Let us celebrate what we have heard from Jesus in the Gospel. Ah, yes, I celebrate that. A few words that describe the Church in its deepest reality and therefore describe all of us. "I am the vine, says Jesus, you are the branches." And from these shoots the fruits that all must have the possibility to see and then also to eat. And here, look, it is precisely said everything. Jesus the Vine, we are the branches united to him and therefore inseparable from one another; and then in what we say, what we do, they are the fruits. The sap that passes from that Life that is Jesus to those branches that we are, and in some way makes everything bear fruit, is called the Holy Spirit who makes us all alive forever. This is the Church. This is the profound mystery of the Church. Paul uses the image of the body, but things do not change. Paul says: "Just as the Body has many members with different functions, so we too, though many, are one Body in Christ and, each for its part, are members of one another. We are members of one another. You understand that if I limp, it affects your person. If I have a headache, I affect your spiritual health, because we are one body. This is the Church. Live Jesus, branches, fruits, body of Christ, people of God. All images to describe an explosion of life that from God comes down to us. Of course, in order to live this mystery of life, and to transmit it, the Church must organize herself. She does this as she can, and many times she could do it even better. But the thing we celebrate today goes far beyond organization... Today we are called to celebrate a greater mystery than ourselves, infinitely greater and explosive in some way. Today we celebrate our being a us, here now, even if personally we don't all know each other. I know some of you personally, but not all of you. However, I am within this Eucharist, within the Body of Christ, within an us, who are right here now present. Let us celebrate a life, you understand? That passes from Christ to me, and then from me to you, and then from you to me, and then from us to others. Beyond all loneliness, beyond all closed individuality, beyond all narrow selfishness. Ah, yes, I celebrate this. Then as a priest I will do what I can, and many times you will find poor priests... And if I were a nun I would say the same. We are all poor people. But having said that, we must immediately add that we are still inside something greater than ourselves, and, if you will allow me, inside something more beautiful than ourselves. I thank the Lord who wanted this Church. He wanted it for us and for the world. But this evening this thanksgiving because the Church is there, it exists, and it is what I was trying to explain to you before, what Jesus just told us in the Gospel, I would like us to say this thanks together. With a warning, let us try to enter into this mystery a little more for everyone, I am the first to do so. Then what I read in the newspapers and hear on television won't shock me much if the Pope's butler steals the Pope's cards and then sells them. I'm inside something bigger than the Pope's butler. I am inside something greater than my own personal fragility.
Let us celebrate what we have heard from Jesus in the Gospel. Ah, yes, I celebrate that. A few words that describe the Church in its deepest reality and therefore describe all of us.
RispondiElimina"I am the vine, says Jesus, you are the branches." And from these shoots the fruits that all must have the possibility to see and then also to eat. And here, look, it is precisely said everything.
Jesus the Vine, we are the branches united to him and therefore inseparable from one another; and then in what we say, what we do, they are the fruits.
The sap that passes from that Life that is Jesus to those branches that we are, and in some way makes everything bear fruit, is called the Holy Spirit who makes us all alive forever.
This is the Church. This is the profound mystery of the Church.
Paul uses the image of the body, but things do not change.
Paul says: "Just as the Body has many members with different functions, so we too, though many, are one Body in Christ and, each for its part, are members of one another.
We are members of one another. You understand that if I limp, it affects your person.
If I have a headache, I affect your spiritual health, because we are one body.
This is the Church. Live Jesus, branches, fruits, body of Christ, people of God.
All images to describe an explosion of life that from God comes down to us.
Of course, in order to live this mystery of life, and to transmit it, the Church must organize herself.
She does this as she can, and many times she could do it even better. But the thing we celebrate today goes far beyond organization... Today we are called to celebrate a greater mystery than ourselves, infinitely greater and explosive in some way.
Today we celebrate our being a us, here now, even if personally we don't all know each other. I know some of you personally, but not all of you. However, I am within this Eucharist, within the Body of Christ, within an us, who are right here now present.
Let us celebrate a life, you understand?
That passes from Christ to me, and then from me to you, and then from you to me, and then from us to others.
Beyond all loneliness, beyond all closed individuality, beyond all narrow selfishness.
Ah, yes, I celebrate this. Then as a priest I will do what I can, and many times you will find poor priests... And if I were a nun I would say the same. We are all poor people.
But having said that, we must immediately add that we are still inside something greater than ourselves, and, if you will allow me, inside something more beautiful than ourselves.
I thank the Lord who wanted this Church. He wanted it for us and for the world. But this evening this thanksgiving because the Church is there, it exists, and it is what I was trying to explain to you before, what Jesus just told us in the Gospel, I would like us to say this thanks together.
With a warning, let us try to enter into this mystery a little more for everyone, I am the first to do so.
Then what I read in the newspapers and hear on television won't shock me much if the Pope's butler steals the Pope's cards and then sells them. I'm inside something bigger than the Pope's butler. I am inside something greater than my own personal fragility.