“...he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

The first time I heard that quote was in a men’s group in college. Hearing it was a punch to the gut then... just as it is now. As I sit on the couch in the home, my wife and I bought, I think can I walk away from all of this and follow God? 

Of course. 

It’s weird because the older I get, the less I seem to care about what I own. Gone are the days when I had to have the newest video games or clothes. Now, I’m just happy to get an iron for Christmas! Some people are forced to give up everything; whether it’s by natural disaster or another sort of personal loss. Some people choose to give up everything when they go off for missionary work or join a religious order.

​So far, I’ve been blessed to realize my most prized possessions are my wife, family, and the people who are in my life. None of which are possible without following God. 

What is God calling you to give up? How is the Lord asking you to follow Him? For sometimes it is in giving things to the Lord that we find out how much we have and how much the Lord will give us. Every good and perfect gift is from above and the Lord knows what we need. 

Read this story again and put yourself in the place of the rick young man. How would you feel if Jesus said this to you? 

How is Jesus calling you to more completely follow Him? 

​What can you give up to follow the Lord?

"I give it all to you." 

"I want to follow you Lord."

​"Lord you are all I need."

What can you give up today? Go through your clothes, your possessions and try to fill a bag that you can take to Good Will or somewhere similar. 

In our faith we have the practice of benediction at the end of Eucharistic adoration, which starts with the invocation of some famous words we probably all know well: “Down in adoration falling, this great Sacrament we hail.” Near the end of this verse penned by St. Thomas Aquinas we reach a profound statement that we often sing, but perhaps may not fully internalize: “Faith will tell us Christ is present, when our human senses fail.”

As Catholics, we know that the Eucharist is supposed to be the Body and Blood of Christ. We are taught this wonderful truth year after year in school or in PSR/CCD or in Confirmation classes and most of all get to come face-to-face with this reality every Sunday at Mass. Yet, our human senses fail us and those words of Christ in today’s Gospel seem unbelievable, just as much as they were to those hearing him in real time: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.” 

This is a hard saying. The Jews fought over this saying. Many of His disciples walked away after hearing it (John 6:66). Faced with the reality of what the Eucharist is, we must continually remind ourselves of what Jesus has promised to give us in the Eucharist: His very self! Not as just a symbol or tradition, but as a sacrament, a sign that actually makes present what it signifies. Through bread and wine we can eat and drink, Jesus gives us Himself. The flesh and blood given up and poured out for us is made present for us. Why? Because God wants to remain with us always and wants us to have an absolute and sure sign so as to make present that He is there, what He did through the Son was real, and we get to live in the glory and joy of that for as long as we walk this earth by receiving Him into our very being. And what a joy this is, that God gives Himself so clearly to us! We do not have to wonder, but can know He is with us. And not only that, but loves us so dearly as to want to be a part of us, our nourishment for this life and heavenly bread for the journey. 

This reality is central to our Catholic faith, and believe you me could not be done justice in a 500 word reflection. Furthermore, I am by no means close to having advanced knowledge on how to explain and contemplate the Eucharist. In a certain sense, this great mystery cannot be contained into words, that God so loved us that He would craft a means of salvation so that we could receive His very self in our being. We sit, reflect, contemplate, and remember that regardless of how we may feel about it, what emotions are driving us, if Mass seems boring or the music is bad or the usher is mean, if we are distracted and unable to focus, Jesus is still present in that Eucharist. Fully present, fully available, fully ready to give Himself to you.

In this most Holy and Blessed Sacraments, faith will tell us Christ is present when our human senses fail.

​AMDG.

In what ways do you recognize Christ when you are at Mass on Sunday? In what ways is it difficult? 

When you think of Jesus' words in today's Gospel, and the mystery of the Eucharist, what do you think it truly means? Take some time to ponder those things and let God speak that mystery into your heart. 

How can you present yourself to God at Mass and in life more fully, just as he presents himself to you in the Eucharist at every Mass?

"You are the bread of life."

"You are true food."

"You are true drink."

Do some spiritual reading on the Eucharist. Start with the Catechism Paragraph 1322 (you can find it online if you click here) or pick up a good Catholic book on the Eucharist and let God speak to you about the truth and depth of this great Sacrament.

​Today Jesus places His hands on the children before He goes away. What’s that all about? Our Christian Faith comes to us from our big brothers and sisters, the Jews. It’s a deeply biblical gesture – the laying on of hands. It transfers authority, imparts a portion of God’s spirit, heals the sick, unites believers, and commissions certain folks for ministry. Jesus, so devoutly and faithfully Jewish, takes up this ancient practice of His faith and teaches it in various ways to His apostles. Today, Catholics see the gesture in certain charismatic movements, but above all in the Sacraments. Most fundamentally, the gesture of the laying on of hands teaches that God does not act outside of space and time. God does not intervene in ethereal and transcendental ways. He heals, sends, imparts, becomes present through hands, or more accurately, through you, through me. Today’s Gospel is an urgent reminder, you don’t have to go around touching people, but this mission of building up the Kingdom requires teamwork. Christ calls us to be here, to be there, to be with, to strengthen one another, to lend a word of support, or to speak healing to a brother or sister in Christ. Whether our laying on of hands is physical or a bit more metaphorical, Christ calls us today to be bold.

Do you have the boldness of faith to pray for someone and think God can heal them?

Do you honestly believe that God can, and wants to heal you?

How does praying for each other strengthen the Church?

"Come Holy Spirit."

"Jesus, I trust in you."

​"Here I am Lord."

Pray for and pray with someone today.

I will never forget the moment the last time I saw my fiancée. She walked towards me slowly, adorned in a long and flowing white dress. Her head was covered with a veil, yet I could see her smile and her eyes. Tears filled my eyes, yet my eyes remained fixed on my her. That day, she was my bride and my fiancée became my wife. 

Why do brides adorn themselves as such? It is to be an image the Church, adorned for her Bridegroom, Jesus Christ Himself. The groom stands for Christ and waits for His Bride at the altar of sacrifice. Just as the Church was born from the altar of the Cross from the side of Christ when blood and water poured forth from His Most Sacred Heart, the ecclesia domestica, the Domestic Church, is born forth at the marriage of Bride and Groom. 

This image and symbolism is nothing new within the context of salvation history. Within our first reading, we see the work that God had done within the history of Israel. Speaking through the Prophet Ezekiel, God reminds Israel of her history. The Lord speaks of the infancy and childhood in which He found, so to speak, Israel. Israel was neglected, from both within and without. God approached her and when the time was right for Israel as God had ordained it, He entered into a covenant with her as His beloved.

The beautiful image that we all can take from this, both men and women, is that our souls are like a bride waiting for Our Lord. Our souls are made to be receptive to Him and many saints speak of the soul for both men and women in feminine terms. As Israel was treated like a bride for her Bridegroom, so too are we to be prepared for relationship with God. Think of the imagery that the Lord uses, speaking through Ezekiel. Bathing with water, washing away blood, anointing with oil, clothed in gowns. Does this not sound like life in the Sacraments? We are bathed in the waters of Baptism, washing away our guilt and stain of original sin. We are then anointed with oil, setting us aside for God, all while clothed in a white robe, marking our purity and newness of life within the Trinity.

Throughout life we may choose, given the will that we have, to disparage this gift that God has given us. Husbands and wives are not always perfect keepers of their vows, priests of their ordination, children of the duties, et cetera. However, the message conveyed by Ezekiel is one of great beauty but also one of great mercy. No matter the rebellious things we have done, Jesus has established an everlasting covenant with us through the Church, His Bride. As members of the Church, His Bride, this is our inheritance, our dignity, and our beauty. May we never forget the love of the Bridegroom for us!

When we were baptized we were given a white garment to represent our purity in Christ. How are you taking care of that today?

Have you considered how you can renew your baptismal vows with the Lord?

What can you do to keep your vows to the Lord this school year?

"I love you Lord."

"I trust you Lord."

​"I dedicate my life to you Lord."

Take some time in prayer today to renew your Baptismal Promises to the Lord. You can use this video and/or outline as a guide. Start your week fresh with the Lord.