I am sure that at least some of every book I have read by
Wilfred Stinissen was inspired by God.
This book is no different.
In writing of the
Eucharist, Stinissen explains many points and provides many examples which clarify
what it is, and isn’t. He writes of the
sacrificial meal, the Real Presence, and how it is all summarized in Agape,
Self-Giving Love, and in unity.
I especially liked how he linked the washing of the feet at
the Last Supper --- even a Jewish slave wouldn’t stoop that low, the giving of
Himself in the Eucharist --- then and for always, and finally His death on the
cross. “The key word that sums up the
whole drama is love, or rather, extreme love… The washing of the feet and the
Eucharist say the same thing, they express the same love. And both conclude with the same exhortation: ‘I
have given you an example that you should do as I have done,’ and ‘Do this in
memory of me.’” And the willing death on
the cross concludes the examples of self-giving love. Later Stinissen further summarizes: “To be so
completely at the service of others that one becomes food and drink for them presupposes
that one has died to oneself.” And he
concludes: “As soon as one dies of his own free will and gives his life instead
of having it taken from him, death is transformed into life.”
I have never heard it explained better.
Of course, I must make note of a few exceptional lines,
which gave me pause:
-
Eucharistic adoration is a treasure we must
guard carefully.
-
Through sin, loneliness has come into our
lives. Sin always causes loneliness.
-
The Eucharist is the sacrament of unity. In the Didache we read: “As this broken bread
was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together to become one, so let
Thy Church be gathered together… from the ends of the earth into Thy Kingdom.”
-
Sin in its essence is division. Our first task as Christians is to establish
peace, to forgive, to live in love between us.
-
A non-Christian humanism speaks about
self-realization, while the Gospel speaks of self-forgetfulness. It speaks about satisfying ones needs, while
the Gospel speaks about denying oneself.
- -
- - - - - - - -
The weather in my area of Michigan today was kind of a
summary of Creation-to-date, in a single day.
I awoke this morning to a clear sky, bright son, and warm
temperatures. I had time, so I grabbed
my brievery and walked my neighborhood sidewalks --- and streets, if anyone
passed nearby. Reading my prayers, it
was easy to give praise to God. To those
I passed I said: “This day is a blessing.”
They all agreed.
Home, I turned on my computer and went to YouTube, where a
10:30AM mass was broadcast live from my parish, Christ The King, in Ann Arbor,
Michigan. I guess I was used to it, but
the camera angles showed how beautiful and reverent our church appears. Although Fr. Ed seemed a bit nervous at the
start of his sermon, he soon got with it and delivered a good message. I am so glad my parish will be able to
broadcast mass like this each week, although being quarantined home not
receiving the Eucharist makes it feel strange.
As I complete my night prayers, now in the quiet of the
chapel, it is windy, rainy, and colder outside.
The weather is like a representation of what the world is going through
now, a dark place, so different from this morning. But, this morning gave me hope. Even this rain has a reason; it helps bring of
the Spring and Summer new growth. This
morning as I walked the streets, I saw many a tree with new buds, and many a
soon-to-be spring flower sticking out of the ground, and I heard the birds singing
loudly. A good will come out of this
darkness, even as it did from His Cross.
This is a Lent we will never forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment