A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, June 11th

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. A key word in our reading from Deuteronomy is “remember.”  The Israelites are about to enter the promised land and Moses is exhorting them to remember how God took care of them, leading them out of slavery and to the promised land.  That “remembering” will help them be faithful to the covenant they made with the Lord.
 
When Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, He exhorted His disciples, including us, to “do this in remembrance of me.”  What did He mean?
 
One way of looking at it is this: Jesus is telling us that we are to eat His Body and drink His Blood, but, when we are doing it, we should remember how He lived and what His values were.  He was kind and generous to people.  He did not exclude those whom society excluded.  He was quick to forgive and eat with sinners.  He showed us a loving God who is not out to get us, but who wants the best for us.
 
When we remember all that, then His Body and Blood become sustenance to help us live as He did, something that is always a challenge for us.  If we don’t “remember,” we could end up simply worshipping His Body and Blood, which, as I read the Gospels, is NOT what He wanted.
 
The Eucharist is food to strengthen us to live as loving, generous, forgiving people.  Let us thank God for this gift, partaking of it regularly, while making sure it is sustenance to help us live as Christ did. 
 
Church sign of the week: Are you too busy acting like a Christian to be one?