My Body, Broken and Given Up For You

Years ago I was on staff at a Christ Renews His Parish(CHRP) retreat. It was a great time as this was an outreach retreat where we were helping start the retreat at another parish. One of the most important aspects of the retreat is that everything is done in prayer and with prayer support. 

I was honored to be asked by a good friend to be his special prayer support. He was to give a talk to the attendees and I would be in the chapel, on my knees, in front of the blessed sacrament praying for him while he was talking. This was to be a very difficult talk for my friend and I knew it. 

You see, about a year earlier, he and his wife were expecting a child. They had learned that the child, although still in the womb, had a heart defect and the child would only live for a few hours after birth. Of course, given the circumstances, the well meaning doctors suggested aborting the pregnancy. My friend and his wife informed the doctors that no they could not abort this child, created by God. The remaining time of the pregnancy and the birth and inevitable death of the child came to pass. 

The time comes for his talk and I proceed to the chapel to start praying for my friend. I enter the chapel, kneel in front of the blessed sacrament in the monstrance, and start praying. As I gazed at the monstrance, I noticed that the host inside was broken. I was outraged. They couldn't at least get an unbroken host for the monstrance. But, God is good and perfect.

I started thinking that a broken host was OK. I mean, Jesus was broken on the cross, wasn't he? Does the fact that Jesus was broken on the cross make him any less God, any less holy? The answer is no. 

And if a broken Jesus, was still holy and perfect, would he love that child any less just because he was broken. Just because of a little heart defect. His life was short but carried a great impact on all who know the story. Jesus especially loved the broken and the sick. We are all broken in some way and Jesus loves us even in our broken state. For that we must always praise God.

I shared this account with my friend afterward and our lives will never be the same. I also know that little Anthony is in heaven now, free from the earthly body that only served him for a few hours after his birth. He looks down on us now in his new state praising God and watching out for his family.

We called to embrace both the broken and resurrected Jesus, going through the broken to get to the resurrected.

Matthew 26:26 - While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."