A New Month Means a New Challenge

Today is a good day to be reminded by the Church about the source of life. We may think life comes from the earth but that is only the tip of the iceberg. We only get our flesh and blood from the earth. That flesh and blood remain dead without God.

The Lord said to the Jews who believed in him: “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6.48-54

Christ often spoke in parables to protect us from hearing more than we could handle. Today’s words are clear. The Body and Blood of Christ is the only true source of life. Without Holy Communion, we may awake in the morning and walk around, but we are still dead.

Here’s why that matters. We live among people who think that attending Church is symbolic of our belief system. Many ignore today’s passage about Holy Communion. How do I know this to be true? If Orthodox Christians believed today’s verses, Churches would be packed!

Don’t remain dead. Get back to Church as often as you can. Attend as many services as you can. Be prepared to receive Holy Communion as often as you can. You can’t ‘be’ Orthodox and remain home because remaining home means being dead.

No amount of livestream watching will connect you with Christ’s Body and Blood. No amount of memorized Bible verses can keep you alive. These are the clear and challenging words of Christ today.

My challenge for you this month is to be in Liturgy every Sunday, but not just as an observer. Be prepared to receive Holy Communion at every Liturgy you attend. Stop walking around dead. Start being alive in Christ.

If you are reading this blog as an inquirer or Catechumen, I understand you are not permitted to receive Holy Communion. That isn’t a judgment. It is the process of your spiritual journey. It is also an important thing to know from now, before you join the Church.

It is important to know what you’re ‘getting in to’ when you join the Church. Christ is the source of life through the Church and her Sacraments. Your spiritual father will guide you. If you don’t have a spiritual father, find one. Your life depends upon it.