“He made himself food, He became Bread.” (Saint Josemaria).
Saint Josemaria wrote in “The Forge” at 824, “He was the greatest madman of all times. What greater madness could there be than to give oneself as he did, and for such people? It would have been mad enough to have chosen to become a helpless Child. But even then, many wicked men might have been softened, and would not have dared to harm him. So this was not enough for him. He wanted to make himself even less, to give himself more lavishly. He made himself food, he became Bread. Divine Madman! How do men treat you? How do I treat you?
And I have been reflecting on the madness of God.
When we speak about a person being “madly in love” we do not refer to any psychosis or mental illness. Instead, we refer to the giving that is selfless to the point of madness. And what that really means is that a person who is madly in love will put the needs and wants of their beloved ahead of their own needs and wants. God did that. He does that every day.
God is not figurative. He is not fake. He loves us so completely that He not only came to Earth as a helpless Child to suffer DEATH for my sake, but He went even further than that… He put Himself into the form of bread and wine. Bread and wine are food. They are non-living. They are things. And GOD – who is the creator of the universe – allowed Himself to take the form of mere things just for love of me.
For if I were to see Him in His infinite glory, I would be overwhelmed and would be unable to commune with Him. You see, when I see God as a mere piece of Bread and a mere sip of Wine, I am free to imagine God in any way, shape or form that my miserable human mind can manage. And that means that I can make God small enough to fit inside my soul. If instead, God came to me in His full glory, I would not be able to think or comprehend. Instead, I would be completely overwhelmed by the presence of Him, and I would not be able to commune with Him at all. I would be so distracted by the sheer awesomeness of God Himself, that I would find myself unable to love Him as He should be loved. And yet, “Under the appearances of bread and wine, he is really present, with his body and blood, with his soul and divinity.” (Saint Josemaria, “Christ is Passing By”, at 83)
And I have been thinking about that today, because it occurs to me that I am loved by an INIFINITE Madman… And I cannot help but wonder at the magnificence of that!
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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