Pope Leo calls the Eucharist a ‘powerful antidote to division’

Pope Leo XIV reflected on the transforming power of the Eucharist during his general audience on June 24, telling pilgrims that participation in the Mass unites Christians with Christ and with one another while offering "a powerful antidote to the forces of division" affecting the world.

Continuing his catechetical series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Holy Father focused on Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, and its teaching on the mystery of the Eucharist.

Drawing on St. Augustine, Pope Leo explained that Christians become what they receive in Holy Communion.

"It is by receiving Him in His Word and in the Eucharist that we become what we receive," the Pope said. "We become the Body whose Head is the risen Christ."

The Holy Father said the Eucharist is "the sacrament of the Kingdom that is to come" and "the Bread for the journey" that leads the faithful toward their heavenly homeland.

Reflecting on the Council's teaching that the faithful offer Christ's sacrifice together with the priest, Pope Leo said participation in the Eucharist forms Christians in the Lord's own self-giving love.

"By incorporating us into Christ, the Eucharist teaches us to adopt the very style of life of the Lord Jesus, which was marked by the free gift of Himself," he said. That gift, he added, "draws us into the dynamic of unity, offering a powerful antidote to the forces of division that undermine our world, our communities, our families, and our hearts."

The Pope also emphasized the inseparable relationship between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, noting that the Second Vatican Council describes them as "one single act of worship."

He encouraged Catholics to approach Sacred Scripture not simply as an intellectual exercise, but as the living Word of God that nourishes believers alongside the Eucharist.

"The Eucharist opens us to an understanding of Scripture, just as Scripture for its part illumines and explains the mystery of the Eucharist," he said, citing Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini.

Pope Leo also recalled that the Second Vatican Council called for the treasures of Sacred Scripture to be opened more abundantly to the faithful, a vision realized through the expanded Lectionary introduced by the liturgical reform.

Quoting Sacrosanctum Concilium, he described the Eucharist as "a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity," instituted by Christ to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross and entrust to the Church the memorial of His death and Resurrection.

Concluding his catechesis, the Pope invited the faithful to allow the mystery of the Eucharist to transform their lives.

"Let us draw with faith from this source of divine life,” he said, “and allow ourselves to be transformed by the mystery we celebrate.”