Community of Posadas

EUCHARIST AND ADORATION IN THE HEART OF THE COSMOS

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the
will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom 12: 1–2). These words of Saint Paul
can serve as the backdrop to our reflexion and sharing. Along with the theme proposed to us, which
could be approached from different angles, we were orientated towards the reality of
"transformation" that takes place in each believer and in each one of us.

1) "The source of our life is hidden with Christ in God…" (Art. 167).
- Jesus is the centre of our life and our heart is centred in him.
Bread and wine are basic elements of ordinary life. The reality of our daily work making hosts
served us as a starting point: the whole process of the grain of wheat which falls on the ground,
dies and gives fruit, is harvested and ground to become flour which, when mixed with water and
"worked on" by the machines, becomes a host.
- In his incarnation, Christ penetrated the whole of our nature, the good and the sinful. When a host
is not good we put it aside as it is not "worthy" to serve for the Eucharist. But we present ourselves
at the Eucharist just as we are, in our own name and with the sufferings and hopes of humanity: we
present ourselves, poor, small, sinful, and we say in truth: "Lord I am not worthy…"
- As the bread and wine "obey" the words that the priest pronounces: "This is my Body… this is my
Blood…" we believe and hope that this same transformation is realized discreetly and progressively
in our lives so that we become that what we are: "Body of Christ", Body offered up through service
in love to the end, Blood poured forth in witness (martyrdom) drop by drop, in daily life.
- The radical transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is the work of
the Holy Spirit. The Spirit also brings about a transformation in our lives, in communion with "the
whole of creation which has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but
we ourselves, who are the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the
redemption of our bodies" ( Rom 8. 22-23). Nature participates with us in this giving birth of which
the sign is the Passion of Christ.
- The bread of the Eucharist is formed of many grains. And many joys, sufferings, hopes and
difficulties constitute the "material” of our daily Eucharist. Our offering, symbolised by the drop of
water, brings together the whole humanity whom we offer to the Father "with Christ, through him
and for him…" In each Eucharist we celebrate the Presence of the Risen Christ. In receiving the
Body and the Blood of Christ we receive the "embryo of the Resurrection" This reality calls us to
grow in communion among ourselves, to enter more and more into the mystery of the Death and
Resurrection of Christ which we desire to live through all things, positive and negative.
- In the Eucharist we are presented with "two tables: the table of the Word and the table of the
Bread". The two tables are necessary to fortify, maintain, and sustain our march, our combat. It is
the "viaticum", the bread for the pilgrimage to the heavenly homeland. The Word and the Bread are
given to us to fortify charity, to offer up our lives and transmit them. In a word, to accomplish the
Father's will.
- As the flour is "kneaded" to become bread of life, in the same way our life is "kneaded" to become
Body of Christ. The transformation is not automatic. It requires offering, sacrifice, gift, passion,
death in the contemplation and participation of this "Mystery of the Faith"
- We have received everything gratuitously. We want to live in thanksgiving. The Eucharist is
above all thanksgiving and praise of the Father for the work of the Creation, Redemption and
Sanctification. Everything has been given to us, we have received all to serve as Jesus did: "If I,
your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I
have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." (Jn 13. 14-15).
- "The Eucharistic celebration renews our covenant of love with the Lord, enables us to share in his
oblation and participate in his work of salvation" (Art. 186). At the end of our day, in the "prayer of
the covenant" we come before the Lord aware of God’s Faithfulness which never fails nor deceives
despite our many and repeated infidelities. "We recognize ourselves as sinners among sinners,
saved by divine mercy, children of the Father and sisters of everyone" (Art. 169).

2 In Eucharistic Adoration "we have the joy of meeting Jesus as Lord and Master and of allowing
him to permeate our being" (Art. 30). He is the true Adorer "in Spirit and truth". The Good Father
said. "Jesus wanted to remain a prisoner in the tabernacle so that we could adore him". Adoration
is part of our “mission" in the Church and the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles. It is a path of
solitude of heart and communion with humanity. That is where we can live the "silence of union
with God".
- The "book of nature" reveals the presence of God, and leads us to recognize him as Creator of the
entire cosmos. By means of the cosmos every human being can arrive at the knowledge of God and
perceive that he is his Saviour.
- We go to the Eucharist and Adoration with the whole of humanity, just as it is, already saved and
still in hope of salvation just like each one of us.
- We experience that Adoration recreates and transforms us. This "us” includes all our brothers and
sisters as well as the cosmos which also awaits its recreation. Adoration is "direct evangelisation".
To be with the Lord, with the whole of humanity, is a "word" which reveals that God is God who
"so loved the world that he gave his only Son". Adoration is also a "school of faith" and of
transformation:
- Adoration is pure gratuitousness on the part of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We live in
communion with all the Saints and Angels who "never cease to sing: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord,
God of the Universe". We experience our poverty as creatures before our God, Creator and Saviour.
This acknowledgement of our condition of creature has repercussions in our relationship with the
cosmos, which is also a creature of God. From this comes the respect, the care of "our companion
on the road". This way of being also has a repercussion on our sisterly relations.
- The “breaking of bread" which is prolonged in Eucharistic Adoration makes us participate in the
Life of Christ delivered up for us and calls us to greater fraternal charity, and this calls us to love
the whole of the cosmos, God’s work. "God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was
very good" (Gen 1. 31).

3) It is said: "The Eucharist makes the Church, and that the Church makes the Eucharist." This
phrase incites us to pray for priestly vocations, which are essential for the Eucharist - wise and holy
priests, pastors dedicated to the people confided to them "purchased by the Passion, Death and
Resurrection of Christ".

4) "And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh
day from all the work that he had done So god blessed the seventh day and hallowed it. Because on
It God rested from all the work that he had done in creation" (Gen 2. 2-3). This "seventh day" is the
Sunday, the Lord's day when the Church solemnly celebrates Christ's Resurrection. It is also a day
of special meeting with him, of special meeting with our sisters, a day of "rest” with him and in
him, a day of rest for the creation. The bread "broken" is "shared" and "strengthens” us to continue
the journey, day after day, towards the House of the Father who awaits his children.
We conclude with a prayer: Lord, we give you thanks for the beauty of the world, splendour of the
mountains, for the width of the ocean, for the animals and the flowers. We thank you for the
brightness of the children, the depth of the human spirit, the audacious ideas. We thank you for
having sent Christ on earth and sanctifying the universe by his presence. You are the source of all
thought. You are the centre of all things. You are the beginning and the end of all time. May your
name be blessed yesterday, today and for eternity. AMEN.