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Christus panis vevus
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” John 6:51 The Eucharist is immortal food and the food of immortality. Jesus took bread at the Passover feast and made it his spiritual body. He told the disciples, and therefore us, that when it is received with faith in supplication, the eater will have eternal life. Often, when I am contemplating the Holy Eucharist, I think about what food is and what it is for. There are a myriad of products that are called “food,” many, if not most, of which barely scratch the surface of what food is intended to be, so I do not waste my time thinking about them. I reflect on real food, the food God intended us to eat, with the intended result. Food is life. Given by God, that which is food to us empowers us, gives us energy, and makes us strong. Food satisfies our bodily needs to operate and perform in the ways God intended. But if that was all food was, God could have made us able to absorb sunlight or cosmic radiation or air. Food provides all that our bodies need to function (yes, water is considered food), but God gave us so much more than food when He gave us the need to eat. Food is a social catalyst and an emotional experience; food provides opportunity and encourages relationship. When Jesus took the bread–the food, and added his life–his spirit, He made that food as sustenance to feed not only body and mind, but spirit. Where bread by itself provided nutrients, this bread would provide the essence of eternal life. In John 6:51, Jesus tells us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” So, yes, this food is what sustains us now and brings us to live eternally in God’s heavenly Kingdom. Jesus has given us this bread in the midst of our devotion and supplication to be the food of eternal life. For over two thousand years, the Holy Eucharist, the food of immortality, has nourished God’s children. It is the means by which the Kingdom has been carried down through generations. When we “eat this bread,” the food of immortality, we know his presence through obedience and grow in our likeness of him in spirit. The bread of life draws us through the mystical presence of our King to a deeper understanding of ourselves as the focus of Christ’s sacrifice. Come to Church on Sunday and take and eat the living bread of Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus waits for you. Christus panis vevus, Fr. Bill+
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Peace that passes all understanding
What a premium we place on peace. We talk about achieving it, we expend large amounts of energy to possess it, and we cherish it when we have it, but how often do we really…have it? I remember back when the “peace” was introduced to the Sunday service. Following the new 1979 BCP, the “peace” was inserted in the middle of the service and caused no small amount of confusion, tension, and anger. Imagine that: angry because peace was shared in the worship service. The interruption to the normal flow of the service resulted in a monumental distraction that overshadowed the entire service and debilitated parishioners. As one person was not-to-quietly overheard saying, “what’s the point in coming at all?!” Many years have passed since this “innovation” was introduced (really it was a resurrected tradition from the earliest days of the church), and I have seen the mid-service “peace” grow and then lose meaning as a witness to the larger reality that is actually quite difficult to grasp: God’s Peace. In relationships, especially marriages, we fool ourselves into believing that we have peace when there is no conflict, but this is a lie. Peace is not the absence of conflict—not in the Christian sense—peace is the actual presence of the Holy, the presence of God in our midst. You see, Jesus doesn’t promise us the peace we understand—that is the lie. He promises us the peace beyond our understanding—that is the gift. When we substitute the peace of “mediocre acceptance” for the palpable peace of Christ, then we have settled for far less than we have been promised and live our lives disquieted and unsettled. Sadly, over time, as we grow to accept the “the lack of conflict is peace” lie, the whole of our lives must compensate. Our acceptance of the lie results in a dumbing down of the words of Christ to the point at which they become meaningless. After all, He didn’t deliver on what he promised. The infection of distrust and disbelief that follows is so subtle that we nearly miss it. Without realizing it, we start saying to ourselves (and others) that the Gospel is metaphor or that it simply does not apply to our modern time. The truth of the matter is that Jesus promised us miraculous gifts, and they are ours for the taking, but we must be able to recognize them in order to receive them. We must have eyes to see into our own souls and be willing and able to read the biblical directions to the fulfillment of life. We must follow in trust, not forge ahead on our own. The dumbing down of Jesus—His life and His words—must be fought with everything we have, and accepting His peace is a great place to make our stand. To accept His peace, we must stop trying to dictate the manner in which we will receive it. The truth is, we want it on our terms and in a manner that pleases us with as little effort as possible, but that is not how God has chosen to give His gifts. If we put as much effort into our life in Christ as we do into our avoidance techniques, if we expend as much energy in our search for greater depth in God as we do in suppressing our emotions during those periods of “lack of conflict,” then we would have all that we so desire—and more, more than we can understand. The “Peace” is a little thing, really, just a minute to turn to one another and pray for them—pray that they have the Peace of Christ. This is a divine opportunity to witness out of love for Christ, His promise of true Peace. In those few moments, we are given the opportunity to embrace the reality of the Peace of Christ as beyond our comprehension, and we are to be bathed in the presence of the Holy Spirit. C.S. Lewis was fond of saying that if we live a certain way, we will soon be the way we live. Perhaps, as we live the peace of Christ in the midst of our services, it will help us embrace the peace of Christ in the midst of our lives. Once this true peace is known to us, the days of settling will be a part of the disquieted past, and the rest of His words, no longer regarded as metaphor, will ring with divine truth. Peace be with you, Fr. Bill+ Totally Fire!
As we near the end of the Pentecost season, why not take a little time to seek the Holy Spirit? One of God’s gifts is the ability to grow and change forever. Our spiritual journey is and must be, one of growing awareness and the revision of our life’s habits and actions. Moving toward our communion and fellowship with God, we are given the chance for the greatest change of all. A Desert Father was visited by a young monk seeking his advice. After describing his "little fast, his little prayer and his little work" which consisted of weaving baskets, the younger asked the elder, "What more should I do?" To which the older monk replied by raising his hands. As he did so fire shot forth from his fingers and, speaking through the flames he said to the young monk, "Why not become Totally Fire?” This ancient story is a favorite of mine that attempts to direct our minds and spirits out past the “small and satisfying” to the boundless possibilities of God. We are blessed to be able to take subtle satisfaction in what we achieve; so much more the spiritual satisfaction we feel when we have fulfilled a spiritual discipline. These “little fasts” and “little prayers” have the ability to lead us to new heights or depths of spiritual connectedness, but these “satisfying accomplishments” are only the fore side of a double-edged sword. The elder monk has posed a question that is far more profound than it might at first seem. Recognizing the younger monk's accomplishments and his dedication, the elder asks not only what could stop the younger from achieving the elder’s state of spiritual maturity, but what has stopped him thus far? What are the factors that have kept the younger so satisfied and stationary in his spiritual growth? At once we feel the brush of the aft blade as the sword swings past. With love and encouragement the elder monk shows that, while the dedication of the younger has served him well thus far, he may have become dependent on the “little” accomplishments which still lift him spiritually but no longer lead to new heights. The question looks backward as well as forward, challenging his rational assessment as well as his perception. We are all meant for grander things! God has given us and continues to provide for us methods of spiritual renewal “that satisfy and delight us,” but these are meant as stepping stones, providing ready passage though doldrums; or stairs on which to climb to new heights. They are points of transition which lead us to a new place and open to us new avenues through which God’s love may be manifest in our lives. God is shown forth in the fact of our existence and through our own capacity to love. All good things come from God, and we are surrounded by the bountiful witness of grace everyday and every minute. Our journey in spiritual growth is blessed with “little fasts” and “little prayers” that help us through and enable us to climb–and what miraculous provision they are! They are gifts also that move us beyond themselves, until we become Totally Fire! Blazing for God, Fr. Bill+ |
AuthorFather Bill Burk† Archives
January 2026
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