The Mystery of the Eucharist: Christ's Body & Blood

What makes the Catholic mass the greatest celebration and thanksgiving prayer is the  Blessed Sacrament-Eucharist. The word Eucharist literally means "to give thanks" or "thanksgiving."  For Catholic Christians throughout the world, this celebration is the most powerful and life giving entity for the soul, body, and mind.  Jesus Christ's body and blood taken in and consumed transform the human person and allows God to live in and through us to do things that are impossible for man because nothing is impossible for God.  For Jesus himself said, ""With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26) The body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ which is in the Eucharist is a great mystery of God's love and perfect gift given to us.  Every time mass is celebrated this partaking in the precious body and precious blood not only allows us to remember the sacrifice-the holy offering Jesus made in dying on the cross and shedding his blood for us, but it allows us to be one with Christ as he comes into our body and temple, the home of his Holy Spirit.

Jesus said as recorded in Matthew chapter 26, "Take this all of you and eat of it for this is my body given up for you."  When supper was ended he took the cup and again proclaimed, "Take this all of you and drink from it, for this is the cup of my blood poured out for your and for all so that sins may be forgiven.  Do this in memory of me."  As we gather to commemorate and remember the Lord's passion, death, and resurrection-our salvation which was gifted to us, it is a beautiful thing to partake in the communion of the Eucharist as often as possible.

A few months ago I decided that I would attend mass and receive the Eucharist as much as possible on a daily basis.  What I have noticed since is a transformation of my soul and mind.  Certainly, it is not me, but God living with me that has allowed such great change to come about in my life and to inspire and live through me to be a better person and to live in the present moment more and more.  In John's gospel Jesus tells us how vital it is to receive the Eucharist-his flesh and blood that we might be filled up with life...“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53 ) Based on these words of Christ, we have no life without him living within us.  We human beings receive that diving spark that empowers and lights up our souls through the Eucharist.  In addition the scriptures say in John chapter 6 verses 55-59, "For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Christ urges us to partake in eating his body and drinking his blood so that God may live in us and so we may live with the Father and Son alive in our physical bodies.  Christ living in us will then give such life and light to our spirits and souls that will live on forever.  Then again in John 6:50 when he says, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 

The Eucharist is the life giving bread and the saving cup that Christ ordained during the last supper to be celebrated and offered to God the Father.  When we are at mass and experience this we experience God with us and honor the Lord as he has asked us to do.  The power that is there is for all to receive as Christ transforms our lives in the mystery of the bread and wine that are consecrated on the alter by the priest and offered as an oblation pleasing to God.  May we receive this precious gift in the Eucharist as often as possible and pray that in doing so God may truly live in us and empower us to do his good and holy will in the world as  disciples of Jesus Christ.  That we might bring about the Kingdom of Heaven here on this earth and renew the earth through our lives.  For Christ our Lord said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) We are fulfilled in every way through Jesus Christ, true God and true man-our Lord and Savior.  There is no other way to the father or salvation and when we believe in this mystery of the Eucharist and celebrating the Lord's passion as he himself asked us to do as often as we gather, we will be renewed and receive the Spirit of Jesus Christ, a flame of faith that will burn brightly for the world to see for all eternity! Amen.

To read parts from Pope John Paul II's encyclical on the Eucharist log on to: http://www.michaeljournal.org/eucharist.htm