| Pope: The Eucharist is Indispensable for Christian Life |
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Pope: The Eucharist is Indispensable for Christian Life
11/04/2026
(See translation in Arabic section)
Sydney-Middle East Times Int'l: In his address before the Regina Caeli prayer on Sunday, April 12, 2026, Pope Leo XIV focused his reflection on the Gospel account of the risen Jesus' appearance to Thomas, explaining that faith in the Resurrection is nourished by communal encounter with Christ, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays. He stated that the Church invites the faithful to gather like the first disciples, to listen to the Word of God, to pray, and to renew their faith through the Body and Blood of Christ, so that faith may become a living experience proclaiming, "My Lord and my God."
The Holy Father emphasized that the Eucharist is not merely a ritual, but a source of life for Christians and a mission to be sent into the world to be witnesses of the Resurrection, love, and peace. He cited the witness of the first martyrs in Africa who held fast to the Mass until death, affirming that the faithful today are called to be an extension of Christ's presence in the world through works of mercy and reconciliation, in a world desperately in need of peace.
Here is the full text of the Pope’s address:
Dear brothers and sisters, a blessed and glorious Easter!
Today, the Second Sunday of Easter, which Saint Pope John Paul II dedicated to Divine Mercy, we read in the Gospel about the appearance of the risen Jesus to the Apostle Thomas (John 20:19-31). This happened eight days after Easter, while the disciples were gathered together. There, Thomas met the Master, who invited him to look at the nail marks, to put his hand into the wound in his side, and to believe (see verse 27). This scene makes us reflect on our encounter with the risen Jesus: Where do we find him? How do we recognize him? How do we believe in him? Saint John, who recounts the event, gives us precise instructions: Thomas met Jesus on the eighth day, while he was with the assembled group, and recognized him by the signs of his sacrifice. From this experience arose his declaration of faith, the most sublime in the entire fourth Gospel: “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28).
Certainly, it is not always easy to believe. It was not easy for Thomas, and it is not easy for us either. Faith needs to be nourished and strengthened. Therefore, on the “eighth day,” that is, every Sunday, the Church invites us to do as the first disciples did: to gather and celebrate the Eucharist together. In it, we listen to the words of Jesus, we pray, we profess our faith, we share God’s gifts in love, we offer our lives in union with the sacrifice of Christ, and we are nourished by his Body and Blood, so that we, in turn, may become witnesses to his Resurrection from the dead, as the word “Mass” (Messa) signifies, meaning “to send” or “to dispatch” (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1332).
The Eucharist we celebrate on Sunday is indispensable to Christian life. Tomorrow I depart for my apostolic journey to Africa, and some of the early African martyrs of the Church, the martyrs of Abitina, left us a remarkable testimony in this regard. When offered the chance to save their lives on the condition that they renounce the celebration of the Eucharist, they replied that they could not live without celebrating the Lord's Day. In it, our faith is nourished and grows. In it, our efforts, however limited, are united by the grace of God as the actions of members of one Body, the Body of Christ, in the realization of one great plan of salvation for all humanity. Through the Eucharist, our hands also become "the hands of the risen Lord," bearing witness to his presence, his mercy, and his peace in the signs of work, sacrifice, illness, and the passage of years, which are repeatedly etched upon them like tenderness, kindness, a handshake, or an act of love.
Dear brothers and sisters, in a world so desperately in need of peace, this compels us more than ever to be steadfast and faithful in our Eucharistic encounter with the risen Lord, so that from Him we may emerge anew as witnesses of love and bearers of reconciliation. May our Blessed Virgin Mary help us in this, for she believed first, without seeing (cf. John 20:29).
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