The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist.
- CCC No.1335
Reflection: Upon finally grasping the reality of what it means to eat Jesus' body and blood, one teenager exclaimed, "It must have been a big body!" The multiplication of the loaves explains God's fecundity and how we are able to continually feed on the true body of Christ.
Prayer: Lord, help me to have a firmer faith in the Eucharist.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread..." "he took the cup filled with wine..."
- CCC No. 1333
Reflection: The weekly ritual of the Mass may seem awkward or inconvenient, but unlike most of the ways in which we spend our lives, it is not a consumer's decision; it is an act of obedience to the Lord's words.
Prayer: Lord, may the Church always remain faithful to your words at the Last Supper.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
The Church, especially during Advent and Lent and above all during the Easter Vigil, re-reads and re-lives he great events of salvation history in the "today" of her liturgy.
- CCC No. 1095
Reflection: The liturgy celebrates God's saving activity of the past, which is essentially the same as his present behavior. God is always/still saving mankind and intervening in history. In the liturgical celebration, past and present meet in God's ever-present "today."
Prayer: Father, your love is unchanging and your faithfulness never fails. Accept our praise this day.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
The word "liturgy" originally meant a "public work" or a "service in the name of/on behalf of the people." In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in "the work of God."
- CCC No. 1069
Reflection: To sit in the pew passively daydreaming during Mass is like a soccer player standing around on the soccer field, oblivious of the game going on around her, and then later saying, "I got nothing out of it."
Prayer: Father, thank you for the opportunity to worship you at Mass.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
