"eternal moments"
solemnity of the body and blood of christa personal reflection
"i am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever."
(john 6:51)
eternity.
for reasons i haven't really grasped, the thought of it leads me back to recall the "moments" i wanted to last forever. the instances when i wanted to keep the time from ticking, the experiences i wanted to prolong as much as possible, to keep them going and going and going. these experiences were truly worth treasuring, for this reason we don't want them to change; we find them hard to let go.
it is perhaps the same feeling jesus is offering as he promised us this eternal life whoever eats his flesh, the living bread.
the solemnity of the corpus christi highlights the "real presence" of jesus in the eucharist. it is not a bread, not a symbol, but christ himself in person. an unfathomable mystery. it simply tells us one thing: "he is here, personally." he wanted to be with us forever. this is a mark of a loving relationship, that "presence" and "availability" for both parties are vital.
when we receive him in the holy eucharist, we become in union with him. this perhaps is the reason why the act is called the holy communion. we become united in god, the source of all life. through the eucharist we renew the union, we receive more eternity. when we receive christ, time become an "eternal moment."
if we would truly take into heart this thought, this fact, this real experience; if we really believe that we receive christ in holy communion, and that we truly long for this; we wanted this moment to last forever.
