Pope at Corpus Christi Mass:
Eucharist heals our fragile memory
Pope Francis celebrates Mass on the Solemnity of the Most
Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and reflects on how the Eucharist heals our
memory and makes us bearers of joy.
By Devin Watkins
On Sunday, the feast of Corpus Christi, or the Solemnity of
the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Pope Francis presided over the
Eucharist at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Around 50 people were present for the Mass, which was
followed by the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.
Memory makes us part of larger story
In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the importance of
remembering God’s many gifts.
“Without memory, we uproot ourselves from the soil that
nourishes us and allow ourselves to be carried away like leaves in the wind.”
The Pope said the act of remembering helps us rebuild our
strongest connections and makes us feel part of a larger story. “Memory is not
something private; it is the path that unites us to God and to others,” he
said.
The Bible, he added, recounts how our relationship with the
Lord is transmitted from generation to generation by word of mouth.
Memorial of His love
But, what happens, asked Pope Francis, when the chain of
transmission of memories is broken?
God, he replied, knows how short our memories can be.
Because of this “He left us a memorial,” which goes far beyond words or signs.
“He gave us Food, for it is not easy to forget something
we have actually tasted. He left us Bread in which He is truly present, alive
and true, with all the flavour of His love.”
The Eucharist, he said, is no mere memory, it is a fact. “In
Mass the death and resurrection of Jesus are set before us.”
Orphaned memory
Pope Francis went on to highlight three aspects of our
weakened memory that the Eucharist heals.
Most importantly, he said, the celebration of the Lord’s
Body and Blood heals our “orphaned memory.”
“Many people have memories marked by a lack of affection
and bitter disappointments caused by those who should have given them love and
instead orphaned their hearts.”
God, however, heals us by infusing our memory with a love
that is greater than our pain.
“The Eucharist brings us the Father’s faithful love,
which heals our sense of being orphans. It fills our hearts with the consoling
love of the Holy Spirit.”
Negative memory
The Eucharist, said Pope Francis, also heals our “negative
memory” which focuses solely on our problems and errors.
Jesus, the Pope said, comes to tell us instead that we are
precious in His eyes and worthy of sharing a table with Him. “And not only
because He is generous, but because He is truly in love with us. He sees and
loves the beauty and goodness that we are.”
Pope Francis said the Eucharist immunizes us against sadness
because it “contains the antibodies to our negative memory.”
We are thus transformed into God-bearers: "bearers of
joy.”
Closed memory
Lastly, the Eucharist heals our “closed memory”.
Wounds inflicted upon our memory make us fearful and
suspicious of others, said the Pope. As a result, we arrogantly distance
ourselves from others, in the false hope that we will be able to control any
situation.
“Yet that is indeed an illusion, for only love can heal
fear at its root and free us from the self-centredness that imprisons us.”
Jesus, Pope Francis said, comes to us in the “disarming
fragility of the Host”. He crushes the shell of our self-centeredness, and
breaks down our interior walls and paralysis of heart.
Offering Himself in the simplicity of bread, Jesus invites
us to not waste our lives on useless things.
“The Eucharist satisfies our hunger for material things and
kindles our desire to serve.”
Chain of solidarity
Pope Francis concluded his homily with a reminder that the
Eucharist makes us all links in chain of solidarity.
“In the Eucharist, Jesus draws close to us: let us not
turn away from those around us!”
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