Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the gospel reading, we hear about John’s “arrest”. The verb in the original Greek is paradidomi, which literally means to “hand over”. This is a theme repeated again and again. John the Baptist was handed over – and execute. Jesus was handed over – and executed. Over the years, many of Jesus’ disciples have been handed over – and many executed.
In every Mass, the priest says: “Take this all of you and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you.” “Given up” is the translation of the Latin tradetur, which means “will be handed over” and is the Latin equivalent of the Greek verb paradidomi. So, in the Eucharist, the Body of Christ is also “handed over” to us.
Do This In Memory of Me This is a command not just to celebrate the Eucharist but to imitate Christ’s self-giving in our own lives. We are to hand ourselves over, to give our lives over to the service of Christ and the Kingdom.
The word Kingdom can confuse people; there is a tendency to think of the Kingdom as only referring to Heaven. The Kingdom is fully realized in Heaven, but the good news of Jesus Christ is that the Kingdom of God is very near, it’s not just pie in the sky. It might be better to think of the Kingdom as the reign of God. It is not so much a particular place but rather a way of life. God’s Kingdom is born in our hearts and minds, and then it becomes our choice, our preoccupation, our goal, our way of life.
You’ll notice I said our way of life. Discipleship involves conversion. We are tempted to put ourselves at the center of life, ensuring our comfort, security, convenience, and making sure that I’m ok. Christ invites us to open our hearts and minds to others, to create space for them, to hand our lives over in service of Him and His Kingdom. It means uncertainty, mistakes, sacrifice, and suffering. The Kingdom has a cost.
Those first disciples in the gospel were called right amid their daily lives; they were not meditating, were at work and busy, had stuff to do, and a family to support. Christ calls each of us during our daily busy lives to follow him. If we allow him to, he will slowly transform our hearts and minds, how we see the world, and our role in it. The Kingdom will be born in us, and we will receive the grace to give ourselves over for others.
Do this in memory of me!
With Love and Blessings,
Fr Damian