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Blog Topic: The Eucharist is ‘the School of True Love for Us’

The Eucharist

My Dearest Brother and Sister in Christ, my Friend

Last time, I tried to show You that the Holy Mass, The Eucharist is the revelation of the unfinished of God’s love towards us, and must be measured as a gift.

Today, please let’s see that true love cannot be measured only by feelings. Feelings accompany love as its important element, but are not its essence. Feelings are ambivalent, unstable, variable, and blind. It often happens that those who love ‘in madness’ with affectionate, sensual love, when their feelings burn out or are frustrated, they also hate unto ‘madness’.

Feelings of love and hate are separated by a thin line. In ‘love’ feelings prevail, and hatred is often a bad sister of love. Hateful feelings are nothing but a lethargic feeling of love, questioned by the need for egoistic lust. The literature of intricate human fate is full of descriptions of intrigue and ‘sweet revenge’ of disappointed, suspicious or betrayed lovers. Not many can be as cruel as a betrayed or embittered lover. Love and crime are two intertwined themes in cinematography, theatre and literature.

True human love should not be linked to the pursuit of one’s own needs, desires and multiple selfish passions. True love is expressed in self-giving, in sacrifice, in openness to others, in self-control, in self-denial. This spirit must also penetrate the physical relationships of the spouses. Mature love brings peace, order and harmony.

The quality of human love is determined primarily by the inner freedom. When this freedom is lacking, love’s passion easily changes into mutual coercion, manipulation, enslavement, tyranny. Freedom in love relationship is an important criterion of mature love. Only in freedom can we accept the love of others and offer it to them. Only in freedom can we share the same feelings that Jesus Christ had. The deeper our inner freedom, the more we are capable of loving.

By participating in the Eucharist, which is the highest sacrifice God made for us, we should ask ourselves: What is my loving sacrifice, with God, with men and with myself? If there is a lack of self-sacrifice, the effort to deny ourselves, then the assurance of love will be reduced to words without meaning – Our life should become a Mass.

The post-conciliar changes in the Church in the second half of the twentieth century have resulted in the abolition of many formal and rigorous regulations relating to ecclesiastical discipline or liturgy over the centuries. Some of them were very cumbersome because they favoured the formation of fears of conscience. As a teenage altar server, I remember the stories of priests who told me that in the days before the Council, some older priests spoke with great fear, the words of consecration during the Mass. For there was a provision that the voluntary abandonment of one word in the Mass could be considered a serious sin.

These types of regulations have been abolished. However, many read this falsely as a manifestation of the ‘lowering’ of the demands of the practice of faith and morals. When faith costs little, it does not have much impact on personal, family, professional or social life. The Eucharist reminds us that for our faith we pay with our lives. Participation in the Eucharist raises the following questions: What influence does the Holy Mass have on our desires, decisions, actions and our way of life: work, rest, family life, working life, relations with our neighbours?

The Eucharist asks us whether the Gospel has something to say to us in critical moments of life: family conflicts, personal crises, moments of danger, life failures, moments of despair, fear of oneself, and future? In short, what is the relationship of the Gospel to our lives? Our daily life should be a response to the Eucharist. A Christian is a man who makes an effort and sacrifice to overcome himself. The Eucharist enables us to win over ourselves, to overcome our afflictions in love and friendship. It grants not only the crucified love, but also the resurrected, victorious love.

If we are so often overcome by life, through various passions, egoism, fear, comfort, sensuality, pride or the desire to retaliate, it is precisely because our participation in the Eucharist remains only formal, external. We must learn to participate in the Eucharist, which would become a ‘school of true love’ for us. The Eucharist is meant to carry us from the desire to love others to the desire to sacrifice ourselves for others; from love, which is above all experienced as a need, to a mature love that is a gift.

Let us ask ourselves whether we thank God in the gift of the Eucharist for the fact that Jesus truly introduces us to the mystery of the Father’s love for us. Please, let us deepen our hearts to discover that in the Eucharist the gracious and unselfish will of God for the salvation of all humanity is present in this world, touchable and visible.

Do we ask that the Eucharist be the centre of our whole inner life, the summit of our prayer, the point at which all our human struggles, efforts and sacrifices cross? Do we pray for a great love for the Eucharist, which will express itself in the constant study of this great mystery of faith?

With love, friendship and prayers – Fr Marcin

Filed Under: Daily Thought, Father Marcin's Blog, NL 14062020 Headline Posts, Resources Blogs

Fr. Marcin Drabik

About Fr. Marcin Drabik

Reverend Marcin Drabik is the Parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes & St Swithun's Parish. He was ordained in 1999 and has been a parish priest in the Diocese of Portsmouth and Portsmouth pastoral area. He is also a member of the Diocesan Council of Priests.

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VIGIL MASS OF SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. 16/01/2021. Intention: + William David RIP ... See MoreSee Less

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Peace be with you all 🙏🙏

Good evening, sorry not to be individually with you but am isolating again after a hospital appointment 🙏

Peace be with you all 🥀

❤️

Good evening all and peace to all.

Good evening

Thanks be to God 🙏🙏

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Good evening all from Chris m

Peace to all 🙏🙏

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stswithuns.org.uk/homeless-appeal-2021/Can you help our Portsmouth Homeless? Can you and friends make some food parcels up (45 -70 people turn up)Can you donate any spare food?Can you spare some to help us buy food?Can you share this post?Click on the page to find further information about helping our homeless here at St Swithuns. ... See MoreSee Less

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URGENT APPEAL - FOOD PARCELS FOR OUR HOMELESS

stswithuns.org.uk

14 hours ago

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Yes I'd love to help. Will message a date shortly.

stswithuns.org.uk/newsletter-nl_17012021/Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we ask God to keep you safe during these difficult times.Mass services are still able to resume in St Swithun's church. Remember we are under national lockdown rules.Mass Times this Weekend:Today (Jan 16th 2021 ) we invite you to the Vigil Mass at 6pm at ST SWITHUNS RC CHURCH.Tomorrow at St Swithun's, Sunday Jan 17th 2021, the Holy Mass times are at 8:30am, 10:15am (Mass in English);Our Mass in Polish is back to it's normal time at 12:00noonYou can still view our services ONLINE via our Facebook Page if you are unable to attend mass in person.with blessings Father Marcin and the Parish Team.Why not sign up to our E-Newsletter via our website. ... See MoreSee Less

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Newsletter: 17th January 2021 - 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time B St Swithuns

stswithuns.org.uk

15 hours ago

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SATURDAY 16/01/20219.00am The Exposition of The Blessed Sacrament9.30am Divine Mercy Chaplet followed by Benediction10.00am The Holy Mass. Intention: + Norah Hester Warren RIP followed by The Holy Rosary ... See MoreSee Less

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Thank you Father, God bless you

Peace be with you 🙏

Peace be with you

✨peace be with you all 🥀

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Good morning❤

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Llangollen

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Are you open tomorrow because it lockdown

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SATURDAY - 23-01-2021 of the 1st Week in Ordinary TimeST SWITHUN's CHURCH IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC CELEBRATIONS:- please keep a proper distance;- sanitize a place which was in contact of your body;- if you will come with children, please do not allow children to walk, run in the church, to avoid many any contact with other people and more places touched which will ne to be sanitize;- keep one direction way and exit the church by the deigned exits;- Please do bear this in mind: the doors must be left open for a good ventilation, so as the temperature drops in the weeks ahead it will be important to wrap-up warm;SACRAMNET OF CONFESSION FROM 9.00am to 9.25am:OUR PLAN IS: (also live-streamed):6.15am - The act of consecration oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary (16/33) - in Polish;6.30am - The Holy Mass (in Polish): Intention: 13th Gregorian Mass for + Trevor Anthony Evans RIP;9.00am - Exposition of The Blessed Sacrament;9.30am - Divine Mercy Chaplet followed by Benediction;10.00am - The Holy Mass. Intention: + Norah Hester Warren RIP; followed by The Holy Rosary Prayer & daily devotion;12.00noon - The act of consecration oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary (16/33) - in Polish;6.00pm - VIGIL MASS OF THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. Intention: For All Parishioners - living and dead;9.00pm - The act of consecration oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary (16/33) - in Polish; ... See MoreSee Less

20 hours ago

SATURDAY - 23-01-2021 of the 1st Week in Ordinary Time

ST SWITHUNs CHURCH IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC CELEBRATIONS:

- please keep a proper distance;
- sanitize a place which was in contact of your body;
- if you will come with children, please do not allow children to walk, run in the church, to avoid many any contact with other people and more places touched which will ne to be sanitize;
- keep one direction way and exit the church by the deigned exits;
- Please do bear this in mind: the doors must be left open for a good ventilation, so as the temperature drops in the weeks ahead it will be important to wrap-up warm;

SACRAMNET OF CONFESSION FROM 9.00am to 9.25am:

OUR PLAN IS: (also live-streamed):

6.15am - The act of consecration oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary (16/33) - in Polish;
6.30am - The Holy Mass (in Polish): Intention: 13th Gregorian Mass for + Trevor Anthony Evans RIP;

9.00am - Exposition of The Blessed Sacrament;

9.30am - Divine Mercy Chaplet followed by Benediction;

10.00am - The Holy Mass. Intention: + Norah Hester Warren RIP; followed by The Holy Rosary Prayer & daily devotion;

12.00noon - The act of consecration oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary (16/33) - in Polish;

6.00pm - VIGIL MASS OF THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. Intention: For All Parishioners - living and dead;

9.00pm - The act of consecration oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary (16/33) - in Polish;
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January: Month of The Holy Name of Jesus In the Name of Jesus let every knee bow,
of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth
and let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ
is in the glory of God the Father.


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Latest Parish News & Updates

  • Newsletter: 17th January 2021 – 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B

  • Newsletter: 10th January 2021 – The Baptism of the Lord Year B

  • Newsletter: 3rd January 2021 – 2nd Sunday of Christmas & The Feast of Epiphany of the Lord

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