Corpus Christi 22 June 2025 One with Christ
When we prepare to receive Holy Communion we are expressing a desire to be one with Christ.
The Eucharist makes us one with Christ, and with all others who are receiving Him.
What is the attraction? God, perfect Man, Healer, Miracle-worker, Teacher, Prophet, Lamb of sacrifice, King of kings and so on…perfect in holiness.
To be near Him is to derive some of the goodness which radiates from Him.
People crowd to see celebrities. No one could rival this celebrity!
Even just to be in the same place is something. But to receive Him as food, that is another level again.
And this is what He wants us to do – to take and eat, for this is My Body.
To eat His body is to eat goodness, with all that could mean.
Jesus wants us to be hungry for Hiim, and all His many good qualities.
This is spiritual nutrition, better than any earthly food. When we eat this ‘bread’ we are eating food that comes directly from Heaven. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
It will do us good, in proportion to how much we desire it. The food is perfect; now we can work on how perfectly we receive it.
We want to come before Him with pure hearts, free from sin. Then we want to benefit as much as possible from the encounter. We have expectant faith. We do not know what exactly each Communion may bring, but we expect something good each time.
We want him to meet our temporal needs – health, family, jobs, etc. He will help with those, but better still to be able to learn to love, as He does. To be people who can make sacrifices for the good of others. This is charity and the greatest gift of all.
We should grow into a little more of charity each time we receive our Lord.
And more wisdom, and courage, and all the various gifts and grace which come from Himself, the source and embodiment of all that is good.
The Eucharist is a means of communicating between God and us, to our benefit and His glory.
It is a simple procedure calling us to a simple response of love to God.
It is a mysterious event, calling us to search for deeper meanings.
Jesus expected the people who witnessed His multiplication of the loaves to look deeper at what they wanted from Him.
When we eat this bread we are unlocking the mystery, connecting with Jesus Christ, being drawn into a life previously unknown. We take on His character, His ways. Not to the same degree but at least the same idea.
Unfortunately, not everyone pursues the search for deeper truth. Not seeing instant results they stop coming to Mass and so deprive themselves of many blessings.
But if we stay on course and keep coming, we will discover this whole new dimension.
It is in the form of food for a reason. We cannot get by with once a year. That leads to spiritual malnutrition. We need this heavenly food, and we need it often.
The Lamb of God wants to be food for all. Everyone is a potential Christian and called to the banquet.
This is the deepest level of understanding. When we take the Eucharist we are seeking this level of unity, with Him and one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment