The Body and Blood of Christ in us—what we pray to become.
Transformation is what the Lord provides for us in every Eucharist. Through His gift we become greater than we were prior to receiving Him. It reminds us that miracles are possible even when the darkness seems overwhelming. It is a miracle that reminds us that God’s love is ever present and open to us—to help and heal us—to unite us.
Such transformation is happening with Catholics all over the world every day, in every language and country. Hope in who we can become replaces despair, and we are made whole by the Memorial and remembrance –we are brought to life again—the Spirit bringing life out of death, light into darkness. It is like a global embrace of grace that flows daily from altars throughout the world—outward to help all know we are one in Him—but we need to cooperate with that grace. It is the constant journey into hope for better life; a mystical time that has no time, ever since he said:
“take this and eat, this is my body, take this and drink, this is my blood.”
Entering into the Lord’s Supper is an agreement for us to grow and change to be more like him. As all of us know, it isn’t always easy to be more like Jesus; it takes remembering what He has done for us and why. When going through the daily challenges in life, if we would take the time to stop and remember the meal we share with Him and one another, hope can come. As we remember His promises to be with us always, we bring to Christ our needs, decisions we face, and ask for continued conversion. For we know that we need to change.
We pray that the change that takes place in the bread and wine will take place in us. It is in the trying repeatedly that we become more like Jesus Christ in the world. In communion with one another, we are also cleansed, forgiven, made whole together to go out once more and live what we have eaten in a meal shared. What would our lives be like without being brought together to be reconciled in His Meal.
We are many members of His body –with lots of differences, but seeking the same healing and forgiveness while helping to forgive. In Communion, we are challenged to see all of our neighbors as a part of the human family that Jesus came to unite. He also came to teach us to help free people from oppression of bigotry, and hatred, and work to eliminate all that does not honor God’s gift of sacred life.
God’s gift in the Eucharist is given for our needs. Often, people will say to me that they don’t come to Mass frequently because they get nothing out of it, or their children or spouse gets bored. To commune with God in private prayer is good and necessary, but only part of the picture. For, He also calls us to find Him in each other and try to realize that we are the Body of Christ. Does your family pray the Mass, prepare for it by saying a prayer in the car—“help us to hear your Word this day—help us to receive you and be grateful…”? How sad it is if the Mass is reduced to a punishment, or attendance is merely to avoid a mortal sin. For some praying the Mass is missing—the connection, dialogue, and relationship to what God offers in the Eucharist becomes lost.
WE NEED MASS, not God. For we come to Mass to remember—the Sacrifice of the Lord, His great love for us in the hopes that we will be transformed by Christ’s love into His love for one another.
We also extend the blessings of the Lord that come from the altar in our church to bring the Eucharist to persons who are homebound, in hospitals, and convalescent homes. And we are made whole, in unity with one another through a common love that is greater than any one of us—greater than all of us together. The central most important meal among Catholics is the Eucharist as Jesus intended. For he knew we needed to see him in each other, through the Meal that comes through him. Striving to live His hope for us to be one in Him helps us to become what we eat at His Meal.
However, at times Communion may exclude some who cannot receive due to marital issues or other factors in life, please consult with a priest in private. We are the many members of His body seeking healing while helping, enjoying and loving each other. That is how we make help His Body in the world and rejoice in God who made us to be like Jesus. It is when we remove the film of fear or hatred from our eyes and see one another as God sees us that we truly become what we eat at His meal— the vessel the Body of Christ; His real presence in the world. It is in just such moments of holiness that occurs in each one of us that we know, without doubt, that we are His arms and hands and feet and mouths caring and living in the fullness of that presence. Live the Eucharist, Fr. Gordon