CELEBRATING THE EUCHARIST WITH GAIN


SATURDAY, TWENTY FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

1 Cor 15:35-37,42-49; Ps 56:10-14; Lk 8:4-15

Making Profit from the Gospel

Our Eucharistic celebration, which we understand as a ritual presentation of the Gospel of salvation, mediates the coming together of the Gospel as revealed divine truth and our human life on earth. The revealed truth, the Gospel, is spiritual life; our human life on earth is death because of the corruption of sin. The Eucharistic liturgy provides the occasion for the mingling of the two, so that life will gradually swallow death, and light will chase away darkness. The Eucharistic celebration is comparable to a seed nursery where the seed of the Gospel is first sown and nurtured in us in a controlled spiritual ambiance before we carry it to our different life situations. In the Eucharistic liturgy, we are supercharged with divine grace conducive to the growth of spiritual life. The liturgical ambiance, replete with divine words, gestures, sacramental signs, and symbols, captures our minds and hearts, lifting them to God’s presence for spiritual birth or rebirth. Spiritual life is the ability to present to God. The Eucharistic liturgy, therefore, helps us to live always in God’s presence. The psalmist clearly expresses this: “I am bound by the vows I have made you. O God, I will offer you praise for you have rescued my soul from death, you kept my feet from stumbling that I may walk in the presence of God and enjoy the light of the living.”

The celebration of the Eucharist delivers us from sin and evil by helping us to fulfil our baptismal vows. As the sign of the cross signifies our willingness to carry our crosses and follow Christ to death, the invocation of the Triune God infuses spiritual life into us. Saint Paul explains that what we sow or commit to death is our mortal body, the origin of our sinful lives; but what rises is spiritual life, giving us access to God’s presence. “It is the same with the resurrection of the dead: the thing that is sown is perishable but what is raised is imperishable; the thing that is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; the thing that is sown is weak but what is raised is powerful; when it is sown it embodies the soul, when it is raised it embodies the spirit.” Therefore, good participation in the Eucharistic celebration ought to enrich our spiritual life, so that we become more aware of God’s presence within and about us. Because the embodiment of the spirit is different from that of the soul, according to Paul, we must not judge our spiritual life by any earthly standard or configuration of earthly things. “And we, who have been modelled on the earthly man, will be modelled on the heavenly man.” Our celebration of the Eucharist models us on the heavenly man, Jesus Christ our Lord. Hence, we must judge our spiritual life on what belongs to Jesus Christ in us.

The prior feature of the life of the Son of Man is attention to God the Father and continuous willingness to do his will. Recall that this spiritual quality of attention is why he called his disciples ‘Bridegroom attendants.’ Hence, our attention at the Eucharistic celebration determines whether we are bridegroom attendants or among the three parties: the Pharisees and scribes, disciples of John the Baptist, or mere passers-by. Our Lord’s parable of the Sower explains these different groups. “This, then, is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on their way they are choked by worries and riches and pleasures of life and do not reach maturity.” Our Lord enlightens us here on why our frequent communion bears no spiritual fruit. We must give our time, mind, and heart generously to God. “As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.” Let us give ourselves generously to the Lord in the Eucharist and take him to our different homes to bear heavenly fruits.

Let us pray: Look upon us, O God, Creator and ruler of all things, and, that we may feel the working of your mercy, grant that we may serve you with all our heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.          

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