Tag: <span>Eucharist</span>

June 6, 2021June 4, 2021

The Blood of the Covenant

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The blood of the covenant–this is a standout theme of all three readings today, as well as the psalm.

Given the feast we are celebrating today, the theme could be different. It is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The theme could be His continued presence among us: “And behold, I am with you always, unto the end of the age.” (cf. Mt. 28:20)

Or, the theme could be the sacrifice re-presented in the Eucharist–the sacrifice Jesus makes on the altar every time the Body and Blood are consecrated, the re-presentation of the one sacrifice of Calvary.

But repeated over and over again in today’s readings is the theme of blood poured out in establishment of a covenant.

And indeed, the whole point of Jesus’ Incarnation, life, passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension was to establish and consummate a definitive covenant with human beings collectively, and each human being individually, within the Church.

That covenant is union with Him, union with the Trinity, based on the fulfillment on a promise of a mutual gift of self.

Said differently, it is Communion. And it is paid for with a high price: Jesus’ very blood poured out, the blood of the covenant.

And indeed, when we contemplate the Eucharist, we are contemplating two closely related realities, corresponding to the two climaxes of the Mass: The sacrifice of the Body and the Blood, and the covenant of Communion.

The Eucharist is the entire effective dynamic of Jesus’ self-gift and self-sacrifice, perpetually encapsulated in two physical realities: The Body and the Blood, in the forms of bread and wine.

At every Mass we enter into a concentrated real-life presentation of the entire saving mystery, and its effect within us. We behold the blood poured out, and we enter into the Covenant.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of a deeper penetration into the mystery of the Eucharist, and more saturating experience of this saving mystery at every Mass.

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April 22, 2021April 22, 2021

Chariot Chat

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

In the first reading, the Holy Spirit prompted Philip to talk to the Ethiopian eunuch in his chariot; he explained Scripture to him, and the eunuch was baptized. Then, the same Holy Spirit removed Philip mysteriously from the presence of the eunuch.

Sometimes, we may think that we are devoid of the Holy Spirit, if He doesn’t prompt such semi-miraculous marvels in us.

But we must remember, the Spirit will prompt us according to the vocation to which God has called us, often with nudges rather than pushes. Often, when faced with a situation and seeking guidance, all we need to is incline an ear in His direction, and He will provide us with a path. The path may not appear miraculous, but in a sense, it may be said the the Spirit’s promptings within the human soul are always by definition miraculous.

But how do we increase the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in our hearts?

Jesus gives us the sure means in today’s gospel: “The bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” To increase the life of the Holy Spirit within us, we need not seek extraordinary means–persevering participation in the sacraments and in contemplative prayer will build that life slowly, almost imperceptibly, over time.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to help you in your perseverance, particularly in frequent reception of the sacraments and daily contemplative prayer. Ask Him for the gift of His Holy Spirit, and tell Him that you trust Him always to provide you the guidance you need through the Spirit.

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April 1, 2021March 15, 2021

The Cup of Salvation

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

In addition to the extreme drama of this evening’s readings, there is an element of them that is absolutely startling.

This is the climax of Jesus’ life, and the institution of the Eucharist is the climactic moment of His gift of self for us and to us down through the generations. This is HIS moment.

And yet, in line after line of each of today’s readings, Jesus–and God, in His message to Moses and Aaron in the first reading–He makes it all about us. About OUR participation in His saving mystery. As if we had the central role in the salvation of humankind, and not He Himself!

Examples from the readings that center attention on us: “Do this in remembrance of me.” (second reading) “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (gospel) “How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.” (psalm)

A startling message leaps from the pages of Scripture today: While of course, Jesus’ act and none other is the all-powerful wellspring of salvation, He is relying on us to take up the cup of salvation, to follow the model He has left for us, to do this in remembrance of Him. Even as He is all-powerful, yet we are co-protagonists with Him in the act of salvation.

Central to this, of course, is the repetition of the Mass throughout the ages. But we must remember: Every time we offer Him our lives freely as that bread, that cup, is elevated, we augment the reach and application of the all-powerful salvation won in Christ. He chose to need us; and to fulfill that need, our role is marvelously simple: We must simply give Him our lives, with all their sufferings and joys, and strive to fulfill His will, as He fulfilled His Father’s.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Adore Jesus silently at the very moment of His “yes” to the Father in Gethsemane–His “yes” for us. Adore Him; thank Him; and offer Him your life in imitation.

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September 12, 2020August 27, 2020

The Cup of Salvation

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

In today’s gospel, Jesus talks about building on solid rock by acting on His teachings, unlike the foolish builder who builds on sand, whose building is ultimately destroyed by the forces of nature. Christians build a vulnerable spiritual building, destined to destruction, when they do not ground that building on the rock of a committed life lived in accord with Jesus’ teachings.

We see this in the world today. Many of those with whom we come in contact are “good” people–honest-to-goodness nice people, with whom we enjoy a positive relationship of mutual good will. But of these, many unfortunately feel the attraction of the Christian message, but consciously avoid adopting it in its fullness. They build their houses on sand. Why? Because of one word: Sacrifice.

The Psalmist asks today “How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me?” And his response: “The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.”

There are beautiful layers to this psalm, in the light of the New Testament. In a very real way, the answer to our quandary about how to “repay” the Lord for what He has done for us is to take up the Eucharist, prefigured in the psalm by the cup. We can repay Him by taking up, that is, receiving, the sacrament of salvation–and thus, by making His sacrifice for us fruitful. It is not so much a “repayment” as a bringing to fulfillment His gift by letting it come to fulfillment in us.

But this also means taking up our own allotted cup of sacrifice, the sacrifice of faithfulness to our Christian life by giving up our lives in the day-to-day for others within our vocation. “My cup you will indeed drink,” Jesus tells his disciples James and John in Mt. 20:23. Indeed we are to drink to the dregs the cup of sacrifice allotted to each of us in our own life, in imitation of and collaboration with our Master.

Ah, but there’s the rub. That’s the one step that is so difficult for many to take. Jesus wants us to lose our life in order to find it (cf. Mt. 16:25). Not easy. Many otherwise good and nice people simply decline.

But the entire first reading teaches us something important in this regard. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be a Christian without the personal sacrifice. As Paul poignantly points out, you can’t participate in the Eucharistic table and then sacrifice to demons by remaining in selfishness. With Christ, it is all or nothing.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Think about the relationship between Jesus’ Cup of Sacrifice in the Eucharist, and the sacrifice of your own personal gift of self to your vocation and to others in the day to day. And how you can offer your cup of sacrifice in your heart with the mundane gifts of bread and wine that go to the priest’s altar each day, and receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity–Jesus’ sacrificial gift to you–in return. Adore Him, praise Him for the incredible, disproportionate “economy of gift” that He has set up for you because He loves you.

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