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Life in the Holy Spirit An Empowerment Bible Study © 2003 by Terry A. Modica |
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Friday of the Third Week of Easter
Consuming more of our Lord
What does it mean to eat the flesh of Jesus and drink His blood? Are WE not also His Body -- His flesh and blood -- as the Church?
In John 6:52-59, we see the Great Eucharistic Command. However, we can't just look at this from the perspective of "what's in it for me?", not if we want to be followers of Christ. Jesus said, "Those who feed on Me will have life because of Me." What kind of life? What's the difference between having HIS life and the one we were born with, the flesh and blood existence of physical bodies that eventually loses it's life?
Jesus gives us His body and blood in every Mass so that we can consume Him. He wants us to receive His nourishment, His strengthening and His healing. This goes beyond the Eucharist. We consume Him -- draw Him into us -- in our prayers, in our interactions with others, and even in the beauty of nature. He feeds us through Christian songs and other inspiring music. He responds to our hunger for more love. He quenches our thirst for spiritual growth.
As we open ourselves to receive the presence of Jesus outside of Mass, we enhance what happens to us inside of Mass. Because the Eucharist is God, our divine Lord, giving Himself to us completely, powerfully, and miraculously, we should leave church significantly changed.
Consuming Jesus should transform us into His likeness. We become one with His body and blood. Now we, too, are Eucharist, which means allowing others to consume us, or to put it more accurately, giving them opportunity to be nourished by the True Presence of Jesus within us. When we give love to others, they receive God's love, but they don't always return that love. They take from us and deplete us. We are being consumed! Likewise when we give of our time and skills and talents but are not paid or rewarded.
Being consumed without being destroyed is possible only if we receive from Jesus what we give to others. The more we're depleted by our jobs and relationships and family responsibilities, the more we need to consume Jesus. I can tell you from experience that the busier I am, the greater my need to take time to pray. I actually get more done by taking time out with the Lord!
And remember this, which is absolutely essential: By ourselves, we are not the body and blood of Christ. We receive Jesus fully in community; likewise, we're consumed without being depleted ONLY in the companionship of community. If you feel drained and burnt-out, crushed by stresses and worn down, it's because you haven't allowed Jesus to fill you with all of His body and blood, which includes the people He has given you within the Church community, for they are His hands, His smile, His embrace.
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