fragile, limited, mortal body like ours, entrusting himself to her as a child. In this way, he shared our poverty to the utmost limits, choosing to use the little we could offer him in order to redeem us (cf. Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, IV, 3).

Let us think of how wonderful it is when we give a gift — even a small one, proportionate to our means — and see that it is appreciated by the recipient; how happy we are when the gift, despite its simplicity, unites us even more to those we love. Indeed, what happens between us and God through the Eucharist is precisely that the Lord welcomes, sanctifies and blesses the bread and wine that we place on the altar, together with the offering of our lives, and he transforms them into the Body and Blood of Christ, the sacrifice of love for the salvation of the world. God unites himself to us by joyfully accepting what we bring, and he invites us to unite ourselves to him by likewise joyfully receiving and sharing his gift of love. In this way, says Saint Augustine, “just as one loaf is made from single grains collected together… so in the same way the body of Christ is made one by the harmony of charity” (Serm. 229/A, 2).

Dear friends, this evening we will take part in the Eucharistic Procession. We will celebrate Holy Mass together and then set out, carrying the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of our city. We will sing, pray and finally gather in front of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to implore the Lord’s blessing on our homes, our families and all humanity. May this celebration be a sign of our daily commitment to set out from the altar and the tabernacle, going forth as bearers of communion and peace for others, in a spirit of solidarity and charity.

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After the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters,

Alarming news continues to emerge from the Middle East, especially from Iran. Against this tragic backdrop, which includes Israel and Palestine, people’s daily suffering, especially in Gaza and the other territories, where the need for adequate humanitarian aid is becoming increasingly urgent, risks being forgotten.

Today more than ever, humanity cries out and calls for peace. This is a cry that requires responsibility and reason, and it must not be drowned out by the din of weapons or the rhetoric that incites conflict. Every member of the international community has a moral responsibility to stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable chasm. There are no “distant” conflicts when human dignity is at stake.

War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal. No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, or stolen futures.

May diplomacy silence the weapons! May nations chart their futures with works of peace, not with violence and bloodstained conflicts!

I greet all of you, people of Rome and pilgrims! I am pleased to welcome the parliamentarians and mayors here present on the occasion of the Jubilee of Governments.

I greet the faithful from Bogotá and Sampués in Colombia; those from Poland, including students and teachers from a technical institute in Krakow; the Strengberg Music Band from Austria; the faithful from Hanover, Germany; the confirmandi from Gioia Tauro and the young people from Tempio Pausania.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday, and I bless those who are actively participating in the feast of Corpus Christi today, including those who are singing, playing music, decorating with flowers, displaying crafts and, above all, praying and taking part in the procession. Thanks to you all, and have a good Sunday!