Devotion for today: Psalm 23 and the Eucharist

Jesus said, “I Myself am the Bread of Life”. The fifth Mystery of Light: The Gift of the Eucharist

Scripture for meditation: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.

You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.

Christ tells us: John 6:51

“I myself am the living bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread he shall live forever; the bread I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.”

Fr. Vincent Martin Lucia tells us: (This is a big long, but well worth the read) Jesus described the good shepherd as the one who does not run away but stays with his flock. In the Blessed Sacrament “Christ is truly the Emmanuel, that is: ‘God with us.’ Day and night He is in our midst; He dwells with us full of grace and truth.”(Mysterium Fidei)

He said: “I Myself am the Bread of life.” We pray “My Shepherd” because His love is a personal love. Though He loves everyone with an infinite love, He loves you as if you were the only one in the world. The Blessed Sacrament is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who is present before you for no other reason that He loves you. He is here to draw you closer to Himself, to deepen the love and friendship you have together with Him. This individual, personal love is described by Pope John Paul I when he said “Jesus waits for us in this Sacrament of Love.”

Because He gives us all we need, “there is nothing I shall want.” What He inspires in us is to want only Him and His holy Will. In this way, we “repose” in the divine love of His Eucharistic Heart.

The “fresh and green pastures” are the new graces He nourishes our spirit with. Leading us to the Blessed Sacrament, He invites us to drink from “restful waters,” the springs of salvation, flowing from His everlastingly glorious wounds, by which we are continually being healed.

In the Blessed Sacrament “He restores morality, nourishes virtues, consoles the afflicted, strengthens the weak.” (Mysterium Fidei)

“He is true to His Name” means He is always faithful to us and all the promises He made to us.

No evil to fear is a call to faith that God is in control of everything. Out of any evil allowed, He only brings a greater good. His staff is the strength He gives us in this Sacrament. He is infinitely more powerful than all the onslaught of hell put together.

The “banquet” is Jesus Himself who said, “I Myself am the Bread of Life.” Divine love is the food He serves us. The grace-filled love, peace, and joy He offers us when we come before Him in the Blessed Sacrament were prepared for us on Calvary. Holy Thursday goes together with Good Friday, as the Eucharist is the gift of our Lord’s Passion. Like wheat crushed before becoming bread, Jesus was crushed on the cross to become our spiritual nourishment, suffering torment to give us comfort, rejection to fill us with love, dying in darkness to bring us the light of hope, opened by a lance to pour out His peace.

An overflowing cup signifies that our Lord gives us incomparably more than we ask for, even though we may not always feel it. Whatever sacrifice we have made to come to make our holy hour, cannot in any way compare to what we received now and in eternity.

“Goodness and kindness” describe the very name and personality of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, Who dwells with us “all the days of our life.” For this reason, our desire is to remain with Him “in the Lord’s house.” (Come to Me in the Blessed Sacrament by Fr. Vincent Martin Lucia, Apostolate for Perpetual Adoration)

My thoughts: In this, the last Mystery of Light, we learn that Christ gave us Himself to dwell with us “all the days of our lives.” Can we do the same for Him?

Our prayer to God: Let us prayerfully reflect on today’s beautiful Eucharistic explanation of Psalm 23 as we pray the fifth Luminous Mystery, the Gift of the Eucharist.