The EucharistA Few Reflections

Father

Ed. Wood, SSS.

ReprintedFebruary 2015

Father E. Wood, SSS, St. Francis’ Church,

326 Lonsdale Street,Melbourne, 3000, Australia.

Tel: (03) 9663 2495 Fax: (03) 9663 2817

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CONTENTS

1. The Eucharist

2. The Paschal Mystery

3. Bread of Life and Love

4. A Presence Divine and Benign

5. Presence and Communion

6. Abiding Presence

7. Presence and Prayer

8. Presence and Service

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These reflections on the Eucharist were written over a period of time and are reproduced here in a single booklet. They may be used for quiet prayer before the Eucharist that remains a Mystery of Faith as the Liturgy proclaims. Prayer and re-flection will reveal a little insight into the gift of the Lord.

Edward Wood, SSS

1. The Eucharist

Lent is over. Holy Week has come and gone. We rest in the glow and joy of Easter. We have remembered the giving of the Eucharist. The death of the Lord wherein Christ gave himself wholly as the Suffering Servant. The Resurrection followed baffling and defying all explanation, yet remaining the basis and foundation of Christian life and meaning.

Each Eucharist we celebrate both recalls and makes present the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. This passage from life to death is generally called the Paschal Mystery yet other names are also used of this mystery of faith.

At the heart of the Eucharist is the total and unconditional giving of Christ. It remains the unconditional love of Christ reaching from two millennia ago to all ages and to simplest celebration o the Eucharist. It is both Christ’s total love offered to the Father and the unconditional love given for the life of the world. Who can fathom this love? Words fail to express its depth since the love of God cannot be measured and, indeed, as the psalmist repeats again and again: “for his love endures for ever.”

At the heart of the Eucharist is love. This love is actively present at every celebration since it is the sacrifice of Christ that is recalled and made present. True, it remains unseen, perhaps unfelt by all who participate in the celebration, but we hold dear and believe the Lord who said: “This is my body

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given up for you.” “This is the cup of the new covenant my blood which will be poured out for you. This is divine love without measure.

The Eucharist may be likened to a divine invasion of love welling-up from Christ’s offering on Calvary and flowing everlastingly to touch the hearts of all who gather to celebrate. No wonder we pause as we begin each celebration calling to mind our failures and weaknesses and ask for divine pardon as we open our hearts to the immensity and profundity of the Lord’s love.

The Lord is present in every Mass freeing from sin, speaking in the words of the Scriptures, gathering us as he offers himself to the Father, he endows us with the gift of himself as bread of life. Christ is our Bread of Life

This gift of Christ calls us, in turn, into his unconditional gift of self in love. Our participation in the Eucharist is to nourish and transform our lives into the likeness of Christ. Thus fed on the Bread of Life we give ourselves in unconditional love to all we meet on our pilgrimage of life.

The Eucharist enables us to love God with all our hearts and souls and minds and strength and, at the same time, moves us to open up in love to all and even, if the situation arises, to love our enemies. Did not the Lord say: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who persecute you.” This seemingly impossible command becomes possible by the Eucharist we receive since it is the enabling power of Christ let loose in our

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hearts.

The Eucharist gives the power, the strength, the grace to live as our Lord lived: “a man for others. “ It enables us to have a profound change of heart and to live as Christ taught in the Beatitudes, trusting in God, being gentle, humble, compassionate, just. Lives abounding in mercy, hearts set on Christ, true peacemakers and reconcilers and, at all times, being courageous and persevering.

The command of the Lord at the Last Supper to “do this in memory of me,” is actualised in the celebration of the Eucharist which both recalls and makes present the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord from which we receive divine life. This divine gift inspires and moves us to be truly disciples of Christ. The Eucharist opens up the vision of the wonder of the Good News of salvation. It opens for us the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount, but, above all, it makes us children of God living the same kind of life that Christ lived — this is our challenge and destiny!

CHRIST HAS DIEDCHRIST IS RISEN

CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN!

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2. THE PASCHAL MYSTERY

The forty days and forty nights of Lent are almost over and with hearts and minds renewed God’s people will enter into the ceremonies of Holy Week. This time will culminate in the celebration of the Paschal Mystery in its fulness – the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

In these celebrations the church not only remembers the Passover of the Lord, but also enters in and participates liturgically in the primary saving event lived out in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago. God’s love and compassion are present to us as they have been to every generation of Christians and will be so till the end of time.

Hearts that have ‘turned away from sin and been faithful to the Gospel’ will receive what may be termed a divine invasion of love. The floodgates of God’s love and kindness will flow in ever-increasing streams into hearts open to the Lord. Did not our Lord say that streams of living water would flow from him? For example, to be forgiven or to forgive is to bathe in living waters of love.

The passion, death and resurrection of Jesus – the Paschal Mystery – draws us into the total gift of Christ, the highest expression of his love for the Father and of his unconditional love for us. He gave himself that we might be drawn into union with our Triune God.

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Passion (Palm) Sunday gives us the opportunity to remember Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, to hear anew the welcome of many. It gives us the possibility, as a people and as individuals, to welcome him into our hearts singing,

Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Holy Thursday invites us to recall the historical Last Supper, the Lord’s preparation of the event, his words of love, his washing of the feet of the disciples and the gift of the Eucharist. However his presence for us is the Risen Lord and while we have died with him in baptism our risen life is not yet fully achieved. On our pilgrimage we sit at table with the Risen Lord, we listen attentively to his words, we learn from the washing of the feet of the selfless service expected of disciples, and then we partake of the banquet of the Lord, the Eucharist. In all these things we are invited to walk with him, live his kind of life, knowing he has called us friends. (Read John’s Gospel, chapters 13 to 17)

Good Friday grips the hearts and souls of all Christians. The cross, the symbol of the ultimate gift of Christ for us and for our salvation, touches so many – one wonders about the attractive power of this day. Is it Christ’s awful death? Or does it remind so many of their own struggles in life – betrayal by friends, loneliness, loss of friends, torture, injustice, suffering, lack of human compassion, rejection and a feeling of Godforsakeness? Whatever the tragedy of Christ’s death and the conjoined sufferings of so many others, the cross is a

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symbol of HOPE. A symbol telling all that despite all trials, struggles, sufferings and even death, that all is not lost since Christ has conquered sin and death. In a word, the cross means hope springs eternal.

Easter is the fulfilment of the hope symbolized by the cross since Christ truly rose from the dead and so entered into glory. His resurrection is celebrated in the Easter Vigil – a powerful recalling and making present of our sacred history and, at the same time, drawing us into the reality and mystery of the resurrection, drawing us into new life in Christ. Indeed, if Christ be not risen from the dead our faith is in vain. Darkness yields to light and the Exsultet resounds throughout the world.

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choir of angels!Exult all creation around God’s throne!Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice O earth, in shining splendour,radiant in the brightness of your King!Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!Darkness vanishes forever!

Rejoice O Mother Church! Exult in glory!The risen Saviour shines upon you!Let this place resound with joy,echoing the mighty song of all God’s people!

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3. BREAD OF LIFE AND LOVE

To share a meal is a joyful event. It is not only the food but also the company, the conversation, the friendship that are integral to the meal. To enjoy such a meal with family and friends binds all together and gives renewed energy to face the ups and downs of life.

It was no different at the Last Supper when Jesus gathered around him all his close friends and disciples. On that unique occasion the friendship and love of Jesus,- the Giver of Eternal Life, were plainly shown, as, we read in the Final Discourses of John’s Gospel. (Chaps. 13 -17) Jesus spoke of many things close to his heart and his heart was truly open to all gathered around him. Above all, he stressed the need to love one another even unto death. Love was to be the hallmark of his friends and disciples.

Every time we gather to celebrate the Mass/Eucharist we relive the Last Supper event. We meet Jesus our Risen Lord, our Brother and Saviour, and receive the shared life of God himself. John’s Gospel records eloquently that Jesus offers us his Body and Blood as a necessary food for the pilgrimage of life. This is manifest especially in John 6. The Lord also warns of the consequences of not accepting the gift he gives in the Eucharist.

“If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you will not have life in you.”

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John 6 reminds us of the closeness of the union to which Christ calls us in every celebration of the Mass. It is a union that reaches its fulfilment in eternity. Jesus offers us a life that will not grow older, a life that will go on forever. In the Eucharist, our Communion, we are offered the life that Jesus shares with God our Father.

Christ is not present on our altars simply for our adoration and admiration, but ultimately he is present so: that we might become one with him. Our celebration and reception of the Eucharist move us to allow its effect to flow out into our daily lives. The union we have with Christ is one of love and it is that love that he wills us to show to others without reserve.

Communion, means setting our hearts on drawing ever closer to Jesus and, in turn, drawing ever closer to one another by love shown practically in our weekday lives. Receiving Communion becomes meaningless unless the love given by Christ has a profound effect in the way we live.

At the end of each Mass we are sent out to serve the Lord wherever we live and become Christ-bearers, living his life and making Jesus present in a world that otherwise would conceal him. To continue to show true love and give the Christ-life to others we need to return frequently and partake of the BREAD OF LIFE, the LIVING BREAD, from which we live and move and have our being.

As Jesus said,

“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood

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lives in me and I live in him.”

To receive Communion, to receive the Eucharist, is to be one with Christ and his gracious presence enables us to truly love one another, to be gentle, sensitively compassionate, fair in our dealings with others, merciful, peace-makers and ever constant in faith.

May I speak once again for ongoing prayer so that the Lord will send his Church and our Blessed Sacrament Congregation disciples after his own heart for the well-being of the Australian Church.

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4. A PRESENCE DIVINE AND BENIGN

To speak of presence leads one to think of immediate proximity, nearness, a sense of a person or thing being near. It may also denote a sense of awe or wonder arising from the presence of a person, a sacred place or a special environment. In such instances a person ‘feels’ in the presence of, or being close to someone or something somehow greater than oneself. One could ponder and reflect on the meaning of presence and its many aspects and be enriched by the experience.

In our Christian lives to speak of presence will surely encompass the Divine. Indeed, the Divine Presence is ever so central to Christian life and worship. One finds a yearning, like the psalmists, to enjoy the presence of the All-Holy. The Lord is present everywhere and this may be experienced providing we stop and be still for a moment or two. Our hurrying often prevents us from savouring a oneness with the Lord who is the alpha and omega, the beginning and end of all that exists.

In Catholic life and worship we acknowledge, at least intellectually, that the Eucharist/Mass is the source and centre of our way of life and worship. Whilst we accept this truth in faith it does not follow that every time we participate in the Eucharist that we have a deeply-felt experience of the Divine. It is one thing to live and worship in faith and another to sense

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the presence of the One who comes so near, so close, in every celebration of the Eucharist and touches our lives in the most profound manner. As Vatican II teaches, the Risen Lord is

“present in the sacrifice of the Mass . .. in the person of His minister ... He is present in the Eucharistic species. He is present by His power in the sacraments ... He is present in His word, since it is He Himself who speaks when the holy Scriptures are read in the Church. He is present when the Church prays and sings as He promised, ‘Where two or three are gathered together for my sake, there am I in the midst of them’.” (Mt. 18:20)

The words quoted above are the voice of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, speaking through the Church and announcing the good news of the dynamic presence of the Risen Lord in every celebration of the Eucharist. The good news is that the Lord is so close, so near to us, and is touching our hearts and souls. He nourishes us with words of life, he redeems us, he graces us with the gift of himself at the moment of Communion. We are one with the Lord!

One wonders sometimes whether all experience, at least from time to time, some glimpse of the multifaceted presence of the Risen Lord in the Eucharist. It is possible that some Catholics have not heard or understood the teaching of Vatican II. Others have heard and acknowledged the received teaching in faith, but how many have had what may be called a “faith experience”

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and felt in every fibre of their being the Presence Divine?

To more fully experience the presence of the Lord it seems essential to spend some time reflecting, pondering the manner of the Lord’s presence and asking in profound prayer a deeper understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist, a mystery of Presence. This is open to all in a greater or lesser degree but there is need for a preparedness to spend time in prayer, preferably in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It is in silent moments that one will be led into a deeper appreciation and a felt experience of the presence of the Lord.

This movement cannot be hurried, it is, as often quoted, “Be still and know that I am God.” In this quiet stillness remember the Lord’s promises, “Ask, and you will be given; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” This passage from Luke 11:5ff. concludes with Jesus saying that the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! It is in this indwelling of the Spirit given to those who watch in prayer that will lead to an ever-deepening appreciation and understanding of the most precious gift we receive in the Eucharist. It is the Lord raised from the dead, a saving Presence, a loving Presence, a divine Presence, the Eucharist! A prayer from Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., fittingly concludes this reflection.

“Grant, O God, that when I draw near to the altar to communicate, I may ever discern the intimate perspective

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hidden beneath the smallness and the nearness of the Host in which You are concealed. Amen.”

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5. PRESENCE & COMMUNION

The reflection ‘A Presence Divine and Benign’ touched upon the various ways by which the Lord becomes present to us in the celebration of the Eucharist. The manifold presences of the “One giving himself for us,” are in many ways the living out of the Lord’s promise to be with us until the end of time. He is present in communities who gather in his name, he is present in the proclaimed Word of God, he is present in the Eucharist.

However the high point of the Eucharistic celebration is when we receive the Bread of Life. Communion is the most intimate moment of our encounter with the Risen Lord. At the time of Communion we all share the one Bread of Life and are both communally and personally bonded to the Lord and to one another. How may we really describe this moment of Communion? Christ gives himself whole and entire and we become one with him in the most profound union we experience on earth. We can truly say at that moment. “He and l” are one.

Recently we celebrated the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. Much of the liturgy for that day flows from the prayer, reflection and writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, a great saint and theologian of the 13th century. All his writings on the Eucharist are inspired and he had the ability to express in a few words much of the wonder of this Sacrament of Sacraments. In the antiphon for the Evening Prayer of the

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Church he wrote of Communion as the “Sacred Banquet.” Our pondering on the notion of banquet may take many forms and all of them are in the ambience of joy, celebration and love.

He calls the Eucharist a Sacred Banquet...why sacred? He goes on to answer by saying “in which Christ is received.”

Yes, it is none other than the Sacramental and Risen Lord we receive. It is the glorified Christ who truly becomes our Bread of Life, our bodily and spiritual nourishment. St. Thomas does not finish at this point but adds that in the reception of the Sacred Host “the memory of his passion is recalled.” The immensity and the profundity of God’s love in Christ made manifest at Calvary is both remembered and made present. “Greater love no man has than to lay down his life for his friends.” In St. John’s Gospel Jesus calls his disciples “his friends” and we are among them.

The reception of Communion is to receive the fountain of love and mercy and this is expressed by St. Thomas writing, “the mind is filled with grace.” The mind bespeaks the whole person who is the recipient of the source of all grace, the Risen Lord. As one turns over the pages of St. John’s Gospel we find in chapter 6 much on Christ as the Bread of Life. St. Thomas reflecting deeply on this part of the Gospel goes on to write that in receiving the Eucharist “a pledge of future glory is given us.” Let us pause and read a few passages that inspired St. Thomas. We find wonderful words like these,

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry;

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he who comes to me will never thirst.”

Earlier Jesus said, “It is my Father who gives you this bread from heaven.” The Eucharist is the gift of God and it “gives life to the world.”

The pledge of future glory as written by St. Thomas flows from these words of the Lord.

“I am the living bread which has come down from heaven, anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

Should any doubt remain Jesus repeats,

“Anyone who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood has eternal life.”

There you have it, the pledge, the promise of eternal life!

Communion ushers one into union with the Presence, Divine and Benign.

O Sacred Banquetin which Christ is received:the memory of his passion is recalled,the mind Is filled with graceand a pledge of future glory is given us.

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6. ABIDING PRESENCE

Oftentimes we hear it said that the celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of the worship of the People of God.

It is the fountain from which graces flow that make all who celebrate to become “one heart in love.” It is the action of Christ drawing all into one sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, reparation and petition. The Mass is a saving activity in which all who participate are one with the past sacrifice of Christ on Calvary in which he gave himself for the well-being of all. The Eucharist is the Risen Lord giving himself anew in this sacramental sacrifice to all generations. He is truly the “One giving himself for us.”

The liturgical action, however, does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church, nor is the spiritual life confined to participation in the liturgy. There is also the call to prayer, in fact St. Paul says one should pray without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5: 27) The opportunities for prayer are boundless since persons vary in their lives and love of the Lord.

Age-old Catholic tradition has placed a high value on prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Every Catholic Church reserves the Blessed Sacrament both for the sick and so that many may find an environment for personal and quiet prayer.

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The Abiding Presence gives focus, strength and efficacy to a person’s prayer; a prayer, which, in turn, enhances their contemplation and energizes their Christian lives. A prayer that leads to an ever-deeper appreciation of the celebration of the Eucharist.

In churches where the Blessed Sacrament is shown or exposed in a monstrance (i.e. an open or transparent vessel of silver or gold in which the host (Blessed Sacrament) is shown or exposed) one finds an atmosphere of prayerfulness that draws persons into quiet and reflective prayer. It is the Abiding and Sacramental Presence of the Risen Lord, not now in the movement of celebration but in the quiet of the “One given for us.”

Moreover, as one gazes at the Sacred Host, there is an awareness that this is no mere static Presence, but a dynamic Presence of the Risen Lord who, as St. Paul teaches, ceaselessly pleads for us at the right hand of the Father. (cf. Romans, 8:34-39) The Presence is truly dynamic and both flows and is linked essentially to the celebration of the Eucharist.

In prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, in the Presence of the “One given for us,” we may unite our prayer to the ceaseless pleading of the Risen Lord at the Father’s side. Our prayer, united with him, praises God, thanks God, expresses sorrow to God and enables our petitions to be wrapped in the Divine.

The Eucharist is a MYSTERY OF FAITH and no one can

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capture all its richness in one comprehensive glance — only when we see the Lord face to face will we appreciate this mystery. Meantime, as we celebrate the Eucharist, we are caught up in the activity of Christ as the One who gives himself for us, redeems us from sin and death and gathers us into his divine companionship. The Abiding Presence flows from the celebration of the Eucharist and is tied to it, and the Sacrament may be considered from the aspect of the “One given for us.” It is a dynamic Presence, the sign, symbol and the sacramental reality of the Risen Lord who constantly pleads for us in heaven.

We can but pause before the Lord’s gift of the Eucharist, a divine Saving Action, a Communion with the Lord, an abiding Presence where one, in prayer, may discover the meaning of the words, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are over-burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11.25f)

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7. Presence & Prayer

The focus of Presence and Prayer is prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, the abiding presence of the Risen Lord in this most Holy Sacrament. This prayer, like any prayer, depends on faith. Faith in God, faith in Jesus Christ, faith in all that he said and did. It is faith in Jesus our Saviour that enables us to accept his words, This is my Body. This is my Blood. The Eucharistic celebration makes present the Risen Lord in his saving activity in which we intimately participate in, his grace and become one with him in Communion. After the celebration, the Blessed Sacrament is reserved for the Communion of the sick and the age-old tradition of prayer in the presence of the Reserved Sacrament.

The prayer in question is ideally modelled on the main aspects of every Eucharistic celebration, namely, praise,, thanksgiving, reparation and petition. While every person may have his or her own grace of prayer and approach as the Holy Spirit leads, others may well find that a pattern of prayer gives a more useful focus and is helpful for personal prayer. The pattern of prayer as follows may be best understood as an endeavour to interiorize the sublime gift of the Eucharist, to deepen union with the Risen Lord, to be moved to give ourselves unsparingly to the service of our neighbour.

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Prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament may be considered as the Lord’s time. A time when we desire to be in the Lord’s presence, a time to seek the Lord, a time when we quieten ourselves and open our hearts in love. Ideally we follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit in a communion of heartfelt warmth and affection. To aid this movement St. Peter Julian Eymard, the Founder of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation, suggested we begin by...

ADORATION AND PRAISE.

This is when we praise the Lord, express our love and adoration “from the heart” in our own words. Heartfelt prayer may be further enhanced by using the inspired words from the Bible, for example:

“I have loved you with and everlasting love, therefore I have drawn you taking pity upon you”.

(Jeremiah 31)

“I have called you by your name... you are precious in my sight...and I love you.”

(Isaiah 43)

“The Lord is my shepherd.” (Ps.22/23)

Other familiar and loved verses from the Scriptures may come to mind and help deepen our prayer of praise and adoration.

THANKSGIVING.

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This is the occasion to thank the Lord for his goodness and kindness that have been with us all the days of our lives. It is an appreciation of the boundless love of the Lord who has said, “ Come to Me, all you who are over burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Thank the Lord with a grateful heart.

Thank the Lord for your life, your faith, your gifts, for all that has a place in your pilgrimage of life. As the Psalmist wrote:

“Give thanks to the Lord for his great love is without end.”

REPARATION/SORROW.

Jesus began his public ministry with the words, “Repent, and believe the good news.”

Alas, all of us have fumbled, faltered and failed as Scripture tells us. This is not a moment to feel overwhelmed or burdened by sin, but the moment to be honest and open and to turn to the Lord who is “rich in mercy and abounding in compassion.”

The Eucharist has been offered for the “forgiveness of sins.” It becomes a present reality when we are honest and repent and open ourselves to the forgiveness offered “without end.”

This is indeed the Good News!

PETITION.

The Lord has said, “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will

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find...”

Most of us are very good at this form of prayer. There are so many needs in our lives...but he did say “Ask.”

Pray with faith and allow the Lord to respond in his own way...God foresees all things...let there be trust in the goodness of the Lord.

Let us pray for the world May there be peace, understanding and love.Let us pray for our nation. May this land of the Holy Spirit be blessed.Let us pray for our families, friends and oneself. May there be harmony, love, understanding, acceptance, courage, health, serenity and forgiveness.

GLORY BE TO THE FATHER, AND TO THE SON, AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. AS IT WAS IN BEGINNING, IS NOW, AND EVER SHALL BE, WORLD WITHOUT END. AMEN

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8. PRESENCE & SERVICE

The past few reflections have focused on the Eucharist beginning with Divine Presence within the Celebration, then Communion, Abiding Presence, Presence and Prayer. At the heart of the Eucharist is the total self-giving of Christ on our behalf. In turn, we are called into that self-giving by our unreserved love of God and love of neighbour. Indeed it is said that we cannot love God if we do not love our neighbour.

This teaching is at the heart of St. John’s First Letter that invites fruitful reflection by all who wish to understand love of neighbour and love of God.

To return again to the Eucharist, in which we enter into Christ’s self-giving, we are called to do likewise in our daily lives. This is where our service of others comes into play.

Love of neighbour is not an empty phrase but calls all Christians to “love the neighbour as oneself.” This means in effect to make the neighbour the centre of our concerns as well as oneself. This is not easy as all would admit but if the Lord calls us by his Word to live and love in this manner, then the energy, the grace, the power to do this is likewise present to us. We are not alone and if we do celebrate the Eucharist with a full heart, if we receive the very Body and Blood of Christ, if we linger in prayer at the feet of the Eucharistic Lord, then the. Risen Lord’s Spirit will truly be with us day by day. The Lord

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does not ask the impossible but he does ask that we do what we can and pray for what we cannot do.

In Ecclesia de Eucharistia (2003) # 62 we read,

“In the humble signs of bread and wine, changed into his body and blood, Christ walks beside us as our strength and our food for the journey, and he enables us to become, for everyone, witnesses of hope. If, in the presence of this mystery, reason experiences its limits, the heart, enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, clearly sees the response that is demanded, and bows low in adoration and unbounded love.”

It is the spirit of the Risen Christ that enables us not only to witness to hope, but empowers us to love one another after the example of our Lord and Saviour.

The teaching of Jesus to love God above all things and our neighbour as ourselves is easy to roll off the tongue and we may well identify with this teaching in our hearts. However, such teaching cannot remain as wonderful ideals, it has to be put into practice in our daily lives. Our participation in the Mass, our Communions and our prayers draw us closer to love God from whom all good things come. By the same token the self-giving of Christ stirs us on to live lives of love. Such lives are marked by a profound trust in the Lord, a gentleness of spirit that touches even the hardest hearts. There is true compassion, not only for those who suffer, but also for the evil that envelopes so much of our world, a world that badly needs the grace of Christ. Injustice is rife as we all know at home and abroad and the Christian is called to rectify, as much as

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possible, injustice wherever it is possible to do so beginning with our own lives. Closely linked to love of neighbour is forgiveness and mercy and, in this regard, we do need to ponder the words we recite in the Our Father... “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Solemn words indeed...we are forgiven to the extent that we forgive others... makes one think does it not?

Our love of neighbour will require real closeness to the Lord from whom we receive the special aid to give ourselves unsparingly. Like Christ, it is to die to self that others may live.

It is to be unwearying in our care and concern for others beginning with those closest to us and reaching out to all we encounter in life. It does call for an awareness of the needs of others and that will differ from person to person. In a certain manner we could ask ourselves who is the person at the side of the road to Jericho for me. A person filled with genuine love for the Lord will surely stop, bend down and be neighbour.

Disharmony is found at many levels of present day society and a grace-filled person will do all that is possible to establish harmony according to his/her ability and closeness to the Lord of all. This goes by the name of being a peacemaker... not just a peace lover. Finally courage is needed to live as Christ lived, to give as he gave, to love as he loved, to forgive as he forgave (and continues to forgive) to be led by the Spirit into a total gift of oneself so that with St. Paul one comes to say, “I live, now, not I, but Christ lives in me.” This is the ultimate point of arrival for Christian discipleship and love of God and love of

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neighbour are the service we give in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Father E. Wood, SSS. St. Francis’ Church,326 Lonsdale St., Melbourne, Via 3000

Tel: (03) 9663 2495 Fax: (03) 9663 2817

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