by L'équipe de publication | Jun 16, 2023 | Evangelium
THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
SAINT HERVE
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary began as early as the twelfth century. During the seventeenth century in France, St John Eudes popularised this devotion along with that to the Sacred Heart. St Luke’s Gospel twice mentions that Mary ‘kept all these things in her heart’, pondering the word of God. Mary shows us how to listen to the words the Holy Spirit speaks to us in the depths of our hearts, and how to respond in faith.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 12: 6
My heart will rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, who has been bountiful with me.
Collect
O God, who prepared a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, graciously grant that through her intercession we may be a worthy temple of your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21
The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them. From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.
Psalm 102 (103): 1-4, 9-12
R/ The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.
It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion.
His wrath will come to an end; he will not be angry for ever. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our sins.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. Lk 2: 19
Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who treasured the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia!
Gospel: Luke 2: 41-51
Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.” “Why were you looking for me?” he replied. “Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, O Lord, upon the prayers and offerings of your faithful, presented in commemoration of Blessed Mary, the Mother of God, that they may be pleasing to you and may confer on us your help and forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Lk 2: 19
Mary treasured all these words, reflecting on them in her heart.
Prayer after Communion
Having been made partakers of eternal redemption, we pray, O Lord, that we, who commemorate the Mother of your Son, may glory in the fullness of your grace and experience its continued increase for our salvation. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
God found in Mary a heart pure of all selfishness, always attentive to his Word, totally given over to his Spirit. He was able to reveal his plan of salvation to her and to give her the opportunity to cooperate in it as the mother of the Saviour. The disposition of Mary’s Heart is admirable. This heart is already living the instructions of Jesus, which are both paradoxical and terribly realistic. Jesus upholds the morality of voluntary gentleness and Mary is the human being who accomplishes this in an admirable way. “My child, why have you done this to us?” God knows those hearts that he created so to fill them with his presence and communicate his life to them. Like Mary, let us arm ourselves with gentleness so we can dispose our hearts to receive God’s gifts.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 15, 2023 | Evangelium
THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Solemnity
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is devotion to Jesus Christ Himself, but in the particular ways of meditating on his interior life and on His threefold love — His divine love, His burning love that fed His human will, and His sensible love that affects His interior life.
Entrance Antiphon: Ps 32: 11, 19
The designs of his Heart are from age to age, to rescue their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son and recall the wonders of his love for us, may be made worthy to receive an overflowing measure of grace from that fount of heavenly gifts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Deuteronomy 7: 6-11
Moses said to the people: “You are a people consecrated to the Lord your God; it is you that the Lord our God has chosen to be his very own people out of all the peoples on the earth. If the Lord set his heart on you and chose you, it was not because you outnumbered other peoples: you were the least of all peoples. It was for love of you and to keep the oath he swore to your fathers that the Lord brought you out with his mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know then that the Lord your God is God indeed, the faithful God who is true to his covenant and his graciousness for a thousand generations towards those who love him and keep his commandments, but who punishes in their own persons those that hate him. He is not slow to destroy the man who hates him; he makes him work out his punishment in person. You are therefore to keep and observe the commandments and statutes and ordinances that I lay down for you today.”
Psalm 102 (103): 1-4, 6-8, 10
R/ The love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold him in fear.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord all my being, bless his holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all his blessings.
It is he who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion,
The Lord does deeds of justice, gives judgement for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses and his deeds to Israel’s sons.
The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. He does not treat us according to our sins nor repay us according to our faults.
Second reading: 1 John 4: 7-16
My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love. God’s love for us was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him; this is the love I mean: not our love for God, but God’s love for us when he sent his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away. My dear people, since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another. No one has ever seen God; but as long as we love one another God will live in us and his love will be complete in us. We can know that we are living in him and he is living in us because he lets us share his Spirit. We ourselves saw and we testify that the Father sent his Son as saviour of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God. We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves. God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him.
Gospel Acclamation: Mt 11: 29
Alleluia, alleluia! Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.
Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30
Jesus exclaimed, “I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Look, O Lord, we pray, on the surpassing charity in the Heart of your beloved Son, that what we offer may be a gift acceptable to you and an expiation of our offences. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Jn 7: 37-38
Thus says the Lord: Let whoever is thirsty come to me and drink. Streams of living water will flow from within the one who believes in me.
Prayer after Communion
May this sacrament of charity, O Lord, make us fervent with the fire of holy love, so that, drawn always to your Son, we may learn to see him in our neighbour. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation The feast of the Sacred Heart opens our hearts to the infinite love of God, revealed in Jesus Christ. From him is born the hope that this love will penetrate the hearts of all humans to build a world of peace, justice and freedom. Only “hearts of flesh”, filled with love, can unify and make happy individuals and groups. A new heart, open to the heart of Jesus, is what John Paul II recommended on the occasion of this same feast: “It is from the Heart of Christ that the heart of man learns to know the true and unique meaning of his life and his destiny. It is from the Heart of Christ that the human heart receives the capacity to love. With the heart of Jesus, everything appears as a possibility of connection, of relationship. This is the heart of a child. It is free, it breathes, and nothing locks it up. It can always return to the One who entrusted it with everything. It is to this attitude that he invites us by proposing that we come to him. ‘Come to me’”
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 14, 2023 | Evangelium
BLESSED PETER SNOW AND RALPH GRIMSTON
Peter Snow a priest in Soissons, France and Ralph Grimston, his friend (a layman) where key figures in the English mission (1598). Both suffered dead for preaching the gospel. They were beatified in 1987.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 26: 1-2
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread? When those who do evil draw near, they stumble and fall.
Collect
O God, from whom all good things come, grant that we, who call on you in our need, may at your prompting discern what is right, and by your guidance do it. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Corinthians 3: 15- 4: 1, 3-6
Even today, whenever Moses is read, the veil is over their minds. It will not be removed until they turn to the Lord. Now this Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit. Since we have by an act of mercy been entrusted with this work of administration, there is no weakening on our part. If our gospel does not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not on the way to salvation; the unbelievers whose minds the god of this world has blinded, to stop them seeing the light shed by the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is the same God that said, ‘Let there be light shining out of darkness’, who has shone in our minds to radiate the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ.
Psalm 84(85): 9-14 (Thu10)
R/ The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.
The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. 1 Th 2: 13
Alleluia, alleluia! Accept God’s message for what it really is: God’s message, and not some human thinking. Alleluia!
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples: “If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill, he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother ‘Fool’, he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him ‘Renegade’, he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Look kindly upon our service, O Lord, we pray, that what we offer may be an acceptable oblation to you and lead us to grow in charity. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 17: 3
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my saving strength.
Prayer after Communion
May your healing work, O Lord, free us, we pray, from doing evil and lead us to what is right. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Brotherly love goes beyond purely external manifestation. It is not enough to respect human life; it is also necessary to create a fraternal climate in which this life can flourish. If Jesus takes issue with the Pharisees and scribes, it is because their righteousness was only apparent. They kept many rules, prayed and worshipped God. They fasted, read the word of God and attended religious services. However, they had substituted outward actions for inward good habits. But then, the righteousness that God demands of the believer requires much more: the heart and mind, in addition to outward actions, must conform to God’s will. This is the debt of love that we must pay to all. Lord, please clothe us with your own righteousness and we will be able to present our offering at your altar in all sincerity.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 12, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT ANTONY OF PADUA
Saint Antony was first of all an Augustinian monk, and later a Franciscan. Illness prevented him going to Africa to preach. His sermons are full of gentleness, but he reproved the wicked with fearless severity – especially backsliding clergy and the oppressors of the weak.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Sir 15: 5
In the midst of the Church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and clothed him in a robe of glory.
Collect
Almighty ever-living God, who gave Saint Anthony of Padua to your people as an outstanding preacher and an intercessor in their need, grant that, with his assistance, as we follow the teachings of the Christian life, we may know your help in every trial. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Corinthians 1: 18-22
I swear by God’s truth, there is no Yes and No about what we say to you. The Son of God, the Christ Jesus that we proclaimed among you – I mean Silvanus and Timothy and I – was never Yes and No: with him it was always Yes, and however many the promises God made, the Yes to them all is in him. That is why it is ‘through him’ that we answer Amen to the praise of God. Remember it is God himself who assures us all, and you, of our standing in Christ, and has anointed us, marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.
Psalm 118(119): 129-133, 135
R/ Let your face shine on your servant.
Your will is wonderful indeed; therefore I obey it. The unfolding of your word gives light and teaches the simple.
I open my mouth and I sigh as I yearn for your commands. Turn and show me your mercy; show justice to your friends.
Let my steps be guided by your promise; let no evil rule me. Let your face shine on your servant and teach me your decrees.
Gospel Acclamation: Ph 2: 15-16
Alleluia, alleluia! You will shine in the world like bright stars because you are offering it the word of life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 5: 13-16
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.”
Prayer over the Offerings
May the sacrifice which we gladly present on the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua, be pleasing to you, O God, for, taught by him, we, too, give ourselves entirely to you in praise. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 12
Behold a faithful and prudent steward to give them their allowance of food at the proper time.
Prayer after Communion
Through Christ the teacher, O Lord, instruct those you feed with Christ, the living Bread, that on the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua they may learn your truth and express it in works of charity. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
We are salt and light proclaimed by Jesus himself. Salt, because we are bearers of the Gospel of Jesus, and only this Good News can give to the existence of men its true taste. The Gospel has already penetrated our lives and we have let the Spirit of the Lord work in us. We are light by virtue of our baptism. And having received the seal of the Spirit and the commitment of our life, we are disciples of Jesus in the eyes of all. We can no longer hide just like a city on a mountain top. We cannot give up being light anymore than a lamp that has just been lit and placed on the lampstand to light up all those in the house.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 11, 2023 | Evangelium
SAINT ONUPHRIUS
Psalter ii
Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert for seventy years. In the desert he suffered much from privation of food and drink, and also from many temptations. He spent his life praying and working until his death at the age of ninety. It was about the year 400.
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 26: 1-2
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread? When those who do evil draw near, they stumble and fall.
Collect
O God, from whom all good things come, grant that we, who call on you in our need, may at your prompting discern what is right, and by your guidance do it. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: 2 Corinthians 1: 1-7
From Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, one of the brothers, to the church of God at Corinth and to all the saints in the whole of Achaia. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have received from God ourselves. Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow. When we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead, we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear. And our hope for you is confident, since we know that, sharing our sufferings, you will also share our consolations.
Psalm 33(34):2-9
R/ Taste and see that the Lord is good.
I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips; in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.
Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name. I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.
Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed. This poor man called, the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.
The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
Gospel Acclamation: cf. 2Th 2:14
Alleluia, alleluia! Through the Good News God called us to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 5: 1-12
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them: “How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage. Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted. Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied. Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God. Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God. Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven: this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Look kindly upon our service, O Lord, we pray, that what we offer may be an acceptable oblation to you and lead us to grow in charity. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Ps 17: 3
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my saving strength.
Prayer after Communion
May your healing work, O Lord, free us, we pray, from doing evil and lead us to what is right. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The first beatitude of Jesus is addressed to all those whose hearts are poor enough to be small before God, whose hands are open to receive strength and hope from him alone. The Lord Jesus Christ does not say: “You who are poor and miserable, stay there”; it is not a question for him of slowing down human promotion and social progress, but he addresses all men, those who have enough to live on and those who have nothing, and he says to them: “Keep a poor heart” before your brothers and sisters and before God. For in every man, God sees only a son, who needs to be loved, forgiven and saved. Hatred increasingly parasitizes the heart of the Christian in his evangelical desire for justice and freedom. May God help us to enter the new creation free from all evil.
by L'équipe de publication | Jun 10, 2023 | Evangelium
10TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME CORPUS CHRISTI
Solemnity
SAINT BARNABAS THE APOSTLE
Entrance Antiphon: Cf. Ps 80: 17
He fed them with the finest wheat and satisfied them with honey from the rock.
Collect
O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption. Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14-16
Moses said to the people: “Remember how the Lord your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart – whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, he made you feel hunger, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Do not become proud of heart. Do not forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery: who guided you through this vast and dreadful wilderness, a land of fiery serpents, scorpions, thirst; who in this waterless place brought you water from the hardest rock; who in this wilderness fed you with manna that your fathers had not known.”
Psalm 147: 12-15, 19-20
R/ O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
O praise the Lord, Jerusalem! Zion, praise your God! He has strengthened the bars of your gates he has blessed the children within you.
He established peace on your borders, he feeds you with finest wheat. He sends out his word to the earth and swiftly runs his command.
He makes his word known to Jacob, to Israel his laws and decrees. He has not dealt thus with other nations; he has not taught them his decrees.
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 10: 16-17
The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ. The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.
Gospel Acclamation: Jn 6: 51
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the living bread which has come down from heaven, says the Lord. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 6:51-58
Jesus said to the crowd: “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.” Then the Jews started arguing with one another: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they said. Jesus replied: “I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me. This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Grant your Church, O Lord, we pray, the gifts of unity and peace, whose signs are to be seen in mystery in the offerings we here present. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Jn 6: 57
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Grant, O Lord, we pray, that we may delight for all eternity in that share in your divine life, which is foreshadowed in the present age by our reception of your precious Body and Blood. Who live and reign for ever and ever.
Meditation
Today we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Sacrament, the Body and Blood of Christ. It is Jesus who gives himself as food; essential food for our life. The texts of this Sunday prepare us to welcome this gift of God. The temptation today is to believe that our success comes only from the genius of men. Remember! Never forget to feed on the Word of God and the Eucharist, the Bread that came down from heaven, Jesus himself. His flesh and blood are food that gives eternal life. We must feed on his teaching and drink his words. They are those of the Son who brings us the life of the Father. But to welcome this gift, we must leave our certainties and our human reasoning. We must have a poor man’s heart, completely open to him who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life”. The Eucharist is “Bread of Life”. This feast today must rekindle our desire for communion with God to “remain in him and he in us.”
