The source and summit of all we do and are to be as Catholic Christians is the Holy Eucharist. Unfortunately, for so many of us, we are on an unwanted fast from the Eucharistic banquet at this time. Even if we have decided not to come back yet to the public celebration of the Feast, God is still providing spiritual food in the midst of our trials. Despite the many obstacles our ancestors faced on their journey through the desert, God sustained them with nourishment and hope.
We are in a 2020 desert of COVID-19 restrictions, yet we are called to seek the various ways in which God desires to feed our spirits with heavenly food to sustain us through these difficult times.
Eucharist means “Thanksgiving,” and our thankfulness to God is a form of Eucharist. Blessed Solanus Casey was known to say, “We must be thankful for the present moment or we will frustrate the plan of God for our lives.”
We are called to remember to pray in thanksgiving for the gifts God has given us. We may not be celebrating at Mass with our families and friends, but we can be Eucharist to one another by thanking God for one another. As our troubled world navigates struggles on top of struggles, Fr. Solanus also reminds us that “The best gift anyone can give to a friend is to pray for him.”
Fr. Solanus survived through the flu pandemic of 1918. He also said, “Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger people” and “Thank God ahead of time.” Eucharist is Thanksgiving so let us give thanks.