"In the Holy Eucharist, our Lord is not the master who commands; he is not the king who gives orders and whom we cannot resist without incurring penalty. He is a friend, the friend who loves us madly from all eternity; a friend who since our birth has never ceased pursuing us with his love, crying out: My child, my brother, give me your heart. He is a devoted friend who has extended his arms for long years without becoming discouraged by our indifference and our refusal; for all that, a friend who can expect nothing from us, from whom we hold everything, who still prepares us for gifts without number, so that finally he will introduce us into his Kingdom, give us a share in his glory and his eternity, allow us to sit by his side, open his heart to us, and unite us to himself so closely that, according to his own words, we become one with him, just as he and Heavenly Father are one.
Well, represent to yourself, or rather imagine that's what it is, because it is the reality; imagine that you are going to receive a friend with no equal in the world, from whom you have been separated for some forty years, by your own fault; imagine that you have had some wrongs against him which he has completely forgotten, that he is eager to receive you into his arms, to press you to his heart, to give himself to you, to unite you to himself in the closest way possible in this world, to renew with you the relationships of a hearty, eternal friendship."
- Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste, from Magnificat, August 2021
Wonderful! This is beautiful writing.
ReplyDeleteOur priest gave an excellent homily today in which he discussed what Paul says in Ephesians - "Be imitators of God, as beloved children..". He also discussed Christ's words "I am the Bread of Life". Leon our vicar asked us to consider children who are great imitators of those closest to them and said that Paul knew this and wanted the Ephesians (and us) to realise that God is closer to us than our parents are and therefore as easy to imitate if we will just open our hearts to His influence. Leon also included the Ten Commandments in the Communion service and said that these often appear threatening to us. He said that they could also be read as a promise. If we give ourselves to God and Christ we will *not* commit these sins because we cannot do so as "imitators of God"!
That is a wonderful illustration he used, Clare, isn't it? To remind us to be like children. Very wise.
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