Reflections
“With the best of wheat
he fills you.”
God has been a provider
to His people ever since
He created us. But the
beauty of His providence
is that He provides for us
spiritually as well as
physically. During the
Liturgy of the Eucharist,
as the gifts are being
prepared, the priest says,
“Through your goodness we have this
bread to offer, which earth has given,
it will become for us the bread of life.”
We are nourished by the Eucharist,
by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus.
And that is where our life comes from,
our hope, our salvation. All we have
to do is receive Him with a clean heart
and avoid partaking of the
“table of demons” (1 Cor 10: 20).
Our Lord's body is real food, and when we eat it
we are given a share in the divine life. During
the Mass the celebrant prays, “By the mystery
of this water and wine may we come to share in
the divinity of Christ, who humbled Himself
to share in our humanity.”
St Paul says in this Sunday's 2nd reading
that we all “partake of the one loaf” (1 Cor 10: 17).
We share in the bread of life, and our Savior's body
is a source of nourishment for us. This Sunday's
Gospel reminds us that Jesus is the living bread
from heaven. (John 6: 51-58) Praise God!
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. The Psalm speaks of our Lord as being a good provider;
He fills us with the best of wheat. Speak of how you are nourished
by the real food of the Eucharist.
2. Our psalmist declares that God's word runs swiftly as the Lord
sends forth His command to the earth. These verses allude
to the power of God's word in our lives. Tell of how you receive
the word of God and how it affects you.
"How great is our God who values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love."
ReplyDeleteThis psalm invites us to "Praise the *LORD." Understanding the greatness of God, His care for humanity and all of nature, and the remarkable power and nature of His word, should move us to praise Him all the more. Hallelujah!
In pre-pandemic times, I felt very in tune with the gift of the Eucharist and being "Eucharisted," or anointed, to be Jesus for others. I do not mean that I was holier than another human being, but rather, I was empowered to reflect His holiness in me. And I would need at least a weekly refilling of this gift through partaking in the Body and Blood at Mass.
ReplyDeleteFor several weeks during the pandemic, everyone was limited to receiving Spiritual Communion instead. The thought is lovely and pure and might be enough for some. However, for most of us, it hasn't been the same thing. There is something about receiving Jesus' Body and Blood in physical form that alters both our physical and spiritual states.
It is the entire reason I have always told friends and family that even if they didn't love a particular priest's homily style, at least they were receiving Jesus Himself, when attending Mass.
We are now allowed to sign up for Mass and become active members of the community again, albeit with caution. Our bodies have ached for the Eucharist. And it's not just we who long for Him, but He who longs for us. He is pure love and desires to pour out that love over each of us.
I am not sure why more Catholics don't discuss the power of Eucharistic miracles. Over the past two decades, there has been a surge in such miracles where the consecrated host has turned into human flesh and blood. (1992 and 1996 in Buenos Aires, 2006 in Mexico, and 2008 and 2013 in Poland, for example.). Amazingly, all studies of these Eucharistic miracles share the same conclusion, which remains inexplicable to the scientific community. The human flesh and blood have been shown to be from a left ventricular heart, some say an inflamed heart -- the blood type AB. Jesus is not only spiritually, but literally and physically, sharing his heart with us!
With this sort of invitation, I am renewed in my desire to receive Him.
1. I become one flesh with Him when I receive Eucharist. I receive the nourishment I need for this life. His presence brings me peace in this chaotic world. He satisfies my hunger for Him through sacrament and word.
ReplyDelete2. I receive God's word by participating in the Mass. He is the Word and speaks to me daily through the Word of God at Mass or just sitting reading the bible and pondering on it like our Lady did. His Word is truly a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.