Eucharist gives love of Jesus so it can be shared, says pope

Published: 2007-03-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Catholics nourish themselves with the Eucharist, the love of Jesus grows in them so that they can share that love with the world, Pope Benedict XVI said. "In the Eucharist, Christ wanted to give us his love, which led him to offer his life on the cross for us," the pope said March 18 during his midday Angelus address. Speaking about his apostolic exhortation, "Sacramentum Caritatis" ("The Sacrament of Charity"), which was published March 13, the pope said he had wanted to emphasize the bond between the sacrament and the love of God demonstrated in Christ. He said Jesus himself underlined the bond at the Last Supper when he instituted the Eucharist and gave Christians the command to love others. "Because this is possible only by remaining united with him like branches with the vine, he has chosen to remain with us in the Eucharist so that we can remain in him," the pope said.

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