Man is what he eats

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, preacher of the papal household, said: “An atheist philosopher (F. Feuerbach) said: ‘Man is what he eats’, meaning that everything boils down to the organic component. An atheist, without knowing it, gave the best formulation of a Christian mystery. Thanks to the Eucharist, the Christian is truly what he eats! St Leo the Great wrote: ‘Our participation in the body and blood of Christ tends to make us become what we eat.’ In the Eucharist there is not only communion between Christ and us, but also assimilation; communion is not just the union of two bodies, of two minds, of two wills, but it is assimilation to the one body, the one mind and will of Christ. ‘Whoever unites himself with the Lord forms one Spirit with him’ (1 Cor 6:17).”

To forgive, support

In his homily about the parable of the prodigal son, Jose Baez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua, who has lived in exile in Miami since 2020, said: “Sometimes we are hard on those who, after living wrongly, channel their lives on the paths of good and justice. We fail to forgive. The parable invites us to broaden our heart to the measure of the father’s mercy. When someone repents and decides to change, we must support him. When someone who has made a mistake, recognises his sins and rectifies them, he needs our closeness, our understanding.”

A time to speak

At the University of Oxford, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops’ office, said the synod is an opportunity for a “frank and open” discussion on fundamental questions about Catholicism’s future. “This is not a revolution: the pope does not want to change the Church into something it is not. It is not a wiping out of tradition. It is not a process of democratisation. Rather, the synodal process is a time for speech. A time to let the voice of the Church speak and bring forward issues, problems that inhabit our synodal Church.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)