WE have just celebrated that
tremendous Solemnity of the
Body and Blood of Christ. Tremendous, because we can never have enough
of the overwhelming truth and mystery that in spite of our natural
limitations, not to mention, our infranatural defects due to our sins,
Christ continues to be with us and to love us, offering himself as
food to nourish us, heal us, save us.
We need to take time to savor and fathom a little this
truth of our faith that should fill us with joy and hope regardless of
circumstances. This is not an exercise at escapism and fantasizing,
but rather a realistic gesture—indeed, a necessity—given our true
dignity as persons and children of God.
May we never get accustomed to this great sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist that contains the very body and blood of Christ! With
it, we actually have God himself with us, offering everything that we
need to be what we ought to be. With it, time and eternity are
united, the natural and supernatural, the material and spiritual, our
sinfulness and our salvation become one.
Yes, there are certain things, very fundamental and
indispensable to know about ourselves, that we need to be more aware
of and to be more consistent in. We are children of God, created in
his image and likeness, whose lives just cannot be by ourselves but,
by definition, lives lived in God and with God.
In other words, we are not meant to merely have natural
human lives. Ours are also meant to be supernatural, a completely
gratuitous privilege to which, with God’s grace, we are expected to
correspond. Our life with God is something that we have to work out.
It is worthwhile to pause and meditate on this mystery. We
should try to distance ourselves from our usual concerns, at least for
a while, if only to enter into another level of reality—the spiritual
and the supernatural—that we often take for granted.
Such effort, for sure, will do us a lot of good. It would
help us to see things holistically and to put us on a track that is
most proper to us. Truth is we very often miss what is truly essential
in our life.
We just get entangled with the peripherals in life which,
while unavoidable and in a sense also necessary, are not the most
important. We get confused as to which is our true end and which
merely are means toward that end.
The liturgical celebration of Corpus Christi that in some
places is extended with an octave or weeklong solemn exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament should lead us to ask questions like how am I
nurturing my Eucharistic devotion, am I developing the urge to attend
and actively participate at Mass, especially Sunday Mass, do I know
what the Holy Mass really is, etc.?
Do I feel something special whenever I am in front of the
Blessed Sacrament or even when I just happen to pass by a church where
I know the Blessed Sacrament is reserved? Do I get to engage Christ in
some intimate conversation when I receive him in communion or simply
when I am in front of the Blessed Sacrament?
Do I make a pious genuflection whenever I am before the
Blessed Sacrament? Do I feel good when I am there? There are many
heart-warming anecdotes about how one’s piety before the Blessed
Sacrament converted the most cynical and sceptical persons.
The Blessed Sacrament should be a magnet in our life. It
will help us to have a supernatural tone in our outlook. It will
remind us of the real purpose of our life. It will serve to
organically shape our day.
It’s been said that the Holy Eucharist is the source and
summit of Christian life, the center and root of our spiritual life.
We cannot overemphasize these overwhelming truths. That’s why, we need
to take time to meditate on them and draw concrete resolutions.
In fact, the resolutions we can get from our devotion to
the Holy Eucharist can be endless. Especially at these times when we
tend to be most harassed by temporal concerns, leading us to forget
about the eternal goals of our life, we need to make this devotion
truly vibrant.
Let’s take advantage of our preparation for the
International Eucharistic Congress to spread this devotion, teaching
everyone, especially the young ones, how to live it. Again, the family
plays a fundamental role, with the parishes and schools giving
valuable support.
Let’s never forget that with the celebration of Corpus
Christi, we are presented with the truth that Christ continues to
really with us! He has not left us.
Body and Blood of Christ. Tremendous, because we can never have enough
of the overwhelming truth and mystery that in spite of our natural
limitations, not to mention, our infranatural defects due to our sins,
Christ continues to be with us and to love us, offering himself as
food to nourish us, heal us, save us.
We need to take time to savor and fathom a little this
truth of our faith that should fill us with joy and hope regardless of
circumstances. This is not an exercise at escapism and fantasizing,
but rather a realistic gesture—indeed, a necessity—given our true
dignity as persons and children of God.
May we never get accustomed to this great sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist that contains the very body and blood of Christ! With
it, we actually have God himself with us, offering everything that we
need to be what we ought to be. With it, time and eternity are
united, the natural and supernatural, the material and spiritual, our
sinfulness and our salvation become one.
Yes, there are certain things, very fundamental and
indispensable to know about ourselves, that we need to be more aware
of and to be more consistent in. We are children of God, created in
his image and likeness, whose lives just cannot be by ourselves but,
by definition, lives lived in God and with God.
In other words, we are not meant to merely have natural
human lives. Ours are also meant to be supernatural, a completely
gratuitous privilege to which, with God’s grace, we are expected to
correspond. Our life with God is something that we have to work out.
It is worthwhile to pause and meditate on this mystery. We
should try to distance ourselves from our usual concerns, at least for
a while, if only to enter into another level of reality—the spiritual
and the supernatural—that we often take for granted.
Such effort, for sure, will do us a lot of good. It would
help us to see things holistically and to put us on a track that is
most proper to us. Truth is we very often miss what is truly essential
in our life.
We just get entangled with the peripherals in life which,
while unavoidable and in a sense also necessary, are not the most
important. We get confused as to which is our true end and which
merely are means toward that end.
The liturgical celebration of Corpus Christi that in some
places is extended with an octave or weeklong solemn exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament should lead us to ask questions like how am I
nurturing my Eucharistic devotion, am I developing the urge to attend
and actively participate at Mass, especially Sunday Mass, do I know
what the Holy Mass really is, etc.?
Do I feel something special whenever I am in front of the
Blessed Sacrament or even when I just happen to pass by a church where
I know the Blessed Sacrament is reserved? Do I get to engage Christ in
some intimate conversation when I receive him in communion or simply
when I am in front of the Blessed Sacrament?
Do I make a pious genuflection whenever I am before the
Blessed Sacrament? Do I feel good when I am there? There are many
heart-warming anecdotes about how one’s piety before the Blessed
Sacrament converted the most cynical and sceptical persons.
The Blessed Sacrament should be a magnet in our life. It
will help us to have a supernatural tone in our outlook. It will
remind us of the real purpose of our life. It will serve to
organically shape our day.
It’s been said that the Holy Eucharist is the source and
summit of Christian life, the center and root of our spiritual life.
We cannot overemphasize these overwhelming truths. That’s why, we need
to take time to meditate on them and draw concrete resolutions.
In fact, the resolutions we can get from our devotion to
the Holy Eucharist can be endless. Especially at these times when we
tend to be most harassed by temporal concerns, leading us to forget
about the eternal goals of our life, we need to make this devotion
truly vibrant.
Let’s take advantage of our preparation for the
International Eucharistic Congress to spread this devotion, teaching
everyone, especially the young ones, how to live it. Again, the family
plays a fundamental role, with the parishes and schools giving
valuable support.
Let’s never forget that with the celebration of Corpus
Christi, we are presented with the truth that Christ continues to
really with us! He has not left us.
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