God’s Greatest Gift
What we think of as our lives—the joys and sorrows, the ups and downs of work, marriage, schooling, religious practice and everything that occupies us—is nothing more than the spiritual, physical, emotional, and moral desert in which the Israelites found themselves. Our earthly life is like the vast wilderness, where God “test[s us] by affliction and find[s] out whether or not it [is our] intention to keep his commandments.”
And yet, within the desert we have the opportunity to receive the unfathomable, unthinkable, incomprehensible source of life: the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ! When God created us, He knew that we would become discouraged, tired, fatigued, and helpless by the circumstances of our existence. And so, He gives us the wellspring of eternal life: the Eucharist.
Every time we receive the Body and Blood of the Lord, we become enlivened, not just temporarily (like we would after a refreshing drink when thirsty or a delicious meal when hungry), but eternally. Every moment that we spend before the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus transforms and strengthens us by His gaze of love. Every opportunity we worthily partake of the Precious Blood and Body of Jesus in the Eucharist, we enter into real life—Heaven, which is none other than union with God. Can you imagine what this means?
It is so easy to approach the Eucharist mechanically, without thinking, out of pure habit. We all do it. But when we approach God in this way we miss something so amazingly unfathomable: the gift of Himself. Every year we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi because the Church in Her wisdom knows that we need to be reminded of this Scripture passage: “What great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us…?” (Deut 4:7).
Here in the desert of life, the Eucharist is the greatest gift we could ever receive—it is God Himself poured out for us out of love and out of His insatiable desire to give us true life, eternal life, and the unending joys of Heaven.
For this reason, nothing is more precious, more holy, more glorious and more worthy of our love and devotion than the Precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur
Readings for the Solemnity of The Body and Blood of Christ: Lectionary 167.
Tags: #arthurmarat, #bodyandblood, #corpuschristi, #fatherarthurmarat, #frarthurmarat, #olw, #olwparish, #reflection
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