SW News: The Holy Eucharist is the main focus of the prayer intention of the Holy Father for the month of July. During his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis revealed the prayer intention, which is all about centering Christian life around the Eucharist. He exhorted believers to place the Blessed Sacrament in the center of their lives.

The intention of the Holy Father for July was announced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. In a video message, the pontiff began by saying, “if you are the same at the end of Mass, as you were at the beginning, something is wrong.” He exhorted each believer to witness the celebration of the Mass not as something obligatory, but as an encounter with the Risen Jesus which is profoundly transcendent.

In his video, the Holy Father said that it is Christ who offers Himself, who gives Himself for everyone and he nourishes the lives of believers so that they in turn nourish the lives of their brethren.

The pope also explained the logic of the Holy Eucharist saying, it “gives us the courage to encounter others, to go out of ourselves, and to open ourselves to others with love.”

It is precisely for this reason that the Holy Father encourages Catholics to meet Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament because that is where each person receives the ability to love others and to allow themselves to be changed by His love and grace.

Pope Francis concluded his video message by praying 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.