He Is Always with You
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
By: Jeff Smith
As you know, our mission at The Word Among Us is to encourage each of us to experience the presence of God in our daily lives. Whether we feel God’s presence on a given day isn’t the most important thing. It’s whether we know and trust that he is walking with us right by our side. God’s presence is vital for each of us. And so, month after month, year after year, we are committed to proclaiming that God is much closer to us than we can imagine or understand.
Beginning this month, many dioceses are inviting us to fan into flame a “living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ” and to do this by encountering Jesus through the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not first and foremost a practice, something we do. Neither is it an obligation that we fulfill. In fact, it’s not an it at all! When we receive the Eucharist, we are encountering Jesus himself, who is just as present to us as he was with the first disciples who walked with him, ate with him, and served alongside him.
As we begin a period when the Church is inviting us to honor Christ in the Eucharist in a special way, I’d like to invite you, every time you are at Mass, to see with the eyes of faith the Son of God. He loves you and died for you, and he now delights in coming to you through the Bread of Life. See Jesus, him not it, as you come to the altar. Approach the Lord himself with gratitude and love and humility.
Our Humble Lord. How humble our Lord is, that he, almighty God, would leave his throne and become lowly as a man! Not only that, but that he would suffer brutally for us. And beyond even this, that he comes to us in the humble form of bread and wine in Communion. In each of these events—his incarnation, his crucifixion, and Holy Communion, we see Jesus, the Lord of all, becoming the servant of all. We see him, the uncreated Son of God, entering into his creation and becoming subject to it. All so that he could rescue us from sin and so that we could know his presence personally.
This month, let the truth of Jesus’ humility and presence sink into your heart more deeply. Remember, he doesn’t just disappear when Mass is over. No, he stays with you when you are suffering over a loved one and when you are enjoying time with your family. He is with you when you seek him in daily prayer. He is there to speak his word to you personally as you ponder the Scriptures. At every moment of every day, Jesus is close to you, offering you his love, his wisdom, and his grace. And at every Mass, he is right there, inviting you to receive him, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, into your life.
Lord, thank you for being so close to us!
Jeff Smith, President
jeff_smith@wau.org
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