“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
FRIDAY, April 16th Jn. 6: 1-15 Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish…
“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’… Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, they gathered and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over.”
Reflection: Which is greater? To take five small barley loaves and two fish, give thanks, and feed 5,000? Or to say, “Take and eat, this is my body given up for you” and feed countless billions until the end of time???
PART 1: Saint John Marie Vianney: “What does Jesus Christ do in the Eucharist? It is God who, as our Savior, offers Himself each day for us to His Father’s justice. If you are in difficulties and sorrows, He will comfort and relieve you. If you are sick, He will either cure you or give you strength to suffer so as to merit Heaven. If the devil, the world, and the flesh are making war upon you, He will give you the weapons with which to fight, to resist, and to win victory. If you are poor, He will enrich you with all sorts of riches for time and eternity. Let us open the door of His sacred and adorable Heart, and be wrapped about for an instant by the flames of His love, and we shall see what a God who loves us can do! O my God, who shall be able to comprehend?”
PART 2: PUT ON THE MIND OF CHRIST by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
Saint Paul commands us: “Put on the mind of Christ.” (Phil 2:2) He also says: “You have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:16) Of course the mind of Christ was the most pure, holy, innocent, humble, wise, intelligent, retentive, and noble mind that ever existed—nobody in their right mind could deny this.
How then can I implement this imperative of the great Apostle Saint Paul who could say in all sincerity: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20)
Of course, daily meditation on the Word of God, especially the heart of the Bible—the Gospels, can transform our way of thinking. The saying, “you are what you eat” is true, but more to the point is “you are what you think”!
Still, we would like to propose another way to put on the mind of Christ; indeed another way to actually have the mind of Christ. The most efficacious way to put on the mind of Christ is a well-prepared, humble, fervent, faith-filled reception of Holy Communion.
Holy Communion is truly and substantially the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ – in a word, the whole Christ! The noblest members of the Body of Christ are His Heart and His mind.
Indeed, when we receive Holy Communion worthily we have a “Spiritual Heart-transplant”. The Sacred Heart of Jesus beats within our heart upon receiving Holy Communion with the proper disposition. Furthermore, when we receive Holy Communion, we receive the whole and entire Body of Jesus, and that includes His mind. With this knowledge, we can indeed put into practice the mandate of Saint Paul: “Put on the mind of Christ.” (Phil. 2:2) After receiving Holy Communion worthily, we have the Mind of Christ!
Many suffer torments of the mind and in many different ways. Ugly memories from the past pursue us like disturbing nightmares. Past hurts from our youth pursue us like vicious wolves. Immodest images of past viewings and actions never seem to leave our mind at peace. Memories of past hurts of our childhood due to bad family experiences seem to leave almost indelible scars. Even the devil maneuvers and manipulates his way into our mind accusing us, blaming us, and condemning us. Even something as simple as the failure of our memory which seems to have been transformed into a leaky bucket, retaining only a few drops of information.
How can this sad state of affairs related to our mind, memory, understanding, and imagination be purified, enlightened and raised on high? Once again, the answer is receiving Jesus in Holy Communion with lively faith and burning love!
THE MIND
The mind is one of the most noble gifts and faculties that God has bestowed on every human person. The mind contains memory, understanding, and imagination. These are the three specific faculties present in the mind.
Holy Communion can transform the whole mind, each one of these three different faculties! Holy Communion is not a symbol that represents Jesus. Holy Communion truly and substantially is JESUS!!!! Let us analyze briefly what Holy Communion can do to transform our mind into the mind of Christ.
MEMORY
Our memory is weak, short-lived, and at the same time, tormented with past ugly memories that never seem to leave us at peace. Why not try this! Next time you receive Jesus in Holy Communion, beg the Lord to purify your memory of past hurts and ugly images, and fill you with pure light in your mind and memory. Beg the Lord that with this Holy Communion your memory will retain only the good and will repel and reject the bad and the evil. In other words, beg the Lord that all the good influences will be absorbed and retained like a sponge and all the evil influences will be repelled like water bouncing off a rock!
UNDERSTANDING
How often have we read something, heard a lecture or conference, or even listened to a conversation and our understanding did not kick into gear? The message seemed to be murky, unclear and confused! Why? This is due to the simple fact that as a result of Original Sin our mind and understanding have been damaged—not destroyed, but impaired! In Holy Communion we receive the “Total Christ”. Why not beg Jesus the next time you receive Holy Communion to give you His Mind with His understanding! One of the effects of this will be to produce in you a more keen and penetrating understanding of the truth. You will notice as a result of frequent and well-prepared Holy Communions that a light bulb will be turned on in your mind, giving you certain insights that you never had before. Why? Because Holy Communion truly gives you the Mind of Jesus with His brilliant understanding.
IMAGINATION
In the Marian classic, True Devotion to Mary, Saint Louis de Montfort expresses an earnest appeal to Our Lady related to imagination: “O Mary, check our wandering imagination”. Saint Teresa of Avila calls the imagination, “La loca de la casa.” —literally, the “Mad Woman of the house”! Why? Very simply, the imagination can run wild at any time and in any place. It can be compared to a spoiled and untrained child or even a wild animal left at large! Of itself, our imagination is neutral. We can use it for great evil—as in the case of willfully recalling and pondering pornographic images. To the contrary, Saint Ignatius exhorts us to use our imagination for great good, entering into the lives of Jesus and Mary so as to become part of their lives — all by means of training our imagination! Saint Ignatius calls this the prayer of “Contemplation”.
This being said, upon receiving Holy Communion, not only do we receive the Mind of Jesus, the Understanding of Jesus, but we also receive the IMAGINATION of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Indeed, only Jesus can help us to overcome our sinfulness in thought, word, deed, and omission. Upon receiving Holy Communion, the “mad man of the house calms down” and a more peaceful and controlled thought process in the imagination takes over!
CONCLUSION
The greatest action that the human person can do on earth is to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. Saint Paul says: “Put on the mind of Christ; you have the mind of Christ.” Why not start today to aim at the habit of frequent, well-prepared and fervent reception of Holy Communion. Holy Communion is truly the total Christ— His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
This includes His Sacred Mind with the three specific faculties: memory, understanding, and will. Try it! You will never regret it! Not only will you put on the mind of Christ; you actually will have the mind of Christ. As Saint Augustine highlights, Our Lady first conceived Jesus in her mind and then in her body. May Our Lady, who pondered the word of God in her mind, attain for us an ardent yearning to receive her Beloved Son in frequent and fervent Holy Communions, so as to truly have the Sacred Mind of Jesus!
