Be What You Receive

Saturday, The Fifth Week of Lent

I am going to wander away from the readings for this reflection. My prayer has been caught up in reflecting on our Church Community of the Sacred Heart and the Eucharist. Since God keeps sending these same thoughts back to me, perhaps He is nudging me to share them with you.

It has been 20 days since we gathered as a community in our Church for Eucharist. Just 20 days! Yet it seems forever. Twenty days usually go by in a flash, and yet somehow, these 20 days seem like a lifetime. 

I wonder what it is that I am missing. No doubt it is Eucharist, but Eucharist in it’s broadest and fullest meaning. We have often said that when we gather for our celebration of the mass, the real presence of Jesus is found in four ways:
• the Word of God we share,
• the Body and Blood of Christ made present through the consecration, 
• the Priest who serves as the emissary of God, 
• the community of the faithful that gathers. 

It has always been easy for me to see the presence of God in the Scriptures. Our scripture readings and the homily of our priests make the words written centuries ago real and relevant for us. Those readings are not just about remembering the story but about our call to live the story now. Jesus is present nudging and urging us through the Word of God to be Eucharist in our lives.

Jesus is present in our Priest. Our priests are chosen by the Church in the line of the Apostles to preach and teach. Through the sacraments, they stand in place of Jesus. The priesthood is a call to service and sacrifice. When our priests enter the sanctuary, they do so, not just as themselves, but they bring Jesus. Have you ever thought how wonderful it is that priests are so very different from each other? They are a mirror for us. Just as Jesus is present in all the different personalities of our priests, he is present in the utter humanity of each of us.

Jesus is present in the Bread and Wine that are consecrated and transformed in the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive. This is the easy one. We have been taught from childhood about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. With most profound reverence and love, we receive His Body and Blood in communion.

The one we usually have the most trouble with is recognizing the presence of God in the community that gathers. That always seems to get the least attention. But, perhaps like me, you are missing our gathering as much as you are missing the other ways Jesus is present in our Eucharistic celebration.

There is something to be learned during this time when all the world seems to have stopped. It is almost like God has hit a reset button. All of us are being called to take stock of our lives. We are being asked to put away our busyness and spend time figuring out what is really important. What is it that God is asking of us? Hmm, sounds like what Lent is supposed to be about. 

I am sure none of us thought on Ash Wednesday that we would give up gathering as Church for lent. But that great sacrifice is what we have been asked to do. Give up the way we usually find our God and see Him anew. This is a precious time God has given us to personally connect again and strengthen our relationship with Him.

Every time I hear someone reference that our Church is closed, I think, “No, not closed, our Church is missioned to be Christ right here, right now in our world that is broken and suffering.” We must be the Eucharist that people seek. We must become the Word of God that will give hope. We must become what we have received and be the living Body and Blood of Christ for our world (or at least our little corner of it.) We must be the Priest that we were anointed to be through our Baptism. 

No, the Church is not closed, we are the Church, and we are very much open for business.