Pope Francis: Audience reflection on celebration, work and prayer

“The Gospel also shows us the truest reason for Mary’s greatness and her blessedness: it is faith”, the Pope told pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his August. 15 Angelus address, marking the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.

In this prayer Mary expresses her joy, because she is fully aware of what all the great works in her life at that point mean, namely that through her the Lord will accomplish the salvation her people have long been waiting for, the Pope said.

Because of Mary’s assumption into heaven, we see that life “is not a senseless wandering, but a pilgrimage which, with all of the sufferings and uncertainties, has a sure destination” where the Father awaits us with love, he said.

In recent years, the Popes have generally celebrated the Assumption in the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo; last year, Pope Francis was on his Apostolic Visit to Korea during the holiday. Above all arise the questions “what does to “eat the flesh and drink the blood” of Jesus mean?”

The leader of the Catholic Church said the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is known to have been praying for the environment since the 1980’s, has inspired him. “In order to respond, Francis continued, we have to look at what happened in Jesus” own heart when he broke the loaves to feed the five thousand.

But Pope Francis explained that, “knowing he will have to die on the cross for us, Jesus identifies himself with the bread broken and shared, and it becomes for him the “sign” of sacrifice that awaits him”.

“You now have this clash between Pope Francis’ vision of the world, and the world that the bishops who run the investments live in”, said Father Michael Crosby, a Capuchin friar in Milwaukee who advocates socially responsible investing in the church. “But this requires our “yes”, our adherence of faith”.

“Nevertheless, Mary believes and proclaims that God does not leave his humble and poor children alone, but rescues them with his mercy and his care, toppling the powerful from their thrones”, the pope said.

The Eucharist, the pope said, truly is the body and blood of Christ and is given to believers so that they can become one with him.

The Mass, he said, makes present the death and resurrection of Jesus. He prayed for Mary’s intercession in helping us to always be faithful to Jesus before leading attendees in the Angelus.