Three things characterize today’s celebration in the Church: The institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the Sacred Priesthood, and the establishment of the commandment to love. These three things express God’s deepest love for humanity and his invitation for us to show love to one another. The Holy Eucharist, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, was foreshadowed in Egypt when God commanded the Israelites to sign their doorposts with the blood of the lamb they had killed for the Passover feast. Upon seeing the lamb’s blood, God passed over the Israelites’ houses and spared them from destruction (Exod. 12:13). In receiving the Eucharist worthily, we are redeemed from the slavery of sin, saved from eternal condemnation, and marked out for salvation. We also become spiritually nourished and reminded of Christ’s love for his Father and all humanity, a love we must communicate in his memory (1 Cor. 11:26). Jesus instituted the priesthood as an expression of love and God’s willingness to establish his kingdom on earth and to lead humanity to salvation. In the priest, Christ continues to restore humankind to his Father and reestablish the relationship between God and human beings through the sacraments. Therefore, the Eucharist, the cornerstone of our faith, is God’s love made available to transform us into people of love after God’s own heart. 

PRAYER: Lord, grant that I may love you more in the Blessed Sacrament and receive you reverently into my heart. Amen.