THE SUPREME GIFT OF LOVE, THE EUCHARIST

INTRODUCTION - - Love wants, and creates, a deep relationship between people who love each other. The deep relationship comes to require union, as intimate as possible. Too many people, earthly and carnal, are believed to have come to the union of love with the embrace, with the kiss, with the physical union; but these are signs and gestures and, so to speak, the lower and far anteroom of the union of love. The union that wants love is the interpenetration of minds, hearts, souls, of all one's inner world with the inner world of the other, in transparent donation, without secrets, in confident abandonment without reservations, in total gift of himself, confident of being received and enjoyed, of receiving and enjoying. And in this union, whoever gives himself is enriched and whoever receives enhances his ability to give himself. At the Last Supper, Jesus, before separating from his own, ardently desired this union, for our sanctification. He also gave himself to us with his body that he would give on the Cross, with the blood that he would have generously shed for us. We listen to Jesus himself, like the apostles, this covenant and gift and union of love.

BIBLICAL MEDITATION - I am the real vine ... Stay in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, if it does not remain united to the vine, so also you, if you do not remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches, who remains in me and I in him, this bears much fruit; because without me you can't do anything. If one does not remain in me, he is thrown away like the sarmentum, and dries up and then is collected and thrown into the fire to burn. (John 15: 1-6) When the time had come, he sat at the table with his apostles. And he said to them, "I have longed to eat this Easter with you before I suffer! »

Then he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and distributed it to them saying: «This is my body which is sacrificed for you; Do this in memory of me ". And he also took the cup after dinner, saying: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you." (Luc. 22, 14-20) (Jesus said to the Jews): "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Because my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. As the Father who lives, sent me, and I live for the Father, so whoever eats me will also live for me ». (John 6, 54-57)

CONCLUSION - The Eucharist, as sacrifice and as Communion, perpetuates the sanctifying and saving union, in Love, of Christ and of Christians. It is the supreme gift of love, it is union, nourishment, development of love. With It the Incarnation is renewed, the redemption takes place, Love is consumed in advance, even before the beatific vision and union of Heaven, albeit in mystery and in the sacrament. The Eucharist clearly indicates to the Christian what his relationship with God and Christ must be, intimate union, interpenetration of life, in the holiness of unity itself with God. Modern man suffers loneliness, incommunicability, feels lonely in the midst of the multitude, in large cities, in populous blocks, perhaps because it is not open and in communion with God.

COMMUNITY PRAYER

INVITATION - Grateful to God the Father, who made Salvation and Love flow from the Heart of his crucified Son, let us pray together and say: For the Heart of Christ your Son, hear us, O Lord. Because divine charity poured out in the Church and in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, grows and expands in the Christian commitment to justice, peace and brotherhood, let us pray: Because we know how to draw strength and generosity in the Eucharist to witness the 'Love in our social environment, let us pray Because from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we draw the strength to love at any cost, any person, even the enemies, let us pray: Because in the hour of pain and in the face of evil, which is in the world , let Christian faith and hope not fail, but trust in divine help should be strengthened and the strength of love overcome the provocations of evil, let us pray:

(Other personal intentions)

CONCLUSION PRAYER - O God, our Father, who in the Heart of Jesus wounded by our sins, have opened us treasures of infinite Love, we pray you: create in us a new heart, ready for reparation and committed to rebuilding a better world in yours Love. Amen.