Last Sunday was the feast of Corpus Christi, yesterday the feast of the Sacred Heart, and today the feast of the Immaculate Heart. Much has been written on these feasts of Divine Love. I came across this commentary on the Eucharist by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical Household. This part really stood out...
"What is the consequence? That we cannot have true communion with Christ if we are divided among ourselves, if we hate one another, and are not disposed to reconcile with each other. 'If you have offended a brother,' St. Augustine said, 'if you have committed an injustice against him, and then you go to receive Communion as though nothing had happened, perhaps full of fervor, you are like someone who sees a friend arrive whom he has not seen for a long time. He runs to meet him, throws his arms around his neck, and stands on tiptoe to kiss his forehead. ... But, while doing this, he does not realize he is stepping on his friend's feet with shoes of nails. Our brothers, in fact, especially the most poor and abandoned, are Christ's members, they are his feet still resting on earth.'
When giving us the host, the priest says: "The body of Christ," and we respond: "Amen!" Now we know to whom we say "Amen" -- that is, "Yes, I receive you" -- not just Jesus, the Son of God, but also the one who is next to us."
How many of us are guilty of this, often without realizing it. It's so easy to point fingers at others, especially in this age of a world so far from Christ. We see the evil, so much evil, that we begin to see evil where it does not exist. We do need to recognize evil, and to pray for those affected. But, sometimes, focusing on evil is like looking at the sun... it burns into our retina, so that it becomes a permanent part of our vision, overlaying most all we see, particularly when we are disposed to see it.
Sometimes the "evil" is that the "sinner" intruded into our territory, caused our routine to be affected in some way, or brought to the fore issues we would rather ignore. So, how do we often respond to these "sins"? By imagining all sorts of ways to justify the trashing of our neighbor's name, reputation, relationships.
We forget that "whatsoever you do to the least of My brethren, that you do unto Me" is not just about giving someone a glass of water, or donating food to a food bank, though these are certainly important. It's also about the hurtful things we do to our neighbor.
There are few sins more repugnant to God and man than gossip, slander, calumny, detraction... the great evils of this age... the age where communication is instantaneous, and the rape and murder of our neighbor invisible and rampant. There is a reason malicious gossip is a mortal sin. It is an act of aggression, an act of violence, and in grave matters, an act of murder.
When we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, saying "Amen," we claim to be in communion with the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as the full Mystical Body of Christ. We must take care that we are in fact in communion with our neighbor, in our thoughts, words, and in our hearts.
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Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis DeSales:
"Slander is a kind of murder. In effect, we have three kinds of life: spiritual life, which consists in the grace of God; corporal life, which depends upon the soul; and civil life, which depends upon one's reputation. Sin takes away the first from us, death the second, and slander the third. And the slanderer commits three murders with a single stroke of his tongue: he spiritually kills his own soul, as well as that of anyone who listens to him, and he takes away the civil life of the one he has slandered. Also, the devil is in the mouth of the slanderer and in the ear of his listener."
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