Anima Christi

We are all vessels---receiving into our spirits and pouring out into the world around us.  The question is, Who or what is filling us?

We can easily recognize the drive to be filled with good things in ourselves and in all of creation.  Nothing is sufficient unto itself.  Everything in creation searches for food and water constantly, for shelter from the elements, and for companionship.  We gravitate toward the things that promise to fill our bodies, our minds, our spirits. 

The problem of course is that on all levels, we do not know what is good for us:  We fill our bodies with coke and potato chips; we fill our hearts and minds with media and television junk food; the people who are most harmful to us sometimes appear the most attractive to us; and on the spiritual level, we hardly know where to begin.  We may go to church only to find we are still unsatisfied and empty.

St. Augustine put it this way:  Our hearts were made for Thee, O God, and only in Thee are they at rest.

We know we need to receive to be at peace; we just don't always know what we need to do to "receive."  Do we need to be good enough to receive?  Do we need to pray?  Do we need to follow certain rituals or rules?

There is an ancient prayer of the church called "Anima Christi," translated as "Soul of Christ,"  but "anima" has other overtones in the Latin---spirit, soul, life, living, heart, mind, animation.   All of these meanings can aid our understanding.  Anyway, the prayer goes like this:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me;
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, wash me....

It makes sense that God has placed in His beloved Son everything we need to cleanse us, fill us, sanctify us.  Jesus is the vessel of everything God wants to pour out into the world, into our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies.  Where else would we go to find the pure gifts of God?  If we draw close to Him, we will find ourselves more and more filled, more and more satisfied, more and more content in mind, body, and soul. 

The Spirit of God makes us exquisitely sensitive to the things of God---to beauty, to truth, to justice, to goodness, to holiness, purity, kindness, etc.  If we are filled with Anima Christi, we begin to see what Jesus sees, through His mind, His soul, His eyes, His heart of compassion and truth. 

God chose the Jewish nation as vessels to be filled with truth and goodness, vessels that would pour out on the surrounding nations all that God wants to give the world.  They, like us, though wanted to be more like the nations around them--not knowing the things of God and so pursuing what seemed in their eyes to be good---the ancient equivalent of potato chips.

If we want to receive the good and to pass it on to others, we must find the Source of Goodness and stay close to it.