The pope's Wednesday catechesis continuing the series on the Eucharist, touched on the importance of the Liturgy of the Word.
Pope Francis said it is in the Mass readings that God speaks to each person through the power of the Holy Spirit. He said, “let us ask the Holy Spirit to make the word sown in our hearts, bear abundant fruit and guide our steps, day by day.”
SUMMARY OF POPE'S HOMILY IN ENGLISH
Dear brothers and sisters,
In our continuing catechesis on the Eucharist, we now consider the importance of the Liturgy of the Word. There, God speaks to us, and the same Holy Spirit who inspired the sacred Scriptures opens our minds and hearts to that living word. At the table of God’s word, we find nourishment for our lives as we listen to the Old and the New Testaments proclaim the one mystery of Christ and call for our response. Drawing from the richness of the Church’s Lectionary, the Liturgy of the Word invites us to silent openness to God’s saving message as it resounds in the ecclesial assembly and continues God’s constant dialogue with his people, the Church.
Since we do not live “by bread alone,” but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (cf. Mt 4:4), we need to be constantly open to, and challenged by, that word, in our lives as individuals and in our life as a Church. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to make the word sown in our hearts bear abundant fruit and guide our steps, day by day, on this, our earthly pilgrimage.
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from Australia and from the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
