The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ

A good frame to approach the subject of the Eucharist is the Latin motto “Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi” meaning the way of worship (Prayer/Liturgy) reflects the way of belief (Faith/Theology), and also reflects the way of life (Christ centered).


Lex Orandi: Law of Worship

When devout Catholics gather at Mass or Divine Liturgy to pray and worship God, the summit of their worship is the consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ.

One cannot doubt their belief in the true presence of Christ after seeing how careful they approach to receive the Eucharist. They are true to God and themselves in their conviction that they are receiving Jesus’ true Body and Blood. Their act of worship points to those who are present at Mass the sacred significance to partake in Holy Communion.

Therefore, one observes some bowing down slowly before the host and putting their hands in the form of a crown to receive, others opening their mouth to receive on the tongue, or with a spoon, and some others kneeling to receive on the tongue. They always respond with a resounding “Amen” to the words “The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ”. One cannot miss their true reverence in worship which reflects their faith. 

In contrast, there are Catholics today who publicly doubt, deny, or are indifferent to the Church's teaching on the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Their lack of conviction in the true presence is noticeable from their irreverent way they approach, receive and walk away from the Eucharist at Mass.

But can we blame them? Where could they have learned true faith, reverence, and worship? Is that reverence and belief clearly visible in our bishops, priests, deacons, teachers and theologians? Have we not hidden our tabernacles and removed them from the center of our churches away from the altar and everyone's view? Have we not replaced our bleeding crucifixes with plants, flowers and pleasant imagery?

Lex Credendi: Law of Belief

For those Catholics who question the validity of the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist, influenced by mislead priests and teachers, they cannot be further from the truth. There is nothing that comes close to challenging this Church’s teaching even if we only defend it based on Holy Scriptures, let alone Church Fathers, Church Tradition, and Eucharistic miracles.

These Catholics follow in their error the faith of other Christians who misunderstand the words of Jesus “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 & 1 Corinthians 11:24) to mean Jesus is asking his followers to remember him at the breaking of the bread. They sadly gather to break bread remembering that “this is not his body” and “this not his blood” which is exactly the opposite of what Jesus told them to do and remember. They are far from his genuine invitation to remember his true presence with them body and blood till the end of time.

The simple and straightforward words of Jesus “This is my body” and “This is my blood” are clearly stated in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The purest translation of Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, is simply “This my body” and “This my blood.” What Jesus the author of life says simply and truly happens. How else could one interprets Jesus' words?

Mathew 26:26-28: Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

 Mark 14:22-24: And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

 Luke 22:19-20: And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

St. John’s gospel affirms Jesus’ teachings in the other three gospels by recounting Jesus repetitive sayings to his disciples on the necessity of eating his flesh and drinking his blood (John 6:51-57) to a point that many of them find his saying hard to take and took offense at it (John 6:60-61). In fact many no longer followed him although he did not chase them back to reinterpret what they clearly heard, rather he challenged those who remained with him (John 6:66-67).

John 6:51-57: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.

 John 6:60-61: Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?”

 John 6:66-67: After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?”

Jesus’ teachings on his presence with us in the Eucharist continued in the teachings of the Apostles starting with St. Paul the Apostle:

1 Corinthians 10:16: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

 1 Corinthians 11:23-29: For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.

 

 

Lex Vivendi: Law of Life

When challenged about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, most Catholics resort to backing the faith with Biblical verses, Church teachings and Tradition (Lex credendi), others resort to teaching by example in how they receive, adore and worship (Lex orandi). But if we truly believe in Christ's presence in the Eucharist we and others must begin to see true transformation in us. A transformation into the body and blood of Christ. We and others must start to see Christ in us in how we live and interact with others (Lex Vivendi).

Our prayers are our “way” of worship, our knowledge and faith in God are our “truth” in worship, both are important and necessary because they are centered on Christ who is the Way and the Truth, but Christ is also the Life: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) Our way of worship and believe must be fruitful in our way of life or we are worshiping and believing in vain. 

Christ tells us “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” John 6:56. What Christ says always comes true. If we are truly eating his body and drinking his blood we would also be abiding in him and him in us.

One Day Saint

 Martin Luther was convinced that humans will always continue to live in a cycle of sinning and regretting their sins all the days of their lives. He became not convinced of the Church teachings of forgiveness and reconciliation through the Sacrament of Confession. He declared his sainthood, or salvation, by distancing himself from the culpability of his thoughts and actions, and rather covering himself with the blanket of the grace of Christ. He accepted his fate as a sinner but considered it irrelevant to his salvation since he lives covered by the grace of God.

The Apostolic Church and her Saints have never interpreted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his gift of salvation through a grace independent of the human response of carrying one's cross daily working toward salvation with fear and trembling. (See Philippians 2:12) 

I thought to myself that I want to be Holy for God but how can I be Holy? Luther offers an easy way out but it is not in accordance with Biblical nor Apostolic teachings, nor does it give enough credit to Christ’s ability to transform me to his likeness in this lifetime. It only promises a true transformation or sanctification in a life to come after death. It misinterprets or ignores Christ's commandment in Matthew 5:48  “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” also repeated by St. Peter the Apostle  in 1 Peter 1:15 “But as he who called you is Holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct”. We are called to perfection and holiness in our conduct as our Father in Heaven is perfect and Holy. 

I also thought of the words of St. Paul the Apostle in Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” These are not empty commandments, they are expecting a true transformation. 

Hence following these Apostolic and Biblical teachings it is not enough for me to be declared Holy standing in the shadow of Christ without being truly Holy in my whole being. I must seek instead a complete inside-outside transforming grace unifying me to Christ, making me more like him, making me one with him, transforming me from within. I must also have faith that, with God’s grace, such a transformation is achievable in this lifetime, for Christ assures us in Matthew 19:26 “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”.

Still the task is overwhelming to me despite the abundance of grace. The Saints whom I love, and whom I try to follow their examples have endured resiliently many difficult obstacles that I cannot imagine myself doing. The devil adds to my anxiety by whispering to me “ You are not strong enough. You may resist sin today but you will eventually fall. You are a sinner and you will always be. Accept your fate. You are nothing like them. Here, see your past life, it  speaks for itself...”    

As weak as I am, it is true that being Holy, or being a Saint is overwhelming and overachieving to me, I don’t have enough faith nor do I love God enough yet to accomplish this task or state of being. However, reflecting on the Lord’s prayer, I saw that Jesus taught us to pray for our “daily bread” and focus on our needs for the day. Therefore I concluded that with the grace of God all I have to do is be Holy or a saint for today, a one day task, much more doable to my weak self. 

I will ask for the grace to be Holy today and not be anxious about tomorrow at all, nor be concerned with the past. I will ask God for “our daily grace” to conquer sin today, be pleasing to Him today, and follow his commandments today. Besides the Lord’s prayer I am also reminded of Christ’s words in Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.”  

When the Devil of pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth shows up on the doorstep of my soul, he will see that I, today, belong totally to Christ. He will then remind me of my past and threaten me that he will come back tomorrow. But he is of no concern to me, since my God is “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14) not “I was who I was” nor “I will be who I will be”. I live today in God’s hand and “no one is able to snatch them [me] out of the Father’s hand". (John 10:29).

Our Suffering God!

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus' mother, Mary, was there standing by the cross of Jesus (John 19:25). She is with her son who is suffering on the cross in front of her own eyes and she cannot help him. She does not say a word. What can she say? She has trusted in God and His word to her from the moment she told the angel Gabriel "I am the hand-made of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38) Here Mary suffers because her son in suffering, and he is suffering one of the most crucial and humiliating death. She does not say anything at all, she does not accuse or blame anyone, she is hurt for her son but continues her original prayer in her heart "May  it be done to me according to your word." 

The night before, her son had already fell to the ground in agony and prayed "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will." (Mark 14:36) He had repeated this prayer to his Father three times and told his disciples "My soul is sorrowful even to death" (Mark 13:34). 

Both Mary and Jesus would have felt abandoned by God and still resigned to his will. Jesus last words from the cross are "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? ... My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34 & Mathew 27:46) and "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46), and "I thirst... It is finished" (John 19:28,30). How would Mary not feel abandonment? Was she not told by "Gabriel, who stands before God" (Luke 1:19) "He [Jesus] will be great and will be called Son of  the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:32,33) What happened to this promise? What went wrong?

The angel Gabriel had also said to Mary what Jesus later repeated in the garden "for nothing will be impossible for God." (Luke 1:37) and her cousin Elizabeth had said to her "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:45)  Mary and Jesus are called to hold on their faith in God no matter what they experience, even a sorrowful death upon a cross. And who can conquer death and the finality of death?

This is what happened two thousand years ago, and this is what happens today with so many people who suffer all forms of physical, mental, psychological, and spiritual suffering. Christians in the state of suffering can always say "Our God suffers with us." Jesus while in heaven told St. Paul who was persecuting Christians "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" (Acts 9:4)  Like Mary we must stand by the cross of those who suffer and suffer with them. We must believe that our suffering is not in vain because this is not the last chapter in our scripture, nor is it the last chapter in our lives. For our God has indeed conquered death by death and took away its finality forever.

Why Christianity?

The creator of the universe is not a thing but a person. He has made himself visible to us in human flesh. He has proven his love to us in his suffering unto death on the cross. This is Jesus the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, who was raised from the dead conquering death for ever. Today he continues to share himself with us in the Eucharist making us one with him and one with each other. His Holy Spirit continues to lead our Church and speak to each one of us through the Holy Scripture and the writings of the saints. Through His grace we give glory to God the Father.  

This religion is not a personal opinion, nor is it an intellectual or philosophical concept, nor is it a spiritual experience, it is rather a relation between God and his people the Church on earth and in heaven. This relation first began between God and his people the Jews through the law and the prophets and after the incarnation became the relation between God and his Church through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Many of our intellectuals have buried their heads in the sand and preferred the dark over the light. They search for truth in the castles while truth is dwelling in the house of the humble and common. It is through our hearts that God enters and enlightens our minds. There is no greater gift than the gift of self ... that is the Christian way. God gives himself to us so that we may partake of him and be forever with him. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life, ask Him to open your heart and see!

We are God's

There are times when I regret my doings, or my thoughts, or my way of thinking, or my ways of feeling toward myself or toward others or even toward certain things. The sense of knowing that one is in the wrong is very strong in us. Other times I get very upset with the wrong that others do and I struggle between getting justice or extending mercy. I dream of advising God to wipe away everything and start new. I mean wipe away my humanity and my existence and start new. I dream of telling God to recreate this world better than he has done it the first time. A world without sin, a world without me. 

I know God can do a better job because what I see in me and in some others is not as good as it can be and in some cases especially in myself is not good at all. I think of the scripture verse "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more" [Luke 12:48] and I curse myself even more. The little wrong that I do is equivalent to some of the larger wrong that someone else does who does not claim to know God and seek his ways. I fail over and over again, so I dream to have God wipe everything clean so that I am no longer is anyone's memory, no longer in existence past, present, or future. I would even dare go further to wipe away this entire existence of human being good and bad, because of the harm we continue to cause each other generation after generation. 

I knew that God would not listen. I am but a baby of his back that makes sounds of joy to him, as he carries me and moves on. He says "you are mine" and "they are mine." He says "I love what is mine and will never let go of you or others whom I crafted for myself," he adds "you are not yours to give or to take, you are mine." God could care less how much we judge ourselves, he sees us as his children whom he loves despite any imperfection we bring on ourselves or on others.  God is determined to work through us and within us, in time, in advice, in scripture, in others, in opportunities, in hidden messages, in angels and saints, in whatever,  to make sure we belong to him. He is a lover of mankind and will never let go of his creation. God hates our wrong actions and distorted thoughts and hurtful feelings but God loves who we are from eternity to eternity and his mercy and love never leave us. From Genesis he declares his creation as "Good" [Gen 1:4,10,12,18, 21, 25,] and his human being as "very good" [Gen 1:31].

Book of Wisdom 11:22-12:2

"Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;and you overlook people's sins that they may repent.For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made;for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?But you spare all things, because they are yours,O LORD and lover of souls,for your imperishable spirit is in all things!Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!"

  

Reflections

The problem with those who do not reflect on their lives is that they remain in darkness and are not able to know who they really are and how they relate to God and to others. 

The problem of those who reflect all the time is pride. It is thinking that they are better than others and concentrating on the self. 

No way around it, except to focus on Christ and see oneself and the world through Christ. Even God is not centered on God-self; the Son focuses on the Father, the Father on the Son, and the Holy Spirit on the Father and the Son. Love is about the other person. 

Don't Kill Your Baby

Being pregnant means you have your baby in your womb. This baby can be one second old or nine months old it is a still your baby. People use clever words to describe what is happening to you but the most simple truth is that you are carrying your baby.  You are not carrying yourself or part of yourself but rather another person like you, boy or a girl, brought to life by you, and fully dependent on you.

For you to even consider killing your baby, you must be going through the most difficult of times. You may have been raped by a stranger or a family member, you may have an abusive husband or boyfriend that beats you and your kids, you may be so financially poor that you cannot provide food for your children, you may be in a family situation that will tumble if one more child comes on the scene, you may be addicted to drugs and afraid your child will be addicted.   These and many other tragedies that can surround you must not bring you to take your baby's life which is one of the worst tragedies that a person can encounter. 

If abortion is legal or not it makes no difference. You know in your heart that it is not right. There is no law higher than the law of love placed within you. You will have to lie to yourself to allow yourself to go against it. There is always an alternative to abortion and those of us advising you to save an innocent life, must make every effort to provide you with these alternatives and make them accessible to you or else your child's blood is on our hands as well.

Once you turn to God for help and unconditionaly trust in Him, He will provide you with the grace to make the only good choice, the endurance to handle the difficulties that come along your decision, and people who can truly guide you. Give life and He will give you joy in your heart that no one can take away and no hardship can overshadow. Trust in God and say "YES" to your baby in face of the the cruel challenges of life. Abortion is not the answer. Love and endurance of one's cross is the answer that never fails. 

Moments of heaven

While everyone else is living in the business of everyday normal life of happiness, excitement, laughter, triumph, success, health, relaxation, courage, and comfort, as well as sadness, depression, crying, defeat, failure, sickness, stress, fear, and pain, we step sometimes into unexpected moments of joy that blur and shadow everything else. Theses moments, detached from time and space, trump the pleasures and sorrows of life and render them all insignificant. They are experienced by everyone, although some more than others. Those who cannot process them, move on and delete them from their memories. Others cherish them as transcendental experiences beyond this world and try in vain to re-live them. As we travel fast in the realm of life these experiences jolt us into "moments of heaven."

An example would be a ten year old boy playing a game on the street with the girl that he loves, and all the other kids are playing around them and with them. A jolt of courage leads them both to confess their first love to each other. The world disappears around them, and they enter into a state of being never experienced before and which will never be experienced again.

A second example is kids playing while grown ups are engaged in conversations about the day. But when a person steps away for a short break, he hears a melody that captures his soul and paralyzes him, making him careless of everything and everyone else around him, while letting the melody fill his spirit like wine pouring into a glass. A third example would be waking up from a dream realizing an encounter with the living God that renders one humble to the core. All these are "moments of heaven."

We do not respond affirmatively to God's call in order to attain heaven. We do it because of love. We love God and what God is about. Yet  these experiences give us windows into heaven. They for a brief moment remind us that what matters most is beyond our control. They show us briefly that the lures of life are nothing compared to what God has prepared for us. While worldly powers drag us toward experiences of emptiness, these moments assure us that life has its wonderful secrets that await us. God wants us to freely choose Him so that we can live life abundantly toward infinite moments of heaven.

Temptations: The Bat and the Lion

A very powerful creature hits randomly here and there and destroys brutally leaving nothing but darkness where he strikes. The strike is so strong and sudden, it crushes everything in an instant. Fear of being hit by this force threatens even the strongest of believers. It comes from above, from outside and hits so hard and leaves death, emptiness, and deep darkness. The force appears so dark and so big like a huge bat with extended wings the size of a mountain. Pure hate and evil are directed solely toward the destruction of the human person.

The human person sits next to a big calm lion, but is thinking to herself can this lion be zapped as well. The lion remains calm and when the evil force is directed toward the human person, the lion transforms into an angelic being that shields the person so ever gently with calmness and absolute certitude.  The person is unharmed. Despite the victory, the person remains in fear of the next blow and frustrated that such a being is allowed to return to strike her again.

It is not to every one that I write my dream. I write it to the person that has completely dedicated her life to the Will of God. Every now and then in the spiritual life of such a person, God allows the evil one to direct his ugliest blows toward this person. The temptations are so hard to fight and endure because the persistent and creative evil one knows well the person's "fears" and "wants" and comes to her aggresively from every dark corner. The human person suffers and struggles to avoid this real spiritual death but eventually remains unharmed because she dwells in the presence of the calm lion. 

In the beginnings the person had allowed herself to be lured but as the person grows stronger spiritually and becomes more fearless, these cases diminish in numbers and durations and the evil one resorts to other creative dark methods to shake the person off her strong hold. The human person enclosed with humility recites the song of the psalmist: "Shepherd me O God [beyond my wants, beyond my fears] there is nothing that I lack … Even when I walk through a dark valley, I fear no harm for you are at my side". [Psalm 23]

Someone will always not like you

A brave young lady delivered her speech in front of hundreds of people at a graduation ceremony and proclaimed: "Someone will always not like you … I am not religious … what matters most in the end is that you like yourself." She stated that in life, you must be who you are no matter what anyone else thinks of you and no matter how much pressure is placed upon you to be someone else. Her Good News that she wanted to share is summed up in "It is good to be you".

She delivered her speech with conviction, courage, and a strong sense of self knowledge. These virtues are lacking today among many of our young Christians. Her words must inspire us to be truly who we are, not more and not less. Boasting by words or actions about how pious we are is as much a spiritual error as being embarrassed of our beliefs and way of life. Being true to ourselves is being who God created us to be: "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire" [St. Catherine of Sienna]

Her words "Someone will always not like you" are echoed in our scriptures "You will be hated by all" [Matthew 10:22] and in the life of our God who was furiously hated up to the cross of death. Her words are echoed in today's world by how we destroy ourselves. Yes, in this world someone will always hate you and in the end it is important that you like yourself, but a true Christian can never stop here. 

A Christian must go further and believe that in the end One will always love you and like you unconditionally. And that with this One you can count on the graced Christian to also love you and like you unconditionally, even if you have no faith, or share a different faith, or live a different way of life, or are a source of persecution to this Christian and to others. 

The human eye is a great tool, but without the light that comes from above and enters within it, it cannot fully be what it is intended to be. You are intended to love and in order to love to your full potential you must freely let the light enter you and overflow within you, and yes, it is good to be you.

A True Christian

Once we encounter Jesus, in whatever state we are at in life, we are empowered to be liberated from the gravity of what holds us down and lifted up through the challenge of the cross to the joyful abundant life of a true Christian. 

A true Christian is someone who is being transformed, in grace, through the cross into another Christ -- By nature, only Jesus of Nazareth is the true Christ of God. When we are being transformed into another Christ we begin to see others as Christ. We feel drawn to love even those who hate us.

As true Christians we become aware that every thought, word, and action that proceeds from us is directed toward Christ himself, and whatever we hold back from those in need, is held back from Christ himself. Jesus words are clear: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did to me." and "Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me." [Matthew 40 & 45] 

No matter how irrelevant our thoughts, acts, and words are, they must always be interactions of love toward the other. There is not even a small moment in time where that is not commanded of us (John 13:34): in times of war or peace, stress or tranquility,  in interactions with a child or an elder, with a family member or a stranger, in every place and every case and at all times. Moments of failure will challenge us, but within God's mercy we can only be humbled and become more dependent on God. 

The secret then is to always place ourselves in a state of humility and prayer, while sheltered in God's mercy. On our own we will never get far since"With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." [Mark 10:27] We must strive to unify our will with God's in order to call ourselves "True Christians." 

You Are Called

"Why does he eat with 'the rejected' and sinners?" they asked. Jesus replied: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners." [Mark 2:16-17]

Are we those who are well, or are we those who have been rejected and enslaved to sin? "Amen, Amen I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin." [John 8:34].  If we are honest with ourselves we will recognize that we are the ones whom Christ is being criticized for eating with. We are the ones he is focusing on, so that he may heal us from our emptiness and call us into holiness.

The Holy One of God comes in humility and eats with us at our table, so that he can draw us to himself when he is lifted upon the cross (John 12:32), and have us share in his eternal banquet at his table: "You who have stood by me in my trials … You may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom."[Luke 22:27-30] 

What we are hearing and seeing here is given to us so that we may never think that our sin or state of being is greater than the mercy of God. Jesus makes it clear that he comes to call the sinner not the righteous. So this call is for you and me and not for some holy person. The righteous is deafened and blinded with self-glory and is unable to hear or see Jesus until he or she is graced with a touch of humility.

Atheists and Believers

No matter how strong someone's faith is, he will have doubts. No matter how strongly convinced an atheist is, she will have doubts. People are not divided into two categories of believers and non-believers. There is only one category with a range that varies throughout a persons' life. The one who calls herself a believer is not so different from the one who calls himself an atheist. They are both brothers and sisters on the same scale of faith that varies from day to day.

I know a person who has so much faith that she is willing to lose the most precious thing or person in her life without wavering on her faith, and yet she doubts. Every time a person commits a sin, he does it out of lack of faith in "God's will for him" whether he admits it to himself or not.  I also know a person who belittles in his own mind those who believe in God, but that same person experiences embarrassing and confusing moments of faith.

God gives consolations to everyone. We see them as winks or smiles from God, and sometimes as life changing miracles. We respond by looking up, wanting more consolations, more signs, and more miracles. We transform into sand holes that cannot hold the water for too long. When God withdraws these consolations from us, so that we may seek Him and not the gifts ["The Dialogue"], we fall into an abyss of doubt and confusion. Some of us walk away loosing trust in God, while others go on reading, praying, and searching to restore a firm ground to stand on. Saints are not so different from us as they doubt too. 

Those of us with a scarce amount of faith, or no faith at all, get all spun around with any consolations from God. It is so uncomfortable for us to loose faith in our contained and controlled sensual logic. We go on spinning in confusion, until our re-thinking and re-analysis, mixed with reassurances from our most trusted dead authors, bring us back to the stable realm of certainty. We grab on tight to our intellectual weapons and anchor ourselves in case a second consolation from God hits us by surprise. 

We are all the same when it comes to a measure of faith or lack of it. We are naturally weak beings, a product of life's experience and at the mercy of life's happenings. We have nothing more than near sight into space and time, a faded warped memory of the past, an uncertainty of the future, and a dream-like state of the present, all guided by limited faith and intellectual powers. What differentiates us from each other is not our measure of faith, nor our intellect, but rather our capacity to love and give ourselves to others. 

In chapter 51 of "The Dialogue", Catherine of Sienna teaches us how God graces us with memory to discern our experiences, with intellect to make sense of them, and with will to put them into actions of love. It makes no difference if we label ourselves atheists or believers, what matters is our capacity to give ourselves, through memory, intellect, and love to others. When that becomes our way of life, we become children of truth and light, and therefore ascend to a higher realm of life where God "remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us." [1 John 4:12]

My dear brothers and sisters, let us not boast as believers or atheists, but humble ourselves before God so that through His grace and mercy we may be truly exalted in truth and love. [Matthew 23:12]

Worshiping Other Gods

Look! Do you see this Hindu person over there praying? Look closely at the picture in front of her. What is in that picture? It looks like a dancing person with four arms and an elephant trunk, doesn't it? Does this Hindu look sincere and genuine to you? Are her hands not folded together like your hands when you pray? Are you concerned for her? Are you conflicted and puzzled? Do you think she is praying to herself? Do you think no one hears her most inner thoughts and sense the secrets of her heart? How different is her state of being from yours when you are praying?  Is your mercy greater than God's mercy? Can you see in her heart better than God can see? Would He possibly be listening to her? Or do you think He shuns her and sends her away as a stupid worshiper of imaginative gods who never existed in the first place? What do you think? 

What would you do if you were God? Would you listen to the Hindu person or would you be offended that she does not address you by your true name and know your true story? Would you listen to her? Would you speak to her heart? How passionate is your God for Her? How loving is your God? Is your heart stubborn like the pharisees so that you cannot get beyond your strict interpretation of various biblical verses about a jealous God that does not allow for other gods before Him? Or are you tender of heart but puzzled by your conviction that there is no salvation except through Christ and His Church? How does one acknowledge Christ? Is it enough to say Lord Lord? How does one truly acknowledge Christ?

Beloved, God is present through Christ to anyone who tries to worship Him with a humble and contrite heart. God is present through Christ to those who love Him and love their neighbor. St John tells us: "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love."[1 John 4:7-8] God, through his Son's death and resurrection, has reconciled the whole world to Himself. There is only one true God indeed, but when people pray with a contrite heart and humble spirit they worship the true God without knowing. Jesus' words to the Samaritan woman apply to them: "You people worship what you do not understand, we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spririt and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." [John 4:22-24] 

Anyone, be it Hindu, Muslim, …. who places himself before the god he knows, and speaks to God in the truth of his heart and worships Him with a pure humble spirit filled with love for God and neighbor, can only be worshiping the one and true God. For those of us who know God as the Father who loves us, as the Son who died for us, as the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, we must not belittle anyone who worships different than us for they worship without knowing and God relates to them. Rather, like Christ and the Samaritan woman, we must love and respect them, while sharing our joy with them speaking the truth about a loving God who thirst for them, who thirst to give them living water so they may live life more abundantly.

   

What if it is True?

I had just received communion and knelt down at my bench to reflect. As I typically do, I lifted up my eyes to watch every person at the moment they receive the Eucharist, so I can remember that the Body of Christ is being poured into each one of us, uniting us is Christ, no matter how different we are from each other. Since I was sitting at the front bench, the Eucharistic minister was distributing the Blood of Christ only a couple of feet away from me. I can hear the words "The Body of Christ" and "The Blood of Christ" over and over again.  

I thought to myself "What if it is true?" What if we are actually receiving the Body of Christ and drinking His true Blood. What if it is true? Then the thought came to my mind "I would not give my beloved anything less." Knowing our Christian God, it is true that He would not give to us anything less then His true self.

Some have hurried up proclaiming that God would not take a human form, that He only appeared human, and that He cannot suffer. They have underestimated the love of God for His beloved. They loved a God who cannot give as much ... a God who cannot give Himself. Just the same, God would not give us an appearance or a mere reminder of Himself in the bread and wine, just as much as He would not give us an appearance or a mere reminder of Himself 2000 years ago. He came Himself, the divine, in body and soul, and never ceased to give His true self since then. We must always remember Him and His sacrifice for us whenever we partake of His Body and drink of His Blood. That is what He asked us to do.

What if it is true? What if it is true that we have in our midst, even more, within ourselves, a unique and special presence of God in His divinity and humanity? What if it is true that He has never left us? What if it is true that He brings to His table the poor and the rich, the believer and the doubter, the sick and the healthy, the proud and the humble, the strong and the weak, the child and the grown up, the smart and the simple, the beautiful and the not so beautiful, the saint and the sinner? What if it is true that He feeds us all on His true Body and true Blood, and in doing so, joins us in Him, a sacred and beautiful offer to the Father, united in One Holy Spirit?

My brothers and sisters in Christ, what if it is true? What if it is truly Him? Would our God of love give us anything less?

Mad at You O God! [Part 2/2]

My Dear Child,

"My Thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways … As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts." [Isaiah 55:8-9]

Be grateful to what you have received. I may have taken away from you what you love and desire, but I will never take away from you myself. Would this mom abandons her child? Even if she does, I will never abandon you. Created things may come and go, like desert mirages to thirsty souls, but I am with you always. Learn to trust in me. Learn to trust in my ways. Abandon everything created and hold on to me. Learn from my son Augustine's after a life of wants: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

Nothing and no one else can truly satisfy the human heart, because it is formed in me and belongs to me. Be grateful to your daily bread and give thanks to the little that you have received. You have committed yourself to my will and you are wise to do so, now humble yourself and ask for the grace to love my will. You want the moon and cry for loosing it, but it must be taken away from you.  What I have in mind for you is greater than the moon and greater than the stars. Humble yourself and accept what life brings you whether you judge it to be good or bad. On your own you cannot do what I am asking you, humble yourself and pray for the grace to truly love and accept my will. Pray for the grace to be comforted in your present situation.

You say that you are mad at me …  you are mad at yourself for grasping on what is not me. You are mad at yourself for finding yourself thirsty for unquenching human praises. You are mad at yourself for holding on what and who you know can only truly live in me. My dear beloved lean on me, trust in me, and you will share my joy and it will never be taken away from you.

Teresa, my daughter and my good friend also said: "Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices."

Mad at You O God! [Part 1/2]

My Dear God,

Now why would you do this? At least why would you let it happen? I want you to know that I am very mad at you. More so, I feel betrayed by you. You are closer to me than I am to myself and because of that I am even more hurt. Yes, I still believe that your will is better for me, nevertheless I cannot help being angry with you. When I ask you why did you do it, or why did you let it happen, I do not really care to know why, I am simply stating that you should not have done it, or at least you should not have let it happen. 

I was enjoying your good creation. I know that is pleasing to you as well, because you are the source of every good thing and what father would not enjoy the happiness of his son? However, just before I reached the summit of my happiness, you snatched everything away from me and left me in shock. My lips quickly went on uttering "Let your will be done … Let your will be done ..." for that is how I have prepared myself to live, yet my heart is shattered and my soul depressed and folded on herself. I am in a lot of pain my Lord.

You acted like a mom who allowed her son to get so close to a piece of chocolate, then took it away from his lips at the moment that he opened his mouth to receive it. He then grabbed his mother's skirt and pulled himself tightly to her, burying his face and tears in his only comfort and in this case his offender. You may remind me that you have given free will to your creation, but I know that you interfere sometimes, plus in this case I even feel that you interfered against me. You let me down O Lord, but still I have no shelter but you, so here I am Lord true to myself and you, holding tightly to you, hiding my face and sorrow within you.

Your daughter Teresa of Avila's words come to my mind: "Dear Lord, if this is how you treat your friends, it is no wonder you have so few." 

The Soul and the Sleeping Snake

In the middle of the night the soul gets very upset and isolates herself from her loved ones. She withdraws from everything and seeks to be completely alone. She moves from room to room until she finds an empty room and decides to rest there. She may be mad at the injustice against her caused by those around her, she may be frustrated with herself and who she has become, or she may be angry with God for allowing whatever is hurting her to come true. The soul cannot go to sleep because anger and frustration consume her. Plus her thought  process is continuously reliving her tragic misery. 

An inner voice from God says to her: "Do you want to leave everything to me and let me solve it my way?" The soul answers: "Jesus I trust in you." She would have been wiser to stop there but in her frustration she adds: "God give me a break, let me be in my misery, let me at least for now hate others and myself, and let me embrace failure and dead ends". God left to work after he heard only the first part. The soul sits there in her rage and circulates over and over again every word and every action that brought her to this miserable state. She tries so hard to sleep but exhausted as she is, sleep is stolen from her. 

Suddenly she wakes up and remembers a dream and realizes that she has fallen asleep but does not know how. In the dream God shows her a large snake residing next to her in that same room. The snake is sleeping and very content with the situation. It has found a dwelling in that same room where the soul took refuge. The soul can vividly feel the danger of the snake. God also showed the soul in that same dream, another small room from her past, where she had also isolated herself from everyone at a very young age, and where she has fallen for the first time to the lure of that same snake. God then brought to her consciousness the strong ties between her tragedy now and the start of her tragedy many years ago. 

Somehow, knowing herself better, the soul is brought to peace. She trusted God and in turn He brought her to an understanding of self. She knelt down in front of the crucifix and repeated the words "Jesus I trust in you!" Then she left the room and joined her loved ones where God and his angels also dwell.

My beloved soul, even at your darkest moment when your heart is dead to love, and you have no hope in you, and darkness overshadows you,  turn to God when He calls you. Turn to Him with your will which no one can take from you, turn to God in your darkest hour and live.