Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Decisions. Choices. From the moment we wake up until the moment we get to bed, we are making choices all day. And it begins early. What am I going to wear today? Am I going to wear this shirt or this shirt? Then there’s breakfast. What am I going to have for breakfast, cereal? Should I make eggs and bacon? Then you get in the car, you gotta go to work, which way am I going to take? Then in the car, you want some music, what are you going to choose to listen to? This is only the first couple of hours of the day and we’ve already made about a dozen choices. Our day is filled with choices. Some are small choices and others are big, important choices.
What has been an important choice that you have made in your life? Can you think of one? How about the choice to come to Mass? Brothers and sisters, we are Catholics, and probably the biggest choice we have as Catholics is how to respond to the Eucharist. And It’s a choice.
Jesus proposes something to us: “My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”
And Jesus waits for our response every time we come up to Communion. It is a gift and a sign of God’s sacrifice and of his love for us. And we have a choice. We either believe that this is Jesus’ body or we don’t. We either believe what Jesus said, “My flesh is true food,” or we think he’s a liar. How we choose to respond to the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of Christ affects every aspect of our life and faith.
King David in the responsorial psalm today proclaims, “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” Jesus is the perfect choice! Approach him, choose him, say yes to him, and allow him to transform you to newness.
Reflection by Fr. Macario Martinez, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections