I was looking down right before communion at Mass the other day, when suddenly, in a booming voice with great emphasis, the priest proclaimed, “This is Jesus!” Whoa, that got my attention and I immediately looked up at the raised Host.
Afterward I thought, wow, that was highly effective, I don’t think the priest typically says that?? I surely would have noticed, right?
“This is Jesus”! He is here among us! We should all be falling over in sheer joy and ecstasy! Because this is exciting news!
“I will only say that when I am with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the beating of my heart is so strong that it sometimes seems my heart is bursting out of my chest. At the altar at times I feel such a burning throughout my whole being that I cannot describe it. It seems to me that my face is completely on fire.”
~ St. Padre Pio
I enjoy solitude, reverence and ritual at times, but I often relate to Jesus more like in the music video below. With praise, dancing and singing.
“Give praise with blasts upon the horn, praise Him with harp and lyre. Give praise with tambourines and dance, praise Him with strings and pipes. Give praise with crashing cymbals, praise Him with sounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath give praise to the Lord!” (Psalm 150:3-6)
Some Christians seem to have an aversion to worship music, which is sad because it is so uplifting.
As a music minister for many years, music speaks to me. People enjoy all kinds of music, so I don’t know why some Christ-followers get judgy about some types of Christian music. Different music speaks to different people.
I get it, we don’t base our entire relationship on Christ because of feelings, but there is still a thing called, “the joy of the Lord”.
But, I digress. All day long that phrase, “This is Jesus!” was in my head and honestly it has affected me since.
Wouldn’t it be great to be excited about Jesus all the time? No matter what is happening inside or outside of us? Even in our suffering? Or after a church service? Do we leave excited we encountered Christ?
I’m afraid most of the time people walk out of church like they are “dead”, unchanged, still heavily burdened, or in a hurry to move on with the rest of their day. We’re human, it happens.
We still have pain and suffering in our lives, but remember the words: THIS IS JESUS! He is always with us and He will never forsake us! We should never forget this and rejoice in this knowledge!
Also since my “this is Jesus” experience, I started paying more attention at Mass and what various priests say before communion. The priest typically holds up the Host right before communion and says, “This is the Lamb of God……..” Not nearly as effective in my opinion! I’m a city girl, I don’t have any experience with lambs so it’s a stretch to appreciate lamb imagery even though I know it refers to Christ dying for our sins.
Tell it to me straight and simple. “This is Jesus”. Right here, right now, in the form of bread and wine. Now that makes more sense. That is mystery enough!
There is an oft quoted statistic that 70% of Catholics don’t believe in the real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which makes the words “this is Jesus” all the more important. As for the Protestants, they believe communion is a symbol. I thought that for a while too, until I became transformed by the Eucharist.
However, we will need to go beyond a moving moment at a religious gathering to actually living “this is Jesus” in everyday life. That is the only way it will bear fruit and help spread the Gospel so others can come to know Jesus and find true joy in the Lord.
We need to look for this Jesus everywhere. In every person we meet and every circumstance we find ourselves in.
One thing is for sure, we need to see more of Jesus around us in this fallen, broken world. He is the only one that can save us.
This is Jesus, now go be transformed and help transform the world.
https://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=EFB0F1NU
Book: The Eucharistic Miracles of the World , presented by the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association, Inc.
