Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ we hear of Jesus saying, “This is my Body…This is my blood.” Earlier, he said, “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. 54 Whoever eats[s] my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (John 6: 53-55). These and other parts of Scripture are very clear Jesus was not speaking symbolically or metaphorically.
The Lord has created us to be in union with one another and especially with Him. Look at how life was in Genesis before Adam and Eve sinned: God would come down from heaven each day to walk with Adam in the garden. Now that we lost that, the Lord knows that we still are created to be in union with Him. If He were only to give us a sign or symbol or representation it would leave us unfulfilled, distant and eventually empty. But because He loves us so much, he comes down from heaven at each Mass, transforming by the power of the Holy Spirit, bread and wine into His Body and Blood—allowing us to be made present at the Last Supper. He enters our bodies to restore that union with Him and to allow us to experience His love.
Please try to make time this week to see the movie, “Jesus Thirsts” in theaters just for a couple of days. There are showings at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Regal in Aliso Viejo and the Regal at the Irvine Spectrum. You can purchase tickets at https://jesusthirstsfilm.com
In Christ,
Bishop Tim Freyer
Comments