“Being in the Presence of God” by Wayne Miller
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do." Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his." (Exodus 24:6-8)
(Jesus) entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, for this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:12-15)
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord; whoever eats this bread will live forever. (John 6:51)
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” (Mark 14:22-24)
Piety
Father God, thank you for always being with us. Give us Your eyes to see, your ears to hear, your heart to feel, and Your voice to speak Your Love to all our brothers and sisters.
Study
For millennia, we humans have depended on blood sacrifice for retribution and reparation of transgressions. We offered our children’s blood or our most prized animals’ blood, hoping that it would be proof to God of our need and worthiness to be in a relationship with Him, to be loved and protected by Him. And then God turned the tables and gave us Jesus’ Body and Blood as His visceral, everlasting covenant that He forever will be in relationship with us. He wants us to know that He is always within us, calling outward to and through us to His Creation. And He knew that we fallible, distractable humans would need a constant, physical reminder of who He is and where He lives – within us.
Friar Richard Rohr tells us:
“The Presence of God is infinite, everywhere, always, and forever. You cannot not be in the Presence of God. There’s no other place to be. It is we who are not present to Presence.
We live in a time with more readily available obstacles to Presence than any other period in history. We carry our blocks in our pockets now, vibrating and notifying and emoji-ing us about everything and nothing.
We have to find a way to experience our experiences more deeply. Otherwise, we’re just on cruise control, and we go through our whole life not knowing what’s happening. Whether we realize it or not, the divine energy of God is flowing through each one of us. When we draw upon this Source consciously, our life starts filling with what some call coincidences or synchronicities, which we can never explain. This has nothing to do with being perfect, highly moral, or formally religious. I wish someone had told me that when I was young. I would still have been religious, but now in a whole different way—and all the time.”
Another favorite theologian of mine says:
“We should think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continue “without ceasing”; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops. And we are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect oneness with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is.”[i]
In addition to praying without ceasing, the exquisite wisdom of our Catholic faith is the blessing of the Eucharist, where God allows us to invite the Almighty, in the Body and Blood of Jesus, to merge with our body and blood viscerally. Our “Amen,” when offered “The Body & Blood of Christ,” is not a ritual recollection of our salvation. It acknowledges the reality of physical, spiritual, and emotional bonding and nourishment with our Lord and Savior.
With all the distractions pulling at our attention and intention for the relationship with God, the precious gift of a pure Eucharistic relationship with God is our lifeline, drawing us back again and again into His Loving Presence. Inspired by prayer and scripture and empowered by His physical Presence in us, we can go out into the world and be His messengers.
Jesus’ simple Ascension commission was: “GO!” and “DO!”
“GO!” If you are not in motion, God cannot guide you.
“DO!” The Father gave you perfect Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness. Now express that Love to all you meet through the precious, unique God-given gifts bestowed upon you.
Action
To which town or city or neighbor or family member or stranger shall I GO?
What will I DO when I meet them?
Do I know and rejoice in the precious indwelling of the Triune God?
How will I share God’s Presence with
my brothers and sisters
De Colores!
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