“‘Well,’ said Pooh, ‘what I like best,’ and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.” ~ A.A. Milne
As we have just celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ two days ago, I cannot help but continue the food theme just one more day. The author of Winnie the Pooh puts things into incredible perspective. For Pooh, there was nothing better than eating honey. Well, maybe, he concludes, there was one thing better than the eating of honey. That one thing would be the anticipation of eating honey.
Pooh knew the honey was there. He knew how it would taste. He knew that it would satisfy him. He knew that he would have great joy in eating it. All of that, Pooh knew in that moment of anticipation right before the eating of the honey.
Children know that same thing, in incredible detail, at Christmas. As the presents appear before them under the tree, they know the glee that they will feel as they tear open the paper and gaze at the contents. They know how happy they will be playing with their new toys or modeling their new clothes. The anticipation of that moment is truly incredible.
We need to get in touch with those moments because that same thing is what we should feel as we are approaching the altar, ready to receive the Eucharist. The desire to take the Body and Blood of Christ into our own body and be transformed should be overwhelming. That desire should make us leap for joy when we receive the Eucharist. The joy of receiving should then drive us to desire to receive again.
Have you ever thought about how God views us? He is like Pooh. He created us in His image and likeness. Oh, how much joy He felt. Our creation is followed by days, weeks, months, and years yearning for us to return to Him. God’s joy will be complete the moment we come back to Him for eternity. Until that moment, God waits in anticipation of our return and He gives us every grace that we need to make the right decisions so that we can, indeed, return to Him.
There is so much joy awaiting us. The anticipation is incredible!
FAITH ACTION: Ask God to fill your heart with joyful anticipation of the graces you need this day. When you receive those graces, use them to the utmost of your ability.