Beloved sisters and brothers,
The Eucharist is the Source, Center and Summit
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!
The Eucharist (Mass) is the source, center and summit of our lives – it is our LIFE. This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. God is present to us in so many ways; in the congregation, in the priest, in the Word of God, in all Creation and in all events of life. But we further believe that He is really and truly present in the Eucharist that is why in communion, the priest says, “The Body of Christ!” The priest presents to the communicant not a symbol or a presentation of the Lord but Jesus, Himself. And we say “AMEN” to profess our faith in what we receive.
As Catholics, we believe that the bread and wine in the Eucharist becomes the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This happens during the epiclesis, or on the time when the priest lays his hands over the two species while saying, (Eucharistic Prayer II) “You are indeed Holy O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is God through His Spirit who makes it happen, not the priest.
In the Gospel, Jesus Himself instituted the Eucharist and made Himself available in the form of bread and wine. Jesus after taking and blessing the bread, broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, “Take; this is my Body.” He did the same to the wine and said, “This is my Blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” If Jesus meant it to be a symbol, He would have said so but He really meant it to be His Body and Blood the He said, “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.” (John 6: 51)
People tell me all the time that they received communion/Jesus so many times but nothing seems to be happening to them. The Eucharist is not a magic pill that will instantly transform our lives; if we think so, then we are mistaken. Receiving the Lord Jesus entails faith, trust, preparation and reparation. We must approach the table of the Lord Jesus in humility and purity – only then can we be transformed by Him and become more like Jesus. Every time we come to the Eucharist and have communion, let us be aware that we are receiving Jesus Himself – so everything we say and do should be a reflection of Jesus whom we received and then He transform us to Himself.
AMEN.
God loves you!
~ Fr. NEIL