The Eucharist



The bread is Christ’s body, the cup is Christ’s blood. 

If you, therefore, are Christ’s body and members, it is your own mystery that is placed on the Lord’s table! 

It is your own mystery that you are receiving! 

Be a member of Christ’s body, then, so that your Amen may ring true! 

Be what you see; receive what you are. 

All who fail to keep the bond of peace after entering this mystery receive not a sacrament that benefits them, but an indictment that condemns them.

St Augustine




 Photo above from here

Do you wish to honour the Body of Christ? 
Do not ignore him when he is naked. 
Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. 

He who said. “This is my Body” is the same who said: “You saw me hungry and you gave me no food,” and “Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also for me.” 

What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with gold chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? 

Start satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.

From one of the early Church fathers, St. John Chryostom
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5 comments:

Phil Ewing said...

Following on from the scary part of St Augustine's message I read this article by James Martin SJ which is pretty good too and very understanding of our flawed human condition: This is the link :
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-james-martin-sj/how-to-love-your-enemies_b_841538.html

Philomena Ewing said...

Yes, Claire and St Augustin'es is a stark warning that I don't find easy to follow but when I am in the company of people who are clearly not interested in making peace , when I look at the words again it seems to me that to make a bond of peace two parties have to wish for it too so maybe we should not be too hard on ourselves :-)) ( Anyway, I believe and hope that God is compassionate as well as just !)
Blessings

claire said...

Two very beautiful quotes, Phil. Precious. I wih our Church would follow John Chrysostom's advice :-) As to St Augustine's it gives me a shiver...
Thank you.

Phil Ewing said...

Well said !
There is a saying about the early church but I don't know the origin : we once had wooden chalices and golden priests and now we have golden chalices and wooden priests ! ( or none at all )
This is a generalisation I know as there are many fine priests but there is something true in it.
Blessings

Wordinthehand said...

We would barely have time for Mass if we obeyed the advice of the parable of the Sheep and the Goats - maybe that is whjy Jesus does so much work on the Sabbath - to show where our priorities should lie.