As a poor carpenter or craftsman who had a deep understanding of the scriptures, Jesus began His earthly ministry by traveling from town to town without a permanent residence while preaching the Good News of His Father: Love. Jesus wanted all of Israel to know that God loved them, and He would do whatever it would take to bring them back to Him. Jesus healed the sick, cured the lame, and drove out demons all to show the people God’s desire to heal the brokenness of the world. He associated with the outcasts and sinners to demonstrate that God’s love has no limitations. He called out religious leaders to show that He loved them too much to leave them in hypocrisy. The love of God to the Israelites and the world was revealed through the person of Jesus whose incarnation was an act of love itself.
But accepting the fact that God loves us is just the beginning of the Good News of Jesus. We are to respond to this love with repentance of our sins and show others the same radical love that we have been shown by God. This new life that Jesus revealed is one that is simple in theory but difficult in application. Jesus calls for us to love God above all things. After this correct ordering of our love to our Creator, we are then to love His creation and all people, especially our enemies. As Jesus points out, what merit is there for loving those who love us (Luke 6:32). But loving those who persecute us shows the deeper meaning of love. God himself shows us this love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). In dying for us, God gained nothing but us, and we gained everything in Him. It is only when we recognize our weakness, embrace our poverty, repent, and receive the love God empty handed that we become who we are meant to be.
The key to living out this love and having it taking root in our souls is by detaching ourselves from our wants and desires and making every moment an offering of thanksgiving to God. To live this poverty and radical self gift, we need the grace of God. Jesus knows this, and this is why He gives us the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Eucharist embodies the actions of God’s greatest sign of love and poverty, His passion and death on the cross. It is also Jesus’ way of being present to each member of the Body of Christ, and showing His love to all the members of His Church throughout all of history.
Originally published in Prime Soil Magazine | Vol. 1 No. 2
Originally presented at The 10th National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024
