This Evening?s Holy Thursday Liturgy commemorates the institution of 2 sacraments – The Eucharist and the priesthood. In his document, Gift and Mystery – On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination (1996), Pope John Paul II pointed out the connection between the two when he wrote, ?There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.?
Today would be a good time to reflect on our appreciation of these sacraments:
Do we ever criticize priests for their homilies?
Do we expect our priests to be perfect and never have a ?bad day??
Do we get angry if a priest doesn?t give us enough of his time?
Do we ever receive The Eucharist in the state of mortal sin?
Do we ever daydream as we?re walking down the aisle to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion?
Do we leave Church immediately after receiving the Eucharist (without waiting for the Mass to end)?
If we are honest with ourselves, we have probably been guilty of some of these offenses at one time or another. While not all are sins, they certainly can be categorized as imperfections. Why not use the remaining days before Easter to correct some of this behavior and receive The Lord?s forgiveness in the sacrament of Confession? Also, make it a point to thank Jesus the next time you receive Him in Holy Communion. Furthermore, you may also want to thank your priest for making that Communion possible.
