She enters the church and sits in her usual place. She mouths the
words of the prayers and hymns, but her thoughts are of her daughter.
How can she make her realize that she is making a big mistake that she
is heading down a road that will lead to pain, anguish and regrets? At the
appointed time the woman makes her way from her place up the altar to
receive the Eucharist–the sacrament of Christ the loving Brother who
says to her, “Just be there for your daughter as I am here for you”.
Right now, he doesn’t want to be in the church or any church. His
heart is filled with anger–anger at the disease slowly taking his wife
away form him, anger at God for letting it happen to her. He files up to
the communion station and takes in his hand the bread of the Eucharist–
the sacrament of Christ the Healer who says to him, “Don’t look for me
in the disease. I am not in death. I am with you in the loving kindness
and support of your family and friends who reach out to you and your
family. And I will be there to take your beloved’s hand when you must
let her go”.
They are sports celebrities and politicians, bankers and high-
powered lawyers. They come every Sunday to the altar and receive the
Eucharist–the sacrament of Christ the humble Redeemer who says to
them, “As I have become bread for you, you must become bread for
others; as I have been lifted up for your sake, you must lift others up”.
They are the poor, the forgotten, the troubled, the sick, and the
rejected. They come to the table and extend their hands to receive the
Eucharist–the sacrament of Christ who welcomed tax collectors and
prostitutes into his presence and now welcomes them too, “Come
blessed ones, to the feast of my Father, it is good that you are here; You
are always welcome here”!
The Eucharist demands more than the opening of our hands to take
and our mouths to consume; it demands more that we open our hearts
and spirits as well so that we may become what we receive. The AMEN!
We say when we take this bread and wine is our assent to the Holy One
who gives us himself in this sacrament–a gift that is given to us to give
to others.
An old monk prayed many years for a vision from God to
strengthen his faith, but it never came. He had almost given up hope
when, one day, a vision appeared. The old monk was overjoyed. But
then, right in the middle of the vision, the monastery bell rang. The
ringing of the bell meant it was time to feed the poor who gathered daily
at the monastery gate, and it was the old monk’s turn to feed them. If he
failed to show up with food, the poor people would leave quietly,
thinking the monastery had nothing to give them that day.
The old monk was torn between his earthly duty and his heavenly
vision. However, before the bell stopped tolling, the monk made his
decision. With a heavy heart, he turned his back on the vision and went
off to feed the poor. Nearly an hour later, the old monk returned to his
room. When he opened the door, he could hardily believe his eyes.
There in the room was the vision waiting for him. As the monk dropped
to his knees in thanksgiving, the vision said to him, “My son, had you
not gone off to feed the poor, I would not have stayed”.
I close with a 2-part challenge:
1. To become what we receive.
2. To Always Remember: The Mass never ends it must be lived.
Archive for the ‘18th Sunday’ Category
A Sunday Eucharist 8-4-2024
Thursday, August 1st, 2024A Family Business in the Best Sense 7-31-2022
Saturday, July 30th, 2022This time of year, kids set up lemonade stands to make some extra
packet money. But nine-year-old Tristan Jacobsen is not your typical
summertime entrepreneur. He set up his stand to earn money for
something special: his adoption.
Tristan was abandoned when he was four by his birth mother,
whose life was a nightmare of drugs and sexual encounters with
strangers – often while Tristan was in the room. As a result, the nine-
year-old is coping with a number of emotional issues, including attention
deficit disorder and depression.
Donnie Davis and her husband have been caring for Tristan for the
past five years and want to legally adopt Tristan, but the legal fees, close
to $10,000, are prohibitively high.
So, wanting to help, Tristan began selling lemonade one weekend
in April.
And he sold a lot of lemonade. His stand attracted hundreds of
thirsty – and generous – customers when word spread of the third-
grader’s enterprise. The stand raised closed to $7,000; an online fund-
raiser brought in another $9,000.
Prior to the opening of Tristan’s stand, the Davis family had done
everything to save money for the adoption: cancelling a summer
vacation and getting cheaper cell phone and internet service. Donnie
even stopped getting her hair and nails done.
Donnie maintains that whether legally adopted or not, Tristan “is
absolutely our son. He is in our hearts…(the adoption) is more for
reassurance for him, knowing that he has his forever family and he has
our name”.
And the experience helped the struggling nine-year-old to see that
there are good people in the world.
The adoption should be finalized the end of the year.
Tristan’s lemonade stand should make all of us realize that the
most important and valuable things in our lives do not have price tags;
they are not stored in our all-ready bulging closets and stuffed attics and
basements. The real treasure of life is the selfless and affirming love
that is and of God, love that creates and embraces, affirms and consoles,
enriches and lifts up. The fullness of life is to seek that unique, simple
but profound love that is centered in gratitude to its Author and then
working to share that love with those with whom we are privileged to
journey through this life with.
A Sunday Eucharist 8-1-2021
Sunday, August 1st, 2021She enters the church and sits in her usual place. She mouths the
words of the prayers and hymns, but her thoughts are of her daughter.
How can she make her realize that she is making a big mistake that she
is heading down a road that will lead to pain, anguish and regrets? At the
appointed time the woman makes her way from her place up the altar to
receive the Eucharist–the sacrament of Christ the loving Brother who
says to her, “Just be there for your daughter as I am here for you”.
Right now he doesn’t want to be in the church or any church. His
heart is filled with anger–anger at the disease slowly taking his wife
away form him, anger at God for letting it happen to her. He files up to
the communion station and takes in his hand the bread of the Eucharist–
the sacrament of Christ the Healer who says to him, “Don’t look for me
in the disease. I am not in death. I am with you in the loving kindness
and support of your family and friends who reach out to you and your
family. And I will be there to take your beloved’s hand when you must
let her go” They are sports celebrities They are sports celebrities and politicians, bankers and high-
powered lawyers. They come every Sunday to the altar and receive the
Eucharist–the sacrament of Christ the humble Redeemer who says to
them, “As I have become bread for you, you must become bread for
others; as I have been lifted up for your sake, you must lift others up”.
They are the poor, the forgotten, the troubled, the sick, and the
rejected. They come to the table and extend their hands to receive the
Eucharist–the sacrament of Christ who welcomed tax collectors and
prostitutes into his presence and now welcomes them too, “Come
blessed ones, to the feast of my Father, It is good that you are here; Your
are always welcome here”!
The Eucharist demands more than the opening of our hands to take
and our mouths to consume; it demands more that we open our hearts
and spirits as well so that we may become what we receive. The AMEN!
We say when we take this bread and wine is our assent to the Holy One
who gives us himself in this sacrament–a gift that is given to us to give
to others.
