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In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to eat his flesh and drink his blood, to be one with him. We are challenged, as the disciples were, to understand this mystery and what it means to be a eucharistic people.
For the two of us, this invitation to imitate Christ finds its expression in part through our marriage. Amidst the competing priorities of family, work and community life, it is not always easy to see which choices draw us closer to Christ. But as Saint Paul encourages the Ephesians, when we choose to imitate Christ by loving each other with abandon, we come to know the Holy One of God more fully. Our deepening relationship with God helps us to create space for him even amidst the busyness of daily life. And this deepening union in turn deepens our marital union, helping us to choose forgiveness over anger, intimate encounter over distraction.
Through the grace of the Eucharist we are nourished and sustained in our calling to imitate Christ through acts of loving service in our world. Christ wishes to reveal himself to us as the only clear choice, as he did for Simon Peter. This deep knowing does not mean we will not stumble like Peter did. It does mean that Jesus, who is ever loving and forgiving, unceasingly invites us to a fullness of life.