Words of the Holy Father=He had compassion-12-04-24

 Words of the Holy Father=He had compassion-12-04-24

It is noteworthy how close the link is between the Eucharistic bread, nourishment for eternal life, and daily bread, necessary for earthly life. Before offering Himself to the Father as the Bread of salvation, Jesus ensures there is food for those who follow Him and who, in order to be with Him, forgot to make provisions. At times the spiritual and the material are in opposition, but in reality spiritualism, like materialism, is alien to the Bible. It is not biblical language.

(…) And we are called to approach the Eucharistic table with these same attitudes of Jesus: compassion for the needs of others, this word that is 

repeated in the Gospel when Jesus sees a problem, an illness or these people without food… “He had compassion.” “He had compassion”. Compassion is not 

a purely material feeling; true compassion is patire con [to suffer with], to take others’ sorrows on ourselves. Perhaps it would do us good today to ask ourselves: Do I feel compassion when I read news about war, about hunger, about the pandemic? So many things… Do I feel compassion toward those people? 

Do I feel compassion toward the people who are near to me? Am I capable of suffering with them, or do I look the other way, or “they can fend 

for themselves”? Let us not forget this word “compassion,” which is trust in the provident love of the Father, and means courageous sharing. (Angelus, 2 August 2020)

date04/12/2024

Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

Gospel and Thought for the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/word-of-the-day.html

Gospel in Art: Feast of Saint John of Damascus https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51236