In a world that is longing for more and that is seeking real nourishment, our spiritual food is found with the reception of holy Eucharist. Jesus reminds us of such a gift in the bread of life discourse in John’s gospel chapter 6. Jesus reminds us that anyone who partakes of His flesh and blood remains in Him & He in them (Jn. 6:56).
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd edition states, the reception of holy Eucharist completes our initiation into the church where we as a community participate in our Lord Jesus’s sacrifice (Catholic Church 1322). The reception of holy Eucharist is more than a symbolic gesture for us Catholics. As St. Pope Paul VI in Lumen Gentium proclaims, the sacrament “is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life” (LG 11).
The convert and theologian to Catholicism Scott Hahn reminds us that the participation at Mass is more than the quality of music, preaching, or liturgical style and is a “heaven on earth” experience (Hahn, 1999, The Lamb’s Supper The Mass As Heaven On Earth. Image, imprint of Crown Publishing Group p. 5).
Just like Thomas’s faith at seeing the risen Lord, our bold proclamation at receiving Jesus’s body and blood should be “my Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28).
How do you view this most sacred gift in receiving Jesus in your life, or is the reception of Holy Communion simply a symbolic gesture?
The Gospel from Luke chapter 9 at the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish reveal an important aspect in which almost five thousand men were fed – they were all satisfied. Will you be like one of those hungry individuals in Luke’s gospel and come away satisfied after receiving holy communion?
Jesus is the new manna (Exodus) that came down from heaven. He wishes to dwell in us each and every moment we attend the Mass and boldly proclaim Amen at the response of receiving the Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ).
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to life everlasting.
StreetEvangelist 