Jesus In the Eucharist

My Spiritual Father gave a beautiful talk to our parish adult enrichment class on Jesus in the Eucharist and Eucharistic Adoration. He is a priest with the Brothers of St. John, who possess a special love and reverence for the Eucharist.

There are many new insights I have learned from this talk about adoring Our Lord and I would like to share just a few of the highlights.

While exposing Our Lord in the monstrance on the altar, he told us, "This is truly God Himself." The Eucharist is not merely a symbol or a representation of Christ, but it is Christ Himself. However, only 33% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

In John 6:26, Jesus told his disciples: " Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man will give you."

There are many other passages in the scriptures, which attest to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The most powerful ones can be found in the Gospel of St. John.

"I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I give is My flesh for the life of the world." (John 6:51)

"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up 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, 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 died, whoever eats this bread will live forever." (John 6:52 - 58)

In these passages, Jesus did not say this bread and this blood represent my body and blood. He tells us that this is His body and blood and that by receiving them, we will have eternal life.

However, St. Paul warns of the dire consequences of receiving Christ's Body and Blood unworthily: "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks of the cup of the of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the Body and Blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the Body, eats and drinks judgement upon himself." (1 Corinthians 12:27-29)

The gift par excellence is Jesus Himself. The Eucharist is real food that nourishes our souls. It is a super-abundance of Love. The Eucharist is at the very heart of our Christian love. The Eucharist is a sacrifice. The fruit of that sacrifice of love is the gift of Jesus' body.

Every group that wars against the Church and the Mass wars against the priesthood in order to destroy the faith of the people. Martin Luther, for example, believed that the priesthood was created by the devil and he wanted to do away with the Mass. Without the priest, there can be no Eucharist. Thus, Martin Luther, discredited the Eucharist and referred to it as a symbol of God's presence. In that way, he was able to keep the outward rituals the same and also retain his followers.

The Mass is the Rock on which our faith was built. St. John Vianney said "If you live in a parish without a priest, the people will be worshipping beasts."

When one wishes to destroy religion, one destroys the priest. The priesthood is at the very heart of our faith because it brings Christ to our altar. The Mass is Jesus pleading to the Father on our behalf. When we attend Mass and are properly prepared, the Eucharist is our spiritual food.

How Should We Receive Jesus Respectfully In the Eucharist?

1. Come to Mass early to prepare our hearts.
2. Receive the Eucharist with great love and reverence.
We need to bow before receiving the Eucharist. If receiving on the tongue, extend the tongue reverently.
If receiving in the hand, do so properly extending both
hands not in a grabbing manner, but forming a throne.
3. Speak to Jesus when you receive Him.
4. Spend time in thanking Him afterwards.
5. Leave Mass quietly and reverently.

If you believe that God is really present in the tabernacle and that this is His temple, you will behave reverently and not as if you are in an auditorium or at a sports arena.

Does Holy Communion really have an effect on my life or is it just another habit? Is the Eucharist something that changes my life?

Eucharistic Adoration

The demons refused to adore God. They put themselves above God. When we adore God, we say," God is first and I am second."

Do we adore with our body?

We are called not only to adore with our heart, but also with our body. We genuflect before the Lord, kneel, or prostrate ourselves to adore.

Do we need to be in a certain place for Adoration?

Can we adore outdoors in our back yard or while sitting at the computer? We can adore anywhere because we have a heart, but the most excellent place is to adore before the Blessed Sacrament. In all of our Catholic churches in all of the tabernacles throughout the world, Christ is present.

How often should we come to Eucharistic Adoration?

Jesus encourages us to watch for one hour with him, so each of us should make a daily holy hour. We spend our time in good many wasteful ways and in many good ways. We become like those whose company we keep. For example, married couples start to resemble one another after living together for a long time. It is the same with Jesus. When we spend time with Him, we begin to resemble Him.

What are we to do when we come before Jesus?

St. John Vianney asked a man who spent hours in chuch before the tabernacle what he was doing and the man replied " I look at Him and He looks at me."

When you are with someone you love, there is often no need for words. The same is true when you are with Jesus. There is no need for a lot of words. It is satisfying just to be with the One you love.

It is fine to read a book, but don't spend all your time reading. Read a little, then look at Jesus. It is perfectly ok to recite the rosary, but make it a prayerful, meditative rosary. Say prayers of faith, hope, charity, and adoration.

Do we want to "waste time" before the Eucharist?

We should desire this everyday if possible. Let us begin to "waste time" here on earth with Jesus in the Eucharist so that one day we might spend an eternity "wasting time" with Him.

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