The Third Friday of Easter

Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven.  Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.

Our Heavenly Father sent Jesus into the world to save us through the sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He didn’t need to suffer his Passion and die in order to do this, and yet, he choose to be immolated for our sake. He did this because he understood how difficult it is for us to grasp what it means to be forgiven for our sins. We needed a concrete symbol to help us visualize the harm our sins do to us and the terrible price we pay for turning away from God. That symbol is the cross, which reminds us not only of the harmful effect of our sins, but also gives us hope that we can find forgiveness. However, we also needed a sacramental sign of forgiveness to help sustain our faith, hope, and love in times of trouble. And this is why before Jesus' Death, he gave us the Eucharist. It is the perfect, and unbloodied, sacrifice that reminds us not only of God’s Mercy, but also the promise of eternal life that awaits everyone who partakes of the Blessed Sacrament and lives their lives as tabernacles to the Lord.

How do we prepare ourselves for the reception of Jesus’ Body and Blood? How do we express our gratefulness for Jesus’ sacrifices on the cross and on the Eucharistic table? How can we prepare our hearts to be worthy recipients of your Blessed Sacrament?

O Lord, give us your Body and Blood so that we might live forever.

Amen.