Awesome
A woman at a Catholic parish in Maryland volunteered to be an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. She went to a training session with five other people on a Saturday morning in her parish. Part of the training included unlocking and locking the door of the tabernacle (the dwelling place of the Eucharist). With her eyes on the tabernacle that was about three feet away, she froze. She couldn’t move in front of the throne of Jesus. She began to shake uncontrollably and weep. No one in the group knew what to do.
Many seconds passed before she was able to step towards the tabernacle and practice opening and closing the door. When the training session ended, she went into the sacristy, sobbing profusely. Someone consoled her for a few minutes. She said, “before today, I thought that the Eucharist was just a symbol. But, when I was up there in front of the tabernacle, I definitely felt a presence.”
God on earth. Awesome! This is the amazing reality of the Eucharist. For the Jews 2000 years ago or the woman at the tabernacle, God is very close and personal. In the Eucharist, we are in the presence of the Almighty, at whose name “every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2:10). The eternal Son of our heavenly Father is present to us on earth in a very real way so that we may “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34).
The Eucharist is the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Through the eyes of faith, we see Jesus under the signs of bread and wine. It might look like bread and taste like bread, but it isn’t bread. Jesus says at the Last Supper, “this is my body” (Mt 26:26). He commands the apostles to “take this, all of you, and eat it” (Mt 26:26). He not only gives his body and blood to his first priests for them to eat and drink, he commands them to “do this in memory of me” (Mt 26:26). Today, Catholic priests continue to live out this command every time they celebrate the Eucharist (Mass).
The saints are mysterious to us. We often feel that we can’t relate to them because their lives are so extraordinary. What is their secret? The Eucharist. For example, Mother Teresa explained that receiving the Eucharist every day was the only way she could serve some of the poorest and most ill people in the world in such awful conditions each day. As different as all the saints are, the one thing they have in common is a great love for the Eucharist. They are nourished with Christ; he propels them to do heroic works. “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit” (Jn 15:5).
If you could meet anyone on earth, who would it be? Let’s say you are given an hour alone with this person. What would you want to ask them or talk about? What would you like to say to them? How would you get ready for such a meeting? How would you dress? Would you tell all of your friends about it?
In the Eucharist, you are given the awesome opportunity to meet Jesus Christ. If a person walks into a Catholic Church, he or she sees that Jesus is present in the tabernacle (the lit candle shows us that he is there). You can be with Christ alone. For as long as you want. Maybe he won’t answer all of your questions in one meeting, but over time he sheds much light into your life. He holds the meaning of your life. He has created you and given you all of your gifts. He has a plan for you. If you regularly spend time praying in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, He will reveal his plan to you.
The Jews were right about two things with regards to the Eucharist (Bread of life discourse, John 6). They were right to take Jesus literally and that this is a hard teaching.
It takes faith to believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist even though it seems like foolishness. For those who believe, it is like finding a great treasure (see Mt 13:44). The sweet taste of this treasure is the taste of heaven on earth: “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (Jn 6:54).
1 comment:
So glad that the site is active again.
The reference to the saints and their common reliance on, love for, and faith in the Eucharist really grabbed my attention; particularly the reference to Mother Teresa and the strength that the Eucharist provided for her to help the most ill in the very worst circumstances. I have often wondered how such a frail (in appearance, not in spirit) woman found the strength to help the most destitute in India and in other parts of the world who were shunned by society, such as lepers. And to think that the answer was so simple--she gained daily strength from the Bread of Life!
Also interesting that the story of Mother Teresa occurred in the same post as the question: "If you could meet anyone on earth, who would it be?" Obviously, the first answer is Jesus Christ. But, several years ago, before her death, Mother Teresa was visiting a church in Atlanta and I had the opportunity to go to the church and see her and listen to her speak. Unfortunately, I was tired from work, so I decided not to attend and ended up doing something else that was unbelievably trivial in comparison--How absolutely crazy is that? And I will never have that opportunity here on earth again! I have often thought about how much I regret not going to that church to hear her speak. It is also a reminder to me of how we allow the "constant noise" (from one of the recent homilies at St. Stephen's--excellent way of putting it into context I thought!) of everyday life to interfere and distract us from what we really want and need to do.
For me, this post serves as another sharp reminder to focus on the Eucharist, to reflect on His awesome power, and to rely on Christ in the Eucharist to sustain me. This is really difficult for me to do with the constant distractions in life and even in church during Communion, but I hope that this post will continually remind me of how important it is to really recognize and feel the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist at Holy Communion and to gain strength from it!
This was thought-provoking and hopefully inspirational. I pray that I (and all of you) will be guided by the Holy Spirit and gain greater strength and faith from the Eucharist each and every Sunday going forward.
Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts.
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