In Holy Communion, God completely gives himself to us – one might say surrenders himself to us, for our own good and happiness, writes Alan Martin
It is clear from Scripture that the human race was intended by God to have a supernatural destiny. The first humans were raised to a supernatural state by grace and it was intended that they would pass this grace onto their children. However, the remnants of this pure love, without ulterior motive and pride, is most evident amongst young children. Indeed in Matthew 18:3, Jesus say that “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”.
Childlike
This isn’t about becoming childish, it’s about becoming childlike in the right ways. Essentially, it means that the kingdom Jesus proclaims isn’t entered into by achievement, but rather love and humility. A child naturally trusts and depends on their father/mother and spiritually we are called to place our reliance on the goodness of God, rather than self-sufficiency. St Threse of Lisieux took these words of Christ to ‘become like children’ and turned them into a practical everyday spirituality she called the “little way”, wherein she thought that you don’t climb to God by your own strength – you let yourself be lifted like a child.
However, humans through their pride and self-will have lost that supernatural grace that was God’s intended destination for us. As a result, the whole human race has fallen back to a merely human condition, wherein for the most part we have remained. The consequences of this are evident now more than ever, with public figures destroyed by pride, war ravaging half the world, the breakdown of families and the loss of self-mastery through addiction.
Another way of looking at the fall would be to regard the human race as barren soil, devoid of producing true happiness. Therefore, our search for meaning, and return to grace must have a supernatural seed, for if it is fully human, it is bound to fail and wither. Indeed through our own willpower and efforts, while we may succeed for a time, pride and a lack of humility will be our ultimate destination. All grace therefore, either actual or habitual, comes through the passion and death of Christ, whom is the new Adam and has provided us with an opportunity to be reconciled to God after our fall for as St John states in his Gospel: “Christ is the true vine, without whom you can do nothing”.
Hardships
For Christ, it was not enough that he should become one of ourselves by adopting a human nature and sharing the hardships of a life like our own. No, he loved us so much that he would not rest until he was completely united to us and thus provide us with the opportunity to experience the Kingdom of Heaven that was always our intended path. His ultimate sacrifice left for us the Eucharist which very sacrament is his means of effecting that union with God. This is the wonderful food that unites us to Christ.
It is difficult to write and explain the supernatural proprieties of the blessed Eucharist, so lets take a quote from the Council of Trent which states: “Our Saviour, when about to depart out of this world to his Father, instituted this Sacrament, in which he poured forth, as it were, the riches of his divine love towards men, making a remembrance of his wonderful works; and he commanded us in the participation thereof, to venerate his memory and show forth his death until he come to judge the world. And he willed also that this Sacrament should be received as the spiritual food of souls, whereby we may be fed and strengthened… and whereby we may be freed from daily faults, and be preserved from sin”.
To understand the results of the reception of this Sacrament, we can regard them as produced in three ways: by union with Christ, by spiritual nutrition and by its special signification of the Passion of Christ. However, the presence of the Eucharist in our bodies is only a means to something much greater, namely the union of our soul with the divinity of Christ and the incorporation of our whole being into his mystical body. This is commenced at Baptism, but only Holy Communion gives us the germ of the divine life.
Therefore, if in the beginning our faith is commenced by baptism and prayer, communion with Christ is achieved by partaking in the Eucharist. As stated by St Thomas: “This Sacrament contains in itself Christ crucified (Christum passum). Whence whatever is the effect of the passion of our Lord all that is likewise the effect of this Sacrament”.
Trust
One of the greatest possible moments in our life is when someone who loves us so much, give themselves to us completely in trust and in love (whether through marriage or indeed close friendship). In Holy Communion, God completely gives himself to us – one might say surrenders himself to us, for our own good and happiness.
It is no mere gesture and sustains our soul by strengthening it against pride and giving us a grace which enables us to overcome our self-love and to live more and more for the love of God and his intended Kingdom.
Alan Martin is a Dublin based solicitor.