When, at the consecration, I hold the delicate host in my hands and
repeat the words "He broke the bread... ," I can sense something of the
sentiments that filled the heart of Jesus at that moment: how he
completely gave his human will to the Father, overcoming every
resistance and repeating to himself these well-known words from
Scripture: "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body
hast thou prepared for me; Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God" (cf.
Heb 10:5-9). What Jesus gives his disciples to eat is the bread of his
obedience and his love for the Father.
Then I understand that to "do" what Jesus did that night, I must,
first of all, "break" myself and that is, lay before God all hardness,
all rebellion towards him or towards others, crush my pride, submit and
say "yes," fully, to all that God asks of me. I too must repeat the
words: Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God! You don't want many things
from me; you want me and I say "yes." To be Eucharist like Jesus
signifies being totally abandoned to the Father's will.
The Eucharist: Our SanctificationFr. Raniero Cantalamesa
Reprinted from
Witness Ministries,
a lay apostolate dedicated to renewing appreciation for the Mass as the
greatest gift which God has given to His beloved spouse, the Church.
Their mission is to show how, in the Eucharistic Liturgy, Jesus renews
and transforms us–and the world–in His life and love.