Pope in Madrid on Corpus Christi: ‘no one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother’
On his second day in Spain, Leo XIV led the Mass in Plaza de Cibeles, attended by more than a million people. Processions should not be a “remnant of folklore,” he said, but be “the presence of the Risen Lord." Jesus “is not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us.” People should abandon a "comfortable, private faith" to “go forth into the paths of life.” Last night, during the vigil with young people, he told them to “be the sparks of a new humanity.”
Madrid (AsiaNews) – Pope Leo XIV's apostolic journey to Spain, where he arrived yesterday on a flight from Rome, continued today with Holy Mass, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, in Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid where the pontiff celebrated “with a heart filled with joy" before over a million people. Afterwards, he led a procession through the city streets.
“Solemn processions,” he said, have shaped the lives of the Spanish people for centuries. “This is not an exhibition, a remnant of folklore or a simple display of beauty. It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord”.
In his homily, Leo noted that Christ “gives himself as food” in the Mass, while the procession is “not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us. Jesus travels the streets, crosses the squares and visits our neighborhoods, dwelling in the settings of our daily lives.”
The Lord gets close to his people to bring “comfort to the weak, light for families, hope for the sick and peace for those who suffer. The Christ who processes through the streets in the monstrance is the same one who identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken.”
Going out into the open to carry the monstrance through the streets takes on a profound meaning, which concerns everyone, providing an opportunity to “be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to his invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome his presence which transforms us and makes us builders of a new world.”
For this reason, the solemnity of Corpus Christi must not be merely "wistful nostalgia”, but become "an invitation in the present moment” to avoid “the temptation of trusting in other idols and feeding on bread that does not satisfy.”
From the famous Plaza de Cibeles, the pope tasked Spain with the mission to ensure that the religiosity that shaped the country for centuries “is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today”.
It should be “A school that teaches us to kneel before God and before our neighbor, because no one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother,” a school that teaches "the gratitude of love” so that we may learn that “God is a real presence and that we too are called to be present in the realities and challenges of society”.
In his homily, Leo XIV also remembered the Spaniard Saint Manuel González, known as "the bishop of the abandoned tabernacle."
“His life reminds us that the Eucharist should be honored not only during great celebrations or on special occasions, but also through the silent fidelity of those who accompany the Lord with a humble and quiet friendship that is nourished day by day,” the pope said, inspired by some passages from Saint John of the Cross.
Finally, Leo invited us to return to Jesus “with sincere love”. Indeed, “[L]et us allow him to quench the thirst of our hearts, so that we may then go forth into the paths of life and history, bringing to the people this stream of fresh water, a stream of love, peace, justice and joy”.
To this end, we must approach the Eucharist not to withdraw into a "private devotion," but to "refresh" all those he encounters, especially those who suffer and are without hope.
Last night, at the end of the first day of his apostolic journey, which, after Madrid, will take him to Barcelona and the Canary Islands, the pontiff presided over a vigil in the capital’s Plaza de Lima, before more than 600,000 people.
Leo answered questions from young people, mentioning his years of mission in Peru, among people “marked by many difficulties yet full of hope." Indeed, “It was precisely my encounter with the people’s hardships and also their joys that helped me grow in my own journey following Jesus. As I proclaimed the Gospel, I too was transformed by it”.
What is more, “the Word of God can turn conflict into peace. He can be a source of reconciliation, peace and justice.”
In his address, Leo also stressed the importance of silence. “By freeing ourselves from the clamor of a thousand different voices, we recognize that some mislead our desires, others exploit us without providing for us, and still others speak out of self-interest. It is in silence that we come to understand that ideologies pass away, while the truth always remains.”
For the pontiff, young people must “always" seek the truth, even on social media. “God is truth! If it leads you away from God, it is not the truth! Do not forget this!”
Speaking directly to those present, as well as those listening from afar, he urged them to discern their own truth, and “never be afraid to consider a vocation to the priesthood, religious life, or any other form of service in the Church!”
At the same time, he reminded them that “marriage is also a vocation. Do not be afraid of marriage and starting a family!”
Finally, “Seeing you, dear young people, filled with this enthusiasm that comes from faith, I have high hopes for your ability to bear witness to Christ in the world – including the realm of digital media – and to communicate the values and beauty of the Gospel,” he said. “In the face of the emptiness of indifference and compliance, before the violence of war and lies, you must be the sparks of a new humanity.”
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