Holy Mass in Karachi Stadium (16 February 1981)
ShareOn 16 February 1981, the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass in Karachi, Pakistan. In his homily, the Pope preached on the eucharistic Christ as the only one who can satisfy the hunger of the human heart.
Your Eminence and Brother Bishops,
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Beloved People of Pakistan,
1. I am happy to be with you today, happy to spend a few hours here in Pakistan, this land of such ancient culture and such noble traditions. I am particularly grateful for the opportunity I have to celebrate the Eucharist with the Catholic community gathered here, with the clergy, religious and laity. Through you I wish to extend my greetings and assure my prayers to all the Christians of your beloved country. I come to you as a servant of Christ Jesus as a pilgrim of faith, as one called to proclaim the Gospel and to confirm my brothers and sisters in the faith.
2. As I am here with you today, the words of Jesus narrated by Saint Matthew the Evangelist come to mind: "For this reason every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who extracts new things from his treasure ancient things” ( Matt13.52). Like the scribe of the Gospel, the Church in Pakistan is able to draw from the treasury of her heritage both the new and the old. From the past you have the tradition that connects you to the Apostle Thomas and therefore to the Apostolic Church of the first century. From more recent times you have the vigor of a young missionary Church which has now taken firm root in the hearts of the people of this country. May you always appreciate and cherish the treasures of your spiritual heritage, both the new and the ancient one and like the scribe in the Gospel you can extract them at the right time for the advent of the Kingdom of God.
3. Today's readings from the Liturgy of the Word invite us to reflect on the profound mystery of the Eucharist. In the first reading, we are reminded "that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by what comes from the mouth of the Lord" ( Dt 18:3). It is our personal conviction of the truth of these words that prompts us to gather regularly for the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
As followers of Christ, we do not despise the good things of the earth, because we know they were created by God who is the source of all good. Nor do we try to ignore the need for bread, the great need for food of so many people throughout the world, including in your lands. For if we tried to ignore these basic needs of our brothers and sisters we see, how could we claim to love God we don't see? (cf. 1Jn4.20). Yet the word that "man does not live by bread alone" remains true. The human person has a need that is even deeper, a hunger that is even greater than that which bread can satisfy; it is the hunger of the human heart for the immensity of God. It is a hunger that can only be satisfied by the One who said: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you." .
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink" ( Jn 6:53-55).
4. Christ is the only one who can satisfy the deepest hunger of the human heart. Because He alone is the source of life. As Saint Paul wrote: "everything was created through him and for him. He is before all things and holds the whole universe together" ( Col1.16-17). In Christ death has lost its power, death has been removed from its sting, death has been defeated. This truth of our faith may appear paradoxical, because we still see around us so many people frightened by the certainty of death and disconcerted by the torment of pain. Indeed, pain and death weigh heavily on the human spirit and remain an enigma for those who do not believe in God. But in faith we know that they will be overcome, that they have been overcome in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. This is precisely what we commemorate when we gather in the name of the Most Holy Trinity; this is what we celebrate every time we gather for the Eucharistic Sacrifice: we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes in glory (cf. 1Cor11.26); we declare with one voice that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the living and the dead, that He is the way and the truth and the life (cf. Jn 14 :6), that Jesus Christ is the living bread that was given for the life of the world (cf. Jn 6:51).
And it is the Eucharist that expresses our Savior's desire to always be present in the heart of every man, continually offering each person a share in his life.
What a wonderful gift we are given in the Eucharist! O ineffable Sacrament! Through our participation in this greatest act of life and worship of the Church we are united with him who is the Redeemer of the world, "the image of the invisible God, begotten before all creation" (Col 1:15 ) .
The second reading of today's liturgy speaks of this great mystery as follows: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not a communion with the body of Christ?” ( 1Cor 10,16).
This great Sacrament which allows us to participate in the life of Christ also unites us to one another, it unites us to all the other members of the Church, to all the baptized of every age and every country. Even if we who belong to the Church are scattered all over the world, even if we speak different languages, even if we have different cultural heritages and are citizens of different nations "since there is one loaf, we, though many, are one body alone: in fact we all partake of the one bread”) ( 1 Cor 10:17).
6. Since the mystery of the Eucharist is so closely linked to the mystery of the Church, we cannot help but feel sad before the divisions which still wound the one Body of Christ, divisions between Christian brothers. We are saddened that we cannot yet partake together of the one bread and one cup. May this sadness prompt us to action. May there exist in us, who as Catholics participate in this Sacrament of unity, a profound desire for the reunion of all the Churches, may we feel the urgency of Jesus' prayer. "Ut unum sint: so that all may be one" ( Jn 17.21); and we can be more deeply convinced of the need to pray and work for the unity of all who have been baptized into Christ.
7. Our participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice must also deepen our desire for the whole human family to enter into the light of faith. It must inspire us to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all who do not yet know it. Indeed, the Eucharist is "bread for the life of the world", bread for every man and every woman on earth. In this respect, it is a source of great satisfaction to see how the missionary spirit is a vibrant aspect of the Church in Pakistan, and I commend you for your efforts in carrying the message of salvation, in a spirit of dialogue and respect for your compatriots who do not know Christ. There is no better way to show your love for the Lord than the Eucharist than through this work of evangelization, particularly among those who are poor and most needy.
8. "This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it" ( Ps 118:24). My brothers and sisters in Christ: every time we gather for the Eucharist, we are strengthened in holiness and renewed in joy. Indeed, joy and holiness are the inevitable consequence of drawing close to God. When we are nourished with the bread of life that has come down from heaven, we grow in likeness to our risen Savior, who is the source of our joy, "a joy that must 'be shared by all" ( Lk2.10). May joy and holiness always abound in your life and flourish in your homes. And may the Eucharist be for you and for the whole Church in Pakistan the center of your life, the source of your joy and holiness, and the way to eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. So be it.
© Copyright 1981 - Vatican Publishing House
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