Becoming What We Receive

“He said to them, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’… They all ate and were satisfied.” (Luke 9)

Jesus didn’t come to simply be someone we follow or someone to honor, as if he were separate from us. He came to be us so that we might become him in the world.

Jesus said to the disciples and to us today, “give them something to eat yourselves.” He is saying to us that we are the broken bread and poured out wine for the world.

When we receive the body and blood of Christ in Mass we, too often, end it there. The body and blood of Christ in the bread and wine at Mass was never intended to end with us simply doing our Catholic duty.

Receiving Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist is the way we remind ourselves that we are members of Christ’s body. And as part of Christ’s body we are “sent forth”, or dis-missed (the actual meaning of the word, Mass) from church to go out and feed the world with the sustenance we have received.

We are not fed with the bread from heaven for ourselves alone. You and I are the ones Jesus sends forth into a hurting and hungry and dying world to bring the very life of Christ to them.

Remember, we’ve been given such a great resource; the very Spirit of God! The same power that changes the lowly bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is in you and me! It is this Spirit, so intertwined with our spirit as to be indistinguishable; this Spirit empowers us to be the body of Christ in the context of our lives.

What is one way Jesus might be calling you to “feed them yourselves” today?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us your body and blood at every Mass. Help us to not simply receive it for ourselves alone but, as we are satisfied with the sustenance of heaven, let us go forth into our world and feed the hungry in whatever way you would call us.

Amen