Pope Francis on the Eucharist and the Church's Mission

"During a brief day trip to two small Italian cities, Pope Francis stressed the centrality of the Eucharist in the life and actions of the Church, saying without Christ's love and self-sacrifice, everything would be done in vanity, since everything Jesus did was for others.

"'The Eucharist is not a beautiful rite, but it is the most intimate, the most concrete, the most surprising communion that one can imagine with God: a communion of love so real that it takes on the form of eating,' the Pope said April 20. . . .

"In his homily, Francis said whoever receives the Eucharist takes on the face and mentality of the Lord, who is the Bread that was broken for us. And this Bread, he said, does not 'rise with pride,' but is given to others.

"People who receive the Eucharist, he said, 'cease to live for themselves, for their own success, to have something or to become someone, but they live for Jesus, as Jesus, which is for others.'"

A recent National Catholic Register article reported on Pope Francis' message on this trip.

To access the complete National Catholic Register report, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Pope: Without the Eucharist, Every Effort of the Church Is Vain (20 APR 18)