Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Holy Thursday Eucharist and Priesthood

Today we thank Jesus for giving us the Eucharist and the priesthood. Both the Eucharist and the priesthood “were born” during the Last Supper.  These two sacraments Eucharist and Holy Orders are so closely linked because without the priesthood we would have no Eucharist. 

Priesthood is a great gift that's given by God to humanity and to the church. Think about our faith without these men who have dedicated their lives for the church. Without them we would have missed many things. Francis of Assisi told, If I see an angel and a priest together I will bend my knees to the priest first  and then to the angel. 

We have seen many priests falling from their lives in our life time. We have judged them, criticized them and sometimes hated them. I heard one of the old priests saying, priests are forward players of a soccer team. If you know soccer game, the forward players are the most watched and attacked by the opposition team. It's the same with the church, priests are forward players of the church, they are mostly watched and attacked by the opposition team that's evil. When they fail and if we laugh and celebrate their fail, we are celebrating our own fate. It's like celebrating life while we are attacked. 

I am highlighting priesthood, not because I am a priest but to understand the beauty and gift of priesthood. We need to pray daily for priests and vocation to the priesthood. We as Holy family parishioners should thank for giving us four priests to serve us for a while. And you all know this is a luxury  in Louisville diocese. 
Second, Jesus established Eucharist to be with us. It's culmination of his love. He wanted to be with us in real presence.  He loves us and he doesn't want to be separated from us. And this is a greatest gift to us for spiritual nourishment. 
"while it nourishes us with Christ, the Eucharist which we celebrate transforms us little by little into the body of Christ and spiritual food for our brothers and sisters” says Pope Francis. 
And receiving Eucharist means entering in to sacrificial love of Jesus (that's what we are remembering these days) and become persons of peace, forgiveness, reconciliation and sharing in solidarity. 
Many people are so scared to receive Eucharist. 
Pope Francis says “The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”
Let us thank God for these two gifts; gift of Eucharist and priesthood. Let us meditate on God's love; the love He showed even giving his only son on the cross
Fr. John Pozhathuparambil

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