In his July prayer intention, which he entrusts to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the Holy Father invites us to place the Eucharist at the center of our lives. He invites us to see this celebration not as an obligatory ritual, but rather as an encounter with the Risen Jesus, for “the Eucharist is the presence of Jesus,” which is “profoundly transforming.” Along this line, Pope Francis insists in this video that “it is Christ who offers Himself, who gives himself for us,” which leads to “our lives being nourished by Him to nourish the lives of our brothers and sisters.”

Click on the image below to view the video featuring Pope Francis that was produced by the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Video Script:

If you are the same at the end of Mass as you were at the beginning, something is wrong.

The Eucharist is the presence of Jesus, it is deeply transforming. Jesus comes and must transform you.

In the Eucharist, it is Christ who offers Himself, who gives himself for us. He invites us, so that our lives may be nourished by Him and may nourish the lives of our brothers and sisters.

The Eucharistic Celebration is an encounter with the Risen Jesus. At the same time, it is a way of opening ourselves to the world as He taught us.

Each time we participate in the Eucharist, Jesus comes and Jesus gives us the strength to love like He loved, because it gives us the courage to encounter others, to go out of ourselves, and to open ourselves to others with love.

Let us pray that Catholics place at the center of their lives the Eucharistic Celebration, which transforms human relationships and opens up an encounter with God and their brothers and sisters.