Here and Now with Francis 11/9/17 (Eucharist, meaning, education, life)
To turn to the fundamentals, to rediscover what is essential, through what one touches and sees in the celebration of the Sacraments. To rediscover, together with you, the beauty that is hidden in the Eucharistic Celebration and that, once revealed, gives full meaning to each one’s life.
The Eucharist is a wonderful event in which Jesus Christ, our life, makes Himself present.
The Lord is present there with us. We go there so often, we look at things, we chat among ourselves while the priest is celebrating the Eucharist . . . and we don’t celebrate close to Him. But it’s the Lord! If the President of the Republic came here today or a very important person of the world, it’s certain that we would all be close to him, that we would want to greet him. But think: when you go to Mass, the Lord is there! And you are distracted. It’s the Lord! We must give thought to this. “Father, it’s because the Masses are boring” – “But, what are you saying, that the Lord is boring?” – No, no, not the Mass, the priests” – Ah, the priests must be converted, but it’s the Lord who is there!” Understood? Don’t forget it.
“To take part in the Mass is to live once again the Passion and Death of the Lord.”
Let’s try now to ask ourselves some simple questions. For instance, why is the sign of the cross and the penitential act made at the beginning of the Mass? And here I would like to make another parenthesis. Have you seen the way children make the sign of the cross? You don’t know what they are doing, if it’s the sign of the cross or a design. They do this [he makes a confused gesture]. It’s necessary to teach children to make the sign of the cross well.
Thus the Mass begins, thus life begins, thus the day begins. This means that we are redeemed with the Lord’s cross. Look at the children and teach them to make the sign of the cross well. And those Readings in the Mass, why are they there? Why are three Readings read on Sunday and two the other days? Why are they there, what does the Reading of the Mass mean? Why are they read and what do they offer?
Or why at a certain point does the priest who presides over the celebration say: “Let us raise our hearts?” He doesn’t say: “Let us raise our phones to take a photograph!” No, it’s an awful thing! And I tell you that it makes me so sad when I celebrate here in the Square or in the Basilica and I see so many phones raised, not only of the faithful, but also of some priests and even of Bishops.
But please! The Mass isn’t a show: it’s to go to encounter the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord. That’s why the priest says: Let us raise our hearts” What does this mean? Remember – no telephones.
