Medicine of Immortality
There is just one adjective in the Our Father:
Give us this day our daily bread.
Commenting on the first two words of this petition, the Catechism of the Catholic Church observes:
The trust of children who look to their Father for everything is beautiful (CCC 2828).
Then we have this mysterious and intriguing statement:
“Daily” (epiousios) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament (CCC 2837).
Rather than use the normal Greek word for daily, the Gospel writers preferred a word used nowhere else in Greek literature or the New Testament.
The word means super-essential or super-substantial.
Surely this helps us understand why the early Christians referred to the Eucharist as the Medicine of Immortality.
We are human beings. We need nourishment of body, soul and spirit (1 Thess. 5:23).
Only God provides for our deepest needs and how marvellously he does so with the Bread of Life (John 6).
On this feast of Corpus Christi, it will be worthwhile thinking about such matters as we join the Communion Procession.
Arise, let us proceed to receive the Medicine of Immortality.
Amen.
Father Percy , you left an lndelible mark on me when you were in Ardlethan many years ago, I won’t forget you.thank you.
The Eucharist is truly “everything” we can possibly hope for in this life but requires a sincere desire to do what He wants, even a sliver of desire, not just to keep the Law, but an effort on our part, as Christ will not force anyone into communion with Him.
The thought of losing the opportunity or not having the time for communion is folly indeed and a reason to avoid sin and hardening of our “hearts” at all costs. The “fear of the “Lord” is essential as our “modus operandi” as this allows Christ to bring us to communion.
While Christ is infinitely merciful and surprisingly kind in even little ways, at so many times, through figures like St Paul and Aquinas, He has also explicitly warned us that going to communion in a state of unrepented mortal sin is death. I was talking to a homosexual Catholic sometime ago and he thinks having “fear of God” is ‘bullshit’ and God doesn’t communicate like that. He also thinks that bounding up to communion to keep up his devotions is harmless and not sacreligious. While in the end it is between him and Christ, I have serious fears for his wellbeing.
It is not easy to commit mortal sin, once in a state of grace, and indeed it appears homosexual sex is the only definitively described mortal sin in the catechism, as differentiated from “serious” sin, although sins like murder, abortion etc, would presumably be mortal sins in reality. Venial sins are taken away by communion so for most
there is no need to fear going to communion, but regular confession and acceptance of Church rules would not hurt.
This will enable one to receive the full beneficial gift of the Eucharist, that Christ aches to give us, and it is surely not asking too much of a sacrifice for such a stupendous gift.