Partaking of the Eucharist makes us one with Christ

- WCR photo by Ramon Gonzalez Delegates absorb the speakers' words about the Eucharist.

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Stony Plain

"God is holy and we are all called to be holy like him," Father Ray Guimond said at a Marian and Eucharistic Conference May 17.

But to become holy like the Father, we must humble ourselves before the Blessed Sacrament "because all holiness comes from the Father through Jesus Christ by the working of the Holy Spirit," the priest told about 60 people attending the conference.

Perfection of love

Guimond, who based his talk on Eucharistic Prayer III, described holiness as the perfection of charity and the perfection of love.

"So when we say 'Father, you are holy indeed,' we are saying you are perfect indeed."

To be perfect like God, we have to be perfect in charity and in love. That perfection will come through devotion to the Holy Spirit and by praying to the saints, including Mary, "who are ready to help us become holy."

Guimond, the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Wainwright, was one of two guest speakers at the May 16-18 Eucharistic and Marian Conference at Ephphatha House, a Catholic prayer and retreat centre located near Stony Plain.

The priest, who founded Ephphatha House and is still its spiritual director, said the Father has chosen us and has gathered around the table of his Word "so that he will receive a perfect offering to the glory of his name."

This is the big picture of what happens during the Eucharist.

"The idea is that we are offering ourselves to the Father for his glory and it will be a perfect offering."

Guimond said if we prepare for Mass with prayer, meditation or contemplation, "we will feel the incredible power of love that is present in the Eucharist and there is a chance that we become part of this perfect offering of Jesus to the Father."

Jesus, who commanded that the Eucharist be celebrated through all the ages for the glory of the Father, is present in the Eucharist even though we cannot see him, the priest said.

Through the Eucharist, Jesus enables us to live the way he lived, Guimond said.

Jesus' promise

Jesus said, "If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, I will live in you."

We cling to life at all costs, but Jesus said if you want to save your life, you must lose it, Guimond recounted.

"You see, we are called to enter into the sacrifice of Christ but this has to be connected with love."

We believe Christ will come again and bring new life and resurrection. That's why we offer the Father this holy and living sacrifice of the Eucharist. "(But) we can't make that offering to the Father unless we have reconciled with him," Guimond noted.

Reconciliation

"That's why we need the sacrament of Reconciliation. If we do something that separates us from God, we need to say we are sorry . . . before we make that offering."

Who will make that offering the way it should be?

"The Holy Spirit," he said.

When we eat the body of Christ and drink his blood, the Holy Spirit enables us to be one with Christ.

"That's what the Eucharist is meant to do with us - to make us an everlasting gift to the Father just like Jesus himself became a perfect gift offered to the Father."

Added Guimond, "We come to Mass to glorify God, not for entertainment. The best way to honour the Father is to imitate the way Christ lived his life. There is nothing greater that we can do."

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