Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - August 15, 2024
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from you.”
From the writings of St. Paul it's clear that the first Christians celebrated the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, in the course of a daily meal. The Jewish predecessor of our Eucharist, the Passover Meal, was (and still is) celebrated in the context of a meal. Eventually it became necessary to separate the Eucharist from a regular dinner because some had too much good food which embarrassed poorer members, and others drank too much. Such disparities pointed more to division than to the unity celebrated in the Lord's Supper. Coming together at the altar should strengthen our unity, bring us into union not only with God through Christ, but with each other in the body of Christ.
All our tendencies to judge others harshly, to envy, to consider them inferior to ourselves, all of these that we might bring to the Eucharist are opposed to its meaning. Hence, we begin the Lord's Supper asking forgiveness for our sins. Every time we come we are beginning again in the constant struggle to live up to the unifying love of a genuine Christian. The unity of the Eucharist is not some lockstep uniformity but a willingness to respect and honor others who might differ with us matters but agree with us in finding the meaning of life in Christ.
Before we come together for communion we again remind ourselves that our unity with God has to be accompanied by good will towards others. We do this by exchanging the sign of peace. And immediately before we receive the bread and wine we take on our own lips the words of the centurion: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter my house. Just give the order and my servant will be cured” (Luke 7:1-10).
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
