This Sunday we celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist.  We celebrate this event at every Mass and participate in the taking of the bread and the wine, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We celebrate the final sacrifice provided to us by our loving God, His only begotten son, who became our sacrificial lamb.  The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  Happy are those who are called to his supper.

In our first reading from 1 Corinthians Paul relates for us what he was taught at the last supper concerning the bread and the wine.  We recognize these words from Mass on Sunday when the priest holds up the bread and the wine and in the words of our Lord Jesus presents them to us and invites us to eat and drink.

In the Gospel according to John Jesus teaches us what it means to partake of the Holy Eucharist.  This is a very special food and drink that when you eat you will not hunger and when you drink you will not thirst.  The hunger and thirst are not of the physical variety that our human bodies repeatedly endure but rather the hunger and thirst of our souls for the goodness and righteousness of God.  “Real life” is not what we are experiencing as we are, but what we will become and we will become what we are destined to be by reliving the Last Supper and eating the bread and drinking the wine which are the body and blood of our Lord Jesus, given in sacrifice for us.  Our higher calling is to be like Jesus and to join Him and we cannot do that without accepting His sacrifice which will grant us the ability to transform.  Each time you eat the bread, each time you drink the cup you proclaim the death of the Lord, which means you acknowledge the sacrifice given freely for you and you accept the precious gifts offered to you and you celebrate Jesus overcoming death.  The Eucharist means little if you do not know that Jesus rose again, and that through His sacrifice we will rise again with Him.

The children will be able to tell you about special meals they share with family on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.  We can all recall the holiday meals we shared since childhood!  These meals were special because they brought people closer and love was the binding force across the table!

When we think of these special meals, some of which we have taken up preparing now that we are married and have children, we are overcome with a sense of love, and comfort.  The Eucharist is that very special holiday meal instituted by Jesus and carried on as a tradition throughout the family of man, the adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus.  As we celebrate that special meal, let us feel the love among us at the table and the comfort in our company as we realize the amazing reason and cause for our celebration!  Praise be to God!

The Psalm this week is Psalm 116:  I Will Take This Cup

MP3 Link   Lead Sheet Link

Have a blessed week!