We recieve Holy Communion to become what it is

“For the effect of our sharing in the body and blood of Christ is to change us into what we receive. As we have died with him, and have been buried and raised to life with him, so we bear him within us, both in body and in spirit, in everything we do.” --From a sermon by Saint Leo the Great, pope

We find this to be especially true whenever we receive Holy Communion. When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we physically take him inside of ourselves, saying that we do want to be conformed to Christ! What a statement!

When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we should strive to become Christ in what we do. Our bodies become true tabernacles of Christ. Who are we to be called to that? Are we really worth such a calling? Is my body pure enough for such a calling?

And when your body becomes a tabernacle, so do you as a person. After all, your body is an intrinsic part of who you are! There is no Scott Thomas without my body. My body and soul are one unified substance. So I must then ask, who am I as a person to be worthy of such a calling?

Traditions Rock!

Just before Christ ascended to heaven, he left the Apostles in charge, telling them to go out to all the nations and spread the Good News (Mt 28:16-20). Of course, we find at the end of John’s Gospel that he told Peter (specifically), “Feed my sheep” (21:15-17). This is to mean that Peter was in charge, as he is the rock on which Christ built his Church. Today, we have the Pope as Peter’s successor. And just as Peter was told “Feed my sheep”, so too is each Pope told (CCC 937).

But the Pope is not the only one. We also have all of the Bishops and Priests. We have Bishops of the world as the successors of the Apostles, leading our Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And in the individual parishes, we have Priests representing and acting in the name of their respective Bishop. We are rich in traditions ordained by Christ himself. And this is only one of the most apparent ones.

For example, after Pentecost, the Apostles went out and spread the Word of God. And they laid hands upon others (Acts 13:3), leaving them in charge of local parishes. Today, this practice is continued in Priestly ordinations!

CCC 1369, 882, 893

The Pope, successor of Peter, Vicar of Christ, and our homeboy!!

“In Christ Abraham’s posterity is blessed, because in him the whole world receives the adoption of sons, and in him the patriarch becomes the father of all nations through the birth, not from human stock but by faith, of the descendants that were promised to him. From every nation on earth, without exception, Christ forms a single flock of those he has sanctified, daily fulfilling the promise he once made: I have other sheep, not of this fold, whom it is also ordained that I shall lead; and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” --From a sermon by Pope Leo the Great

Pope Leo goes on to quote how Christ told Peter, “Feed my sheep” (Jn 21:15-17). He said this to Peter and no one else. He gave Peter charge just before he left earth and ascended to Heaven. And today we find Peter’s successor in our midst, in the person of Pope Benedict XVI.

But Pope Benedict is not meant to distract us from Christ. No, he is not a mediator between God the Father and mankind. Rather, he is a mediator between Christ and mankind, just as Christ made Peter. Pope Benedict is our rock, our present-day spiritual guide, leading us to Christ, through his example and the examples of the many saints that have preceded us.

CCC 834, 882, 1369