"Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, who is all our love, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.” (Saint Josemaria, “Christ is Passing By”, page 90).
Our family have been going through what feels like a great deal over the last few months.
With death and illness, and injury, with growing up and change, at times the road before us has felt overwhelming.
And I have been reflecting on that today. And as I was thinking about this fact – this difficulty that we have faced – I have thought to myself… Jesus is with us…
I have only to think of Holy Mass. Christ – who is God Himself – is the Perfect Sacrifice. He is the Sacrifice, the Altar, the Priest and the Victim. And He has chosen to take on this PERFECT form for love of me and for all time until the end of the world.
Now, there is nothing in it for God, for God to do that… After all, why should God – who is perfect and unimprovable – bother Himself to reflect upon such a sacrifice as the death of His Beloved Son during Holy Mass?
I can understand how an imperfect creature like me might reflect on sacrifices from my past to reinforce my stamina so that I would be able to focus on what I need to do to ensure my sanctification. In other words, there is a true and valid reason for me to make those sorts of decisions… However, for God – who is perfect and could remain perfectly independent of me, for Him to invest His effort and suffering into a SACRIFICE – which is a real SACRIFICE – is just astounding.
I have only to think of what the Mass is… It is the Crucifixion. It is the beating and the scourging and the crowning with thorns. It is the suffering and the Sorrowing Virgin at the Foot of the Cross. It is the spits and insults. It is the naked form of my Beloved, ridiculed by mere sinful men, with a sign above His head saying, “This is the King of the Jews”…
And why does God relive this over and over and over again until the end of time…?
“…Through My Love, with My Love, in My Love! Unite yourself to the action of the priest. Or rather, make that act of the priest a part of your life.” (Saint Josemaria, “The Forge”, page 541).
Transubstantiation is the miracle of God’s love for us…
“This is my body… This is the cup of my blood.”
These are no mere symbolic words, empty of meaning… These are REAL and RENEWED… And when I hear those words, tomorrow or perhaps the next day, I want to pray the words that Saint Josemaria taught us in “Christ is Passing By” at page 90, “Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, who is all our love, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.”
Those are the words I wish to pray…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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