At Rome’s Cathedral Basilica of Saint John Lateran, Pope Leo XIV presides at Mass on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, followed by the traditional Eucharistic procession to Saint Mary Major.

By Vatican News

Pope at Angelus: Christ's Body and Blood, the ultimate sacrifice of love

At the Angelus on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Pope Leo XIV calls Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist “a sacrifice of love for the salvation of the world.”

Earlier in the day, the Pope offered reflections on the Corpus Christi Solemnity during his Angelus address in Saint Peter’s Square before leading the midday recitation of the Marian prayer.

In his homily for Corpus Christi Sunday, the Pope recalled how in the Gospel, we hear about the crowds gathered around Jesus who taught them and healed their sick, showing the Lord’s compassion for the suffering and reflective of “the loving closeness of God, who comes into our world to save us.” And “where God reigns, we are set free from all evil, ” he explained. And it is important to remember that during our times of need, whether hunger, illness or the earthly end of our lives, that “Jesus remains present in our midst.”

“For where the Lord is present, we find all that we need to give strength and meaning to our lives.”

Pope Leo XIV during the Corpus Christi celebration

Pope Leo XIV during the Corpus Christi celebration   (@Vatican Media)

Sign of sharing

The Pope recalled how Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish by sharing what was available, allowing everyone to satisfy their hunger with twelve baskets-full left over. 

“That is how Jesus satisfies the hunger of the crowd: he does what God does, and he teaches us to do the same.”

In today’s world, it is important to remember entire peoples who are suffering due to “the greed of others than from their own hunger,” the Pope observed, where we see a stark contrast to the spirit of sharing in the poverty that can result from wealth amassed by a few, a counter sign of “arrogant indifference that produces pain and injustice.”

“Especially in this Jubilee Year, the Lord’s example is a yardstick that should guide our actions and our service: we are called to share our bread, to multiply hope and to proclaim the coming of God’s Kingdom.”

Pope Leo then noted how Jesus is the bread of life who saves everyone from death, the mystery of faith we celebrate in the sacrament of the Eucharist.  “For just as hunger is a sign of our radical needs in this life, so breaking bread is a sign of God’s gift of salvation.”

“Dear friends, Christ is God’s answer to our human hunger, because his Body is the bread of eternal life: Take this and eat of it, all of you! .. When we partake of Jesus, the living and true Bread, we live for him. By offering himself completely, the crucified and risen Lord delivers himself into our hands, and we realize that we were made to partake of God.”

Basilica of St. John Lateran, Mass for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Basilica of St. John Lateran, Mass for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ   (@Vatican Media)

Union with Christ

“Strengthened by the food that God gives us, let us bring Jesus to the hearts of all, because Jesus involves everyone in his work of salvation by calling each of us to sit at his table. Blessed are those who are called, for they become witnesses of this love!”

Eucharistic procession on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Eucharistic procession on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ   (@Vatican Media)

Watch the full video of the Corpus Christi celebration