When we gather together in community to love and
worship Jesus Christ it is easy to feel the Holy Spirit move through all of us,
bringing us closer together; giving us the strength necessary to continue a
devote life. The right choices appear more easily. There is safety, comfort,
and a powerful love that unites all of us together. It is obvious that there is
presence of Jesus Christ that cannot be denied. This is why we keep coming back
to the church; either when we are in crisis or for regular fellowship. But what
about after we leave? How are we to sustain those feelings and the presence of
the Holy Spirit within ourselves? When we feel God’s Love it can be
overwhelming in a good way. We want more of it and strive for that feeling to
stay. Yet, when confronted with the challenges of the world and the allure of
sin, we run the risk of letting that presence become a fading glory instead of
a permanent state of being. We have a natural inclination to turn away from God
and it is far easier to ignore and distrust him than to surrender to him
completely.
Saint Paul writes how the Spirit is constantly at
war with the flesh. Our spiritual selves are naturally drawn to our creator
while the flesh is drawn towards sin. They can be compatable as long as our spiritual
selves remain the stronger of the two. The problem is that we have ignored our
spiritual selves for far too long in favor of embracing everything physical in
this world without recognizing who created this world. We ignore the Father,
distrust the Son, and ignore completely the presence of the Holy Spirit. Then,
in times of desperation, we cry out to the one who created us and loves us like
a lost child in the forest; not realizing that he is right beside us and at
times was even carrying us.
Christ understands us completely. He realizes the
tremendous battle that rages within us and how we are torn apart by this
conflict of the Spirit and the Flesh. He also acknowledges that when we fight
alone, we will always lose. There is no doubt that we are not strong enough to
overcome the forces of darkness if we choose to control all aspects of the
engagement. To overcome our broken nature and to be victorious, we must
surrender completely. Not to that which opposes us but rather to he who loves
us completely: God.
Our faith provides us with the tools of survival and
the weapons of war. One of these is the Eucharist: the true presence of the
Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the Eucharist we are offered
spiritual nourishment that strengthen us and builds us up. It forges our
relationship with Jesus Christ and brings us closer to him. It is a special
Sacramental Grace that is completely central to our faith. It is the apex of
our faith-live and must be treated as such. Whenever and wherever it is offered
we are obligated to respond and receive it with complete submission and awe.
Nothing can withstand its presence for it is the presence of our God. How
fortunate we are that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, the Father watches over
us, and the Son can enter us so that he may lift us up; defending us against
anything and everything that stands in our way.
We come forward broken and beaten. We seek him out
and find him. We knock and the door is opened. We ask and it is given to us. We
sit down at table to eat with him and he with us. He feeds us physically,
mentally, and spiritually. We are nourished beyond our comprehension. We are
provided with wisdom, comfort, peace, and love. Everything is given to us. We
are never forgotten. We are forever unified with him now and forever. Our God
has given us the capability to experience him on a very personal level such as
this. For our own sake and salvation we should come forward and seize this
opportunity with two hands
Deacon Tom
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