"Relationship" (Relational Love: part 14)
At
the Annunciation Jesus "espoused" the cross to himself. He embraced fully with
his heart this "wood of the Father's will" for him for the life of the world.
The cross and the Eucharist are one and the same mystery. Both the cross and
the Eucharist are the heart of the world (see JPII, "Ecclesia de Eucharistia", pp. 73-74). Where the cross and Eucharist
are, an intercessor must be found as well. United with the Lamb an intercessor
stands at the heart of the world and must remain there with an interior posture
of relational love: A fervent Love of the Father and a tender Love for the
world that the Father so loves.
In
every Roman Catholic Mass, the world is mystically drawn into the heart of the
Eucharist as the Lamb "unites [the members of his Mystical Body] with his
passion and death for the ongoing redemption of the world" (see 2018
Workbook for Lectors, p. 194). This mystical participation with the Lamb is
not because of any merit of ours; rather, it is "the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).
Jesus reminds us, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone
to myself" (John 12:32). In every Eucharist, we are "lifted up" with the Lamb
as we are offered with him, and "our redemption is accomplished" (Roman Missal,
2nd Sunday of ordinary time, p. 316). Every Roman Catholic Eucharist
makes present God's saving love for all of humanity, and calls us to
re-commit ourselves to the Father's will for the world: "Who wills everyone
to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). Yes, part of this truth is that "all
have sinned" (Rom. 3:23), and "The LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all"
(Is. 53:6). But the truth is also that the Father so loves each human being
with a tender love and sees each one of us as precious.
In
every Eucharist we the members of his Mystical Body join the Lamb in "the
sanctuary of solidarity" and are united with him on the "altar of
universal empathy" for humanity. The Blood of Jesus that sealed the New
Covenant unites us to the altar as our lives are offered in union with him for
the world: "And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the
world" (John 6:51). The relational love that an intercessor is called to is
rooted and grounded in the reality of the Incarnation and the Eucharist.
Questions:
1)
Am I standing at the "heart of the world" in
compassionate love, or in fear, or in criticism of others?
2)
Are empathy and solidarity rooted firmly in my
heart?
Scriptures:
Any scripture from the text; Is. 25:7-8;
John 1:29; 1 Tim. 1:15; 2 Pet. 3:9
