A heartfelt ‘why?’

At a meeting with an Italian NGO that provides drinking water to those who lack it, Pope Francis asked: “Why wage war on each other over conflicts that we should resolve by talking to each other as fellow people? Why not rather join our forces and resources to fight together the real battles of civilisation: the fight against hunger and thirst; the fight against disease and epidemics; the fight against poverty and slavery of today. Why?”

Eucharist as a gift

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, in this year’s Lenten retreat to the pope, said: “Jesus admires and loves the heavenly Father endlessly. He wants to give him every day, until the end of the world, the most precious gift one can think of: his own life. In the mass he invites all to put their signature on the gift. Our signature are the few drops of water that are mixed with the wine in the chalice.

“This means that, leaving mass, we too must make our lives a gift of love to the Father for the good of our brothers and sisters. We are not only called to celebrate the Eucharist, but also to make ourselves a Eucharist.”

Can’t live without the Eucharist

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church,  spoke about the Eucharist at the time of war:

“Sunday in the context of war is experienced in a particular way. During the war, in the midst of this sea of death, the Eucharist for us Christians is something extremely important. We say to ourselves and to the world today: we cannot live without Sunday. Without Communion of the body and blood of our Saviour we cannot live, we cannot survive in the circumstances of war. It is precisely the mystery of the Eucharist that gives us the strength of life to overcome death. We are discovering once more this ancient truth that the Eucharist is the antidote against death.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)