Let me start my reflection on the eucharist by sharing a quote from the words by St. Augustine of Hippo… “ We have dark times ahead of us. But you will be a light in the darkness, a light of love. If you keep silent, keep silent with love. If you speak out, speak out with love. If you discipline, discipline with love. If you forgive, forgive with love. Let love take root within you. For only goodness can arise from this origin”… Love.
In our modern world today, people are too busy with many things that we only have a very limited time to spend with family, friends and make a personal reflection of where we are heading in our life journey.
With our very busy lifestyle, most of the food we eat are instant. To conform to one’s idea and be connected to a person is only a matter of clicking the “Like” button. We get connected to people in an instant in a very shallow and virtual manner, their is no sense of a deep connection.
Same thing that is happening when we go to mass every Sunday, we no longer know the essence and true meaning of the holy sacrifice whenever we commemorate the breaking of the bread that was instituted by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago.
Because we are not aware of the immense power of the word we utter as we recite the vocal rituals and the exchange of sacred words between the priest and the faithful; that was pass on every generation through sacred tradition, their is no longer a deep connection to the one who loved us first whenever we attend the holy mass.
To some it is a Sunday obligation, to others a routine to perform. To the fundamentalist, the eucharist is a symbolic sacrament to remember. We forgot that we come and partake in the holy sacrifice because we deeply love and commit ourselves to our True Lover. A commitment to love! To be one with God IN love … Love, who is God…
Most of us are not aware of what’s happening when a simple bread and wine transubstantiate into the true and real body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit given to his anointed priest in the sacrament of holy orders.
How I envy the participants of the 51st Eucharistic Congress held in Cebu City, Philippines with the theme Christ in us, our hope of glory.
I hunger to know deeply in the ordinary things that are hidden in the mystery of the Eucharist. I want to understand and to experience the overwhelming and profound richness and meaning of the broken body of Christ, through listening and spiritual formation.
I intensely desire to listen to the talked given by Papal legate Charles Maung Cardinal Bo; Fr. Timothy Radcliffe; Rev. Robert Barron; Fr. Luciano Ariel Felloni and other speakers as they share their own personal experiences on the Eucharist and how it transformed their life to holiness and wholeness.
I see these holy people as living martyrs for Jesus because they witness and stand for the truth. They speak and evangelize the truth. They live what is expected of them as disciples of the ancient Catholic Church.
As a lay person, I can only share my humble understanding on how I experience the unfathomable beauty of Jesus Christ hidden in the broken bread.
I confess that I am a sinner hiding in an angelic naive look, a modern hypocrite and a charming liar. I own up being deceitful, manipulative and proud… a sinner, filthy and devastated. And that is my own miserable truth.
Just like the parable of the prodigal son, I rather go back to the house of my father, as I swallow my pride and serve him as one of his servant. However, in spite of my shortcoming, my father prepared a feast for me, embraced me and dress me with the finest robe. Making me realize how I am deeply loved.
It is a good thing to know that through Christ Jesus we can find hope and eternal salvation. His mercy is overflowing! He allowed my brokenness to surface for others to see His healing grace, mercy and love. How amazing! Again, quoting the words of St. Augustine, “God allow us to be lost in able to be found.”
Experiencing the merciful love of God in my filthiness and brokenness is truly redeeming! It made me keep in touch with myself, my feet on the ground, slow to judgement and to realised that I have nothing to boast but only my nothingness in the presence of the Lord.
The desire to be holy is a lifetime struggle. To be worthy to partake and be one with the true body of Christ in the most holy Eucharist is to recommit our baptism vow by denouncing sin and Satan with conviction.
As human as we are, we are inclined to concupiscence because of the original sin that we inherited from our first parent. We are weak whenever temptation knock in our door step. That even though we do our very best to abstain from sin, we find ourselves repeating the same sin over and over. As St. Paul said in Romans 7:15, “For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.”…. very true and I hate it!
To arrive to holiness is to detach from our worldly attachment. Especially to something or someone that is so precious in our life; in exchange to what is truly eternal and divine, which is the broken bread and blood of Christ, celebrated in all the ends of the earth. A test of faith that God alone suffices.
Holiness entails sacrifice and mortification to experience detachment from all these gross worldly desire in its most painful way. It is only by the grace of God we can truly enter and be victorious with all the temporal desire that easily perish. Small victories are pathway to holiness for us to create a stronghold to avoid the occasion of sin.
To strive for holiness is to guard our words, thoughts and action, in accordance of being a true disciple of Christ.
In my heart, I admit that I struggle everyday to be holy and to be an authentic martyr for Jesus. But sin hinders the holiness I desire.
Like dark clouds that hide the moon from my sight, I cannot see the beauty of God clearly. But I know behind those dark clouds, the moon is there wherever I go.
God’s love is unconditional! Unchanging! This simple thought is already a divine revelation. It is a substantial bearing to make every effort to persevere and to be holy, where absolute comfort and security is in store for us.
The real and true presence of God the Son, in the form of bread and wine that we receive in the holy sacrifice of the mass, is no doubt the sacred heart of Jesus that unite our soul and spirit in divine union. How wonderful to know! Amazing grace!
In my miserable state of being, my Jesus look at me lovingly; always with me, carrying me in my wounded and wrecked spirit. He heals my broken soul unceasingly and forever so faithful even I am so unfaithful.
May we truly experience God’s love and mercy in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist, where we receive every source of spiritual blessing, inspiration and hope.
In my very little knowledge in the mystery of God, I proclaim and believe that to be truly holy is to be sincere in all our ways; to be a witness to the living word of God; to experience being broken like the Christ crucified with a thankful heart; to live a life of poverty and chastity free from all worldly attachment, so we can genuinely share the Christ in us … our hope of glory!
Communion Prayer
My Jesus,I believe that you are present in the holy sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you, never permit me to be separated from you. Amen
HoneyBrisketBabyfat 