The ‘heart-beat’ of praying with the Eucharist (2 Samuel 15,13-end; 1 John 5) Thursday after third Sunday after Trinity/ Morning Prayers, Book of Common Prayer lectionary

King David realises that in their relationship with his son, Absalom, something went wrong. He ‘did not show his face’ to him in time. These moments of turning away were the moments when mistrust, jealousy and rivalry was built up - in both hearts. Now, it is time for a painful recognition, that these were fatally missed moments. David cries on the sacred mountain. ‘And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot.’
 
Symbolically, David’s praying on the mount of Olives, is our praying in front of the ‘Eucharist’. When we pray in Christ’s sacramental presence, our past becomes visible. We can see the missed opportunities of our true humanity.
 
Saint John, in his letter, offers this honest contemplation. What was missed by sin; our sins. Through the Eucharistic adoration, God reveals these mistakes. Without words, without a loud voice - he speaks to our conscience, even more, our love. That is why it is worth reading 1 John 5 as the ‘heart-beats’ of praying in the Eucharistic presence. It reveals our past. It reveals the dangers of wrong directions in our lives. (‘There is a sin unto death… All unrighteousness is sin: and there is sin not unto death. We know that whoseoever is born of God sinneth not.’) It also reveals, most importantly, our positive options, among them the ones which we must take – now.
 
‘And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.’