“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” sounds like a sweet and tender way to express my relationship with God. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” promises me something I can really look forward to (eternal life) but the conditions may seem repulsive. Then, it becomes even more gross, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”
Christ gave people everything their hearts desired: He fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, the sick He healed, the afflicted He comforted, the small people and the downtrodden He uplifted, the outcasts He gathered and He even raised up dead people. And then He promised that he can make all of this last forever. For that to happen, we must be one with Him. To be one with Him, we must take Him into our lives literally and physically – that is eat His flesh and drink His blood. For many that was a hard saying to accept and the gospels say, these people stopped following Him because of these words.
Indeed, it is hard saying. But there are many things I do not understand but still experience, the biggest of which is my life itself. How can I explain why I am even here, where there is no compelling reason why? And yet I experience life, its beauty, the love I receive and able to give, the people around me and their caring. I look at nature and there is a certain order and beauty that is difficult to explain or even understand. But it is right there for me to experience and to enjoy.
Of late, I have this unexplainable feeling of things falling perfectly into place. I shall be undergoing a major surgery in two days. I have kept it quiet and shared it only with my immediate family and a few friends. But things have just been falling into place piece by piece. The things that bothered me or have been making me anxious are being resolved one by one. There is a certain Presence that is with me, holding my hand and guiding me what to do next. Some are obvious and logical. Others are purely serendipitous, out of my control, and yet all happening at the perfect time and in the perfect place.
I can indeed taste and see the goodness of the Lord. Some things I do not really understand like eating the flesh and drinking the blood. But the Presence (“You will remain in me and I in you.”) that was promised to those who do so, I can truly feel.
May you hold Verne’s hands O Lord, as he is attended to in the operating room.
Then speed him up fast into the road of full recovery, Amen
Thank you Raoul.