Holy Thursday Reflection - Do This in Memory of Me

And so it starts.  The three holiest days of our year.  Tonight, we remember the institution of the Eucharist during which our Savior says to us all, "Do this in memory of me".  Of course He means the Eucharist, but doesn't He also mean the rest of it?

The first thing He did was wash the feet of the Twelve.  He does so much in that one act.  He the Teacher and Master becomes the servant.  We are all called to be servants, especially when we are called to lead, we are called to be servants.  He also purifies the Twelve and so are we called to work for the salvation of those around us.  He shows us that we can best do this in humility and through service.  He also washes the feet of Judas, the betrayer.  We are called to love not only those who are our friends but especially those who hate us and who hurt us.

He then gives us the gift of being eternally with us.  By that gift He pledges to stay by us and strengthen us.  He gives us His life.  We then have to be willing to give Him ours.  We are to feed the world with our lives.  Feed them spiritually and bodily.  The life lived to the other is the only true life.  It is a life of Love.  God is Love.  He gives us a new commandment, Love one another as I have loved you.  How did he love us?  He died for us, He gave His very body for us, He suffered for us.  We are called to do the same.  We may not be called to die for anyone or for God, but we still have to die to ourselves.  We can't just do it once, we have to do it day by day, minute by minute.

What is it that I need to die to?  It changes all the time.  But like many people I have my struggles.  Facing my demons is one way I can die to myself.  It's will be painful.  It is already.  But I am strengthened by Him who died for me.  I only have to die to myself and for that I get everything.  Everything that matters because I get love, the Beloved.

This night He gave us all we ever needed.  He shows us how to live a righteous life full of all He has to give us.

Help me Oh Lord to remember this night everytime I receive You.  Remind me Oh Lord that to live with You, I have to die with You.  Grant me Oh Lord the grace I will need to deny myself and walk with You.

Blessed, broken,and shared

A friend mentioned that phrase to me on Saturday, that we are called by the Eucharist to be like Christ and so we are to be, Blessed, Broken, and Shared.  We are all these things but sometimes we are more one than another.  We don't have option to simply stay at blessed and we shouldn't skip to shared without being broken.

In the upcoming Year of Faith we are called to be shared.  While sharing how we are blessed might appeal to us, how we were broken and still had faith may be more powerful to the new evangelization.  How as someone who was broken we were also blessed is probably a better was to attract those who have strayed from the Church to come back.  They need to know that they too have a place in our church family and that we know their pain.

I am broken.  I am a recovering addict who whenever I think I have it all figured out I am reminded that I don't.  I have been clean for 15 years.  Jesus in that ime has become my friend, my savior, and my love.  Without Him I know that I wouldn't be as whole as I am.  Without the Church and it's Sacraments I don't think I could have survived.  As an addit I need Confession, without it shame builds up in my life and I am in danger of relapse.  God is truly my All in All.  Without being broken I wouldn't have known I needed God and in needing God I came to truly live.

Now that I have been Blessed and Broken I am obligated to Share.  I must share my time and talent but I must share also my reason for believing.  That at a time when I was at my lowest I knew He was there and when He knew I was ready he called my name, called me back.  He showed me His love and invited me to join His family.  Like the rest of the family I am imperfect but that just means we all fit in.  We all can enter the door of faith.