When I hear the word Eucharist, so many different images
come to my mind. First and foremost is
of course, Holy Communion. As a
Catholic, I firmly believe that Jesus works through the Holy Spirit and common
bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Jesus; holy gifts for God’s
holy people. Through scripture, we know
that Jesus declared “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will
never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” John
6:35. While I believe with my whole
heart that Jesus nourishes me through Eucharist, I find that the more I believe
this to be true, the more I hunger
for justice; the more I thirst for
knowledge; the more I want others to believe in this wondrous miracle, this
perfect sacrifice offered for all. I
long for the day when all Christians come to believe in the real presence of
Christ in Holy Communion.
During the Liturgy of the Eucharist,
I love to listen to the eloquent prayers offered by the priest. The words are rich in meaning and echo the
words spoken by Jesus when he shared his last Passover meal with his friends. I hang on to the words “do this in memory of me.” I
am often asked why I go to church so often.
My answer is so simple, “because Jesus asked me to.” He asked me to remember him – to remember his
sacrifice.
Just as Jesus took the bread,
offered thanksgiving to the Father, blessed it, broke it and shared it with
others; so too does he take me by the hand every time I celebrate this holy
meal. He thanks God for me ~ he blesses
me ~ he breaks me open so that I can receive him ~ then he beckons me to go
forth and share him with others.
I share this good news with you my friends. Jesus lives through the good deeds that you
and I do in his name. Let us share this
communion ~ this common belief ~ and through our Eucharist ~ our thanksgiving ~
let us give flesh to Jesus by being his hands and his feet and bring peace to
this world in memory of him!
Shalom,
Tina
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