May help be brought to the people of Sudan

After reciting the Angelus with the faithful gathered in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday, 2 June, Pope Francis invited the faithful to pray for Sudan where war continues to rage. “May weapons be silenced”, he urged, and “may Sudanese refugees find welcome and protection in neighbouring countries”. Earlier, the Holy Father had reflected on the day’s Gospel passage on the Last Supper. The following is a translation of his words which he delivered in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Sunday!

Today, Italy and other countries are celebrating the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The Gospel of today’s liturgy speaks about the Last Supper (Mk 14:12-26), when the Lord performs a gesture of handing over: in fact, in the broken bread and in the chalice offered to the disciples, it is he who gives himself for all humanity, and offers himself for the life of the world.

In that gesture in which Jesus breaks the bread, there is an important aspect that the Gospel emphasizes with the words, “he gave it to them” (cf. v. 22). Let us fix these words in our heart: he gave it to them. Indeed, the Eucharist recalls first and foremost the dimension of the gift. Jesus takes the bread not to consume it by himself, but to break it and give it to the disciples, thus revealing his identity and his mission. He did not keep life for himself, but gave it to us. He did not consider his being as God a jealously held treasure, but stripped himself of his glory to share our humanity and let us enter eternal life (cf. Phil 2:1-11). Jesus made a gift of his entire life. Let us remember this: Jesus made a gift of his entire life.

We can see, then, that celebrating the Eucharist and eating this Bread, as we do especially on Sundays, is not an act of worship detached from life or a mere moment of personal consolation; we must always remember that Jesus took the bread, broke it and gave it to them and, therefore, communion with him makes us capable of also becoming bread broken for others, capable of sharing what we are and what we have. Saint Leo the Great said: ‘Our participation in the body and blood of Christ tends to make us become what we eat’ (Sermon xii on the Passion, 7).

This, brothers and sisters, is what we are called to: to become what we eat, to become “Eucharistic”, that is, people who no longer live for themselves (cf. Rm 14:7), no, in the logic of possession, of consumerism, but rather people who know how to make their own life a gift for others. In this way, thanks to the Eucharist, we become prophets and builders of a new world: when we overcome selfishness and open ourselves up to love, when we cultivate bonds of fraternity, when we participate in the suffering of our brothers and sisters and share bread and resources with those in need, when we make our talents available to everyone, then we are breaking the bread of our life like Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves, then: do I keep my life only for myself, or do I give it like Jesus? Do I devote myself to others or am I closed within my own little self? And, in everyday situations, do I know how to share, or do I always seek my own interest?

May the Virgin Mary, who welcomed Jesus, bread descended from Heaven, and gave herself entirely together with him, help us too to become a gift of love, united with Jesus in the Eucharist.

After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters, I invite you to pray for Sudan, where the war that has been going on for over a year has still not found a peaceful solution. May weapons be silenced and, with the commitment of the local authorities and the international community, help be brought to the population and the many displaced people; may the Sudanese refugees find welcome and protection in neighbouring countries.

And let us not forget martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar... I appeal to the wisdom of leaders, to cease the escalation and put every effort into dialogue and negotiation.

I greet pilgrims from Rome and various parts of Italy and the world, especially those from Croatia and Madrid. I greet the faithful of Bellizzi and Iglesias, the “Luigi Padovese” Cultural Centre of Cucciago, the postulants of the Daughters of the Oratory, and the “Pedal for those who cannot” group, who came by bicycle, from Faenza to Rome.

I greet the young people of the Immacolata. I wish you all a happy Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!