“By dying, Christ destroyed our death; by rising, He restored our life.” Dying and Rising! This is the Paschal (Easter) Mystery (Plan). God saves us with something so familiar to us. We see it in nature, yes, in trees that shed their leaves and come back to bloom each Spring, but even more, we see this dying and rising most of all in love. In love! In the giving away of one’s self. There is no loss in this; no, this giving makes more love and makes love stronger! Why did Jesus have to die, we ask? How we wish it had not been so violent! But that is the world He came to save, and He saves it with love, with dying and rising. And to remember this Saving Love, His dying and rising? Ah, Christ gives us something equally as familiar: food and drink, bread and wine. Every Eucharist is a little Easter, (and another baptism!), a dying to self and a rising with Christ! Amen! Alleluia!
Holy Saturday, March 30: FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY (VIATICUM)
On Holy Saturday Christ rests in the tomb; we stand at Easter’s door. What a perfect day to remember that the Eucharist is our food for the journey through this world to the doorstep of the next. Each time we receive Communion, even the last time, we are reminded that we are not alone on this journey here … or hereafter … that even in the tomb, Christ, our light and salvation, will be with us. Does it not make sense that we feed on Christ’s body and blood here in this life as a preparation for the day when we sit at an eternal banquet table with Him? Take rest today in Christ. Be at peace. He is our Bread of Life, our Viaticum, our Food for the journey.
This is the Lamb of God we behold on Good Friday: oppressed and condemned, though he had done no wrong; led to the slaughter, silent, he opened not his mouth (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). It is the same Lamb of God John the Baptist saw years before at the River Jordan: the one who offers His life willingly to take away the sin of the world—our separation from God and each other, even from ourselves. It is the same Lamb of God that we behold at every Mass when the Host is held high, when it is placed upon the palm of our hand, when it is consumed. Behold the Lamb of God! May He have mercy on us! May He grant us peace!
Holy Thursday, March 28: SUPPER OF THE LAMB
In the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, we hear of a great vision of multitudes of people praising God in heaven gathered at the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” The Lamb, of course, is Jesus Christ! The Church, the faithful, we are Christ’s bride. Not only has Christ invited us to participate in this great heavenly banquet, but we get a taste of its joy right here and now when we gather to celebrate the Eucharist at Mass. This supper, this banquet, began the night before Jesus died, when He identified this meal as the new Passover and He as the Lamb of sacrifice. How blessed are we, the bride of Christ, in every supper of the Lamb to be united in His sacrifice of love. How blessed are we, in communion with Christ, to offer ourselves to God and to one another, as the Lamb of God did, willingly, in humble service and mercy.
March 27: BROKEN AND SHARED, part one
The night before He died, Jesus broke bread and shared it with His disciples. We who share in this Eucharistic meal must do the same. Nourished by Christ, who endured such great suffering, we can share with others out of our own brokenness and woundedness, from our own hurts and perhaps even failures. Furthermore, to share our love & compassion with others, to give our real presence to another, to offer our time, money or other resources to those in need, very often requires breaking open our fearful or hardened, or prying open a fixed attitude or blinders that limit our vision, or even rearranging our set-in-stone schedule. How does the Eucharist call you to share from your brokenness? How does the Eucharist “break” open your heart, or eyes, or attitude?
March 27: BROKEN AND SHARED, part two
Breaking the bread is important. In fact, when the earliest Christians came together on Sunday for Eucharist, they called the entire celebration, “the breaking of the bread” (Acts 2:42). As the priest breaks the bread today during the Lamb of God (called “the fraction”), we remember the suffering of Jesus, the offering of His life. Likewise, the sharing of the bread recalls what Jesus did at the Last Supper when he gave the bread to His disciples. The priest, who breaks the Bread, shares what he breaks with members of the community assembled; he does not consume all of the Bread he breaks. This action of breaking & sharing also “signifies that we are made one body by receiving the one Bread of Life (1 Cor. 10:17)” (G.I.R.M. #83)
God is mystery. But to call God “mystery” does not end the discussion; it opens it up. When something is a mystery there is more and more to experience, to learn, to understand, to engage and partake in. God wants to be known and wants to know us. In Christ Jesus God reveals Himself and His plan for us. We proclaim that plan, that “mystery of faith,” at every Eucharist: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! Every Eucharist takes us deeper and deeper into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every Eucharist heightens our awareness of Christ’s presence in our life, here and now, in good times and in bad. Every Eucharist stirs our hearts to long for the day of Christ’s second coming when we will stand in the light of God’s face.
It was a real body, flesh and blood, that hung on the cross. Receiving Holy Communion at Mass is not just a spiritual exercise. When we receive the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, it is not only our soul that is nourished. It is our physical body, too. Loving the way Jesus loves requires compassion, and even more. Caring for an elderly parent, walking the road to recovery with an addicted son or daughter, forgiving seven times seventy times, letting go of anger, feeding the hungry, welcoming Christ in the stranger, all of this requires physical stamina, fortitude and perseverance. Loving like Jesus is not for the faint of heart, nor the faint of body. Perhaps this is one reason Jesus chose to be with us as food.
March 24: PASSION
Our word “passion” comes from a Latin word, passio, which means “to suffer.” In the celebration of every Eucharist, we recall that before Jesus willingly entered His passion, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and giving it to His disciples, said, “this is my body.” Jesus forever associates the Eucharist with His suffering and death. May the Communion we share strengthen us to willingly take up the cross of Christ and to follow Him, to accompany those who suffer; and when we ourselves suffer, to do so as Jesus did, trusting in God’s faithful presence, believing that God’s love can always bring light from darkness, good from evil.
Underneath the expression, “Jesus Saves!”, is an important truth about God: God is all about rescue, recovery, restoring wholeness. God wants to save us from our impulses to hurt one another, to hurt even ourselves. At the first Passover, Moses led the people from slavery to freedom. In His death & resurrection, Jesus Christ becomes the new Passover who leads us from the bondage of sin & death to newness of life – here and hereafter. When you receive Holy Communion, give yourself to God. Let God do what God always wants to do: rescue us, heal us, make us whole, make us one with Him!
A sacrament is an outward sign of invisible grace, of the presence of God. Jesus of Nazareth was THE SACRAMENT of God. When you met Jesus, you met God! When the Risen Christ ascended & returned to the Father, He filled His disciples, the Church, with the Holy Spirit, empowering them to be a sacrament of His presence in the world, to help people encounter God’s saving love. Christ gave the Church outward signs of His enduring presence – the seven Sacraments. Each of these Sacraments – but especially the Eucharist, which is the gift of Christ Himself, His Body and Blood – plunges us into the depths of God’s boundless love & mercy, God’s eternal life!
March 21: COVENANT
Since the beginning, it has been God’s plan to be in relationship with all He created. The Biblical word for this relationship is “covenant.” In the Old Testament God makes a covenant (an agreement, a partnership) with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. There are various signs of the covenant: a rainbow, circumcision, the Law, the Passover meal. God seals a new and eternal covenant with us in the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Every Eucharist recalls this when the priest repeats Jesus’ words: “This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new & eternal covenant.” God makes, in effect, a marriage covenant to be faithful and to love us … always and everywhere! Our “Amen” when we receive Communion is our “yes,” our promise to give our heart, to be a part of this irrevocable relationship of love!
March 20: ABIDE
We may think today’s word has something only to do with the law: “abide by the rules.” But when speaking of the Eucharist, it can mean to abide in. To remain. To dwell. To be in a deep relationship. When we receive Holy Communion, Christ abides within us. It is also true that we abide in Christ. Christ is our dwelling place, our home, even our temple. Bring to your prayer today the image of you abiding in Christ. Live in Christ. Dwell in Christ. Rest in Christ. Be at peace in Christ. This is what we find when we partake in the Eucharist.
“Behold” isn’t a word you hear often in everyday speech. In the Bible, “behold” belongs to angels and prophets. It means “to keep hold of,” to pay full attention not just with the eyes but with your heart, your whole being, because something important is here, something not to be missed, something that can change your life. While holding up the consecrated bread & wine, the body & blood of Christ, at every Mass the priest says, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.” The Eucharist is so important it gets a double “Behold!”
It’s not a popular word. But all spouses & parents know that sacrifice is at the root of love. There is no love without sacrifice. Once you know this, the phrase “the Sacrifice of the Mass” makes perfect sense. In the Eucharist, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, how he “entered willingly into His Passion,” and we are invited to participate in this sacrificial offering. What kind of sacrifices, small and large, will we make this week out of love? How will we go out of our way for another? How will we put someone else’s interest ahead of our own? Does not loving God with our whole heart, mind, soul, strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, demand sacrifice?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As you may know, St. Patrick lived in the fifth century. At sixteen years of age, he was sold into slavery in Ireland. After 6 years he escaped and returned to his family living in Britain. Later, as a missionary, he returned to the very land where he had been a slave to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ. Like the grain of wheat that dies (see today’s Gospel, Jn 12:20-33), St. Patrick risked all and, dying to self, through the Holy Spirit, he produced much good fruit for the sake of the Kingdom of God. What sacrifices will we willingly make to share the Gospel? What sacrifices will we make to share the love of God?
For many of us, it’s hard to have a meal without bread. Sometimes we even spoil our dinner by eating too much of it. We dip it in gravy & tomato sauce. We love our peanut butter sandwiches & hoagies. Hard to imagine life without bread. Equally as hard to imagine life without God, without Jesus, without the Eucharist. One nourishes the body. One nourishes the soul. “Lord God, may we never take either for granted.”
March 14: GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE
When should we thank God? When things are going smoothly, problem-free, according to our plans? How about when life gets bumpy & throws us a curve ball? During times of struggle and difficulty, should we thank God then? Our Eucharistic Prayer opens with these words: “It is right and just to give God thanks and praise always and everywhere.” What? Always? Yes, even during the bad times. Everywhere? Yes, even when we’ve hit rock bottom. For disciples of Jesus, giving thanks isn’t just a good idea or an option; it is “our duty and our salvation.” Lifting up our hearts in praise and thanksgiving is at the core of the Eucharist; it is the life-blood of our Christian lives. Pray on it. Think about it. From what could giving thanks save you?
“The goal of the Eucharist is our transformation” (Pope Benedict). Surely one of the ways it wants to change us is to help us live every day, with all of life’s stresses, through, with and in Christ. The more we become aware of the presence of Christ in our life, the more this is possible. The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist helps us to grow in this awareness. This is why Eucharist must be celebrated over & over so that we can make each day an offering, a prayer to God. So that our life, just like the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, may conclude with a great crescendo, “Through Christ, With Him, and In Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever! AMEN!!
March 12: HEALING
Everything Jesus did (and even said) can be seen as healing. Healing refers to so much more than a physical cure. There is the healing of emotions (anxiety, fear) & relationships. Healing one’s spirit. Forgiveness heals. Recovery is healing. To heal is to make well & whole, to mend, recover, reconcile and unite. Healing can bring peace of mind. In God’s Word and in the Eucharist, Jesus continues to heal His people. He asks us today the same question he asked of the man sitting by the pool of water at Bethesda: “Do you want to be well?” We reply in every Mass: “Only say the word, Lord, and my soul shall be healed.” The Eucharist heals us and then sends us out to participate in the Lord’s ministry of bringing wellness into people’s lives, into our families and world. What healing words and actions will you share today?
March 11: UNDER MY ROOF, part one
This may seem the most unlikely of Eucharistic words. Under my roof! But in every Mass, we echo these words spoken once to Jesus by a Roman centurion whose servant was quite ill (Mt 8:5-10). “You do not even need to come under my roof,” the centurion told Jesus, “Only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Jesus does indeed speak the word! In fact, He is the Word of life and healing and wholeness that God speaks to each one of us in every Eucharist. Do we have faith like the centurion, believing that it is Jesus Christ who dwells with us, who heals us, when we receive Holy Communion?
March 11: UNDER MY ROOF, part two
When we think of “roof” we think, of course, of buildings, in this case a house. A house is a dwelling place, a place to gather, a place of hospitality and welcome. In addition to being a sacrifice, the Eucharist is also meal; it is a Sacrament of welcome and hospitality. Jesus, in his earthly ministry, sat at many tables with many people from all walks of life. Table ministry was an important part of His announcement of the Kingdom of God. It makes sense that Jesus would continue this work and ministry in His Church today. Much healing can take place at table. St. Paul cautioned early Christians to show no divisions at the Eucharistic table. To live the Holy Communion we receive in the Eucharist, we must be welcoming, inclusive, reconciling people both here in the church building and in our homes. How do we live the Eucharist under the roof of our house?
March 10: MERCY
If the Eucharist is at the heart of our journey together, then mercy is at the heart of the Eucharist. Pope Francis has said, “The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine & nourishment for the weak.” The Church is a “field hospital” whose mission is to heal wounds. Mercy heals! Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan who pours wine over the wounds of the man robbed & left by the side of the road badly beaten. Maybe he should be called the Eucharistic Samaritan, for in the Eucharist God pours His mercy on our wounds, healing us. As we hear in this Sunday’s Gospel, it was out of love that God gave his only Son, not to condemn the world, but to save it! (Jn 3:16). As I pay attention to my attitudes and actions, am I more likely to condemn or to be merciful?
God loves us so much that He gives us everything He has! In Jesus Christ, God the Father gives Himself to us, uniting us to Him. This eternal love (salvation) is a free gift! In every Mass, the saving act of Jesus’ dying and rising is re-presented. In the Eucharist, we offer our lives as a gift to the God by uniting our lives to Christ in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. When you see the gifts of bread and wine coming down the aisle, think of the gift of Christ, given to us, but think also of offering your life, bringing all that you are and have, to God! The Eucharist makes us a grateful people, thankful for the gift of God’s love, and what we receive as a gift, we must give as a gift. When you offer someone your listening ear or strong shoulder, a tender hug or welcoming smile, or words of encouragement/good advice; when you go out of your way sacrificing time to help someone, give them a lift, care for them (the corporal works of mercy), you are living the Eucharist, you are participating in the life and love of the Trinity!
March 8: ADORATION
True adoration lifts up our hearts and minds to the Lord God! Adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament moves us out of pre-occupation with self. In receiving the Eucharist, another act of humble adoration, Christ gives Himself to us and we give ourselves to Christ. The Eucharist re-focuses our attention upon what God wants for all of us rather than on what we want for ourselves. (Our Lenten sacrifices and fasting – like abstaining from meat on Fridays – should do the same thing … which makes fasting also an act of adoration!) The word “adore” has the Latin word for prayer in it (“orare”)! When I pray, do I lift up my heart and mind to God? Is my prayer consumed with what I want or what God wants … for all of us?
Maybe "one" sounds like a lonely number (as the Beatles once sang), but for those baptized, one is far from lonely. In Christ we find “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:5-6). This unity is expressed & effected in the Eucharist which gathers us into one by the power of the Holy Spirit. Far from lonely, in the Eucharist we are gathered into a deep unity with God and with one another, both living and deceased. This unity is what God wants for us. What will it mean for you to live today as one with your family and friends, co-workers, as well as the person who is different, who annoys you, who might even have hurt you? One with all of creation, too. To live this unity takes prayer, work, discipline & sacrifice, but thanks be to God, in the Eucharist we are given the grace to live and love as Christ. When we live as one we find true peace and joy.
Jesus took bread and fish and blessed them before feeding the multitudes. And, of course, at the Last Supper, He blessed bread and wine, saying, this is my body, this is my blood. After His resurrection, He was recognized by his disciples when he again blessed and broke bread with them. At every Mass we repeat His words. At every Mass, we then say how blessed are those called to share in this sacred meal, this sacrifice, this Supper of the Lamb, this Eucharist. To be blessed is not to be made better. It is to be made more aware of the presence of God at every table, in every meal, in all of life, in all creation. To be blessed is be made more aware of our calling to live as a blessing to others, to bless them with God’s peace and compassion. May the Eucharist help us not just to count our blessings, but to be a blessing to all we meet today.
On the cross, Jesus forgave his executioners, saying: “They know not what they do” (Lk 23:24). Jump to today: when we hurt each other, in large & small ways, we do not know what we do either. We forget to remember who we are, who made us, how we are loved and how we are related to one another. The night before He died, Jesus broke bread, saying, “Do this in memory of me.” The Eucharist stirs our common memory of Christ’s new command to love as He loves; the washing of his disciples’ feet; the mercy he shares; giving His Mother & John to each other in the midst of great suffering; His death, the giving of Himself in love; and on the third day, His resurrection! We place a crucifix near the altar to help us remember the connection between the Eucharist and all this, what we call the Paschal Mystery. How does celebrating the Eucharist in memory of Christ help you to also remember who you are and who made you and what you have been created for?
Most of us are familiar with “Holy Communion” and “receiving Communion.” But what does it mean to be in communion? The goal of the Eucharist is to put us in communion with Christ and with one another. This communion we share is something greater than belonging to a club or team, something bigger even than citizenship or ethnicity. This communion goes beyond borders and even time. To live in communion is to consider others as a part of me and I a part of them, all of us living “within the profound unity of the Mystical Body of Christ” (St. John Paul II). On this extra day of February, let’s make an extra effort to live in communion with all whom we meet. “Lord God, thank you for this holy communion I have received in the Eucharist. May I live this day in communion with Christ and in communion with all whom Christ loves.”
Humility sometimes gets a bad rap. Self-promotion seems more popular than self-giving. Are humility and self-giving values we teach our children? In every Eucharist we recall Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim Your death, until You come again.” Can we, who await His second coming, who partake of this great Sacrament, can we be any less humble, any less ready to give of our self, to serve, to help where and when we can? The night before He died, Jesus said he came not to be served but to serve. He washed the feet of His disciples. Jesus taught by example, by the way He lived His life. What will my actions and choices and decisions teach today?
We walk humbly and prayerfully down the aisle in procession. We extend & open our hand (making it a throne for the King of Kings, as an early Church bishop once said) to receive Holy Communion. In that moment we receive into our innermost being all that God can give us, all the blessings of life and love God desires for us. “Help us, Lord, never to take for granted all that we receive in the Eucharist. May receiving Christ in the Eucharist help me to receive and welcome Christ in every person I meet. May this Holy Communion help me receive every day as a gift from You. May I never feel entitled or as if I am owed something from You, O God, not even happiness or good health, or security. May I receive everything, and everyone, as a grace from You.”
You don’t have to go far to find a miracle. One happens right here in Marlton every day. On the altar during Mass there is a miracle. At the words of Jesus – “this is my body, this is my blood” (also known as the “words of institution”, or the “consecration”) – bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The appearance of bread and wine does not change; but their substance does change. This is what we mean when we say Transubstantiation. If you think about it, our faith is rooted in change and transformation. Jesus calls us to conversion, a change of mind and heart. Lent calls us to turn away from sin and all that divides us from each other and from God. When Jesus walked on the earth, after people met Him, though they looked the same on the outside – same face, same hairstyle, same knobby knees! – they were changed within! Their hearts had opened, they saw God and life differently, they were set free and made new! Jesus Christ still does this today when we encounter Him in His Word and Sacrament. How have you been changed on the inside by Christ’s love and mercy? How has the miracle on the altar changed the direction of your day, even of your life?
The Church isn’t meant to be a “sit on the sidelines” kind of community. When baptized we are put on the team. Empowered by the Holy Spirit in Confirmation we are sent into the game. In the Eucharist we are strengthened to fully participate in the life and mission of Christ! In what ways may I be holding back? Do I live my discipleship more as a spectator? “Dear Lord, help me to fully partake in the life and work of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me not to hold back, and, as they say in sports, ‘to leave everything on the field.’”
When the ancient custom of sharing peace was put back into the Mass in the 1960s it was decided to place it right before receiving Holy Communion. Sharing the peace of Christ with our neighbor is therefore related to the Eucharist. Before you go to the altar Jesus says, be reconciled with each other (Matthew 5:20-26). How enthusiastically do you participate in the sign of peace at Mass? Have you ever thought of yourself as BEING a sign of peace to others outside of church? What might that look like? Listen to these strong words from St Augustine: “All who fail to keep the bond of peace after entering this mystery receive not a sacrament that benefits them, but an indictment that condemns them.” We must live outside the walls of the church the peace of Christ we celebrate and share inside them!
February 22: BELIEVE
How are you in the “belief department?” No doubt about it, believing in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist takes a leap of faith. It is a leap that many people even in Jesus’ own days couldn’t make (see John 6:41-68). Faith gives us new eyes to see with—no wonder Jesus healed so many who were blind! Jesus wants us to see beyond appearance, beyond human limits and worldly boundaries...beyond bread! Faith helps us to see there is a greater Presence, a greater Truth, a greater Love, one that is not unknowable, but a Presence, a Truth, a Love that is within each of us and has a name. Jesus Christ! When we receive the Bread of Life in the Eucharist we receive and come to know this very One!
It’s kind of funny that almost immediately after receiving Holy Communion in church, we are told to “go and get out of here!” That’s right, having been nourished by the Word of God & the Bread of Life, we can’t sit still or stare at our navels. Fed by Christ we are now sent by Christ to serve. To serve one another, and especially “the least” among us, is our mission as His disciples. Mission & Eucharist are so inseparable, we even call our worship “Mass” (“Mission” and “Mass” come from the same Latin word that means “sent”)! Where are you being sent to serve this Lent? It might be somewhere unexpected, even somewhere we fear going. But one thing is for sure, we will not be sent out alone!
February 20: DAILY BREAD
How many times have prayed for daily bread? Every time you say the “Our Father,” you pray for it: “Give us this day our daily bread.” If you think about it, asking for bread, for daily sustenance, is an act of humility. It is a recognition that we need God, that we cannot sustain ourselves. We may pride ourselves on being “bread-winners,” but ultimately all that we have is a gift from God. How can our response be anything other than “Thank you,” which is exactly what we do in every Eucharist – we give thanks for Bread from Heaven that sustains us here in our daily lives, Bread that is food for eternal life.
There are so many layers to today’s Eucharistic phrase. The “Body of Christ” refers to the consecrated host that we receive at Mass. The “Body of Christ” refers also to the Church, those baptized into Christ’s body. In giving us the Eucharist, Jesus challenges us, His Body, to find His presence also in the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the imprisoned, the stranger. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers or sisters, you do to me” (Matthew 25). St. Augustine said, “become what you receive.” Have you ever thought of yourself as part of the Body of Christ?
At every Mass bread and wine become the real presence of Christ! This is our core teaching on the Eucharist. This puts “real presence” at the center of our lives as Catholic Christians. In a world with so much that is fake & artificial our faith centers on what is most real. God is really present to us in Jesus of Nazareth, who died and rose. Christ is truly present to us here and now in the Eucharist. What is heaven but being forever in the full presence of God! Practicing Catholics must practice real presence in their daily lives, to see the presence of God in the heart of all people and all creation. How will you be really present to all those you are with today?
The Eucharist unites us to God and to one another. Our religion is all about reconciliation, bringing together, making one, healing, restoring. The very word “religion” means “to bind together.” This is the work of God that we see so clearly in Jesus’ birth, ministry, death & resurrection. There will be no justice in the world, and therefore no peace, if there is not first authentic reconciliation. Consider today how the Eucharist can help you to live as “a repairer of the breach” (read Isaiah 58:12). What gaps will you close today? What hurts will you heal? What brokenness are you called to help mend?
February 16: HUNGER
There is so much we hope and long for. We look for happiness, contentment and peace in so many places that promise big but deliver only the opposite. But God knows our deepest hunger and thirst. Perhaps this is exactly why Jesus gives Himself to us as food and drink. It is only in relationship with Christ that we will find what we need to be complete and whole and healthy in body, mind and spirit.
On Fridays in Lent we abstain. This kind of fasting is meant to stir up in us a small “hunger pain” to remind us to long for “real food, real drink” that nourishes the body and soul. At the same time, our fasting should keep us mindful of those in the world who go hungry. As we are fed at the Eucharistic table, we are reminded to care for those who have nothing to eat on their dinner table.
February 15: GRACE
What kind of person will you choose to be today? The ability to choose is a gift God gives us called Free Will. God also gives us the gift of GRACE which is God’s abiding presence, God’s wisdom and courage. Grace helps us choose to do good, to be merciful, patient, kind. Grace helps us to choose love and life and peace. Every Sacrament, but especially the Eucharist, gives us Grace. In the Eucharist, the Grace we receive is Christ Himself who empowers us (Philippians 4:13). What will you do today with the storehouse of Grace poured into your heart? How has the Eucharist been a source of Grace for you?
February 14 Ash Wednesday: HEART
Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day! Perfect because Lent is meant to change the heart. Every Lent begins with a Gospel that tells us to pray, fast and give alms, in secret, not for points, not for show or for praise, but to form the heart, move the heart, change the heart. This, too, is the goal of every Eucharist. Why else would we begin the Eucharistic Prayer with: “Lift up your hearts! Lift up your hearts to the Lord!” Every Eucharist hopes to make our heart more like the Sacred Heart of Jesus. How does the Eucharist touch your heart? How will you lift up your heart to the Lord during the next 40 days? How will Christ change your heart?