The Eucarist - Then Cardenal Bergoglio now Pope Francis (In Spanish);
English translation:
“I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.” In these words an interim slice of time is open between the redemption of Jesus and the definitive consummation, which will be personal when I meet with the Father and will become universal when Jesus comes to establish all things. In the Eucharist we get advance notice of this long journey: the daily Mass, the frequent Communion; they are like the vines, providing an advance taste, a binding promise of what awaits us: it is the net of this banquet. I do not know, I wish not to be blasphemous, but with all loving respect I would like to say that this could be an aperitif before the banquet, that our Lord goes ahead of us and gives himself as part of that banquet which will be fulfilled over there, in heaven. Sometimes the difficulties of the long journey which leads to the final Kingdom become diluted in the daily life routines that we start to become cold, indifferent; and sometimes we go to communions, just like that, mechanically, just like passing by, in a hurry. It all depends on the intent. I remember when I was young, I would start work at 7 in the morning, downtown in the city of Buenos Aires; and I would have to take a bus, a bus that would take a long time coming. At 6:10 I so wanted to enter the seminary, but it was not yet the moment. At 6:10 I arrived at a Parish that was one street block from the bus stop; the priest already knew, would give me the Eucharist, and during the whole trip I would go praying to the Lord, with such great joy!, I wanted to receive the Lord so He would strengthen me during the day. And that impeded me from becoming indifferent, constantly bored. When I could not do it, or I lost the bus or arrived late to work, slowly one would enter into the routine, become a little colder. The Eucharist is that advance taste of the banquet in Heaven which keeps us in good shape, which keeps us trotting daily in that hope of the celestial banquet. All this in some way makes us taste and feel the sweetness of what heaven is, even in the midst of those days, those times when we have to bite the sour grapes of tribulation; we all go through this also; but when in the midst of tribulation we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, He gives us the strength to think about the plenitude of joy that we will enjoy in the celestial banquet. The Lord becomes our travelling companion.