Think of Jesus with joy

Jesus said to remember Him every time we come to the Lord's table. In earlier years, the sacrament was a quiet, serious occasion for me. I had an uneasy feeling talking to other people before or after the ceremony because I was striving to maintain the solemnity. Although we think of Jesus, who died shortly after sharing a last supper with his friends, this occasion should not be experienced as a funeral service.

How shall we commemorate him? Shall we mourn and mourn like a group of paid mourners? Should we cry and be sad? Shall we think of Jesus with complaints of guilt or regret that because of our sin He suffered such a horrible death—the death of a criminal—by a Roman instrument of torture? Is it a time of repentance and confession of sins? Perhaps this is best done in private, although sometimes these feelings arise when we think of Jesus' death.

What if we approached this time of remembrance from a completely different perspective? Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the city to a man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says to you: My time is near; I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” (Mt 26,18)That evening, as he sat down with them to share his last supper and speak with them one last time, many thoughts went through his mind. Jesus knew that he would not eat with them again until the Kingdom of God appeared in its fullness.

Jesus had spent three and a half years with these men and felt very fond of them. He said to his disciples: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer.” (Lk 22,15).

Let us think of him as the Son of God, who came to earth to live among us and be one of us. He is the One who, in the form of his person, brought us freedom from the law, from the chains of sin, and from the oppression of death. He freed us from the fear of the future; he gave us the prospect of knowing the Father and the chance to be called children of God and to truly be so. “He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’” (Lk 22,19)Let us be filled with joy as we remember Jesus Christ, whom God anointed: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” (Jes 61,1).

Jesus endured the cross because of the joy that awaited him. It's hard to imagine such great joy. It was certainly not human or earthly joy. It must have been the joy of being God! Heaven's Joy. The joy of eternity! It's a joy we can't even imagine or describe!

This is the One, Jesus Christ, whom we are to remember. Jesus, who turned our sorrow into joy and who invites us to be part of his life, now and forever. Let us remember him with a smile on our face, with a shout of joy on our lips and with light hearts filled with the joy of knowing and being united with our Lord Christ Jesus!

by Tammy Tkach