A Message from Fr. Jay
Dear Friends,
The Eucharistic Congress successfully ended two weeks ago. The readings this weekend take our reflections around the real source and summit of our faith, the Holy Eucharist. Jesus says, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst’. Among all our relationships, the love of a mother stands more tangible and closer to our hearts because she expresses her unconditional love by feeding us from the moment of her conception. She is the first one to feed us food and word. Similarly, God chose to reveal his unconditional love for the humans with His Food and Word. His food is ‘believing in Him’; His word is ‘proclaiming His love’.
The day before my First Holy Communion, with a little anxiety, I asked my mom what the Body of Christ would taste like. She paused and replied, that it would be ‘so sweet’. The next day when I received Holy Communion for the first time, even though I did not say anything openly, I felt disappointed and thought my mom was wrong because it was not sweet at all and certainly not like candy. It took years for me to understand what she meant by ‘so sweet’. As I grew up in time and faith, I now better understand the sweetness of the Holy Eucharist, not in the taste buds of my tongue, but in my heart and soul.
The challenge before us today is to make our current and future generations realize the sweetness of the Holy Eucharist. Recently I met with Bishop Dewane in his office to update him on our parish activities and receive his blessings after his return from the Eucharistic Congress. While sharing some of the exquisite spiritual benefits of such a great Eucharistic Congress, he expressed with much enthusiasm on how we need to raise up the youth and young adults of our parish. They need to be deeply rooted in the Holy Eucharist and bring up the new evangelization for our future generations.
I ask you to reflect a bit more deeply on how we can pass on our experience of the sweetness of the Holy Eucharist to future generations. If we consider the Holy Eucharist only as an event of our Sunday obligation, we are like the people who followed Jesus just to fill their stomach.
We need to consider a new evangelization, which is more than mere talking and becoming witness, with our exemplified faith actions. Perhaps we could spend more time in front of the Blessed Sacrament? Perhaps we could consider adoration and benediction on a regular basis and pray for the youth and young adults?
On Tuesday, August 6, we observe the Transfiguration of the Lord. Jesus calls for the transformation of our lives by accepting Jesus as the fulfillment of all divine laws (Moses) and prophesies (Elijah). Transfiguration will become possible for all of us on the last day when we transform our lives with the help of the glorified Son of God in the Holy Eucharist which is the culmination of laws and prophesies!
God Bless,
Fr. Jay Raju
Reading 1: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15
Reading 11: Eph 4:17, 20-24
Gospel: John 6:24-35
