Our readings for today speak to us of righteousness and brutality, understanding and misunderstanding, justification and vindictiveness. We are also instructed about divine mercy. In Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, he reiterates that there is one true God and that there is no distinction among believers. God belongs to no one in particular, nor are there “God’s favorites”. We all have sinned, and no one is worthy to share in the glory of God. Saint Paul continues to clarify, though, that through the divine mercy of God and the redemptive powers of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the faithful are repeatedly pardoned for their many flaws and failings. We are indeed invited to share in the heavenly banquet every time we participate in a Eucharistic celebration, as we await our arrival at our final celestial home.

Saint Peter Julian Eymard struggled with those in power concerning the “who” and “when” topic of receiving and sharing the Eucharist. The norm was for few to receive, and many were denied the partaking of the Body and Blood of the Risen Christ. He wrote: “[It is important] to receive [communion]; the more demanding your life is, the more you need to receive. We approach the sacrament, not because we are saints, but to become holy. The harder the soul has to work, the more it must eat.” (Lauréat Saint-Pierre SSS, 1968.)

When we refrain from focusing on the shortcomings of others and humbly acknowledge our own many imperfections to our gracious and merciful God, we begin to understand the message that Jesus consistently discloses in the Bible: We are forgiven, we are blessed, and our God loves us. May we remember – and be grateful for this truth every time we consume the Body and Blood of our Lord, confident that we do become what we receive.

Prayer

We entreat your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that as you feed us with the nourishment which comes from the most holy Body and Blood of your Son, so you may make us sharers of his divine nature. (from today’s Prayer after Communion)