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I.
What is so amazing about the Eucharist?
The Eucharist is the food
that sustains us spiritually and unites us to Christ. It is meant
to be received often – weekly and even daily if we are able. It is
a limitless gift; its goodness can never be exhausted. Yet, at
times it seems we can treat the Eucharist as something too familiar,
too mundane and commonplace. We can forget how amazing the
Eucharist is. What then is so amazing about the Eucharist?
1) The Eucharist is
truly the Body and Blood of Christ!
Consider how God is
present in the world in various ways. He is present in the members
of the Church, in His Word, in the Sacraments, and in the priest at
Mass.
However, God is present
in a particular and personal way in the Eucharist. St. John Vianney
summed this up when he said: “Jesus Christ found a way by which
he could ascend into Heaven yet remain on Earth. He instituted the
Sacrament of the Eucharist so that He might stay with us and be the
food of our soul.” We believe that in the Eucharist, Christ is
present body, blood, soul, and divinity
under the appearance
of bread and wine.
The Eucharist is God – not metaphorically or symbolically but in a
personal way.
A 1992 Gallup poll asked
Catholics nationwide: "Which one of the following statements
about Holy Communion best reflects your belief?"
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30 percent of the
respondents chose the first option: "When receiving Holy
Communion, you are really and truly receiving the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, under the appearance
of bread and wine."
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29 percent indicated
"you are receiving bread and wine, which symbolize the spirit and
teachings of Jesus."
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24 percent believed
"you are receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, which has become
that because of your personal belief."
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10 percent said, "you
are receiving bread and wine, in which Jesus is really and truly
present."
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8 percent said "none of
the above," "don't know," or refused to answer.
We know, of course, that
the first statement is the correct one.
When we receive Holy
Communion, we are really and truly receiving the Body and Blood,
Soul and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, under the appearance of
bread and wine.
It looks, tastes, feels and smells like bread and wine, but we know
in faith that bread and wine are no longer present but are
transformed into the Body and Blood of the Lord.
As Catholics we sometimes
have to refute the arguments of those who claim that the Eucharist
is a symbol, not a physical reality. As an historian I find it
remarkable that Christians as early as the second century clearly
believed in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. St. Justin
Martyr spoke of the Eucharist about 155 A.D.:
“For we do not receive
these as common bread and common drink;
but just as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the
word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we
have learned that the food over which thanks has been given by the
prayer of the word which comes from him, and by which are blood and
flesh are nourished through a change, is the Flesh and Blood of
the same incarnate Jesus.”
2) We become what we
receive! The Eucharist allows us to become like God.
St. Athanasius said,
"God became man
so that man could become God.”
Through the Eucharist we participate in the divine life of God and
become more like Him. This is a great mystery – becoming more like
God, yet remaining in our humanity. Through the Eucharist and our
baptism, we begin the process of what Eastern Christians call
“divinization” – becoming God.
Again we see this truth
in the writings of the early Church. St. Ignatius of Antioch
connected the Eucharist to his own martyrdom. He wrote around the
year 100 A.D.:
“I am God’s grain, and I am being
ground by the teeth of wild beasts in order that I may be found [to
be] pure bread for Christ. My love has been crucified, and there
is in me no fire of material love, but rather a living water,
speaking in me and saying within me, ‘Come to the Father.’ I take no
pleasure in corruptible food or in the delights of this life. I want
the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who is the
seed of David; and for drink I want his Blood which is incorruptible
love.”
It is certainly a great
mystery – but the Church teaches that when we receive the Eucharist
we become more like the one we receive. We become like God and are
configured to Him.
3) We have the promise
of Eternal Life and forgiveness of our sins through the Eucharist!
The Church
teaches that the effects of receiving the Eucharist are
1) Renews the grace that
we received at our baptism
2) Unites us with God
(spiritual communion)
3) Unites us with the
other members of the Church (forming the Mystical Body of Christ)
4) Washes away venial
sins
Perhaps for us, the last
of these is the most surprising. Can the Eucharist really forgive
sins? Yes.
The reception of the
Eucharist increases in us the grace we need to live in accord with
God’s will, it can forgive our venial sins, help keep us from
serious sin, and increase in us the virtue of love.
But that does not mean
the Eucharist operates like magic: we must do what we can.
And, even though,
frequent reception of the Eucharist can infuse us with the grace we
need to avoid sin and even can forgive lesser sins, serious sins
need to be confessed through the sacrament of reconciliation.
II.
What can we do to increase our Eucharist amazement?
1) Pray before the
exposed Blessed Sacrament
– as part of Forty Hours or our weekly Friday exposition.
2) Receive the
Eucharist often.
Commit to attending Mass
perhaps one extra day per week or make it part of your Lenten
promises.
3) Meditate on
Scripture readings that help us understand the mystery of the
Eucharist.
You might pray over these passages:
Last Supper: Luke 22:
19-20; Matthew 26: 26-28; Mark 14: 22-24
Bread of Life Discourse:
John 6:48-68
My
favorite passage is the “Bread of Life Discourse”:
"I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna
in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from
heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread
that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live
forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of
the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can
this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen,
amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on
the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in
him. . .
These things he said while teaching in the synagogue
in Capernaum. Then many of his disciples who were listening said,
"This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his
disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this
shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where
he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is
of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But
there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the
beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would
betray him. . . As a result of this, many (of) his disciples
returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon
Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the
words of eternal life. " (John 6:48-68)
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