Spiritual Health - The Divine Nourishment
"I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “You are what you eat!” Thus, when we eat The Eucharist, we are being transformed into God’s likeness."
We are both body and soul. As our bodies need nourishment to stay alive, so do our souls. As we want our bodies to be healthy, we should also want our souls to be healthy. We often speak about nourishing our body with healthy food, but let us speak more about nourishing our soul with healthy food, The Divine Nourishment. The Eucharist is The Divine Nourishment of our souls. Our Lord says “Truly, truly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of The Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” - John 6:53. Jesus is saying that if we do not consume His Body and Blood in The Holy Eucharist, we do not have life within us. Hence, without The Divine Nourishment, we are spiritually dead. As our body will die without being nourished with food and water, so to our soul will die in a state of mortal sin, without being nourished with the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Venerable Fulton Sheen is quoted saying “To survive, he must be nourished by Divine Life; that is done in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.” The source and summit of our faith as Catholics is The Eucharist. For God loves us to the point of making Himself our Food, so that we may be nourished with His Divinity. God is Goodness Defined, therefore the measure of goodness can be determined in relation to the measure that God is found within. We often hear people say “I hope you are in good health” and it is mostly said in reference to the health of the body. This calls for reflection on the “good health” of the soul. Without reception of The Holy Eucharist, one lacks Goodness Defined (God) within them. Therefore one cannot be in “good health” of soul without The Divine Nourishment, The Holy Eucharist. “The Word is everything to a child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. "Eat My Flesh," He says, "and drink My Blood." The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh and pours out His Blood, and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O incredible mystery!” - Saint Clement of Alexandria
The Catholic diet is The Blessed Sacrament. To receive The Eucharist is to be nourished with Divinity. The Divine Nourishment sustains us and keeps us spiritually healthy. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “You are what you eat!” Thus, when we eat The Eucharist, we are being transformed into God’s likeness. What could be a better gift than The Divine Nourishment? “This supernatural bread and this consecrated chalice are for the health and salvation of mankind.” - St. Cyprian
As our bodies naturally crave food when we are hungry, so do our souls crave spiritual food when we are spiritually hungry. A sign of spiritual health is hungering for Christ. Do you crave The Divine Nourishment? Are you longing for your spiritual appetite to be satiated? Lack of hunger for the divine is a signal of spiritual depletion rather than health. To maintain good spiritual health, take frequent reception of the most Holy Eucharist, for this is The Divine Nourishment that your soul needs to maintain spiritual wellbeing. For the next time, someone says “I hope you are in good health” may you be able to say you are in good health, not just in the body, but also in the soul. In the words of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, “I hunger for the bread of God, the flesh of Jesus Christ; I long to drink of his blood, the gift of unending love.” May we all crave the food for the soul; The great and holy, Divine Nourishment.
“Taste and see the goodness of The Lord.”
September 29th, is the Feast of Saint Michael The Archangel, Prince of the Heavenly Host.
Serviam.