May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You have a pure and enduring inheritance that cannot perish—an inheritance that is presently kept safe in heaven for you. Through his faithfulness, you are guarded by God’s power so that you can receive the salvation he is ready to reveal in the last time. You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials. This is necessary so that your faith may be found genuine. (Your faith is more valuable than gold, which will be destroyed even though it is itself tested by fire.) Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words. You are receiving the goal of your faith: your salvation.” 1 Peter 1:3-9

“To say that the Christian religion is mystical is to say that it is also sacramental. The sacraments are “mysteries” in which God works, and our spirit works together with him under the impulsion of his divine love. We should not forget that the sacraments are mystical signs of a free spiritual work of divine love in our souls. The visible, external action by which a sacrament is conferred is not something which “causes” God to give grace—though it causes us to receive grace. The sign is necessary for us, but not for God.”  (Thomas Merton, “Grace and the Sacraments”, Life and Holiness, p. 61)

I just love Merton’s take here on the benefits of Holy Communion, and the other sacraments. By benefits I mean how we benefit from the sacraments. G-d does not need the sacrament to give us G-d’s Grace—the sacrament enables you and me to receive grace. The visible element is not for G-d’s sake, it is for OUR sake. We need the physical, tangible “mode” of Grace transfer—for it enables us to feel grace, eat and drink grace. G-d’s grace is free, unmerited, without exception. We do not pay for grace—we do not hoard works for a grace-exchange. But, to have the physical, tangible means of grace in our hands, and on our brows, and in our hearts is priceless.

Pastor Dave