Giving of myself for the life of others

 For many years, I would visit the blood bank once every three months to donate blood. At times, I could also give plasma, as they said I had good veins! Once, I tried to donate platelets but had a bad reaction to the anticoagulant that they used during the procedure. While I was donating, it often allowed me to pray a rosary that was the perfect length between Hail Marys to squeeze and keep the blood flowing. Giving myself to others overcame many of my fears and uncertainties. 

As we contemplate the feast of Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ), we are called to reflect on how he gave Himself for our good. Each Eucharist we encounter is a profound act of love that overflows into our lives. We are called to allow his blood to flow through our veins and his body to bring us life. In many ways, we discover that he seeks to sustain us with life flowing from the Father through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

One of the miracles of modern medicine is that we encounter this ability to donate our lives for the good of others. There is a sense where we discover the memories of another sustain us as they become one with us. May the Body and Blood of Christ transform us. How do we meet him in His Real Presence that enfolds us in compassion to live each day in His love? 

Invited to join the dance.

 I am always struck by Rublev's icon of the Trinity, where there is an invitation to sit at the table and be drawn into a relationship with God, who is present in three persons. Sometimes, when we try to explain the theology behind this mystery, it is enough to make our brains hurt. We can be caught up in trying to express in language what is at the heart of the relationship between God and humankind. We turn a mystery into a riddle rather than an encounter. We are called to discover God, who calls us to be fully human and fully alive.

As we ponder how God meets us at the heart of this relationship, we start to realise that it is not just about what we know about God but how we are known by God. This realisation helps us to discover that God is not just learnt from a book but in an encounter that changes us from the inside out. There is a divinisation that helps us to know God at the core of our being. This is not just wishful thinking but a way of being present to God in the real events of daily life. This brings together both the revelation of scripture and our own personal history. Where these two realities meet, we discover the person of Jesus who is fully human and fully divine. This opens us to the possibility of finding God in the everyday events of our lives.

As we step into this divine dance, we discover a God who is the dance, the dancer and the dancing. This is a dynamic, not static, revelation that God is ever ancient and new. We are called into the midst of the swirl of activity, where we do not just sit at the side of the room waiting for God to pull us onto the dance floor. God whirls around us in a way that makes our heads spin, our hearts beat faster, and our bodies are caught by the rhythm and cadence. Life calls us to the heart of the dance and calls us to dance with the dancer. 

Words inspired by the Holy Spirit

 When Pope Leo was elected, one of the reflections was that he was a polyglot who could speak easily in different languages. I am often struck by the ability of people who can speak in another language naturally, as if it were their own. In a world that usually seems flooded by words, we often struggle to be understood in our native tongue. The ability to hear what another says but to listen to its emphasis becomes part of our everyday life. We are called to discern what is spoken and what rings true. The ability to attend well to another assists in the proclamation of the Gospel in our current age.

As we gather to celebrate Pentecost, we notice that Mary is central to the birth of the Spirit of God in the infant Church. Just as she bore Jesus in her own womb and gave birth to him in Bethlehem, so she bears the embryonic Church in the room of her heart. This is seen in how people gather at the crib during Jesus' birth, and the disciples gather in the Upper Room around Mary. The wonder and awe are expressed in the descent of the Holy Spirit, who enables the voice of Jesus to be heard in many languages simultaneously. Mary, as Mother of the Church, prays for us and with us so that we may witness the Gospel in our daily lives.

This season reminds us that we are called to radiate God's love in the ordinary events of our lives. This is emphasised in how we are drawn into a Trinitarian relationship through the gifts of Jesus' Body and Blood. We touch the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary as we seek to live inspired by the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.