The Present and His Presence

INTRODUCTION

Pope Benedict XVI said: The Eucharist is Jesus Christ past, present and future.

In the Eucharist we remember the past, we celebrate the present, and anticipate the heavenly future. It is a celebration wherein the past, the future and the present are all intertwined/ participating in the eternal now of God. Our readings are stories of how men and women grappled to understand the will of God in the present moment in their time.

HOMILY

There is a beautiful quotation from the movie Kung Fu Panda:

“Yesterday is history,

tomorrow is mystery,

and today is gift…

that is why it is called the present.”

In our Gospel today, Martha preoccupied herself with chores that could wait, and missed the invitation of the present moment which is to savour the presence of Jesus and listen to his teachings.

On the other hand, Mary set aside all else just to learn from the feet of Jesus; When she choose the better part, she has chosen the important part. The important and better part is the present moment graced by presence of Jesus.

Martha missed 2 things:

☑️ The present

☑️ His presence.

In our first reading, the people of Nineveh were preoccupied with the urgency for atonement to appease God. True to the invitation of the necessity of the present moment, they lived the present time performing what was necessary, and what was called for. The Book of Jonah presents the fasting and abstinence, the wearing of the sackcloth and the atmosphere of repentance in Nineveh as something called for in the name of appeasement of the wrath of God, and they are the invitation of the present time.

Our readings invite to live in the present moment with its callings and demands. It is a call to set aside unnecessary anxieties. Enjoy the present. To live in the present moment is to open ourselves to the grace of God and his commands. To disregard the present is to deny the invitation of God in that particular time. The will of God is dynamic, and the will of God is manifested in the present moment. But of course, we remember the past with justice and gratitude and its lessons, and to have sense of foresight of the future.

As religious, we should be men and women of the present, celebrating our giftedness everyday, and finding out the will of God in the present.

The Eucharist is the best moment to celebrate the present and the presence of Jesus Christ, Son of God. Let us therefore savour the Eucharistic moment with reverence and self-giving.