Dear Brothers and Sisters,
March 13 marked the fifth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis. What an impact he has made. He challenges all of us to live an authentic life of radical discipleship. From the very first days of his papacy, it was clear that things were different. He has caught the attention of the whole world and created unprecedented media attention and the ironic thing is that he
really doesn’t want the attention to be on himself.
Pope Francis says that there are three ways to tell if we are living the fruit of the Eucharist;
- How do we see others – when we are here at Mass, do we see those around us as brothers and sisters? Through the Eucharist am I reaching out to people – especially those in real need?
- The second way to tell if we are reaping the fruits of the Eucharist is – do you feel forgiven and able to forgive others? “We go to Mass because we are sinners and we want to receive God’s pardon, to participate in the redemption of Jesus, in his forgiveness.”
- The third way to tell we are living the fruit of the Eucharist is that it changes us, it transforms us. He says “A celebration may be flawless on the exterior, very beautiful, but if it does not lead us to encounter Jesus Christ, it is unlikely to bear any kind of nourishment to our heart and our life. Through the Eucharist, however, Christ wishes to enter into our life and permeate it with his grace, so that in every Christian community there may be coherence between liturgy and life.”
As we continue our journey through Lent, let’s give thanks for the gift of Pope Francis and let us daily renew our encounter with Christ.
God bless,
Fr. Tony