11/06/2023
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.β--John6:51
The Eucharist is the most unappreciated and forgotten sacrament, which ironically is the most important! All the other sacraments take life and power from the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is Jesus Christ himself, body, blood, soul, and divinity! It is for this reason that it is the most important of all the sacraments. How is it that it is truly Jesus? Well, it is important that we recall that it was Jesus who instituted this sacrament during his last supper with his apostles. Jesus took bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take this all of you and eat of it. For this is MY BODY." And further after they have done eating, he mandated his disciples to "Do this in memory of me". Clearly instructing them to celebrate the same last supper until He comes again.
It is truly Jesus in the Eucharist! For the unbelievers, no explanation will suffice. However, we are given reminders from across the centuries by Eucharistic miracles. These miracles prove and remind us of Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist. Take, for example, the Eucharistic miracle at Lanciano, Italy, in 750AD. When a Basilian Monk who celebrated Mass doubted the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Upon the consecration of the bread, it turned into living flesh! That same flesh is still on display to this day in the Church where it occured!
It is only right that we must eat Jesus's flesh! For he said it explicitly that by doing so, we will gain eternal life! May our love and adoration for Jesus truly present in the Eucharist be unceasing, just as how he loves us unceasingly! Amen.
Photo CTTO
--JunL--