I have always been taken by the word Namaste. There are several translations of this word, but my favorite is ‘the God in me greets the God in you’. A connection came to mind while thinking about the central place the Eucharist has in the Catholic Church.
During these years of the Eucharistic Revival, we have been emphasizing the importance of knowing and believing in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Do I really truly believe that when I receive Communion, I am receiving the ‘real’ body and blood of Christ? Sometime actions become rote, and this can happen when we receive Communion. What a sacred time! God is so physically present to us.
What connection does all this have with Namaste? The more I thought about it, a particular thought came to me: we can sit for hours before the Blessed Sacrament or receive Communion daily, but how do we take it out into the world to our home, workplace, or schools? We need to become that body of Christ, His hands and feet and heart. So therefore, when we say Namaste, we would truly be saying ‘the God in me greets the God in you’.
Ah, but do we believe that?
Recently, I was speaking to a friend who was doing a presentation on the topic of negotiating. I shared with her my word and said IF we greeted each other with that image in mind, all negotiating would be a lot easier. We would LISTEN to the other person, HEAR what they are saying without mentally preparing out rebuttal while they were speaking to us... imagine that! I would suggest that in most instances today, that is NOT the case. There seems to be an air of entitlement in our society today. Imagine if we greeted one another by recognizing the presence of God in the other person. I think the world would be a much different place.
As we continue to ponder the mystery of the Eucharist and our part in “being’ Eucharist , may we continue to become the hands, feet, and heart of Christ, and greet all with Namaste on our lips and in our hearts! I offer you this prayer, pray it frequently during the week:
Let us pray for the willingness to make present in our world the love of Christ shown to us in the Eucharist. Lord Jesus Christ, we worship you living among us in the sacrament of your body and blood. May we offer to our brothers and sisters a life poured out in loving service of that kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit one God for ever and ever. Amen (New Saint Joseph Sunday Missal)
Namaste, Till next week,
Sister Theresita
PS: Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! May YOU continue to be the face of God for your families.
