“This will be seen completely at the end, at the Last Supper. Jesus knows that the Father is asking him not only to give food to people, but to give himself, to break himself, his own life, his own flesh, his own heart, so that we might have life,” he said.
The pope noted that in the Gospel reading, the people were not amazed, but rather scandalized, by Jesus’ declaration.
“Perhaps we too might be scandalized: it might make us more comfortable to have a God who stays in heaven without getting involved, while we can manage matters here on earth,” he said, pointing up at the sky as a breeze flapped the tapestry beneath him bearing his coat of arms.
“Instead, God became man to enter into the concrete reality of this world, to enter into our concrete reality. God became man for me, for you, for all of us, to enter into our lives.”
“And He is interested in every aspect of our life. We can tell him about what we are feeling, our work, our day, our heartache, our anguish, so many things. We can tell him everything because Jesus wants this intimacy with us.”
“What does he not want? To be relegated to being considered a side dish — he who is Bread — to be overlooked and set aside, or called on only when we need him.”
Pope Francis observed that many people eat at least one meal a day with others.
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“It would be lovely, before breaking bread, to invite Jesus, the Bread of Life, to ask him simply to bless what we have done and what we have failed to do,” he said.
“Let us invite him into our home; let us pray in a ‘homely’ style. Jesus will be at the table with us and we will be fed by a greater love.”
After praying the Angelus, Pope Francis greeted pilgrims in the square below, acknowledging those from various parts of Italy.
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