It’s In Your Hands
This weekend we celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord, an annual feastday that allows us to focus even more than we usually do on the gift of the Eucharist. My words at our weekend liturgy here at St. Thomas focused on the continual exchange that happens between God and his people each time we gather at the Lord’s table. We gather as a community to place ourselves in the care of God’s hands but also to receive Him as He places His life into ours. It is humbling to realize each week as we approach the altar, just what it is that is happening. We come forward as people who know we are broken and imperfect and receive on our tongue or in our hands the Lord of all creation.
The name of this blog, Blessed Is The Kingdom, is taken from words proclaimed at the beginning of the liturgy of Eastern Christianity and expresses in a beautiful way what the Eucharist is about. The prayer begins,
Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages.
In the seminary we were taught that the Kingdom of God is a reality that is “already, but not yet”. In the Eucharist, God already invites us to take part in the heavenly liturgy even though while here on earth we are not yet present in the way we one day hope to be.
It is my plan to spend some time this week reflecting more fully on the Eucharist and the gift it is to us Christians who are attempting to live as members of the Kingdom of God. I hope that my friends from both Eastern and Western traditions will enter into reflection and conversation along with me.
Related Posts:
About The Author
Comments