Pope Leo XIV in the Corpus Christi: Christ is God’s response to man’s hunger

Pope Leo XIV called to “share bread”, a sign of the gift of divine salvation, in order to “multiply the hope” of the world, by first presiding over the Mass for the solemnity of the solemnity of the Corpus Christithis June 22, 2025.

In this liturgical party in which the Catholic Church specially celebrates the mystery of the Eucharist, that is, the real presence of Jesus Christ in the consecrated bread and wine, the Pontiff said: “Christ is God’s response to man’s hunger, because his body is the bread of eternal life: take and eat all of him!”.

Around 4:30 p.m. (local time) The Holy Father moved from the Vatican to the Basilica of San Juan de Letán, its cathedral as Bishop of Rome, to celebrate the Sunday Mass in which he reflected on the deep meaning of the Eucharist and in the value of sharing. The celebration took place outside the temple.

When explaining the Gospel of the day, which tells the miracle of breads and fish, the Pope pointed out that by saving the crowds from hunger, “Jesus announces that he will save everyone from death.”

In this way, he instituted the basis of the “mystery of faith, which we celebrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist.” “Just as hunger is a sign of our radical vital indigence, as well as the bread is the sign of the divine gift of salvation,” he explained.

In that framework, Leo XIV highlighted how Jesus’ compassion for those who suffer “manifests the loving closeness of God, who comes to the world to save us.” “When God reigns, man is released from all evil,” he added.

Faced with human finitude, “when we feed on Jesus, living and true bread, we live for him.”

Referring again to the miracle that appears in the Gospel, Leo XIV explained that in the hunger of the people a deep sign is revealed, because it is “at this time, at the time of destitution and shadows, when Jesus remains among us.”

Faced with the suggestion of the apostles to fire the crowd, the Pope explained that Jesus teaches a contrary logic “because hunger is not a need that has nothing to do with the announcement of the kingdom and the testimony of salvation.”

“With Jesus we have everything we need”

“He has compassion for the hungry people and invites his disciples to take care of him,” he said.

The disciples offered only five loaves and two fish, but are calculations that are “apparently reasonable”, but that reveal, however, “their little faith.” And he added, in a pastoral tone: “With Jesus we have everything we need to give strength and meaning to our life.”

The gesture of Jesus when leaving the bread, explained the pontiff, “does not inaugurate a complex magical ritual, but simply manifests the thanks to the Father, the subsidiary prayer of Christ and the fraternal communion that the Holy Spirit holds.”

“To multiply the breads and fish, Jesus divides those there are: only then there is enough for everyone, moreover, they are left over,” he said.

Next, with serious gesture, the Pope denounced the current inequalities that exist in the world and criticized “the accumulation of a few” as a visible sign “of an indifferent pride, which produces pain and injustice.”

“Today, instead of the crowds that appear in the Gospel, there are whole peoples, humiliated by the greed even more than by hunger itself,” he said.

In this context, he asked to follow the example of the Lord and urged to live, especially in the Jubileo de la Esperanza, this teaching with concrete gestures: “The example of the Lord remains for us an urgent criterion of action and service: share bread, to multiply hope, proclaims the coming of the kingdom of God.”

The Eucharist, food that transforms

On the other hand, he quoted St. Augustine to describe the Eucharist as “bread that nourishes and never is missing; bread that can be eaten but that is never exhausted,” and said that “the Eucharist is the true, real and substantial presence of the Savior, which transforms bread into itself, to transform us into it.”

In this sense, he also addressed the existential root of this communion with Christ: “Our hungry nature carries the mark of destitution that is satiated by the grace of the Eucharist.”

Referring to the unity of the Church, the Pope recalled that “the Body of makes us, that is, of the Church itself, the body of the Lord. ”And he added, citing the dogmatic constitution The light of the nationsof the Second Vatican Council: “All men are called to this union with Christ, light of the world, from whom we proceed, for whom we live and to whom we walk.”

Before starting the Eucharistic procession that will take it – explaining to the Blessed Sacrament – to the Basilica of Santa María la Mayor, the Pontiff wanted to explain its spiritual and missionary meaning: “Together, shepherds and flock, we feed on the Blessed Sacrament, we worship him and take him through the streets”.

“In doing so, we offer it to the look and the heart of the people,” he added.

And he concluded with an invitation to all the faithful: “Strengthened by the food that God gives us, we take Jesus to the heart of all, because Jesus includes everyone in the work of salvation, inviting each one to participate in his table. Blessed guests, who become witnesses of this love!”