It won't be long (March 7 at 4:30) that we will offer on that day and every Friday of Lent the opportunity to come together and pray the Stations of the Cross as we journey toward the Easter Triduum (April 17-20). Each Friday we will use a different set of reflections on Jesus's passion, death and resurrection, and how they speak to our lives in Christ in a variety of ways.
While Catholics in general are very familiar with the "Stations of the Cross" of Jesus Christ, I would say that they are few in number who have heard of and prayed the "Stations of the Eucharist". I was recently introduced to these by a parishioner who attended the Arkansas Catholic Men's Conference in Little Rock a few weeks ago. They are written by Fr. Jonathan Meyer who was a speaker at that conference. In the introduction to these "stations" he says that they "walk us through the Bible and show references that support the doctrine of the Eucharist in Sacred Scripture AND our 2,000 year Catholic Tradition".
The seventh of these stations is "Bethlehem, the House of Bread" In addition to quoting part of the Infancy Narrative according to Luke (2:1-7) which describes Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem for the Roman census and the subsequent birth of Jesus, he shares and reflects on the fact that the word "Bethlehem" literally means "House of Bread". This makes sense as Jesus said "I am the Living Bread, come down from Heaven." (Jn 6:41). We might therefore look at Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Eucharist". Jesus came down from heaven to earth to save us and give us the food of immortality, Himself. There are also Eucharistic connotations in the fact that the newborn child Jesus was laid in a feeding trough, a manger. The animals fed from a trough known as a manger and in faith we feed on the one who was placed in that "feeding trough" in the Eucharistic food that is Jesus at every Mass. In some sense every Mass is a "little Christmas".
I will try to share more of these "Eucharistic Stations" in future pastor's columns, and if I can get copies of this booklet, we may have a communal praying of these stations in the future. I want to close this column with the prayer that accompanies this Seventh Station in Fr. Meyer's booklet. He does say in the back of the booklet that these stations (and I assume prayers) were inspired by the Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration in Hanceville, Alabama.
Let us pray....
Dear Lord, You are the Bread of Life. You were born to become our Food. You are our daily bread, born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. Thank You for giving us Your very self. Thank You for Your Body and Blood. Help me to see every celebration of Holy Mass as another Christmas, as You come down from heaven to be with us and save us. Amen.
While Catholics in general are very familiar with the "Stations of the Cross" of Jesus Christ, I would say that they are few in number who have heard of and prayed the "Stations of the Eucharist". I was recently introduced to these by a parishioner who attended the Arkansas Catholic Men's Conference in Little Rock a few weeks ago. They are written by Fr. Jonathan Meyer who was a speaker at that conference. In the introduction to these "stations" he says that they "walk us through the Bible and show references that support the doctrine of the Eucharist in Sacred Scripture AND our 2,000 year Catholic Tradition".
The seventh of these stations is "Bethlehem, the House of Bread" In addition to quoting part of the Infancy Narrative according to Luke (2:1-7) which describes Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem for the Roman census and the subsequent birth of Jesus, he shares and reflects on the fact that the word "Bethlehem" literally means "House of Bread". This makes sense as Jesus said "I am the Living Bread, come down from Heaven." (Jn 6:41). We might therefore look at Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Eucharist". Jesus came down from heaven to earth to save us and give us the food of immortality, Himself. There are also Eucharistic connotations in the fact that the newborn child Jesus was laid in a feeding trough, a manger. The animals fed from a trough known as a manger and in faith we feed on the one who was placed in that "feeding trough" in the Eucharistic food that is Jesus at every Mass. In some sense every Mass is a "little Christmas".
I will try to share more of these "Eucharistic Stations" in future pastor's columns, and if I can get copies of this booklet, we may have a communal praying of these stations in the future. I want to close this column with the prayer that accompanies this Seventh Station in Fr. Meyer's booklet. He does say in the back of the booklet that these stations (and I assume prayers) were inspired by the Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration in Hanceville, Alabama.
Let us pray....
Dear Lord, You are the Bread of Life. You were born to become our Food. You are our daily bread, born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. Thank You for giving us Your very self. Thank You for Your Body and Blood. Help me to see every celebration of Holy Mass as another Christmas, as You come down from heaven to be with us and save us. Amen.