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"By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity." Isn’t it amazing how these few words, spoken quietly by the priest just before the Eucharistic Prayer, capture the heart of the gospel message? Every time we gather for Mass, we ask the Lord for mercy, we hear the word of God, we pray for one another, and we offer our thanksgiving and worship to our heavenly Father.
But at the heart of the Mass is the promise that by receiving Jesus’ body and blood, we are actually receiving a share in the divinity of Christ! Everything else we do either leads to this moment of communion, or it fl ows from it, as the source of our hope and our faith.
These few quiet words also confirm for us the teachings of St. Athanasius, who wrote: “God became man so that men and women could become God.” This is why Jesus came to us, and it is why he died and rose for us.
But we have to be clear about one thing: The process of divinization is a possibility and a privilege. It doesn’t happen automatically simply because we are baptized or because we receive communion. Every day, we have to choose to let God’s grace…
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