Do not hoard vaccines
Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Umtata, South Africa, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said rich countries should not to hoard vaccines: “Pope Francis has led by example when he got vaccinated, we should be encouraged to take the vaccine. A large number of leaders across the world have been vaccinated. Let us join the efforts for equitable distribution of the vaccine and call those rich countries hoarding COVID-19 vaccine to task so that this common good may be accessible to all. We must all continue to pray for our healthcare workers and for those assisting those in need at this time.”
Bread of sinners
During the Angelus last Sunday, Pope Francis spoke on the Eucharist: “It is on the night he is betrayed that Jesus gives… us the greatest gift while in his heart he feels the deepest abyss. And betrayal is the worst suffering for one who loves. And what does Jesus do? He reacts to evil with a greater good. He responds to Judas’s ‘no’ with the ‘yes’ of mercy. He does not punish the sinner, but gives his life for him. When we receive the Eucharist, Jesus does the same with us: he knows we are sinners, that we make mistakes, but he does not give up on joining his life to ours. He knows we need it. The Eucharist is not a reward of saints, but bread of sinners.”
Our thirst for God
While celebrating mass on Corpus Christi, the Pope said: “To celebrate the Eucharist, we need first to recognise our thirst for God, to sense our need for him, to long for his presence and love, to realise we cannot go it alone, but need the food and drink of eternal life to sustain us on our journey. The tragedy of the present time is that this thirst is felt less. Questions about God are no longer asked, desire for God has faded, seekers of God are increasingly rare. God no longer attracts us because we no longer acknowledge our thirst for him.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)