Corpus Christi a reminder of the strength of life over death, Jerusalem patriarch says

(OSV News) — The celebration of Corpus Christi in the land where Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead serves as a reminder that the gift of life does not come from human efforts but only from God, said the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.

In his homily during a June 4 Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which houses the sites where Jesus died and was buried, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said the certainty that humanity does not create or possess life, but rather receives it, was “an important message for us, here today in Jerusalem.”

“In a land where the fragility of life is often felt, where life is not always respected as it should be, where many people carry wounds, fears, and uncertainties in their hearts, the Word of God reminds us that life does not arise from our efforts or our fragile balances, but has a deeper source: God himself,” he said.

According to the Latin patriarchate, Cardinal Pizzaballa presided over the Mass “with the participation of bishops, priests, and faithful,” followed by a procession with the Blessed Sacrament.

The celebration comes amid a recent extension of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. Since March, Israel has intensified its attacks on southern Beirut, targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. The current deal builds on a ceasefire initially reached April 17 between Israel and the Lebanese government, The Associated Press reported June 5.

Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in March in retaliation for the country’s war alongside the U.S. against Iran. While Israel contends that its attacks are against the extremist militia, the Lebanese health ministry announced June 4 that an estimated 3,526 people have died and more than 10,000 have been wounded.

According to the UNHCR, the U.N refugee agency, an estimated 1.3 million people have been displaced since the start of the war.

In his homily, Cardinal Pizzaballa said that “God does not merely speak to us about life or simply offer us a teaching,” but rather “becomes nourishment” for all.

The Eucharist, he added, “is the concrete way in which Christ continues to give us his life.”

“It is not a distant symbol; it is a real presence that enters our existence. A silent but powerful presence, discreet yet capable of transforming,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said. “Receiving the Eucharist is not simply a devout act; it is welcoming the life of Christ into ourselves. And once received, this life does not remain still.”

The Latin patriarch said that in celebrating the solemn feast at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, “we cannot forget the reality that surrounds us.”

Nevertheless, the celebration of Corpus Christi is an invitation for Christians to be “formed by God’s gaze, which does not stop at the surface but sees possibilities of life even where we see only difficulties.”

“Amid tensions, divisions, and hardships of this land, the Eucharist reminds us that God’s logic is different: it is not the logic of holding back, but of giving; not the logic of closing oneself off, but of sharing,” he said.

“It is a logic that may seem fragile in the eyes of the world, but in reality, it is the only one capable of truly building,” Cardinal Pizzaballa added.

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