Pope: Don’t go to Mass because it is a "tradition", but to meet Jesus and see Him in the others
Vatican City ( AsiaNews) - Going to Mass on Sundays, not because it is "a time of celebration, a well-established tradition, a chance to meet others or to feel good about ourselves", but because it is an "encounter with Jesus" which brings us to see those involved in the celebration as our brethren, because we are "ready to forgive and be forgiven" and to be "coherent in the liturgy and life".
The "relationship between how we celebrate the Eucharist and our life as a church and as individual Christians" was the theme of Pope Francis' general audience with 25 thousand people in St Peter's Square, among whom, as per tradition, he spent a long time touring in his open topped jeep.
Following on from the catechesis last Wednesday during which he introduced us to real communion with Jesus, the Pope outlined three "very concrete signs" according to which we can understand how to live the Eucharist, "whether we live it well or not so well".
"The first clue is the way we see and consider others. In the Eucharist, Christ always renews the gift of Himself that he made on the Cross. His whole life is an act of total sharing of self for love; He loved being with His disciples and the people he encountered. For him that also meant sharing in their desires, their problems, whatever stirred their souls and their lives. Now we, when we participate in the Holy Mass, we find ourselves among men and women of all kinds: young, old, children, poor and wealthy, locals and strangers, those accompanied by their family or alone ... But does the Eucharist I celebrate lead me to see them all, truly like brothers and sisters? Does it nourish in me the ability to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep? Does it urge me to reach out to the poor, the sick , the marginalized ? Does it help me recognize in them the face of Jesus?".
"We all go to Mass, because we love Jesus and want to share in His Passion and His Resurrection in the Eucharist. But do we love those brothers and sisters in need as Jesus wants us to love them? For example, in Rome, we have recently seen many social problems or the rain that has caused so much damage to entire neighborhoods, the joblessness caused by this global social crisis... I ask myself, we should all ask ourselves: I, someone who goes to Mass, how do I react to all of this? Do I try to help, to be close to these people in need, do I pray for them or am I a little indifferent? Or maybe I am only worried about gossip: 'Did you see how he or she was dressed?' .... sometimes we do this after Mass, no? We do! But we should not! We should we be concerned for our brothers and sisters in need, who are sick, who have a problem". "We ask Jesus, this Jesus that we receive in the Eucharist, to help us to help them".
"A second, very important clue, is the grace of being forgiven and forgiving. Sometimes someone asks: "Why bother going to church, the people who always go to Mass are sinners like the others". If you do not feel in need of God's mercy, if you do not feel you are a sinner, then its better not go to Mass, because we go to Mass because we are sinners and we want to receive the forgiveness of Jesus, to participate in His redemption, His forgiveness. That 'I confess' we say at the beginning is not a 'pro forma', is a true act of penance, I am a sinner and I confess". "We have to go to Mass humbly, as sinners, and the Lord reconciles us".
"One last valuable clue is offered by the relationship between the Eucharist and the life of our Christian communities. We should always keep in mind that the Eucharist is not something we do, it is not our commemoration of what Jesus said and did. No. It is an action of Christ! It is Christ who acts, who is on the altar! Christ is the Lord. It is Christ's gift, who makes Himself present and gathers us around him, so we may be nourished by his Word and by His life. This means that the mission and identity of the Church flows from there, from the Eucharist, and from there always takes shape. A celebration may appear impeccably presented, beautiful, but if it does not lead us to encounter Jesus, it risks being unable to nourish our hearts and lives. Through the Eucharist, however, Christ wants to come into our lives and permeate it with His grace, so that in every Christian community there consistency between liturgy and life: coherence between this liturgy and our life".
"We should live the Eucharist - concluded the Pope - in a spirit of faith and prayer, forgiveness, repentance, community joy, concern for the needy and for the needs of so many brothers and sisters, in the certainty that the Lord will accomplish what he has promised: Eternal life".
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