Denver Catholic

Instead of leaving the museum annoyed that day, I left challenged. I wanted to see Jesus the way those Cajuns did, worthy of the best I have to offer. And I wanted that love for Jesus to spill into my understanding and reverence for the Eucharist. This year on June 10, the Archdiocese of Denver will launch the Parish Year of the Eucharistic Revival, and I invite you to the same challenge I gave myself all those years ago. How do you see Jesus? Do you see him as a King worthy of the very best you have to offer? Do you have a real rela- tionship with he who went to the cross and rose from the dead so that you could know him? And what of the Eucha- rist our Church calls the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ? Have you experienced Christ in the Eucharist? No matter your answer to these questions, this year, you are invited to rekindle your love for the Eucharist — to rediscover exactly who Jesus is, fall more deeply in love with him, and allow his presence in the Eucharist to pene- trate every single part of your life. So then, let us get started because what we believe about Jesus will directly determine the love and reverence we hold for the Eucharist. Colossians 1:15-17 offers us an all-encompassing pic- ture of the Son of God: "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or domin- ions or principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Sit with these words. Reread them. Let them open your eyes to Christ's majesty. He is the image of the invisible God. This means that if we want to know what God the Father is like, we look to Jesus. He is the first-born of cre- ation. All things were created through him and for him. This means that Jesus Christ is the center of the universe and history. Everything is about him, and everything is for him. It is because of him that all else holds together in creation. Can you even wrap your mind around such a God? What else can we do but honor and revere him? Jesus is so far beyond our comprehension, yet at the same time, the scrip- tures reveal that he did not choose to stay in the cosmos. He came down from Heaven and entered into this mess. Philippians 2:6-8 tells us: "Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." Jesus, whose magnificence is beyond our comprehen- sion, entered the world's brokenness to get to you. Yes, you, with the darkness of your heart that only you know about, the past that you seem not to be able to let go, and the small failings that you would like to hide. You, with all your baggage, matter to our Lord so much that he left Heaven and became a man to enable you to have a rela- tionship with him. And here is the incredible part. Jesus did not stop there. Through the Eucharist, he continually joins himself to humanity in every place and generation. Through the wondrous gift of the Eucharist, Our Lord seeks to enter into your very being, every part of you, offering you the grace of his transformation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1324, tells us: "The Eucharist is 'the source and summit of the Christian life.' The other sacraments, and indeed all eccle- siastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." The Eucharist is Jesus Christ, veiled in flesh and blood, made available to you to become one with you. As we enter the Parish Year of the Eucharistic Revival, I invite you to meet him in the Eucharist. I invite you to let him into every part of your life. Offer him your very best, worship, reverence, love and intimacy, and see the difference he makes in your life. ... you are invited to rekindle your love for the Eucharist — to rediscover who exactly Jesus is, fall more deeply in love with him, and allow his presence in the Eucharist to penetrate every single part of your life." 6 JUNE 2023 | DENVER CATHOLIC

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