The greatest gift that we can receive is one that is freely given

The greatest gift that we can receive is one that is freely given. In a world we are often told the price of everything but the value of nothing. Where everything is reduced to an economic price we can miss out on what is central to life. We can start to worship the means of exchange rather than what is exchanged. Our lives become increasingly cluttered up with information and with stuff we have accumulated. What we are offered in Eucharist is so simple and so direct we can be tempted to ignore what is on offer and who it is that is being offered to us. In Eucharist we are called to a direct and personal relationship with Jesus. As St Francis de Sales says, “Prayer is the means by which we ascend to God; the sacraments are the channels by which God descends to us.” We are invited to enter into that personal and direct relationship through going to Mass each week, by receiving communion and by spending time in quiet adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. If we allow Jesus to be at the heart of all our relationships then our life can be transformed by his real presence which brings life to the heart of the world.