Weekly Encouragement October 18th
Dear Friends,
As part of our parish's participation in the National Eucharistic Revival, we are offering new opportunities here and there to deepen our devotion to the Holy Eucharist. One of those offerings is Oratio, which is a service of eucharistic adoration - a time to slow down completely and be at peace in the presence of Christ.
Oratio is Latin for "prayer," and it is always appropriate and efficacious to pray in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. We've been doing this Oratio service for a while, but now we are expanding from once a month to twice a month: the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the church.
The format for the two sessions is different. On the 2nd Tuesday, we will have a 30 minute talk by a speaker followed by 30 minutes of silent prayer. On the 4th Tuesday, we will have a short meditation followed by a longer period of adoration, with the opportunity for Confession.
Please join us this Tuesday, October 24 at 6:00 p.m. Maybe think of inviting a friend or family member who may be in need of a time of prayer and contemplation. ALL are welcome!
Please keep reading below for my latest reflection on the Holy Eucharist.
God bless you all!
In Christ,
Andrew Petiprin
Director of Community Life
Christ the King Catholic Church
Last week, I talked about how we ought to think in terms of communion. God is relationship, and His command to love one another relates to our fundamental identity as creatures put in communion with other creatures. Holy Communion is the sacrament of Chris's presence that binds us to the Holy Trinity and to our fellow men and women in the faith.
This week I want to talk about sacrifice. Many theologians past and present have said a similar thing that I will summarize like this: There is no communion without sacrifice. Think about it. It's not a real relationship if one person does all the giving and the other person does all the receiving. Love is always a two-way street. We are called to love God, but also, "we love because He loved us first" (1 John 4:19). And God's love isn't just a nice idea or a comforting feeling. It's sacrifice. The second person of the Holy Trinity was born, lived, suffered, died, and rose again. Jesus Christ gave himself for the life of the world on the cross, and he gives himself for the redemption of our souls in the Holy Eucharist.
Because Christ sacrificed for us, we sacrifice for him. We sacrifice in big ways like choosing a radically different moral framework in which to live than that which the world prescribes. But we also do it in smaller ways: We fast for one hour before we receive the Sacrament, for example. We abstain from meat on Fridays in Lent. The list goes on. We do these things not because we are legalistic, but because it's the least we can offer back to God who poured himself out completely as a sacrifice for our salvation. We get everything! Let's give as much as we can.
Again, there is no communion without sacrifice.
Prayer:
Loving Father, may the holy sacrifice of your Son cleanse my soul, strengthen my heart, pardon my past and restore me in your peace. May I always adore you by uniting myself in His holy sacrifice, the sacrament of your divine love. May I learn to sacrifice my own comfort, plans and dreams if it is not for your glory and the good of others. With Mary, the mother of Jesus, who joined her heart with the sacrifice of her Son, may I become a holy sacrifice of love and service for others.
Amen.