Are you a Rock or a Sponge?

I heard a wonderful analogy about our encounter between us and the sacraments last night at RCIA (I am on the team.)

 Father asked the group - when a rock is put into a glass of water and then taken out - if you cut the rock open - what would be on the inside?  Well, the rock would be the same as before it was placed in the water - sure it would be wet on the outside - but it would still be dry and hard on the inside.  Ok, so if you put a sponge in a glass of water and then take it out - would the sponge be changed?  Yes, it would have soaked up all the water and become supple.

He was using this point to ask the group as to what happens to us when we encounter the Sacraments.  Do we just get wet on the outside and unchanged on the inside - or - do we soak up the Sacrament and allow it to change us.

When we encounter any Sacrament, we are encounter Christ.  We can either just sit there in the middle of it - doing nothing, or we can become an active participant, allowing the Sacrament to move us closer to the Lord.  Each Sunday we experience Christ through the Sacrament of the Eucharist.   It is a wonderful gift to us from God which allows us to become one with Jesus.  When we approach the Eucharist - we should be in prayer, asking God to allow this holy food to change us - we need to be like the sponge - soaking up all the graces that we find went we meet Christ in this way.  And then also like the sponge - share the water we soaked up with others.

So, I ask you -- today are you a rock or a sponge?