Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
“Beloved, like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it
you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:2-5)
My heart is filled with eucharistic images and words of thanksgiving. Phillip and I spent the
past few days with our newborn grandson Zachary. We are filled with joy and hope and most
of all, boundless love. As we welcomed our precious boy into our family and into the world,
we watched his parents tenderly cater to his needs. Our new parents, in God’s goodness,
immediately realized that feeding time is utmost. Parents who feed and babies who eat—it is
all a reason for thanks and praise to God. For us, it is eucharistic. As our new babe began to
eat well—we all realized—if I may quote Julian of Norwich, “All shall be well, and all shall be
well, and all manner of things shall be well.”
In a family, eucharistic symbols are easy to find. This is especially true at the birth of a child. It
is an extraordinary turn of events, that when a baby is born, all thoughts turn to concerns
about sustaining and nurturing his/her life. The natural order of life becomes apparent.
Detachment from unnecessary attractions and appetites is easy. Feeding time is
utmost—everything else, including sleep, is secondary. The need of the newborn outweighs all
others.. Knowing her baby is hungry, the mother’s fervor to feed deepens—-and once fed—a
truly eternal bond between the two ensues. This moment of wellness is truly a eucharistic
image.
Maternal images of our Triune God were used by Julian of Norwich, an English anchoress and
mystic from the 1300’s, whose feast day was May 13. She used metaphors to describe Jesus’
relationship with us, often speaking in terms of the bond between mother and child, i.e.
conception, nursing, labor and childrearing. She was thought to be daring in her time. In truth
however, Julian was not the first to express the encounter with God’s maternal character. In
John, Jesus’ speaks of waiting for the return of the Holy Spirit as the forgotten pain of a mother
who has labored for her child. (6: 21) In Matthew and Luke Jesus himself is like a mother hen—
“…How often I have longed to gather your children together,as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings, but you were not willing.” (Lk.13:34–Mt.9:23-37)
The Hebrew Scriptures offer many maternal images of God. In Deuteronomy for example,
God is described as a “mother eagle, hovering over her young.”(32:11) Isaiah asks the question:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even
these may forget, but I will not forget you. “(49:15) And Ezekiel defines the strength of
motherhood:—“What was your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among young
lions, she reared her cubs.” (19:2)
Julian then was not so daring after all. She fully embraced an image that Jesus himself learned
and accepted. Her most poignant portrait of divine motherhood, was about Christ who gives
himself to feed us in the Eucharist:
The human mother will suckle her child with her own milk, but our beloved Mother Jesus,
does it by means of the Blessed Sacrament, the precious food of all true life…
but our tender Mother Jesus simply leads us into his blessed breast through his open side,
feeds us with himself, and, with the most tender courtesy,
The human mother may put her child tenderly to her breast,
and there gives us a glimpse of the Godhead and heavenly joy—
the inner certainty of eternal bliss. (35)
The Eucharist expresses both our hunger for God and God’s tender willingness to cater to us.
God’s desire is to sustain and nurture our hearts, our minds, and our spirits. We are always
newborns in God’s sight and knowing our hunger, God’s fervor to feed is ever deepening and
utmost. Nothing will satisfy our need apart from the Bread of life—the “milk and honey”— of
the spiritual life. Not to receive this bread, denies God his natural inclination to give of himself.
It denies our natural posture of thankfully receiving. In Eucharist, our eternal, salvific unity with
God ensues.
Dear beautiful Daughters of Mary, let us pray in thanksgiving for the Eucharist, which is our
assurance that “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”…
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Spiritual Gift of the Week
We pray for the grace to adore the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament,
in the same way that Mary adored her son Jesus Christ during his life and after his Resurrection.
Spiritual Instruction of the Week
We don’t ever thank the Lord enough for the gift
He has given us in the Eucharist!” (Pope Francis)
Let us pray and thank him…
Meditation Music of the Week
(Selected by Fran Schnadelbach)
Crowning Hymn: Bring Flowers of the Rarest/ A Traditional Marian Hymn.
How Beautiful Is The Body of Christ by Malachi Cush from the album Songs for the Soul.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GOSPEL REFLECTION
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
29 MAY 2016—LUKE 9: 11-16
BY ANNA LUCE
This passage, rich in meaning and covering a myriad of aspects of the “Body of Christ”
recounts the multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. It takes the people of God from
WANT to PLENTY. The lesson for us is to recognize the difference between what we
WANT, (what we pray for), and what we ultimately NEED, (for our salvation and life eternal).
Apart from the Resurrection, the Loaves and the Fishes is the only miracle recounted in
all four Gospels. It recalls previous miracles from the Old Testament and foreshadows the
sacramental miracle of the Eucharist. Taking place in Bethsaida, a fishing town on the North
shore of the Sea of Galilee, hometown of Peter, Andrew and Philip, its connected by the theme
of God’s kingdom as the ultimate GREAT FEAST.
The MOST spectacular, gracious, glorious and lavish feast– – As we may say (in the
south) about a gorgeous Wedding Reception, being “out of this world.”
Picture this contrast, —From the modest Messianic Banquet, The Last Supper, and all
the wonder to follow for the Disciples, to this incredible miracle, The Loaves and Fishes—-
With obedient fortitude In following Christ, the disciples experienced scarcity and wonder
to lavish abundance and hope realized.
Before it happened, (in verse 12), “The day was drawing to a close,” another translation
in which we can sure relate (the disciples) “Began to wear away.”—
They were (physically) in a lonely and deserted place, (Likened to where we may find
ourselves at times in our lives). Verse “Jesus spoke to the crowds and he healed those who
needed to be cured.” Here we might ask, when we pray, if with regard to healing, and we know
healing comes in all forms. Of course it's what we want, but isn't it up to our Good Lord to
bring forth the healing in His way and in His timing? He knows what we need and when we
need it.
Jesus was very specific in his communication to the disciples, "Have them sit down in
groups of about fifty.” As Jesus was specific, He was also deliberate with His plan for the
people. Hence, the disciples were obedient.
Recalling just this past Sunday, the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, the reading from Paul's
letter to the Romans, (is one most favorite passages): "Boast of our afflictions, knowing that
affliction produces endurance, and endurance proven character, and proven character hope, and
hope does not disappoint.”
Our call is to TRUST, knowing that while the ultimate healing, the goal of our faith,
namely THE SALVATION OF OUR SOUL, may not appear to be fulfilled,—WE can look
forward knowing the Ultimate Feast , enjoyed in our Eternal Home. will be “LAVISHLY OVER
THE TOP, ” as in the close of this passage: "They all ate and were SATISFIED.”
IMAGINE
IMAGINE
MOVING FORWARD, and after the miracle was performed, " the leftover fragments
were picked up, they had a gracious plenty, twelve wicker baskets.” I’ll close with this
question—
What do our twelve wicker baskets look like? Are they barren, or all they being shined up,
freshly painted in preparation– As we live in trust that our wants and needs/ our affiliations
turn into healing, and in anticipation for our ultimate hopes to be fulfilled- May our baskets of
abundance be our blessings multiplied !
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Beautiful Daughters of Mary,
In April 2014, in a teaching on Eucharist, Pope Francis said that “Jesus’ gesture at the Last
supper, giving us his Body and Blood, is the ultimate thanksgiving to his Father, for his love and
mercy… It is a very important gift—that He has given us in the Eucharist! ….Go to Mass, not
just to pray, but to receive Communion, the bread that is the Body of Jesus Christ who saves us,
forgives us, and unites us to the Father. It is a beautiful thing to do. …We will never
completely grasp the value and the richness of it. Dear friends, we don’t ever thank the Lord
enough for the gift he has given us in the Eucharist!”
Veni, Spirito Santo, la misericordia di Dio ci salva—
Come Holy Spirit, it is by God’s mercy that we are saved,
Deb
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