“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Sunday, 18th June 2017.
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Deut 8: 2-3, 14-16;
Ps 147;
1 Cor 10: 16-17;
Jn 6: 51-58.
THE EUCHARIST: THE GREATEST LOVE STORY
The Eucharist is the highest expression of prayer and the summit of worship. There is no other form of contact with God, as intimate and deep as the Eucharist. Here two persons (the giver and the receiver) become one in communion which is a true, interpersonal union. We do pray in many ways and in different places and we should since these various kinds of prayers do join us with the Lord and foster this union. But certainly, no form of prayer gives the intimacy and the union that Eucharist gives. No one and nothing should be an obstacle to our coming to be one with the Lord and, through that oneness, to find the strength we need for our life.
The Augustinian nun Juliana of Liège (Belgium) had a vision of the Church under the appearance of a glistening full moon having one dark spot. This spot signified the absence of the feast of the Eucharist. This later led to the celebration of Corpus Christi which was solemnly introduced into the Church’s liturgical calendar in 1264 by Pope Urban IV. This feast offers us an opportunity to collectively give thanks to God for Christ’s abiding presence with us, made visible in the Eucharist. It is also an opportunity for us to seek a better understanding of the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist has the greatest importance among all the other sacraments because it is the ‘Mystery of Mysteries’ and the ‘Crown of Sacraments’, for all the sacraments are crowned by the Holy Eucharist. In the Eucharist we not only receive grace but also the author of grace.
This Sunday we specially come together to celebrate the Eucharist with a spirit of joy and gladness. Unfortunately there are many Catholics who do not see it that way anymore. The number of Catholics participating in the Sunday Eucharistic celebration, in some places, is drastically falling. Mass does not provide enough entertainment, people want something new and spectacular every time. No wonder, the most attended Masses are Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday because there are added attractions - ashes, palms and Easter eggs. Many expect priests to crack jokes in their homilies to keep the congregation awake, others demand an excellent presentation from the choir with great voices and upbeat music, and some others want polished lectors, comfortable seats, best lighting and sound facilities. Admittedly, these are all valid concerns and expectations. Worse that these, moreover, there are good number of priests who have fallen into the same trap. Instead of giving the people what God wants, they give what the people want to hear and what is pleasing to hear and see. In effect, the Word of God is not preached faithfully and prophetically and thus the real sense of God’s active presence is totally lost. Too much importance on the horizontal dimension has led to the neglect of the more important dimension of the liturgy - the vertical - relationship between God and man.
St Maximilian Kolbe once rightly said: “The culmination of the Mass is not consecration, but communion.” We believe that the Eucharist is the same sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and that the bread and wine is truly the body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist celebrated in such faith will enable us to experience this intimate and personal union with God. “When we look at the Crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved us then. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now” said St. Teresa of Kolkota. When we gaze at the bread of life, do we realize that we are gazing at God? Do we believe that the Eucharist is God Almighty, the Savior of the world, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity? Do we believe deeply enough to have your heart moved with love and profound devotion every time we are before our divine Lord present before us under the veil of the Eucharist? Let us reflect and realize today not only the tremendous gift we have been given but also the generosity and humility of the one who gives himself.
On this celebration of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, let us renew our faith in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Let this renewed faith inspire and move us to always come to Church every Sunday full of joy and eagerness to encounter Jesus and make our Eucharistic celebration meaningful, lively and truly pleasing in the sight of God. If we always have this in our mind, it will help us to prepare ourselves properly - physically, psychologically and spiritually; enable us to actively and meaningfully participate in the celebration; and worthily receive Jesus in the Holy Communion. The celebration of the Eucharist then ceases to be boring and dry. In turn, it becomes for us the source and summit of our life as Christians.
Prayer: I devoutly adore you, O hidden God, Truly hidden in the Eucharist, in the appearance of Bread and Wines. My whole heart submits to you, and in contemplating you, it surrenders itself completely. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.