Christ Glorified
I joined a new parish after having moved. It was a simple rural church, humbly outfitted, but still a place to find joy in the Eucharist, thanks be to God. The simplicity of the worship space was pronounced the absence of a crucifix hanging above the altar space with no statue of Our Lady or St. Joseph at the sides. As I began to attend weekly Mass, my eyes looked for a place to settle, a place to find the gaze of our loving Lord, and to gaze at him. Thankfully, I found the tabernacle prominently placed behind the altar space just below a beautifully simple stained-glass cross with a dove at its center hovering over the Blessed Sacrament.
It is here in all its simplicity that I found a newness, richness, and depth to the Body of Christ, the fulfillment of the Incarnation. Here I realized that Mary is in and with the glorified Body of Christ. She is, after all, a member of his Body. Indeed, all the faithful are right there in the consecrated bread, humbly reserved in the tabernacle; Jesus, his glorified Body, encompassing Mary and all the saints who have gone before us!
©Bernadette Harmon, 2019-Feb
Reviewed by Dr. Mary Healy, STD, STL