Be Christ-like For The Sake of Others

Today’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas Season and the beginning of Ordinary Time. During Advent and Christmas, we have reflected upon the hopes and anticipation of people of people from ancient times. They looked for a Messiah and Savior. And, we heard of how several unexpected characters came to see him: shepherds and magi. As we heard the stories and remembered Jesus’s life in the Eucharist, we have fostered the hopes and encouraged the expectations for ourselves in this current time, that God comes to be near the created world.

The next phase of the Church year is to reflect upon Jesus’s ministry. We hear his preaching and see his actions among the people of his time. We can see that he is not just a disciple of John the Baptist, but rather he emphasizes the presence of God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.

But, we must not think that Jesus was only speaking of a kingdom which we would encounter after death. Jesus is preaching for the recognition of “heaven on earth.” When we forgive each other, accept others as sisters and brothers, seek peace and reconciliation with each other, and put an end to the envy which seems to rule the world, then we are experiencing the presence of God’s kingdom here and now. That is what Jesus preached and lived. It is what Jesus wants for us to live.

The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Unity and Reconciliation by which we intentionally remember the saving work of Jesus Christ. By our participation in the Eucharist we become more involved in the life of Christ himself. We have the potential to become even more Christ-like for the sake of others. May we enter into the Eucharist actively and consciously, listening to the Scriptures, praying, and remembering that we are the Body of Christ.

Do we receive the full grace of the Sacrament of the Eucharist if we only receive the Body OR the Blood of Christ and not both? The answer is “Yes!” Receiving only one form of communion carries the fullness of the grace of the Sacrament. While it is true that, when possible, receiving both species helps us to appreciate and value the fullness of the sacrifice of Christ, either the Body or the Blood of Christ is sufficient.

Peace, Fr. Andy