“A THANKSGIVING SACRIFICE” - PSALM 116:17
Blessed 20th Sunday. How’s your spiritual ‘meal plan’ coming along? Are you continuing to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (cf Psalm 34:9)? This Sunday (& next), we continue reading from the Gospel of St. John Chapter 6, the Discourse on the Bread of Life & the Eucharist.
Our 1st Reading from Proverbs 9:1-6 has Wisdom (the Holy Spirit) inviting us to a great feast, where we, who eat the bread & drink the wine will live and walk in the way of perception & knowledge, Indeed, the Lord Jesus says in the Gospel today that He is the living bread from heaven, and anyone who eats His flesh & drinks His blood will live forever (cf John 6:51,54).
I think today presents us with a good opportunity for us to examine our approach & attitude towards receiving the Holy Eucharist. Do we truly believe that it is the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus that we receive? Or are we like the Jews, who doubted & complained? As we all are aware, the word ‘Eucharist’ comes from the Greek word ‘Eucharistia’, meaning ‘Thanksgiving’. Do we always try to live with an ‘attitude of gratitude’ to the Lord for such a precious gift for us?
I find that what St. Paul wrote in our 2nd Reading (Ephesians 5:15-20) very useful for us to lock-in onto this ‘attitude of gratitude’ towards life in general, and to the celebration of the Eucharist, in particular. Firstly, St. Paul urges all to be “filled with the Spirit” (Verse 18). In our daily lives, by our heartfelt prayer ‘Come, Holy Spirit’, we receive Divine Help to focus on being grateful for all things, at all times, instead of being unhappy, angry & fearful. And, at every Eucharistic celebration, during the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest prays the ‘Epiclesis’ twice – He first calls upon / invokes the Holy Spirit to sanctify the gifts of bread & wine to become the Body & Blood of Christ in the ‘Epiclesis of Consecration’. He later prays the ‘Epiclesis of Communion’ when he invokes the Holy Spirit to fill the people & make them ‘one body, one spirit in Christ’ (cf Eucharistic Payer III)
Next, St Paul also instructs us to sing psalms & hymns whenever we gather together at the Mass, out loud but also in our hearts, & thereby give thanks to God the Father in the name of Jesus (cf Verses 19 & 20). Only with this ‘attitude of gratitude’ & a disposition of love & joy are we able to sing praise to God, especially in the difficult times that we face.
So, as a conclusion to this short reflection, I encourage you, my beloved brothers & sisters in Jesus, to come to Jesus with great joy & thanksgiving in your heart this weekend at mass (& beyond). Eat Jesus’ Body & Drink His Blood, so that you will be filled with His life & goodness! Sing your praises, adoration & worship to God in the assembly! Open your hearts to the infilling of the Holy Spirit at Mass, & go forth into your homes, workplaces or schools to bring the love of Christ to all!
Wisdom 16:20 gives us the beloved responsory each time we celebrate the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament: “You have given us, O Lord, bread from heaven, endowed with all delights and sweetness in every taste.” May Jesus nourish & fill you beyond what you ever dare ask for or imagine, in the Holy Eucharist.
Here's a beautiful Eucharistic Hymn titled “Panis Angelicus’ for your use in prayer & song.
https://youtu.be/xXdDi5IfddM?si=c0vyAqAdqp4gjLJ8
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead