When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man’ this one has been taken." // Genesis 2:23
I sat there in my pajamas, propped up by pillows in my living room armchair. It was two days after I came home from surgery, and I was physically unable to attend Mass. To my great relief, a dear friend offered to bring me Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament that morning.
I was unable to sit up, stand, or walk on my own during those days. Stabbing pains flared all over my abdomen from the stitches, but the most painful wound was just below my right rib cage.
As the Eucharist touched my tongue, the stinging pain in my side overwhelmed my heart with gratitude. A tiny reminder of the lance that pierced my Savior’s rib cage, breaking open the dam of sin and releasing a flood of mercy and redemption in its place (see John 19:34). I remember thinking:
You gave me every last drop of Your blood just to be with me in this moment.
The Lord came to me that day in my helplessness, and touched me with His healing Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. As I read about Adam’s first encounter with Eve in today’s First Reading, I imagine Jesus echoing the same words when He sees me approaching the Eucharist at Mass.
This one . . . at last.
Oh, how Jesus aches to be fully united to us in Holy Communion.
Eve was given her bodily life through the substance of Adam’s side. You are offered new life through the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist, and become part of the Church, the bride of Christ our Heavenly Bridegroom. Let the Blood and water spill over you from the opening in the side of Jesus, the new Adam, from the depths of His Heart. An act of complete and total self-giving, so that we may never question His love for us.
I can hear Jesus gasping for air as He hangs upon the Cross, looking at me with these words in His eyes:
My Heart has spared nothing for you.
My Heart has always longed for you.
At last . . . will you give me your whole heart in return?
Jana Zuniga Pingel is an artist and designer based in Colorado Springs, where she resides with her husband. She earned her B.A. in Studio Art from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana. She is the founder and owner of January Jane Shop, an online boutique for Catholic art and goods. When she isn’t busy doing entrepreneurial things, she’s cooking a new recipe, hiking a mountain, or party planning.
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