In his Angelus address Pope Francis also offered a reflection for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, celebrated in Italy and other countries this Sunday.
"Jesus is present in the sacrament of the Eucharist to be our nourishment, to be assimilated and to become in us that renewing force that gives once again the energy and the desire to set out again after every pause or after every fall," he said.
Earlier on Sunday Pope Francis offered Mass and Eucharistic adoration in St. Peter's Basilica with a limited number of people present to safeguard against the coronavirus. In his homily, he said that Christ's presence in the Eucharist heals wounds and transforms bitter negativity into the joy of Lord.
The pope said the body and blood of Christ unites the Church to God and to each other, in his reflection before the Angelus prayer.
"We are a community, nourished by the body and blood of Christ. Communion with the body of Christ is an effective sign of unity, of communion, of sharing," he said.
"The Lord knows well that our human strength alone is not enough for this. On the contrary, He knows that there will always be the temptation of rivalry, envy, prejudice, division ... For this reason too He left us the Sacrament of His real, tangible and permanent Presence, so that, remaining united to Him, we may always receive the gift of fraternal love," Pope Francis said.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.