Villa La Paz Newsletter June 2023
Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord’s supper, in Christianity, is a ritual commeration of Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples. The Eucharist (from the Greek eucharistia for “thanksgiving”) is the central act of Christian worship.
Encyclopedia Britannica
On the cross, Jesus has shown us how far God’s love goes. It’s a love that embraces even those who crucified Him. When Jesus is hanging nailed to the cross, totally broken and stripped of everything, He still prays for His executioners. “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” Jesus’ love for His enemies knows no bounds. He prays even for those who are putting Him to death. It is this, the enemy-loving God, that is offered to us in the Eucharist. To forgive our enemies does not lie within our power. That is a divine gift. That is why it is so important to make the Eucharist the heart and center of your life. It is there that you receive the love that empowers you to take the way that Jesus has taken before you: a narrow way, a painful way, but the way that gives you true joy and peace and enables you to make the non-violent love of God visible in this world.
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Every day He humbles Himself just as He did when He came from His heavenly throne into the Virgin’s womb; every day He comes to us and lets us see Him in lowliness, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar.
St. Francis of Assisi
The Eucharist is the supreme example of the humility of God. He who is capable of forming galaxies and stars, He who cannot be contained in a finite universe comes to us physically under the accidents of bread and wine. Many theologians, especially Franciscan theologians, do not believe that the Incarnation was due to man’s sinfulness, that God the Father demanded retributive justice for man’s sins through the death of His Son. Many believe that God so loved the world that He wanted to be one with it, to experience with His children the travails of human existence, and to leave Himself tangibly with them in the Eucharist. Having physical attributes He could continue to partake in the lives of His children through His real presence in the Eucharist. By giving Himself in the Eucharist He enjoins us to become Eucharist to each other, to give ourselves totally for the wellbeing of others, a task which would be impossible without us partaking of His body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist. What a different world this would be if the full implications of the Eucharist were realized and adhered to. The love of God and each other would permeate our existence. We would experience the indwelling God in ourselves and others and this would make us one.
Divisions would disappear and compassion would reign. In the current state of affairs with ethnic opprobrium and raging wars it is hard to imagine a world of mutual trust and harmony, a world filled with goodness and love, but we must imagine it, hope for it, and make it a reality. This is another example of God’s humility. He depends on us to change the world, to care for each other, to see Him and love Him in each other. Through His gift to us of free will He cannot impose His desires on us. We have to make the world a better place by willing it so.
Lord, open our eyes that we may see You in our brothers and sisters. Lord, open our ears that we may hear You in the cries of the hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed. Lord, open our hearts that we may love each other as You love us. Renew in us your spirit. Lord, free us and make us one.
Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Our children and the children of the world are given to us as eucharist. They are given to us as gifts to cherish and nurture and is so doing we become eucharist to them. This mutual giving of each other, of dying to ourselves for another, will bring about the peace and harmony we so desire.
We are sincerely grateful for your support of our children and the children of the world. We love you and wish you God’s peace. Please remember us in your prayers.
