This Saturday, I joined nearly 25 other young adults in Astoria (Queens, NY) for what many may consider to be an "out of the ordinary" night. Gathered at a local parish, we came together for Eucharistic adoration and benediction. It was sitting in the pew that evening that I realized the radical nature of the gathering. As the world outside of the Church moved at a pace we can hardly comprehend, our hearts sat silent as we witnessed the presence of Christ.
Over the past 2000 years, the Eucharist has been at the center of countless struggles for human rights, has united young people in movements of solidarity, and has brought together human beings on an ordinary evening for an incredible purpose. Kneeling before the Eucharist we prayed in silence, chanted O Salutaris and Tantum Ergo, but more importantly we became aware of the world around us. In this way, we united ourselves not only with Christ, but also with all humanity.
At this very moment, millions are hungry, living with HIV/AIDS and without access to life saving treatments, lack access to basic education, and are homeless: this is the human experience. In a world that suffers from greed and consumerism, it is an experience like Eucharistic adoration that allows Catholics not only to more deeply encounter our faith, but also stand in solidarity with Christ and, therefore, with the entire world. When we adore Christ, we adore the very essence of creation.
Living in a world of fear, for Catholics the Eucharist is the presence of Christ and a constant reminder of the hope that we have for a better world. As Psalm 46 tells us:
God is for us a refuge and strength,
a helper close at hand, in time of distress:
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
though the mountains fall in to the depths of the sea,
even though its waters rage and foam,
even though the mountains be shaken by its waves.The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Standing before the Eucharist, we stood as young people in a time of distress and thanked God for counting humanity among his beloved. Each of us stood there as a human being created in the imago dei and acknowledged our call to be bearers of a message rooted in hope, love, and peace to a world in need.
Perhaps this radical Saturday wasn't that radical after all; instead, the radix (Latin origin of "radical" meaning "root") is faith itself. It is in recognizing the roots of hope, peace, love and change as faith that we come to see that a better world is within reach, because God himself is "a helper close at hand."
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The Psalms have horrific passages of what will happen to non believers, yet, somehow this is used to
show a the unconditional love of a deity ? And just what is the eucharist actually supposed to be ? Isn't the actual body of this Jesus, transformed at the consecration . It is not bread, but the actual body.
Is there any way to verify this ?
Adore what you wish, I'm sure it brings you comfort. But I am sure you can understand why others are skeptical of your beliefs/
Which is why the door is always open. With every religion, it all depends on a leap of faith.
Now that's "creative writing!" Doesn't mean a thing, but it sure is creative!
It isn't slander when it is true.
Meanwhile, I AM out changing the world: I actually go and do. My going and doing didn't start with Katrina, but since that is the largest impact in recent history we will start there. While the storm was still raging, I was out checking on neighbors ( I live five miles from the point of impact ). Immediately after the winds stopped, we were out clearing roads. Two days later I was in my truck heading to Florida to get supplies for the community ( at my expense ). Spent the next 3 months mostly getting peoples power back up ( again without pay and supplying a large amount of the materials), refurbished an 84 year old woman's house ( at my expense ) while she ( a total stranger to me ) lived with me in my house.
We won't even go into the two thrown-away teens I gave a place to stay while they finished school ( not both at the same time - but each for their last two years of high school ) or the fact that this is the first year in a long time I haven't been able to supply Christmas to two families ( this is the worst year for the construction business I have ever seen ).