The Nexus

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“Part of it, finally, landed on good soil and yielded grain a hundred-,
or sixty-, or thirtyfold.”

In the gospel for this Sunday, July 13, we will learn of the wisdom Jesus
teaches us as regards how we are to prepare our souls in receiving His
Word.  He used a parable for this, saying that the Word of God is like
a seed sown on four types of ground: along the pathway, on patches of
rock, among thorns, and in good soil.  There was a problem with those
seeds planted in the first three kinds of ground.  In the first, the
birds came and ate it all up.  In the second, the seed sprouted but had
not been able to root itself well, and thus became scorched by the heat.
In the third, the seeds grew up, but the thorns choked them and they
perished.  However, with the good soil, the seeds yielded grain many
times over.

Our souls are like those four types of ground.  Sometimes when we hear
the Word of God, we don’t make an effort to understand it and so it
goes out of our minds and hearts - stolen from us by the Evil One.
At other times, we listen to God’s Word and are joyful and consoled
for its effect upon our lives.  However, we don’t let it become rooted
in our daily living, so what happens then is when trouble and hardships
come, we resort to what is not of God’s Word.  And still at other times,
we listen to God’s message and receive it in our life.  But, when we
are assailed by anxiety over worldly and financial concerns, the life
of the Word in us is choked and perishes.  But when we prepare our
souls well with humility, docility to God’s will, frequency of the
sacraments, cultivation of Christian virtues, and doing works of
service and charity, we enrich and fertilize the soil of our souls,
so that the seed of the Word bears a harvest of God’s providential
blessings - both spiritual and material.

We are imperfect beings, perfected only through God’s sanctifying
grace.  In our journey to spiritually progress as mature and responsible
Christians who contribute to the good of the family and society’s
institutions, we will not always be able to be the “good soil” that
Jesus idealizes for all of us.  However, with every failure, setback,
or fall, what is important is we do not give up, but pray to the Holy
Spirit always, who will strengthen and raise us up again for the work
of holiness and sanctification: in ourselves and through the secular
fields we render our service to others.  It is important that we continue
on in doing good, and never giving up, because in the proper time, God
will indeed provide us with a harvest - in reward for the cultivation
of the “good soil” of our souls, which we have fertilized with the
spirit of Mary’s humility, and her openness to receive God’s will.

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“Do not fear those who deprive the body of life but cannot destroy
the soul.”

For the gospel this Sunday, June 22, we will be led to learn what it really
means to follow Jesus.  The passage excerpted from the gospel of Matthew
is part of the discourse of Jesus - urging and telling His apostles to
go forth and spread the Good News, even amidst an opposing or persecuting
force. So Jesus encourages His apostles not to fear any opposing force
that may destroy their physical life but not the soul wherein the life
from God dwells.  And Jesus assures His apostles strongly that as they
acknowledge Him before all people, so shall He acknowledge them before
His Father in heaven.

All the apostles of Jesus, with the exception of John, died a martyr’s
death - the same way as their Master, Teacher and Risen Lord. Tradition
also tells us that St. Peter was crucified upside down, while St. Andrew
was crucified in an X-shaped cross.  Not only did the apostles shed
their blood for God like Jesus, but they also inspired many others to
this gift of martyrdom - with numerous martyrs witnessing to Christ
many generations thereafter.  This truth makes us aware that like Jesus,
and the apostles, our following of Christ, the Christian ideal, and
the Catholic vision, may entail some physical suffering and other manner
of afflictions in our life at one time or another.

Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to encourage all His
apostles and disciples, to share in His ministry and mission.  The
Holy Spirit, of which Christian tradition speaks of as the “Soul’s-
hardening for the fight”, will help all the failings of our flesh
and supply it with never failing power.  But the fight which the
Spirit is helping us, so that we may share in Christ’s victory, is a
spiritual fight - one that resists the temptation to sin and to do all
manner of good amidst adversity and difficulty.  We know that not all
are called to have the gift of martyrdom, but all are called to share
in the Cross of Christ.  And sharing in Christ’s Cross may mean, in
the world of family and work, opposing or resisting any spirit that
seeks to destroy the Christian soul of the family, or the Christian
spirit in which we work and earn our living.  It is by a life of prayer
and union with the Spirit that we shall obtain the strength and the
power to resist and oppose sin - in ourselves and among us.

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“I have come to call not the self-righteous, but sinners.”

The gospel for the 10th Sunday of the Year tells the story of the call of
Matthew.  Matthew was a tax collector, and tax collectors at the time of
Jesus were considered outcasts of the Jewish society - together with other
sinners.  Tax collectors were outcasted because they work for the Roman
Empire, and obtain income by taxing their fellow Jews.  But in this gospel
passage, it tells us that Jesus was moving about until he saw Matthew
at his post collecting taxes.  Jesus said to Matthew, “Follow Me”. At
this call, Matthew got up and followed Jesus.  Since Jesus accepted
Matthew as one of His own, Matthew invited Jesus to his home and there
was a celebration together his fellow tax collectors.  The Pharisees
saw this and took it against Jesus for dining and associating with such
people.  But Jesus replied: “People who are in good health do not need
a doctor; sick people do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘It
is mercy I desire and not sacrifice.’ I have come to call not the self-
righteous, but sinners”.

The majority of Jesus’ followers were fishermen: ordinary people who
found in Jesus the hope of Israel and the salvation of their life. And
many who believed in Jesus were simple folks who found in the words and
teachings of Jesus the very Truth from whom they found light, love and
life.  Sometimes, although not in all cases, a lot of knowledge and
status and power may blind people from knowing the ultimate truth about
God and life.  But when people, and this means also the learned, the
rich, the powerful, the influential, together with the simple and those
who are unlettered, suddenly discover their sinful nature and the wisdom
of seeing themselves as creatures before an all-powerful, all-merciful
and all-saving God, they realize that all hope and salvation lies in
the God of life in Jesus of Nazareth.  That is why Jesus told the
Pharisees in this gospel passage that it is not the self-righteous that
He calls, but sinners.  Jesus knew human nature in its very essence and
is certain that when He calls sinners to Himself and lead them to His
saving and merciful help, they will at once follow Him.  Matthew is a
very good example of this because he was well aware that the society
he lives in looks down on his sinful social status.  Jesus thus became
his hope, his salvation, and his future.

In our life journey, there were many times we probably heard the call
of Christ but did not heed it because we were so immersed in a life in
which our hearts were filled with riches and material things.  The
inordinate desire for these has crowded out the spirit from our hearts
and souls in a way that we become blinded by the reality that we will
never bring all our material possessions and treasures with us to our
death.  It is not bad to have wealth or to possess many material sources
of comfort and ease.  But when it becomes the sole love and treasure of
our heart, we become deaf to the call of Christ to share our wealth with
others.  We can have material possessions and wealth without loving them.
Instead, if we become charitable with what we have, we bring the Spirit
of Christ within our hearts and we safeguard our soul from the works of
the flesh: envy, jealousy, competition, dissension, disunity, anger,
pride, greed, lust, and so on.  When we heed the call of Jesus and strive
to live more in charity, like Matthew, we will find our treasure not so
much in our possessions or our status, but in Christ Himself - the One
who is the source of all that we need in life: for ourselves, our family
and our loved ones.

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“Anyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like the
wise man who built his house on rock.”

The gospel for the 9th Sunday of the Year speaks of a very important
parable that reveals a wisdom that not only we Catholics believe as true
but also the majority of humanity.  In the first paragraph of the gospel,
Jesus speaks of the importance of doing the will of the Father in heaven.
Then in the second paragraph, we read His teaching about the importance
of building one’s house on a sure foundation - one solidly set on rock,
rather than one on shifting sand.  When we reflect how the two parts
of this passage of the gospel convey a serious message, we discover
that the gospel wanted to impart the importance of heeding the Father’s
will to build our lives on a sure foundation.  And this may mean in
our present Catholic generation, the hope we have in God as the source
of all security and stability in life.

We often fail to make our hope in God as the solid rock on whom our
life has its sure foundation.  We just realize it only when something
bad happens to ourselves or to members of our family or clan.  But God
always reminds us to place our hope in Him.  Every Sunday as we gather
with other families to celebrate the Eucharist, we are reminded of this
truth throughout the whole liturgy.  When we receive communion, we accept
Jesus as the center and foundation of our family life.  He is the Most
Sacred Heart who wishes to place our trust in Him more than in anything
else.  And as the Eucharist ends, and we are sent on a mission of peace,
we bring this spirit of Jesus back to our ordinary family life, work,
business, or profession.  The more we root and anchor ourselves on the
sure hope we have in God, He will surely save and preserve us from any
destructive force that can unsettle us.  That is why the Church obliges
us to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist regularly.  For in the Eucharist,
we are assured that our hope is in God alone and if we live out the
will of the Father in heaven, our Catholic family will be built on
solid rock.

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“This is the bread that came down from heaven.”

In the gospel for the solemnity of Corpus Christi, Year A, we read a
passage from the gospel of John, chapter 6, verses 51-58.  The passage
tells us of Jesus who said to the crowds of Jews: “I myself am the
living bread come down from heaven.  If anyone eats this bread he shall
live forever; the bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the
world.”  The reaction to this teaching by Jews was a quarreling among
themselves, for if indeed the saying were to be taken literally, how
can Jesus give his flesh for them to eat?  Despite this disquiet among
the Jews, Jesus continues with His discourse and solemnly assured those
who were present that [his] “flesh is real food and [his] blood is
real drink.” If the Jews had a foreknowledge of what would happen to
Jesus - that He would sacrifice His life on the Cross so that their
sins would be forgiven, then this teaching and saying of His would be
easy to understand.  However, Jesus often speaks in veiled language,
as He did with His parables, and with many other sayings that are filled
with deep meaning and truths.  Jesus would only then reveal what He
meant to His inner circle - the apostles and those who were close to
Him.

This passage from the gospel of John clearly speaks of the Eucharist,
the sacrament we receive when we celebrate the Sunday Mass or any Mass
on a weekday.  Since we know that the sacred host is the very body and
blood of Christ Jesus, then we understand how His flesh and blood that
we receive in the Mass gives life to us - a life that is centered on
eternity and heaven.  When Jesus says that He is the bread that came
down from heaven, we can easily relate to this as we know that the
Eucharistic bread that we consume is Jesus Himself: the Bread of Life
and the Bread that came down from heaven.  Acknowledging this truth is
a great gift from God.  And if we do believe in it, then we will truly
see the Eucharist as a gift from God and something that is very vital
to our daily living.  It is a gift of life that nourishes our soul and
strengthens our spirit that we may follow in the footsteps of Jesus
and serve our brothers and sisters - most especially those who are
closest to us: our family, loved ones and friends.

The feast of Corpus Christi reminds us to be thankful to the Lord for
the gift of His Son, who instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist,
so that we may share in His life and be directed towards what is of
the essence: eternal life and heaven.  By our participation in this
great sacrament, we are connected with the mystery that was enacted
on Calvary and onward to the glorious event of the Easter life with
Jesus.  The more we immerse ourselves in a Eucharistic life, the more
we shall receive the Spirit of Jesus and do what He commands us to
do: to love God with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our
souls, and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself.
The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is a mystery of Life from
God - the mystery of God’s only Son, who was sacrificed on Calvary and
then raised up again to life after three days to be victorious against
sin, evil and death.  Let us therefore be thankful for this gift of
the Eucharist in our lives.  And let us pray also for those people who
live in war-torn and terror-stricken areas where the celebration of
the Eucharist is hampered and prevented.

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“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that
whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.”

In this Sunday’s gospel, the gospel for Trinity Sunday, Year A, we read
a passage that tells about Jesus - teaching one of the Pharisees, whose
name was Nicodemus, about the love of the Father for mankind.  If we
read the beginning of chapter 3 from which this passage was taken, we
will find that Nicodemus went to Jesus by night (which bible scholars
interpret as a discrete move by Nicodemus so that he would not be seen
in a bad light by his fellow Pharisees) to learn more of Jesus and
His teaching.  And one of the teachings that Jesus emphasized to this
searching Pharisee is how God wanted the world to be saved through His
Son.  Whoever believes in the Son will be saved and merit eternal life,
while those who do not believe in the Son will be condemned by their
lack of belief.

From this passage in the gospel of John, we see the relationship between
the Father and Jesus - Jesus as the Son who was sent by His Father to
save the world from sin.  Last Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we read about
the resurrection appearance of Jesus to His apostles and wherein He
“breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit”.  We can thus learn
from these passages how God redeems us through His Fatherhood, His
Sonship, and His Most Holy Spirit.  Just as the apostles received the
Holy Spirit, we who are members of the Church Jesus founded, receive the
same Spirit through them.  And when we are called to reflect who God is
for us, one of our responses is: “God is Father, Son and Spirit”. Thru
this triune relationship, we are saved from our sins and will be rewarded
with eternal life, if we continue to believe in God-in-Jesus, who sends
His Spirit among us, so that we can also participate and continue the
mission of redemption which Christ commissions us to do through our
baptismal consecration.

We believe in one God in three persons whenever we make the sign of the
cross on our forehead, shoulders, and chest.  We also profess this faith
whenever we recite the Apostles Creed in the Sunday Eucharist.  God in
three persons is a mystery that we are called to believe and live out
in our daily lives.  It is a relationship of love and community that
seeks to dwell in our heart and soul so that we too may share this spirit
with others.  We are lucky to profess this faith simply in our Christian
lives whereas in the early centuries, many saints have struggled so that
this truth of one God in three persons and three persons in one God may
be proclaimed in our Catholic Church.  As we now celebrate the mystery
of the Trinity this Sunday, let us pray to recognize the triune mystery
that pervades through the whole Eucharistic liturgy beginning with the
sign of the Cross at the start of the Mass and ending also with the sign
of the Cross when the priest dismisses the congregation for a mission of
peace.

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“Then He breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy
Spirit…’”

The solemnity of Pentecost reminds us of the birth of the Church.
In today’s lectionary readings, the vivid account of what transpired
on that day is given in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. The
passage tells us that in the place where Mary, the apostles, and
other disciples were gathered, “suddenly from up the sky there
came a noise like a strong, driving wind which was heard all
through the house where they were seated…tongues as of fire
appeared which parted and came to rest on each of them…all were
filled with the Holy Spirit.”  After this manifestation of the
presence of the Holy Spirit, the apostles then preached to the
people in different tongues and native languages about the
marvels God has accomplished.

In the gospel account, we are then given a passage of one of
the resurrection appearances of Jesus to His apostles.  In this
account for the feast of Pentecost, we read that “though the
disciples had locked the doors of the place where they were
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood before them…[and
said] Peace be with you”. At the sight of Jesus, the disciples
rejoiced.  And then Jesus “breathed on them and said: ‘Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven
them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.’”

Devotion to the Holy Spirit was not popular during much of
the history of the Catholic Church.  However, the devotion to
Him became more prominent as a charismatic renewal movement
swept the Catholic Church in the middle of the twentieth
century.  The second ecumenical Vatican Council, under the
leadership of Pope John XXIII had the Holy Spirit much in
mind in the renewal of the Church according to the “signs of
the times” - the present situation of the world.  But even
before this Council was convened, many Catholics around the
world were already participating in the charismatic renewal
movement - a movement inspired very much by the Holy Spirit.
Through this movement, those who formerly were lukewarm in
their practice of the faith, suddenly became ardent in their
Christian life and much inspired to prayer and community
worship because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their
life and among their friends, family and loved ones. Many
were converted also because of this charismatic movements.

The feast of Pentecost can help us to reflect on the many
gifts the Holy Spirit gives us.  We receive these gifts
through the sacrament of baptism and confirmation and also
through our regular attendance of the Mass and practice of
the sacrament of reconciliation.  The gifts of wisdom,
knowledge, counsel, understanding, piety, courage or
fortitude, and fear of the Lord are given to us as
individuals so that we may do the Lord’s will and serve
our brothers and sisters in Christ. Through the Holy
Spirit, we are able to pray well and practice the virtues
of strength, justice, prudence and temperance.  Not only
this, by our docility to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and
our attentiveness to the Word of God and reception of
His Sacrament, we shall bear spiritual fruits: joy, peace,
faith, charity, goodness, kindness, patience, generosity,
chastity, modesty, gentleness, and self-control.  And as
a community, some of us may be gifted with the Holy Spirit
to teach, to preach, to heal, to give words of wisdom,
to counsel and to be instruments of God’s miracles to
others.

We receive so much from God through the Holy Spirit that
we are called to be really thankful and grateful for all
God’s goodness, mercy and kindness.  Pentecost is a time
for us to thank God for the gift of prayer, for the gift
of community through our loved ones and through our
co-workers, and most especially for the gift of the Church
- from whom we are nourished daily or every Sunday with
the Body and Blood of Christ - a sacrament that strengthens
us to do God’s will, obey the Church, and serve our brothers
and sisters in Christ.  Let us praise and thank God always
for the gift of Himself through His Most Holy Spirit.

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“And know that I am with you always, until the end of the
world!”

The solemnity of the Ascension reminds us of the power of God
- how the Father glorified His Son Jesus and seated Him at
His right hand.  In the scriptures, we read of the Ascension
of Jesus in the Acts of the Apostles. In the passage, we find
Jesus promising them the power of the Holy Spirit so that they
can preach the Kingdom and be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in
all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. This
same message of Jesus is found also in the gospel of Matthew.
Matthew records the disciples making their way to Galilee, to
the mountain Jesus had summoned them.  It was here that Jesus
expressed that the Father had given Him full authority both
in heaven and on earth and thus commands His apostles to make
disciples of all nations: baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  And with the
promise of the Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus confirms also His
promise that He will be with the apostles always, [and with
the Church], until the end of the world!

After the feelings of discouragement, sadness, and fear which
the apostles and the disciples experienced with the death of
Jesus on the Cross on Good Friday, the experience of His
resurrection, ascension and the promise of the Spirit at
Pentecost gives them a renewed hope and an encouraging message.
With the Spirit not yet descending upon them, the apostles and
the disciples were still fearful for the Jewish authorities.
This is but a normal reaction since it was the Jewish religious
authorities and the Roman authorities that were responsible
for the execution and death of their Master.  However, there
was a turning point in their life as followers of Jesus when
they discovered their Master rise to life once more and then
ascend into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.
What before was darkness within their minds and hearts, has
turned into a flicker of strong hope by the Risen presence
of their Master amidst them.  By the time the Spirit descends
upon them in tongues of fire, they will be strong in their
witnessing to the great love of God personified in His Son,
Jesus.

Jesus as the Risen Lord and the Resurrected Master, is a
genuine inspiration for all of us who look to Him as the
source of hope and encouragement.  Knowing what He suffered:
the agony in the Garden, the scourging at the pillar, the
crowning with thorns, the carrying of the Cross, and the
Crucifixion - we feel a great awe at the fortitude, courage
and strength He showed by going through all these.  But
since Jesus had great faith in the Father, He suffered all
of these for love of us, so that we may learn to hope also
in the Father despite the sufferings and losses we have
experienced in life.  If we always focus on Christ, and
learn to place all our hope and trust in Him, despite all
the negative circumstances we may be faced with, and
even though discouraging news may swamp our family and
the places where we work, we will sense a peace and a
serenity that only God can give because we have placed
all our trust and confidence in Him.  Let us also pray
to the Holy Spirit, that He may come upon us and our loved
ones, so that we may be always encouraged to do the good
we are called to do, and never to give up, for we are
assured like Jesus, of the glory promised by the Father,
when we never give up our faith in Him.

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“I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back to you.”

The gospel for this 6th Sunday of Easter, Year A, is taken
from the gospel of John.  In the gospel, Jesus speaks about
His impending Ascension into heaven.  However, He assures
the apostles and his community of disciples that He will ask
the Father to send another Paraclete to be with them always:
the Spirit of truth.  He tells them that although the world
will not see Him no more, the apostles should not feel
orphaned by His departure.  This is because the Spirit whom
the Father will send will remain with them and will be within
them.  They will recognize that it is indeed the Spirit of
truth who will be with them, because the spirit of love shall
govern their minds and their hearts, and make them one family
in Christ.

This gospel prepares us for the Feast of the Ascension of
the Lord and for the Feast of Pentecost on May 11, 2008. In
some local churches, Ascension is celebrated on a Thursday
while the 7th Sunday of Easter is celebrated after it. In
other local churches, Ascension is celebrated on a Sunday
instead of the 7th Sunday of Easter.  The reason why some
local churches celebrate Ascension on a Sunday is because
their faithful often cannot go to Mass on a weekday.  And
so it is celebrated on a Sunday.  Whatever the local practice
of the church, what is really intended by these feasts is
the victory of Christ over sin, corruption, and death, and
the promise of God’s Holy Spirit to found His Church on
earth.

The season of Easter is a very important liturgical season
in the Church.  It teaches us the very essence of our
Christian faith: that Christ died for us and rose again so
that we may share in the victory of His resurrection. What
we hold in faith is that, as we learn to be faithful in
our following of Jesus and obey His commandment of love,
we too shall share in His glorious resurrection. But before
we do share in the glory of His victory, we must be aware
that we have to share in the pain of His suffering and
death on the Cross. 

As we go through life with all its troubles, sufferings,
pain and problems, we die to ourselves daily as we offer
everything that we do good to the Lord - despite the pain
and the struggles.  We may fall at times and err in certain
areas of what we are and do, but if we keep faith in the
victory of Christ, we shall share in His triumph over sin
and death.  So, what is important is to pray that we may
be given the strength to conquer our sinful selves and have
faith that even despite our failings, Christ will assure
us of His victory; and that He will never leave us.  He
will not leave us orphaned.  Rather, He promises the Spirit,
so that we will do His will and obey His commandment of
love for God, for our neighbor and for ourselves.

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Readings http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic/lectionary/3rd-sunday-easter-a.html

“With that their eyes were opened and they recognized
him…”

From the gospel of Luke, we find two disciples making
their way to Emmaus, seven miles distant from Jerusalem.
On the way, they were recounting what had happened to
Jesus in Jerusalem.  Their hopes were dashed when Jesus
was crucified and put to death, because they had hoped
He was the One to set Israel free.  So, as they went
along in their lively exchange, Jesus suddenly approached
them and went along with them. They did not recognize
that it was Jesus. Jesus asked them what they were
discussing and the two disciples were surprised and
said: “Are you the only resident of Jerusalem who does
not know what had transpired there these past few days?”
As the three went along, Jesus began to explain to the
two that the Scripture reveals that the Messiah was to
suffer and die and then rise again. Because of this
knowledge of Jesus, the two disciples pressed Jesus to
stay with them since it is nearly evening. As they all
seated for a meal and Jesus took the bread, pronounced
a blessing, broke the bread and distributed it, the
two disciples suddenly recognized that it was Jesus
who was with them. But Jesus suddenly vanished from
their sight afterwards.

The gospel of Luke tells us that one of these two
disciples of Jesus was Cleopas.  The other’s name was
not mentioned.  When the two recognized Jesus in the
breaking of the bread, then these two disciples may
have also been present on the many occasions that
Jesus blessed, broke and gave the bread to people.
These occasions were the multiplication of the loaves
and the event of the Last Supper.  There must have
been something distinctive in the way that Jesus took
the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to all
who would consume it.  So even if Jesus now appears
in His glorified form as the Risen Saviour, they
still recognize His very style of taking, blessing,
breaking, and giving the bread.  The disciples also
said “Were not our hearts burning inside us as he
talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures
to us?” The very Spirit of Jesus, in His word, and
in His actions, made such a great impact on His
apostles and disciples, that they can never forget
how His words and actions in the breaking of the
bread was so life-giving - imparting a Spirit that
inspires, enkindles charity, encourages, consoles,
and strengthens.

As we go on in our Easter journey, let us make more
precious our moments in prayer as we celebrate the
Eucharist.  If before, we were not as attentive to
the liturgical actions that are performed during the
whole celebration, let us this time channel our sight
to focus on the Word and the Eucharistic actions
during the consecration of the bread and wine. Let
us be more attentive to the presence of Christ in
those Eucharistic actions so that as we come into
communion with Him in consuming the bread, we shall
receive His life-giving Word and Sacrament.  We can
receive His life more and more, if we are faithful
to the very spirit that He has shown us by example:
a spirit of self-sacrifice, self-gift, life-giving
actions of service and charity, and a humble attitude
that truly pleases God as Father.