MARY, OUR MOTHER

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #488

And taking bread, he gave thanks and brake and gave to them, saying: "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me." In like manner, the chalice also, after he had supped, saying: "This is the chalice, the new testament in my blood, which shall be shed for you." (Luke 22:19-20)

THE LOVE OF JESUS AS SHOWN IN THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT: Jesus, having loved His own unto the end, bequeathed Himself to them in this Sacrament of His love, as the most priceless of memorials, to dwell always with them, to be sacrificed for them, and to be united to them in the most intimate way by Holy Communion. As a solemn testament He gave to us His Body and Blood, His Humanity and Divinity, in short Himself, with all His graces and merits; thus the Holy Eucharist is the abiding memorial of our Lord's infinite and inconceivable love. The circumstances under which our Lord Jesus instituted the Blessed Sacrament reveal His unbounded love. He instituted It "the same night He was betrayed" (1 Cor. 2:23), and therefore at the very time when the hatred of His enemies was at its highest pitch, and when they were actually making their preparations to put Him to death. He instituted It, though He knew that there was a vile traitor among His chosen followers, and that many, many Christians would despise and dishonor Him in this Sacrament. Neither the deadly hatred of His enemies, nor the ingratitude of the faithful, could deter Him from giving them this final and enduring proof of His love. Oh, how mighty, how deep is the love which our Lord and Savior has for ungrateful man! The Sanhedrim had met to resolve upon the death of Jesus: the soldiers were all ready to seize Him: His traitor apostle was about to betray Him. Surely all this will abate His love even at the last moment! Yes, if His love be human, it will; but His love was the love of God, and it was not quenched. He responded to the hatred and treachery of men by the institution of the Most Holy Sacrament, thus giving to the human race a proof of love so intense, that it never could have entered into the hearts of men to conceive it. And--as St. Paul says--this wonderful love was shown by our Lord on the night when He was betrayed. At the very moment that faithless men were betraying their God, He inventing a new means of proving His love for them. While they were preparing for Him a most cruel death, He gave to them the means of attaining eternal life. Just when human hatred was doing all it could to remove Him from the world, He discovered a new way of always remaining in the world. He wrought the most astounding miracle of Omnipotence, that He might remain with them. Even as He went forth from the Father without leaving Him, so did He go forth from the world without leaving it. And this He did "on the night when He was betrayed," just as if nothing had occurred to quench His love, but rather as if man had done everything he could to kindle it! Then, having done this for us, He went forth to give Himself up into the hands of His enemies--to die for them!

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]
(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)