Well hello friends,
This is Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks,
Welcoming you to another reflection as we walk our way through Lent.
And today we do our last reflection on Jesus' statement that He was the light of the world.
So I invite you to take a moment to settle in,
To breathe in deeply and slowly exhale.
Let your body release any tension at all.
Let your mind grow quiet.
And as you sit in this space just become aware of God's presence.
You are here and God is with you.
Listen to Jesus' words where he says,
This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats this bread will live forever.
And with those words sitting in the back of our mind,
I invite you to also reflect together with that on these words from Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
And as you consider these words of Jesus and Saint Paul together,
I invite you to pause for a moment and consider this simple truth.
The truth that you are part of something so much greater than just yourself.
Think about bread just for a moment.
Bread is meant to not just sit on a platter or a bread board or a plate and be looked at.
Bread,
The purpose of bread is to be taken in,
To be received and to be digested.
Bread nourishes,
Bread strengthens us and bread sustains us.
And so when Jesus calls himself the bread of life,
Jesus is inviting us into a deeper reality.
A reality where we're not just fed,
But in which we are transformed.
To receive Christ fully means we do not remain the same.
To receive Christ fully means that we are made into something new.
We become the very body of Christ in the world.
We carry his love,
His presence,
His healing wherever we go.
As we ponder this truth,
I invite you to reflect on this question.
How does Christ's presence in you bring other people to life?
Think about the people that you encounter every single day.
Some of them are friends.
Some of them are family members.
Some are colleagues and associates.
And some of the people we encounter each day are strangers.
We've never met them before.
And so I wonder,
Where is there a need for kindness,
For comfort,
For encouragement?
What small act could be a reflection of God's love through you?
This is what it means to be the body of Christ.
Not just receiving,
But becoming.
Think about this idea just for a moment.
Christ does not ask us to be perfect.
All Christ asks of us is to be willing.
A willing heart to love.
A willing heart to serve.
A willing heart to be present.
Consider what it would look like today to say,
Lord,
Use me.
Let my life be an extension of your love.
Not in grand gestures,
But in the quiet,
Faithful ways that bring the true light of God into the world.
As we reflect on this,
Let's share a prayer together.
God,
You have given us the bread of life,
Not just to fill us,
But to change us.
Help me to live this truth.
To embody your love in what I say and in what I do.
To be your hands and to be your feet.
Offering nourishment to those in need.
May my life reflect your presence and may I walk in the fullness of what it means to be part of your body.
Take a final deep breath in.
Slowly exhale.
And as you rise from this time of reflection,
May gratitude rise with you.
And as you go forward,
May you walk with awareness,
Knowing that Christ is in you.
And through you,
His love touches the world.
Until tomorrow,
May grace and peace walk with you and work through you.
