Pope at General Audience: English Summary

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday told the faithful that at every Mass we encounter God in his Word and in the body and blood of Christ.

His catecheses, which is part of a new series of reflections focussing on the Sacraments, was delivered before the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience.

Please find below the English Summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis: 

Dear Brothers and Sisters:  In this new series of catecheses on the Eucharist, we begin by reflecting on the fact that the Mass is first and foremost a prayer, indeed the prayer par excellence.  For at every Mass we encounter God in his word and in the body and blood of Christ.  Made in God’s image and likeness, we were made to know him, to love and to serve him.  In prayer, we experience God’s closeness and love; we speak to him, but we also learn to listen to his voice speaking in our hearts.  Jesus himself teaches us, as he did his disciples, how to pray.  From him we learn to call God our Father, to trust in his love, and to be constantly surprised by the signs of that love.  When Jesus speaks of our need to be “reborn” (cf. Jn 3:15), he is in fact inviting us to accept his gift of new life in the Spirit.  By his sacrifice on the cross, he has atoned for all our sins and enabled us to make a new beginning, to lead a truly spiritual life.  In our encounter with him in prayer, and above all in the Eucharist, we experience the consolation of his presence, the grace of his forgiveness and the joy of his invitation to live fully our vocation as God’s beloved children.