I think that at least one of the insights that came to me this Advent is worth sharing. I am sure that I am not the first person to make this connection, but since I had not made it until this year, I figure others haven’t as well - the connection between Christs’ birth and the Eucharist.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Lk 2: 7)
When Christ was born, the Blessed Mother placed him in a Manger. A Manger is where food for the stable animals is placed. Indeed the root of the word is from the Latin manducare, meaning to chew. The first place Christ was where the animals ate - at their table. Now flash forward to the Last Supper:
Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” Lk 22:19
At the Last Supper, Christ in a very real way gives us his body and blood to eat - literally. The Son of God, came down as the Bread of Heaven to nourish us so that we might have eternal life. This is the same Eucharist that is made present to us at every Mass.
When I realized the connection, I was struck by its power.
How can I even come close to thanking my God for this gift of himself?
