MEMORIES, RELICS … DO THEY REPLACE PRESENCE?

I still treasure my dear Dad’s pipe, he used to enjoy smoking; I still treasure his favourite books and some drawings he used to make. My Dad was chief draughtsman with the Admiralty. Though, as I said, I still treasure these objects, nothwithstanding that he was called by the Risen Lord fifty-five years ago. Yet what I treasure mostly of all are his advices, his morning call for Mass, his tips on life, my upright character is all due to dad, besides many many other forget-me-nots.

Coming to think of it, those are all relics and priceless advices. Have we ever thought that Christ has not left any relics behind Him, though His Shroud (according to Pope Paul VI) is the greatest relic the Church owns. But, it’s still a relic, besides the Cross, which according to Tradition was found by St.Helen. Yet, Christ did something which no man could do, or can ever do; He remained with us, Body and Blood, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. That is much better than a photo, or a scroll He used to read from, or, a carpenter’s tool, He used in His father’s worksop. HE remained with us not only to talk to Him, to keep Him company, but, especially as a source of nourishment.

When we receive His Body and Blood, the Sacred Host, we will be partaking of His Divine nature, and we will be declaring that we want to be changed into His nature, thereby we must behave just as Christ did when he was on earth. We have to love everyone, we have to be merciful, we have to lend a helping hand to the community. We have to keep this in mind, otherwise, in Paul’s words: ‘We will be signing our condemnation”. This is no joke, receiving Holy Communion can’t be taken lightly. It is a great privilege, once we receive it with devotion, and let His Divine Nature change us completely.

The Eucharist makes us conscious of our responsibility towards our community; the hunger for justice, the hunger for bread, the hunger for love, the hunger for reconciliation and mostly … the hunger for God. Then will the promise made by Christ be fulfilled: “So they who eat my Body and Blood, will live for ever. Your ancestor’s ate manna in the wilderness and are dead. Whoever eats of this bread live for ever.” But going back to Paul, we have to be on the look-out that the we will not turn Body and Blood of Jesus, into poison for us. We have to be very careful that whilst we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, we have to steer away from hatred of our brothers and sisters, we have to behave just as Christ had behaved, even with His enemies; the Pharisees, the Sadducees the Scribes, the priests and the Jewish throng.

This can only come about with the frequent and worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist. The reception of the Holy Eucharist should be looked upon as a privilege, a feast (Isaiah), a chance to change our life. Was it not Francis of Assisi who preferred to remain a Deacon, as he did not deem himself worthy to bring Christ alive on the altar. And to do that he must ordain as priest, That’s the stuff Saints are made of… and God looked upon his lowliness (Magnificat).

In fact it is Feast, it is a Banquet, and no one in his senses goes to a banquet, to a feast, to a dinner without partaking of the drinks and food offered … I consider it an offence, bad manners, lack of etiquette. So how can we go to participate in the Sacrifce of the Mass, in the Lord’s Banquet, without receving, accepting the ‘Bread of Life’. It is so much a Feast that even the Celebrant ‘welcomes’ the participants, we give the sign of Peace to each other. Even Paul tells us to welcome each other (Cor.) Who has never realised that the Sacrifice of the Mass is a FEAST, must be missing much, rather everything.

Jesus multiplied the bread and the fishes. Remember that the fish, Ichthus, has become a symbol of Christ. Ichthus is an acrostic for "Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr, which translates into English as "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour".