The wine and the Blood
Dearest brothers and sisters,
I would like to share one of my experience regarding receiving the Blood of Christ in eucharistic celebrations. I believe you are all aware that it is very seldom for us to receive communion in bread and wine. Most of the time we only receive the host. In rare cases, though, like in smaller celebration, we have the opportunity to receive Christ both in bread and wine.
In Indonesia, when we receive the wine, what we did was to dip in the host into the cup filled with wine. In NTU, however, it is quite different. I was a bit surprised at the first time. I was told to drink directly from the cup. This is the first time I tasted the wine during eucharistic celebration. It tasted nice.
Every week, every time I went to the mass, I drank the wine. What I actually want to share with you is actually my mistake in receiving this precious wine.
I still remember the time when I had a conversation with my friends and we were talking about wines. Not wine for mass of course. But somehow, here and there, we started to say that wine that was used for the mass tasted better. It was sweet, and etc, etc.
And I heard this conversation again and again. And people seemed to love the wine that was used for the mass. It was nice and sweet.
One day, however, the Lord warned me of my mistaken attitudes...towards Him. At one time during the mass, the father was talking about receiving communion. I can not really remember what he was saying but he mentioned something when the wine dropped to the floor. What surprised me was what he said, "For God's sake, It is the Blood of Christ".
Somehow, I was shocked with that words, "It is the Blood of Christ". Yea..yea ..we all know that the wine is the blood of Christ, and so what? I was shocked simply because I did not treat the wine as if I was treating the blood of Christ. I was talking about it as nice and sweet. For God's sake...It is ... the Blood of Jesus.
And I was so sad for what I said and what I did. I was so sad because I did not appreciate the Blood that has been poured out for me. I simply took it for granted, and the worse is that I compare it with other drinks. And I also realized that sometimes I did not receive it worthily. There was this thought of wanting to drink the wine greedily.
The problem is that the wine that I tasted and I said nice and sweet was God's own blood. The wine that I wanted to drink greedily was Jesus's own Blood that dropped from the Cross. It was the blood from His body. It was His Blood.
I was reminded again from the scripture when St. Paul says
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
(1Co 10:16)
and about drinking the wine greedily, St. Paul mentioned
When you meet together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
(1Co 11:20-22)
And How painful it is for the Lord if we do not receive this precious blood worthily. It is something serious.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
(1Co 11:27-29)
A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?
(Heb 10:28-29)
And last of all my brothers and sisters, let us all examine ourselves as we receive Our Lord's body and blood. May we receive it worthily and full of respect. Since it is for us that He died, for us that he was crucified. The Blood has been poured out for our sake, for the forgiveness of our sins, and so that we may have life in Him.
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
(Mat 26:27-28)
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
(Joh 6:53-56)
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam
-For the greater glory of God-
your brother in His love,
oka
I would like to share one of my experience regarding receiving the Blood of Christ in eucharistic celebrations. I believe you are all aware that it is very seldom for us to receive communion in bread and wine. Most of the time we only receive the host. In rare cases, though, like in smaller celebration, we have the opportunity to receive Christ both in bread and wine.
In Indonesia, when we receive the wine, what we did was to dip in the host into the cup filled with wine. In NTU, however, it is quite different. I was a bit surprised at the first time. I was told to drink directly from the cup. This is the first time I tasted the wine during eucharistic celebration. It tasted nice.
Every week, every time I went to the mass, I drank the wine. What I actually want to share with you is actually my mistake in receiving this precious wine.
I still remember the time when I had a conversation with my friends and we were talking about wines. Not wine for mass of course. But somehow, here and there, we started to say that wine that was used for the mass tasted better. It was sweet, and etc, etc.
And I heard this conversation again and again. And people seemed to love the wine that was used for the mass. It was nice and sweet.
One day, however, the Lord warned me of my mistaken attitudes...towards Him. At one time during the mass, the father was talking about receiving communion. I can not really remember what he was saying but he mentioned something when the wine dropped to the floor. What surprised me was what he said, "For God's sake, It is the Blood of Christ".
Somehow, I was shocked with that words, "It is the Blood of Christ". Yea..yea ..we all know that the wine is the blood of Christ, and so what? I was shocked simply because I did not treat the wine as if I was treating the blood of Christ. I was talking about it as nice and sweet. For God's sake...It is ... the Blood of Jesus.
And I was so sad for what I said and what I did. I was so sad because I did not appreciate the Blood that has been poured out for me. I simply took it for granted, and the worse is that I compare it with other drinks. And I also realized that sometimes I did not receive it worthily. There was this thought of wanting to drink the wine greedily.
The problem is that the wine that I tasted and I said nice and sweet was God's own blood. The wine that I wanted to drink greedily was Jesus's own Blood that dropped from the Cross. It was the blood from His body. It was His Blood.
I was reminded again from the scripture when St. Paul says
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
(1Co 10:16)
and about drinking the wine greedily, St. Paul mentioned
When you meet together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
(1Co 11:20-22)
And How painful it is for the Lord if we do not receive this precious blood worthily. It is something serious.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
(1Co 11:27-29)
A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace?
(Heb 10:28-29)
And last of all my brothers and sisters, let us all examine ourselves as we receive Our Lord's body and blood. May we receive it worthily and full of respect. Since it is for us that He died, for us that he was crucified. The Blood has been poured out for our sake, for the forgiveness of our sins, and so that we may have life in Him.
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
(Mat 26:27-28)
So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
(Joh 6:53-56)
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam
-For the greater glory of God-
your brother in His love,
oka
posted by Oka | 8:32 pm
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