Let us now take a further step. Communion -- fruit of the Holy Spirit -- is nourished by the Eucharistic bread (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17) and is expressed in fraternal relations, in a sort of anticipation of the future world. In the Eucharist, Jesus nourishes us, unites us to himself, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit and among ourselves, and this network of unity that embraces the world is an anticipation of the future world in our time.

Given that it is anticipation of the future, communion is a gift which also has very real consequences; it makes us come out of our solitudes, of our own narrow-mindedness, and allows us to participate in the love that unites us to God and among ourselves. To understand the grandeur of this gift, suffice it to think of the divisions and conflicts that afflict relations between individuals, groups and entire nations. And if the gift of unity in the Holy Spirit is lacking, humanity's division is inevitable.

"Communion" is truly good news, the remedy the Lord has given us against the loneliness that threatens all today, the precious gift that makes us feel accepted and loved in God, in the unity of his People, gathered together in the name of the Trinity; it is the light that makes the Church shine as a sign raised among the nations: "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" (1 John 1:6-7).

The Church thus presents herself, despite all the human frailties that are part of her historical features, as a wondrous creation of love, constituted to make Christ close to every man and woman who truly wishes to encounter him, until the end of times. And in the Church the Lord continues to be our contemporary. Scripture is not something of the past. The Lord does not speak in the past, but speaks in the present, he speaks to us today, gives us light, shows us the way of life, gives us fellowship and in this way prepares us and opens us to the light.

At the end of the audience, the Pope greeted pilgrims in English. These were his words:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Through the apostolic ministry, the Church perseveres in that saving communion with the Blessed Trinity to which all people have been called. The Twelve Apostles, in fact, took care to provide successors who would continue their mission after them.

Thus the Church in every age, organically structured under the leadership of her legitimate pastors, dwells in the world as "a people gathered together by the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" (cf. "Lumen Gentium," No. 4). When St. Paul speaks of the "fellowship of the Holy Spirit" (2 Corinthians 13:13), he is referring not only to this participation in the life of the Trinity, but also to the Spirit-filled communion which unites those who believe in Christ.

For St. John, the communion of love between the Son and the Father is the model and source of all Christian fellowship (cf. John 17:21-22). Through the mystery of communion, the Church is revealed as a wondrous creation of God's love. By her preaching of the Gospel and her celebration of the Eucharist, she invites men and women in every age to share in the mystery of God's own life and love.

I am pleased to greet the English-speaking pilgrims present at this audience, particularly those from Japan and the United States of America. I also extend a special welcome to the priests from the Institute for Continuing Theological Education at the Pontifical North American College and to the members of the National Conference of Vicars for Religious. Upon all of you I invoke the Lord's blessings of peace and joy.

Source: (Zenit.org)