Meditation for Today

The disciples were feeling confident.

They finally understood Jesus. They grasped his "plain words," and that
probably made them think that they had everything figured out. You can
imagine Jesus smiling at their reaction. He loves them but wants to be sure
they understand their limits. So he warned them that despite their
self-assurance, they would abandon him soon. What's more, he said all this
so that they would have peace about it when it happened!

Actually, the fact that we will never get Jesus figured out can be a very
comforting, peaceful thought. It means that we don't have to completely
unravel mysteries like the Blessed Trinity and transubstantiation. We can
all grow in love for God and our neighbors no matter how much-or how
little-we understand. In the final analysis, it's not "getting it"
intellectually that brings us peace. It's coming in touch with the Lord
personally. This is what puts our hearts at rest. And not surprisingly, this
is what imparts to us the kind of knowledge and understanding we really
need.

That's why the Mass is called the source and summit of our Christian life,
and not the Catechism or the papal documents. As essential as these are to
our life of faith, they exist for one reason: to help us understand what it
means to love the Lord and to receive his love in return. Coming
face-to-face with Jesus, eating his body and drinking his blood-that's what
enables us to hear him speaking to us. That's what purifies our hearts and
brings us peace. In Mass, we can be lifted up to heaven in a way that no
amount of study can ever accomplish. And being thus lifted up, we begin to
make greater sense of our lives. We begin to understand who we are and how
we are to live.

Rejoice in Jesus' presence today! Rejoice that he has given you the
Eucharist as a way for his presence to heal you, bring you peace, and make
you more fully alive. We will never fully "understand" Jesus, but each of us
can get to know him and love him more and more.

"Thank you, Lord, for the gift of your body and blood. I rejoice that I can
know you in such a personal way, even if I do not understand everything
about you. May your presence bring me the peace that surpasses all
understanding. "