Deacon Tom Writes,
“Become What You Receive”
“Behold what you are, become what you receive!” These words of wisdom from
St. Augustine are intended to help us thoughtfully receive Holy Eucharist. They
have been used to help us understand this central mystery of our faith from as
far back as the middle of the fourth century. It is a daunting command. It
causes us to think about the Sacrament we are receiving. “Become Christ-like!” Isn’t
that what being a disciple of Christ is all about?
Our Catholic Faith puts the Eucharist at the center
of our faith. It is, according to our teaching, “the source and summit of our faith.” This is made evident in the
Feast we celebrate today, The Solemnity
of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also referred to as The Feast of Corpus Christi.
We are a sacramental people. Our spiritual
well-being depends upon our participation in the sacramental life of the church
and the grace that is derived from those sacraments. The image of Jesus
gathering his disciples into a table fellowship is pure genius. We come to the
table when we are hungry, when we need to be nourished. This is the reality of
our human existence. Jesus takes the ordinary and gives it an extraordinary
meaning by calling us to the table to be spiritually nourished, to have our
spiritual hunger satisfied and to be united to him in a communion of hearts and
desires….
Our unique Catholic understanding of the Eucharist
is that it is fully the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The
mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the
Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual
life and the end to which all the sacraments tend." In the most blessed
sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and
divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly,
really, and substantially contained." "This presence is called 'real'
- by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they
could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that
is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes
himself wholly and entirely present." CCC 1374
When we receive Holy Communion worthily, we truly
become one with Christ. It is a very special moment, a time for us to reflect
on Christ dwelling within us, for us to be in awe that the maker of heaven and
earth would come and abide in us. Even more amazing is the fact that this is
his plan, not ours!
Yes, “we are
what we eat,” nutritionist tells us. The challenge we face as Catholics is
to follow the instructions of St. Augustine and to “behold what we are and to
become what we receive,” members of the one body of Christ who has become for
us our spiritual food, the Bread of Life.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Image from Flickr.com
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