This week the National Eucharistic Congress is convening in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is, therefore, a perfect time to reflect anew upon the gift of the Body and Blood of Jesus which is made present in the Eucharist. I daresay that it is easy to take this miraculous, magnificent gift for granted since we are able to partake every day and can easily slip into a kind of routine attitude about it. True, this is in part due to our humanness, but it would be beneficial to spend time returning to what our faith teaches so that we can immerse in this mysterious gift of love. Sadly, there are many Catholics who do not understand, and as a result do not truly believe, that the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Our response should be to pray that they would open their minds and hearts to understand, but also to evangelize and teach the truth when it becomes evident that an opportunity has arisen. Wherever we are in our spiritual lives, we have the gift of faith which operates even when we do not understand: it is with faith that we can believe and adore.* How bread and wine become Eucharist is an absolute mystery, and therefore it is beyond us, but we can look to the Last Supper for insight: Jesus provided His real presence from the moment He blessed, broke, and shared the bread, and it will be so until He returns at the end of time. Thus, we have access to this great gift always. More evidence that the Eucharistic bread and wine is the true Body and Blood of Jesus is revealed in what took place on the road to Emmaus. After walking all day while their fellow traveler (Jesus) explained the Scriptures concerning the Messiah, the two disciples pressed Him to stay. It was when Jesus blessed, broke, and shared the bread, saying what He said at the Last Supper, that “their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.” However, Jesus immediately disappeared. There is a lot that can be said, but we must not fail to see that when His resurrected body disappeared, Jesus remained with them, fully, visibly present in the bread and wine. (Luke 24:13-35). The two disciples were so filled with joy that they ran all the way back to Jerusalem, even though it had taken them all day to walk to Emmaus. Once in Jerusalem, they declared what had taken place to the amazed, but ‘still-in-hiding,’ apostles. Unfortunately, long after the first century participation in the liturgy ‘shifted’ for reasons too long and complicated to explain here. But it came to be that for hundreds of years the laity could only watch the Eucharist being consecrated at Mass. Suffice it to say that when the Church moved into clericalism and there was little education in the faith for the laity, ordinary folks were only able to receive the Eucharist once a year at Easter. Eventually those in convents and monasteries could receive on Sundays and feast days, but not so for the rest of the laity. I am oversimplifying for the sake of brevity, but it wasn’t until the early 20th century that the Eucharist became something Catholics could receive weekly. This was due to the work of St. Pope Pius X who desired reception of Communion to be begun at ‘the age of reason,’ (7 years of age). He also promoted Catholic schools so that children would be taught the faith and therefore, greater understanding of the Eucharist would become part of the lives of Catholics. Given that it is relatively recent that what Jesus intended has been fully restored, we should not take for granted that if we so desire, we can receive this sacrament daily.** During prayer a desire to see Jesus face to face may arise, a good and holy desire. It is helpful to utilize religious artwork and iconography to this end, but it is most likely that Jesus does not really look like any of these renditions. Jesus probably does not look like Jonathan Roumie either, great as his portrayal is.*** However, Mr. Roumie’s portrayal, as well as any other artistic depiction, can help our faith life quite powerfully; we do need them. But we must also keep in mind that we do see Jesus, that is, the real Jesus, any time we gaze upon the Eucharist. When we consume the Eucharist as Jesus said to do, communing with Him in prayer, it is more deeply intimate than seeing artistic renditions, helpful as they are. Again, the Eucharist provides a far deeper and more profound experience because Jesus really is present and what we see really is our Lord. Through His Real Presence Jesus can heal, console, inspire holiness in word and deed, and most importantly, He always immerses us in His love and mercy. During this Eucharistic year we can commit ourselves to renewal (or deepening) of our Eucharistic faith. At every Mass we can meditate on the words said by the priest while he consecrates the bread and wine; and again when he elevates the host and says, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Indeed, we are beholding the Lord Jesus in His glory, present there with all of us. Is there any gift greater than that? Would you want to be anywhere else but in the presence of Jesus? Certainly it is the safest, most beautiful place to be. Nothing compares and nothing can substitute for it. It is simply a foretaste of being with Jesus at the never-ending Heavenly banquet. Alleluia! May we open our hearts anew to Jesus truly present in the Eucharist! May we offer gratitude and thanksgiving to Jesus for this great gift! And may we be bold and yet compassionate in sharing the truth of this great Sacrament with those who receive it without understanding and to those who are yet unknowing! Let us meet in the Eucharist! Peace! ©Michele L. Catanese * Many know what the Eucharist actually is, but some may not simply because they never have been properly catechized; therefore here is a bit of a summary. The ‘how’ is beyond comprehension, but we do know the ‘when, where, what, and why’ of this sublime mystery. When: the simple elements of bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus at the consecration when the priest says the words of institution, having called upon the Father to send the Holy Spirit so the Son can be present. Where: at Mass, at which time we can receive the Eucharist bodily, but we can also worship the Lord during Eucharistic adoration when the consecrated host is made visible in the monstrance. What: the action we call transubstantiation takes place during the Eucharistic prayer at Mass. The elements of bread and wine change in substance into the real Body and Blood of Jesus which means that while it still looks, smells, feels, and tastes like bread and wine, in fact their reality has changed and they are now the Lord. Why: because the Lord loves us. He gave His life so that we might live, and His love is so great that He wants to be truly present with us until He returns at the Second Coming. ** St. Pope Pius X ‘rearranged’ the order of the reception of the sacraments of Confirmation and 1st Holy Communion: at that time Confirmation was received at the age of 7 and 1st Holy Communion took place in one's teens. He felt that Catholics should have access to the Body and Blood of Christ as soon as they could appreciate and understand the reality of the Sacrament. ~ This is also assuming one is a full member of the Catholic Church and is in the proper state to do so. (That is, has not committed mortal sin that is unconfessed.) *** For those who do not know, Jonathan Roumie portrays Jesus in the series, The Chosen. In my opinion, his portrayal is one of the bestand is quite moving. I must also clarify that I am not suggesting that we should only imagine Jesus as a consecrated host when we are not present before the Eucharist. Seeing Him as a man in our prayer and reflection in the way which inspires us is, in fact, to be encouraged. My intended point is that He is indeed present in the Eucharist and we must never take that for granted. Images: 1. My photo of a print (original is a painting); Chalice and Host by Jan Davidsz de Heem (1683 or 1684). This print was given to me as a gift; this is a cropped version of my photo. 2. Painting; The Pilgrims of Emmaüs on the Road (Les pèlerins d'Emmaus en chemin) by James Tissot (1886-1894) 3. My photo; the church and convent of St. Teresa of Avila, Avila Spain. 4. Image; The Galilean Jesus, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. To purchase a copy of this image (or any of Fr. Bill's icons) in a variety of mediums, you can find it at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-galilean-jesus-266-william-hart-mcnichols.html 5. My photo; taken in the highlands of Scotland. This photo reminded me of the spotless Lamb of God. Though the other sheep seems to be looking away, perhaps it is John the Baptist who is telling others, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" 6. My photo; waterfall in Scotland. The graces of God's mercy and love in the Eucharist are overflowing. Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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Heart Speaks to Heart
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