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The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you."
What a great plan. How does Jesus give us his Flesh to eat? By tearing off a piece of unleavened bread. What a nifty idea! Of course, the Pharisees and scribes never imagined for a moment such a bloodless delivery of such a precious parcel. But then again, they had other things in mind, liking putting him to death on a cross.
Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of man and drink His Blood, you do not have life within you.
We have a problem, and it's a big problem: humans can't live forever. We have the heart and brains for eternal life, but we don't have the right stuff to achieve it. The Lord supplies it all: His humanity and divinity - His body, blood, soul and divinity.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
Since my very first communion, I have always understood how the Lord delivered His Flesh and Blood. I never thought the Eucharist was just a symbol or a representation of His Body and Blood. But for the longest time I never quite understood why the Lord delivered them in the first place. Why is the Eucharist so important?
Then one day, while I was driving, I heard on tape a talk given by Dr. Scott Hahn on the Eucharist. It blew my mind away. His very simple explanation of the Eucharist was what I needed to hear. The Eucharist allows us to truly be blood brothers and sisters of the Lord, which means we share a common Father (God) and a common mother (Mary).
God really is my Father, not just my adopted Father; and I am really His son, not just His adopted son. I can truly call God my Father, for so indeed He is.
Scandal of faith. Not everyone accepted this (The Eucharist). And throughout Christian history, many Protestant denominations have turned away from it. But it is surprising who did accept it: Satanists.
"Then Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve" (Lk 22:3).
After the Lord's discourse on the Eucharist, we read: "The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him" (Jn. 6:64).
Satan loves to turn love on its head. A kiss, rather than being a sign of affection, became the sign for betrayal; the Eucharist, rather than being a sign of unity and thanksgiving, became the sign of division and the last straw.
Recently, a student association affiliated with Harvard University invited a Satanic group (The Satanic Temple) to celebrate a "Black Mass" for them. The Harvard Extension School claims their purpose is strictly educational, not religious; and truth be said, this "satanic" group is not made up of Satanists but rather atheists.
Regardless, the student association is pleading the First, and that free speech gives them the right to mock and insult Catholics and their beliefs. I await to see if this student organization invites other hate groups as well, for "educational" purposes, that is. I doubt it. For satanists, as well as far too many atheists, tend to mock not only Catholics, but truth and freedom as well.
Let us pray in the words Peter gave to us: "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God" (Jn 6:69).
Of Graveyards and Wiccans. Having grown up in CT among the ivy school elite, this stuff is everywhere. Harvard's upcoming "Black Mass" is all sensationalism in my humble opinion. I had "friends" that used to do this stuff at graveyards in Wesleyan and MIT in the 80s. How blase. I believe the late Professor Mary Daly, a long time professor at Boston College (my spouse's alma mater), was a self-proclaimed radical lesbian feminist and witch. I think BC beat Harvard to it when it comes to the shock value of this.
ReplyDeleteIt's what inside that counts. I have never worried about those that try to mock the Church from outside. The satanists, the atheists, the so-called intellectuals have thought so much, they've missed the "obvious". Sometimes, Father, you can actually go to deep! What is obvious -- their Heavenly Father loves them so much, no matter what they do. He loves them so much He died for them. It's the old - "it was right in front of you the whole time" (well, only if we evangelize it is). What is far more scary is those that attempt to destroy the church from within. Check out Rhonda Chevrin's Ungodly Rage. It was so prevalent in the 70s, 80s and early 90s. I do think the key to the new evangelization is the faithfulness of the clerly. They must by word and deed lead us back to the one Truth. That way, the faithful are really faithful and are not trying to tear down the church from the inside.
Maybe we should thank them. When I heard about the Black Mass a couple of days ago while bustling kids around town, I prayed hard for these young people. How sad it is that these very smart kids are using their intellectual gifts for such utter nonsense. They should be living the life that they were meant to live--the life that God is calling them to live. (they may not be picking up the phone but are we providing the dial tone?) But as I reflected further, seems as if their mockery actually is giving credence to how important the mass is--how essential the Eucharist is to our very existence. Maybe, just maybe, through seeing this mockery of the sacred, we as Catholics can come to appreciate the divine.
Apologies for the typo, it should be Rhonda Chervin!
ReplyDeleteGood insights, thank you. However, Ungodly Rage was written by Donna Steichen,not Rhonda Chervin, another thoughtful, Catholic writer.
ReplyDeleteYou are, of course, absolutely correct. I don't know why i miscited Rhonda. My apologies. Too many things to read -- to little time. Today, the little ones at our school/church received their First Communion -- angels dressed in white greeting our Lord in the most Holy Eucharist for the first time. What a stark contrast to the garbage going on in Boston!
DeleteSorry, I have to disagree with you about this Black Mass as mere "sensationalism." That's exactly what the Devil wants is for society to go into an apathetic, blind slumber and dismiss it as some silly game of exploration, harmless fun, who really cares anyways, right?!
ReplyDeleteThe desecration of our Lord in this sacrilegious act is in no way comparable to some frustrated lesbian witch at BC. Yes, God loves all His children, however, when we choose to push Him away, defile Him and deny Him, we will be culpable come Judgement day. You would think Catholics at Harvard and throughout Boston would rush to the defense and protection of our Lord. If it were a Confederate flag being waved, a gay student bullied, a Nazi themed play or an Islamic parody being performed at Memorial Hall Monday evening, there would be protests and loud cries of injustice from the student body, the Administration and the media.
We absolutely should NOT "thank" these naive students for the evil they are calling down upon this University, rather we should pray for the conversion of their souls.
Anonymous:
DeleteWith all respect, I think you missed my point entirely in the last paragraph "Maybe we should thank them." This nonsense in Boston is actually having a polarizing effect and rallying a public outcry in favor of the sacredness of the Eucharist. I believe even lukewarm Catholics know this is wrong. After daily mass today, I had a coffee outside Starbucks. There was a pentagram etched on the table. We moved. The atheists are helping us to see how special and sacred the mass is -- that we don't want it to be perverted. They may actually be bringing people to the Lord! That's why I said "Maybe we should thank them."
Reread Fr. Alfonse's original post:
Scandal of faith. Not everyone accepted this (The Eucharist). And throughout Christian history, many Protestant denominations have turned away from it. But it is surprising who did accept it: Satanists.
Do you know every Sunday I watch kids check text messages on their phones and adults and kids casually chew gum as they are in the communion line? It makes me so sad. Maybe, just maybe, this event can help Catholics rally and understand what the Eucharist really is. From a media standpoint, it has given Catholics a platform to explain the truth. I join you in praying for the conversion of souls -- in Boston and right here in our own churches :)