The Eucharist

The Eucharist is God's Eternal Gift

The wisdom of God is unfathomable, beyond man's comprehension. Even so, God desires to share His eternal wisdom with men so they can be guided by it and be led to His kingdom. This wisdom, which is the word of God, was incarnated and became a man like us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The mystery of the incarnation is the wisdom of God, which continues to baffle human knowledge and elude our understanding.

In order to partake of the wisdom of God, faith and humility are the tools to use, not the pride and arrogance of science or wealth. Faith in Christ is essential for us to have eternal life. It is equally important to listen to His word and accept it, but no divine life is possible in us unless we share Jesus' own body and blood in the Eucharist. Eternal wisdom became our food by offering His own body and blood to us in the Holy Eucharist.

The book of Proverbs invites the foolish to partake of the wisdom meal: "Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have prepared! Leave your folly and you will live, walk in the ways of perception." The voice of the author of Proverbs continues to reverberate in our time. Many foolishly avoid the wisdom meal, and follow the path of destruction, as they continue to seek knowledge from wrong sources and in wrong places. The invitation of God is an open invitation, the meal is prepared,  but those invited are busy with material things and worldly matters.

Believers are challenged to live by wisdom despite the growing secular culture of our time. The secular culture revolves around false assumptions and offers short-sighted solutions. The wisdom it offers is a perfect recipe for destruction. It alienates people from God and from one another. Western civilization has embraced this modern secular culture and all are feeling the ripple effects. In a very subtle manner, religious liberties are being threatened and overpowered. It is a process, but when it is fully realized, it may be too late to overcome this evil force.

Therefore, it's time to recognize these times, and to decipher the false wisdom that false knowledge offers. The wisdom of God is eternal life. Jesus said, "I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life within you." We are a Eucharistic community that partakes of the wisdom of God... though we are many, we partake of one bread, one cup, and we form one body of Christ. This is the pure gift and true wisdom of God to humankind.   (Fr. Peter Fernandes, (sfx)