Our readings today focus on the Law. Moses is very effusive in bringing the Law to the people of God. These people never had a homeland; they were pilgrims who had been saved from slavery in Egypt and were headed to their own land, a land “rich in milk and honey.” This community saw itself as a theocracy because their laws came directly from the God who had saved them and would continue to protect them.

As a people who had never had a homeland, a legal system was essential for creating a society, a system of ethics, the protection of the most vulnerable, and common religious rituals. These would hold them together and distinguish them from the nations and peoples surrounding them. Sadly, as often happens over time, the laws take on a life of their own as they lose their original impetus.

In our Gospel reading today, we see a recurring theme regarding the religious leaders of Jesus’ time who were laser-focused on the minutiae of the law rather than its central message. Jesus states that he is the fulfillment of the law. He was the One that the prophets and the Law had foretold. He is the God-man who did not cling to his divinity but emptied himself to reveal the intensity of God’s love for all of creation.

Jesus continues to empty himself as he comes to us in bread and wine. He invites us to share in his divine life by eating his Body and Blood and then emptying ourselves in the service of those most in need. The Eucharist is the food that nourishes us in our journey to recognizing and serving him in others.

Let Us Pray:

Lord, your creation displays your magnificence and your love. May we see your presence in so much beauty in the world around us, especially in those who cry out to us in hunger, pain, isolation, alienation, and violence. May we be your incarnation in that service. Amen.

Eucharistic Reflection – Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing (eucharisticevangelizing.com)
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