By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer On the great Feast of Corpus Christi, Pope Benedict XVI warned the faithful to avoid “empty Eucharistic worship” and to look to Mary as an example of the kind of faith and love with which we should adore the Eucharist from our hearts. According to a report by Zenit News, the Pope presided over a Mass on Corpus Christi in the Basilica of St. John Lateran and then processed with the Blessed Sacrament to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. During his homily, he said: "Today there arises the risk of a serpentine secularization even within the Church, which can convert into a formal and empty Eucharistic worship, in celebrations lacking this participation from the heart that is expressed in veneration and respect for the liturgy." He warned about the temptation “to reduce prayer to superficial and hurried moments, letting oneself be carried away by earthly activities and worries." Instead, he said, we must remember that the Eucharist is "the bread of eternal life of the new world that is given us today in the holy Mass, so that starting now the future world begins in us. . . . With the Eucharist, therefore, heaven comes down to earth, the tomorrow of God descends into the present and it is as if time remains embraced by divine eternity." At midday, while praying the Angelus with thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, he spoke about the Eucharist once again.    "Love transforms all things", he said, "and hence we can understand why, at the heart of today's Feast of Corpus Christi, lies the mystery of transubstantiation, the sign of Jesus-Charity that transforms the world. By looking at Him and adoring Him, we are saying: yes, love exists, and because it exists things can change for the better and we may hope.   He then called upon the faithful to imagine "with how much faith and love the Virgin must have received and adored the Blessed Eucharist in her heart. For her, each time was like reliving the entire mystery of her Son Jesus, from conception to resurrection." Then, after recalling how John Paul II had described Mary as "Eucharistic woman," Pope Benedict concluded by encouraging people to learn from her "to renew our communion with the Body of Christ, in order to love one another as He loved us." © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com Do you desire a deeper understanding of the great mystery of the Eucharist? In The Father’s Gift, you will hear people like Sister Briege McKenna, OSC, Fr. Rene Laurentin, Fr. Dario Betancourt and others share their personal insights and stories. This DVD is a powerful evangelization tool! Available in our store at http://womenofgrace.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=617