Dear Parishioners, +JMJ
In one of my prayer times this past week, I felt led to meditate on the heart of Jesus as he reaches out his hand to offer each one of us Holy Communion – His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Imagine the expression on the face of a parent as a son or daughter makes a first attempt to crawl, or a first attempt to walk. You can see in the parent’s face love, mercy, pride and anticipation.
Imagine the face of Jesus as he gives us Holy Communion. There is love, mercy, pride and anticipation. He lovingly gives us the Eucharist, because he knows it will nourish that space in us, that capacity in us to stay in relationship with the Divine. That is the spiritual part of our soul. Holy Communion, which is the humanity and divinity of Jesus joined together, is uniquely able to strengthen that part of our being which can communicate with God himself. So it is a gift of love that Jesus gives, when he reaches out to give us Holy Communion. He desires our good, and He instituted the Eucharist to enhance our good. That is love for us.
And the Eucharist is His gift of mercy, because communing with the Divine is not something we can do on our own. We absolutely need the Lord in his greatness to reach out to us in our weakness. It is mercy that we need. Being both human and divine, Jesus Christ is the One to nourish and strengthen the spiritual part of us with Holy Communion. Jesus is the one to show us this mercy.
And it is a gift filled with good pride – appreciation. How much the Lord appreciates that we are striving to walk in communion with Him every day! Jesus and His Heavenly Father are glorified with each step we take in the life of holiness, in the life of the Holy Spirit. The Eucharist provides for this holiness, sources it.
Finally, the Eucharist is a gift filled with Jesus’ anticipation. Jesus eagerly looks forward to our next step in the spiritual life. He eagerly desires for us a greater ability to live and move from our spiritual core, from the depth of our heart, where we encounter Him. Jesus knows we will experience the greatest peace and freedom by living this way. He knows in this way we will also impact the world around us for Him to the utmost. Jesus anticipates all of this.
As the Blessed Virgin Mary lived in such a way that everything revolved around Her Son, may we (with Her incomparable help) live our lives with Jesus in the Eucharist at the center.
Have a blessed week!
In cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Father Poggemeyer
