Power of the Eucharist

I love quotes... you know that by now. :) But when I find one this moving, how can I not share it?

"My children, we know when a soul has worthily received the Sacrament of the Eucharist, it is so drowned in love, so penetrated and changed, that it is no longer to be recognised in its words or its actions... It is humble, it is gentle, it is mortified, charitable, and modest; it is at peace with everyone. It is a soul capable of the greatest sacrifices; in short, you would not know it again."

—St John Vianney, special patron of this "Year for Priests"

(Quote found at this blog, where there is also an insightful article about the recent persecution of the Holy Father and the clergy scandal.)

On a completely non-related note, I noticed that I've just exceeded 500 posts: this is my 501st entry here. :)

Giving Thanks with a Catholic Flavor

Today, Americans gather to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. For many, the day holds long-revered traditions. Perhaps it wouldn’t be complete without Grandma’s special pastries, or Aunt Mary’s cranberry sauce. Many a hostess will shop, plan, and labor to ensure that dinner is perfectly cooked and ready on time. Many a father, grandfather, or uncle may be eagerly waiting to watch some football. Many a child may anticipate indulging in sweet things. Whatever the individual traditions, many of us look forward to a joyful day celebrating the abundance of our blessings.

As with any holiday, it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle, bustle, obligations, and expectations of it all that we can lose sight of why we celebrate in the first place. So what if the turkey isn’t ready to go on a magazine cover, or if the pie crusts got a little dark? If you have bounty enough to eat a thanksgiving feast, you are wealthier than many in this world. And if you have a family with which to gather and celebrate, in an era of family brokenness and division, you are blessed.

Or perhaps we’re feeling a bit less grateful this year, what with the state of our economy, growing international unrest, and the strain it has all put on many American pocketbooks. St. Paul has a word for us there, however: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (Thess. 5:18, emphasis added)

Times considered less than ideally prosperous are the ideal time to re-notice and better appreciate the most important blessings in our lives – those that make us truly wealthy. Even if your thanksgiving meal is less than ideally bountiful, or your family can’t unite due to distance or division, there are still fundamental gifts for which to be grateful: Life. Love. Freedom. Beauty. Senses through which to experience the world. And most of all, the gift of Jesus Himself, brought to us through His Church.

The Greek word for “Thanksgiving” is Eucharistia. That’s right: the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of our Lord, is the ultimate “Thanksgiving Meal”. What better way to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day? The turkey bakes for hours anyway, and few cooks remain peaceful spending all day in the kitchen. Take an hour to leave the hustle and bustle as the invited guest of this heavenly banquet hosted by the Giver of Life. And see how much richer this “holy day” can be!

Find Mass times in your area here.

Symbols and Realities of Faith

Today is the Feast of the Exhaltation of the Holy Cross. This morning at Mass, Father stated during his homily that "the cross is the greatest symbol of our Faith". He went on to add, "The reason that the Eucharist is not the greatest symbol of our Faith is because it is not a symbol: it is a reality."

I thought it was a point worth repeating!

(For my non-Catholic readers: We believe that the Eucharist is a reality, not a symbol, because we take Jesus Christ at his word in John 6:48-58 and Luke 22:19-20. For more biblical explanation of the Eucharist, visit the Catholic Answers article here.)

Why Am I Catholic? Part 1: The Eucharist

Meshaay asked the following in the comment box recently...

Hey, I've been wondering, what do you believe as a Catholic? What makes you different from a Christian, and why did you choose Catholicism over Christianity? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the question, Meshaay! I need to clarify right off (as some friends did kindly in the comment box) that as a Catholic, I am also a Christian. It's not one versus the other. In fact, Catholics are the original Christians and the largest Christian church in the world with over 1 billion members (1/6 the world's population). The Catholic Church is the one which Christ founded nearly 2000 years ago. All other Christian denominations (Protestant, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.) are the results of "splits", or individuals/groups breaking off from the Catholic Church over the past 500 years. And though these splits often occurred because an individual or group contested with Catholic doctrine, all Catholics do share with our evangelical Christian brothers and sisters a common faith in God as Creator and Father and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

As far as our differences go, the main ones include the Eucharist, Purgatory, devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Sacraments (especially Confession), the Holy Father and Magisterium, and Sacred Tradition as a means of passing on truth along with Sacred Scripture.

Rather than make this a very lengthy post to explain all of the above, I'll do a series and cover one topic in each. Today is the first and foremost: The Eucharist.

As Catholics, we take Jesus at His word. In John 6:51-53, He says:

"'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. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

'This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.'"

Most Protestants hold that Jesus was speaking symbolically in this passage. However, a look at the original Greek shows otherwise. The Greek word for "body" in John 6:54 is sarx, which means physical flesh, and the word for "eats" (trogon) translates as "gnawing" or "chewing." This is certainly not the language of metaphor. (Reference: The Institution of the Mass from Catholic Answers.)

His clarity is further shown by the fact that when many of His disciples left him due to the radicalism of the above (John 6:66), He let them go. He didn't call them back and say "Wait! I was speaking symbolically. The meaning of the parable is...". No — He let them go.

When He said His flesh would give us life, he meant it — literally. Take a look at how many times He uses the words "life" and "living" in the above passage. He even uses "Amen, Amen" to emphasize His words!

Jesus went on to fulfill His promise of John 6 at the Last Supper, when He took bread and wine and turned them into His body and blood. His words "This is My Body" and "This is My Blood" are recorded in three of the Gospel narratives. (Matthew 26:26-27, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20). He commands His Apostles, and us, to "Do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).

If I had to name the single most important reason I am Catholic, it is this. The Catholic Church brings me the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of my Lord and God so that I might receive Him physically! If one is receptive, this can be a life-changing experience each and every time it occurs (see Secrets of the Eucharist). I have been blessed to attend Mass and receive Him every day since my First Holy Communion 14 years ago (only missing a few). He is my strength and my sustenance of life, just as He promised in John 6. Not only that, but because He remains fully present in the Eucharist He waits day and night in our churches for His children to come and be with Him. Adoration, or worship of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (the Eucharist), is, after receiving Him physically, one of the most powerful experiences of grace possible.

For more thorough and excellent explanations on the Eucharist, check out:

- Christ in the Eucharist from CatholicAnswers.com
- The Eucharist in Scripture
- The Real Presence from CatholicAnswers.com
- The Eucharist Article Index: Q & A and more from EWTN.com

I would like to welcome any non-Catholic readers I may have and encourage you to explore this topic. I hope that this series may be helpful to your understanding of why Catholics believe what we do. Charitable discussion in the comment box is encouraged!

Secrets of the Eucharist

Let's just continue our Sacramental theme, shall we? :) We hosted a meeting tonight for the parents of our First Communicants at St. Joseph's, and so last week I searched around for a Eucharistic "teaching" film to show them. I found Seven Secrets of the Eucharist by Vinny Flynn.

All of us really need to make sure we are continually re-energizing our understanding of what and Who the Eucharist is. If we don't, it can all too easily become thoughtless monotony.

This talk, based off of Mr. Flynn's book by the same name, does just that: wakes and shakes us up to profound reality of this gift! He highlighted how the effectiveness of the Sacrament is directly proportional to our participation in it. He takes what may sound at first like simple or even obvious points and completely lights them up. For example: the Eucharist is alive. When we receive our Lord, it is not the dead Jesus but the living one! We receive the presence of the whole Trinity as Father and Holy Spirit come to us with Jesus! We receive the presence of all of heaven, angels and saints, as they come to us with Him!

I especially loved Mr. Flynn's explanation of Spiritual Communion. Wow... it's so much more than most of us think! He shares a beautiful prayer: "Jesus, lock me in the tabernacle with You." There is a lot to be meditated on in that tiny little prayer...

What I most appreciated was how everything he explained was based off of writings of the Popes, Saints, and Divine Revelations such as Our Lord to St. Faustina. So solid. So good.

At the very end, he mentions how a whole chapter of Pope John Paul's Eucharistic Encyclical was dedicated to Our Lady. He then goes on to share some of the most beautiful titles for her... such as the First Tabernacle, the first Eucharistic procession (when she bore Jesus and went to Elizabeth!), and the Living Monstrance.

He also drove home how crucial it is for us to enter into communion with Our Lord, not just passively receive Him. It really struck me when he said that one could receive Holy Communion every day of their life, but remain unchanged if they're not desiring and working toward and praying for closer union with Christ!

The summary of it all is this: we can transform both our own lives and life of the Church through the life and power of the Eucharist... if only we desire it.

Enter a Rose

A sweet friend and dear goddaughter has just made her "grand entrance" into the blogsphere! (I am privileged to be her Confirmation sponsor.) She is a gifted writer, and I look forward to plenty of beauty and inspiration from her blog. Please take a minute to drop by and give a warm welcome to Lady of the Rose!

And because I just love the quote she shared today, I have to share it here too. (Hope you don't mind, Amanda!). It is a real gem, from none other than J.R.R. Tolkien.

"Out of the darkness of my life,

so much frustrated,

I place before you

the one great thing to love on earth:

The Blessed Sacrament...

There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity

and the true way of all your loves upon earth,

and more than that: Death:

by the divine paradox, that which ends life,

and demands the complete surrender of all,

and yet by the taste of which alone

can what you seek

in your earthly relationships be maintained,

or take on the complexity of reality,

or eternal endurance,

which every man's heart desires."

~ Tolkien in a letter to his son

On the Triumph of Love...

"Love cannot triumph unless it becomes the one passion of our life. Without such passion we may produce isolated acts of love; but our life is not really won over or consecrated to an ideal. Until we have a passionate love for our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament we shall accomplish nothing."

~St. Peter Julian Eymard

No One Says It Like Father Corapi

And the other morning as I listened to him on Relevant Radio, I couldn't help but write some quotes down!

"The only way for you to become a saint - and, by the way, that's the only reason we're here, folks - is to do God's will."

"Our Lady led me to one place... to the Eucharist. If you piled up all the other goods of the Church over there, and put the Eucharist over here, that over there would be nothing in comparison... all other power - from preaching or teaching, or anything else, is a speck compared with the Eucharist."

"If we announced that Jesus Christ was coming to visit here tomorrow morning at 10, all the trafficways would be bottlenecked. Folks, He IS coming! If the Lord gave us Himself in the Eucharist, that means we need Him!"

"Why are Catholics who receive the Eucharist every week no different from the rest of the world? Because you receive only what you're ready to receive. The graces are infinite - but you have to be ready to receive them... If you begin to live the Gospel, your channel of grace will be widened."

"I'll tell you one thing that never wears off: the Blessed Sacrament. Get your priests to make a daily Holy Hour. When priests start living the only reason for their priesthood, the Church will turn around."

"Sometimes the last thing in the world we would choose to do is the very thing the power of God can choose to work through us... often the very thing we don't want to do, that doesn't come naturally to us, this is the very path that God chooses for our salvation."

"The lay state is not the absence of a vocation... it is a vocation."

What can I add? That's enough to meditate on for a while!