During his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Leo XIV focuses on the Eucharist as he continues reflecting on Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, underscoring that the sacred mystery enables us ‘to adopt the very way of the Lord.’
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“Let us draw with faith from this source of divine life and allow ourselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.”
Pope Leo XIV made this observation about the Eucharist during his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, as he continued his catechesis series on the Second Vatican Council and its 1963 Dogmatic Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium.
READ POPE LEO XIV’S FULL ADDRESS
The Holy Father this week reflected on the celebration of the Eucharist as presented by the Constitution, noting that this “sacred mystery” is described in the text’s Second Chapter as “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, ‘a paschal banquet in which Christ is received, the soul is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’”
He also recalled the Constitution’s emphasis on the faithful not being passive spectators at Mass, but being encouraged to offer themselves in union with Jesus Christ.
Pope Leo XIV at General Audience (@Vatican Media)
The Pope observed that when we participate in the Eucharist, we are invited to listen to the Word of God and to be nourished at the Lord’s table, where He Himself offers Himself to the Father.
In this perspective, he underscored, the Eucharist is the form of the spiritual sacrifice of Christians, insofar as it is the way of union with God and of mutual union.
“By participating in it,” the Holy Father noted, “they learn to offer themselves and, day by day, to be consumed, through Christ, in unity with God and among themselves.”
He also recalled, quoting the Constitution, that during Mass, the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharistic Liturgy “are so closely connected with each other that they form but one single act of worship.”
With this sentiment, the Pope noted that “by incorporating us into Christ, the Eucharist teaches us to adopt the very way of life of the Lord Jesus, marked by the free gift of self.”
“This gift,” he said, “introduces us into the dynamic of unity, which offers a powerful antidote to the forces of division that undermine our world, our communities, our families, and our hearts.”
Finally, the Holy Father prayed that all the faithful, as they seek nourishment from this abundant source of divine life, may allow themselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.
Greetings following the General Audience (@Vatican Media)
