That spiritual bread is provided by Christ, the sure source of faith, hope and love.
The Pope also emphasized that faith is rooted in something concrete and historical – the example of Jesus, who "revealed His love without measure for man, for each one of us: on the Cross, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God made man, shows us in the most luminous way how far this love can go, even to the point of giving himself up in total sacrifice."
Another aspect of faith that he reflected on was the child-like trust that it requires.
"Having faith, then, is encountering this 'you,' God, who sustains me and grants me the promise of an indestructible love that not only aspires to eternity, but gifts it; it is entrusting myself to God with the attitude of a child, who knows that all his difficulties, all his troubles are safe in the 'you' of the mother."
John Evans of Melbourne, Australia, was impressed by the prayerful atmosphere in St. Peter's Square, despite the large crowd of pilgrims waving banners and the noise of the loud speaker system.
"Despite all of the noise going on outside, the Church remained really focused," said Evans, visiting Rome for the first time with his wife Annie. "I was sitting there listening to the Gospel of Mark, and for all this going on, the majority of people seemed to be listening to the word of God."
In his address, the Pope commented on "the harsh words of the Risen Jesus who says: 'Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.'"
"I invite you to reflect on this," he encouraged the crowd. With "confidence in the action of the Holy Spirit, we must always … preach the Gospel" and give "a courageous witness of faith."
Pope Benedict suggested Catholics recommit themselves to their baptismal promises as a way of preparing to share the faith.
"The basis of our journey of faith is baptism, the sacrament which gifts us the Holy Spirit, making us children of God in Christ, and marks our entry into the community of faith, the Church," he said toward the end of his address.