20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
I urge you by the mercies of God to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. (Romans 4:1).
Saint Peter Julian Eymard speaks of self-giving – Jesus gives himself to us. We are to give ourselves to God as Jesus did on the Cross on Golgotha, the Place of the Skull in Hebrew. We must give ourselves to our neighbors, especially those poor, hungry, unemployed, ill, prisoners, immigrants, and marginal. Saint Peter Julian prepared poor children and adults, “rag pickers” in Paris, in the area of rue d’Enfer (Hell Street).
Vatican II in Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) states: Taking part in the eucharistic sacrifice, the source and summit of the Christian life, they offer the divine victim to God and themselves with it. (LG #11) The Eucharist and our spirituality following Jesus Christ and all the saints fill us with an unimaginable richness. The Scripture readings of this Sunday remind us of our communion with Jesus.
Let us pray
Father, renewed by the Eucharist from the heavenly table, we pray that being the food of charity may confirm our hearts and stir us to serve you in our neighbor. (Communion Prayer)
