If we rightly venerate the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, who carried Him in her most holy womb; if the blessed John the Baptist trembled and did not dare touch the holy crown of God; if we honor the tomb in which He rested for a time—then how holy, righteous, and worthy is the one who touches with his own hands Him who will never die again but lives forever in glory, whom the angels long to behold: the priest who receives Him with his lips and in his heart and gives Him to others in Holy Communion. Realize your dignity, brothers who are priests, and be holy, for He is holy (Lev. 11:44).

And just as the Lord God has been exalted above all because of this mystery, so you also should love Him, honor Him, and worship Him above everything else. It is a great misery and a pitiful weakness to have Him so near and yet be preoccupied with the things of this world. Let every person tremble, let the whole world tremble, and let heaven exult when Christ, the Son of the Living God, is present upon the altar in the hands of the priest! Oh, what wondrous majesty and incomprehensible dignity! Oh, sublime humility! Oh, humble sublimity! The Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbled Himself that, for our salvation, He hides Himself under the appearance of bread.

Behold, brothers, the humility of God, and pour out your hearts before Him. Humble yourselves also, that He may exalt you (1 Pet. 5:6). Therefore, keep nothing of yourselves for yourselves, so that He who gave Himself entirely to you may receive you completely.

Furthermore, I warn and implore you in the Lord that, according to the regulations of Holy Church, only one Mass should be celebrated each day in the houses of the brothers. If several priests are present in one place, let the others, out of charity, be content with the celebration of one.

For the Lord Jesus Christ fills both those who are present and those who are absent, provided they are worthy of Him. Though He is present in many places, He remains undivided and suffers no diminution; as the One Lord, He works everywhere according to His will, together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, forever and ever. Amen.

A Worthy Place

Let us, ministers of the Church, consider the great sin and ignorance that some show toward the Most Holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Most Holy Name, and the written words by which His Body is consecrated. For we know that it cannot become His Body unless it is consecrated by those words. Indeed, we possess and see nothing bodily in this world of the Most High except His Body and Blood, His Name, and His words, through which we were created and redeemed from death to life.

Let all who minister reflect on how unworthy are the chalices, sacred vessels, and vestments in which the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are consecrated. Many keep them in unworthy places, carry them carelessly along the road, receive them irreverently, and distribute them to others without due reverence. His Name and His written words are sometimes even trampled underfoot.

For “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14).

Should not all these things fill us with reverence, knowing that the merciful Lord places Himself into our hands so that we may touch Him and receive Him daily with our lips? Do we not realize that one day we shall stand in His hands? Therefore, let us amend our ways as quickly and as carefully as possible in all these matters and in everything else.

Wherever the Most Holy Body of our Lord Jesus Christ is kept or left in an unworthy place, let it be reverently removed, placed in a worthy and beautifully prepared location, and kept secure. Likewise, wherever His Name and His written words are found in an unworthy place, they should be gathered and placed in a worthy location. We know that all this must be done in accordance with the commandments of God and the decrees of Holy Mother Church. Whoever fails to do so should know that on the Day of Judgment he will give an account before our Lord Jesus Christ. May those who distribute this writing for the sake of better service know that the Lord will bless them.

Francis’ Prayer Before Entering a Church

“And the Lord gave me such faith in the Church that I prayed with simplicity and said: ‘We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, in all Your churches throughout the whole world, and we bless You, because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.'”