My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

How are you these summer days? Are you strengthened by God’s heavenly sustenance, the Eucharist? St. Paul tells us about the gift of the Eucharist as he speaks to the Ephesians, long ago yet his message rings true today. When we receive Jesus the Eucharist, we are called to be imitators of God. We do not need to live in despair or feel unworthy for each person is created by God for God. We are called to live in His love which Christ so graciously bestowed upon us. We are to fragrance our daily living with this Divine love for as we seek to become holy, we offer ourselves as Christ is, the bond between heaven and earth.

St. Paul tells us that we cannot imbue the earth with holiness if we have anger or malice; rather, kindness, compassion, mutual forgiveness, willingness to make sacrifices for others out of God’s great love, mark a Eucharistic life.

The moments of our daily living should be filled with prayer. Prayer stitches the threads of the cloth of holiness. The Gospels speak about Jesus praying alone, with His apostles, and with the people. Pope Francis says that the Psalms are the Church’s great symphony of prayer. There are 150 of them! He says the Psalms are worthy of our attention because they were the prayer of Jesus, of Mary, of the Apostles and of all the Christian generations that came before us. Jesus leaves the earth with Psalm 31:6 on His lips, “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.”  We pray the Psalms during the Liturgy of the Hours and every celebration of Mass.

Pope Francis says, “But we cannot only live on the legacy of the past: it is necessary to make the Psalms our prayer. Psalms are prayers “for all seasons …They are inspired by God and “breathe” God, every time they are read with faith.” Praying the Psalms helps us to open ourselves to a prayer that is less focused on ourselves: a prayer of praise, of blessing, of thanksgiving; and they help us give voice to all creation, involving it in our praise. Psalms offer God’s heart of hope.

The Psalms accompany all God’s people throughout salvation history. Their words are stories of faith; of beauty, for in them the grace of God shines forth. Jesus helps us to understand this loving beauty as He raises His hands in prayer at times with intimacy with the Father; in His heart of compassion for His brothers and sisters; in His eyes burning with zeal as He denounces injustices and abuse; in His feet, wearied by His long journeys to reach even the most poor and marginalized.

You are called beloved as you participate in salvation history by your thoughts, words and deeds of charity, courage, prophetic witness, caring for the weak and the sick, the elderly, teaching God’s people of all ages to know, love and serve God. As you bring the Presence of Jesus to each one you meet, you spread the loving beauty of Christ in the concrete circumstances of today’s world.

Let us not delay in being God’s fragrant aroma throughout the earth.