Abide in Him

Christ is the sacrament of God and also of creation. 'Abide' calls for deeper communion with God, creation, and humanity. 'Abiding' cannot be exclusive to Christianity as a religion. Maintaining religion, Christianity has done away with Christ. We are eager to worship, but have no much attempt to 'abide in him.' Worship and devotion are never a romantic attachment or a 'intoxicated religious' world. Christ never ask for it. The life that he asked of the disciples is of becoming like him. 'Making home in him' cannot be possible by recitation of 'Jesus' or repetition of Word of God. It can be true only by seeking the kingdom of God and its justice. That is the only 'way' to be one in the vine, producing fruits, and glorifying the Father. 

Shepherd's Care

There are many relaxation techniques for body and mind. 'Peace' that Christ offered was not a stress-free time. Christ brought us to an experience of shepherd's embrace, of care, of consolation, healing, and strengthening. It is not a perpetual tranquility or smooth going. It is a hope of new life, rising, passing over, and walking. Jesus said that he will be with us always. 

Jesus spoke of himself as the good shepherd who would lead us to green pastures. Our weaknesses, brokenness, sorrows are filled with the care of the shepherd. We may be fed and be satisfied. He takes us to the streams of water, that we may be filled. All these speaks of the goodness of God which often takes the metaphor of a banquet. It is from Christ that we are filled and fed. 

We enter into him in communion with his self, and in communion with one another. There, as the shepherd, we too become door for one another to the green pastures. We become  home to one another that all experience the comfort of the shepherd's care. 

What I give is my flesh

Eating the flesh of Christ is not an easy thing. A routine reception of 'communion' does not ensure consuming Christ, the Word made flesh. Only by entering into communion with God and one another we can be 'satisfied' of eating Him. The flesh he gives us to eat is also a sacrament of human reality in its existential, biological and cosmological dimensions. Thus, the flesh given us to eat ("the bread I give to you is my flesh") has the taste of wounded humanity, its struggles and burdens, sweat, blood and tears. All narratives on suffering are beyond interpretations. His flesh interprets it for us. If the sacramental reception has no connection to the living reality of human flesh, our 'communion' has no relation with Christ.

'Attending' of mass, and receiving of communion as a receiving of  'food of great blessing,' and a 'bread of miraculous power' often keep the reality of communion aside. More than a communion that we enter into, it becomes an instrument of benefit from God. Approached as a sacrament of living presence of Christ, we can never be away from our responsible commitment to the injured flesh of humanity and nature.

Everything exists in him and for him. He holds all things in being. Our flesh, like the Word, is incarnated into communion. Thus his Word is our food, and his flesh is our food.