Many years ago I visited a woman who was quite sick and whose condition only seemed to get worse. When I got there, it was clear that she was being heavily medicated, because she was having a very difficult time even keeping her eyes open. It truly seemed as if she was nearing death.
Immediately, I started to celebrate the sacraments with her. First, we celebrated the sacrament of Penance, and, afterwards, she seemed to get a little stronger. Then, we celebrated the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, and she seemed to be a little more alert, yet, after I gave her Holy Communion her entire demeanor clearly changed.
She went from someone barely able to speak to having her eyes wide open and being as alert as ever. She went from someone who was teetering on the brink of life to having new life within her. For, no matter how much medication she was given, even that was still powerless before the strength of the Blessed Sacrament.
And, that, in the end, is why the Eucharist is so important, and should be an important part of all of our lives. Because, as our Gospel has made quite clear these past couple of weeks, Jesus is not speaking figuratively or metaphorically or symbolically, He truly means that that bread and that wine literally become His Body and Blood upon that altar.
For, there is no other reason, no logical reason for someone so sick to have such a visible and drastic change, almost immediately, if it is just a mere piece of bread. Jesus says: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”
In fact, it is said, that, according to St. Augustine, when he was bishop in Hippo, Africa, the people in the Diocese called the Eucharist simply by one word, the word: “Life.” As he says: “When they would go to Holy Communion, they would say: ‘We are going to Life.’ They knew what they were receiving, they knew, as we should know, that without His life within us we can barely survive our own, for, it is only with Him that we can do anything, and, indeed, without Him, nothing.
There was a famous physician in Naples, Italy, by the name of St. Joseph Moscati who always made sure that he received Holy Communion each and every day. Yet, it is said, on those days when he would be unable to receive, he would not make his doctor’s calls. When asked why this was, he simply said: “Without Jesus, I do not have enough light to save my poor patients.” He knew that without the Divine Physician within him, he could not bring healing, comfort or, indeed, new life. Just imagine if all doctors and all professionals felt the same.
Perhaps, it is starting to sound repetitious, but The Eucharist is more than just mere bread and wine, people, like St. Joseph, don’t make sacrifices for mere food, they only make sacrifices when something is important, when they discover something that they cannot live without, the Eucharist is something none of us can nor should live without.
It is the very bread of Heaven, the Bread of Life, in short, it is our very lifeline, for, as Jesus says, whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood remains in Him and Him in us, and nothing on earth can take away its strength, nothing on earth can take away its power, because nothing on earth can even compare to the Eucharist, Jesus Himself whom, in a little while, we will get to receive.
Therefore, let us prepare ourselves to receive Him in the greatest and the most profound moment of our life, in Holy Communion, for, as Jesus promises, whoever eats this bread, will not only have life, but the greatest of all life, eternal life in Heaven.
Immediately, I started to celebrate the sacraments with her. First, we celebrated the sacrament of Penance, and, afterwards, she seemed to get a little stronger. Then, we celebrated the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, and she seemed to be a little more alert, yet, after I gave her Holy Communion her entire demeanor clearly changed.
She went from someone barely able to speak to having her eyes wide open and being as alert as ever. She went from someone who was teetering on the brink of life to having new life within her. For, no matter how much medication she was given, even that was still powerless before the strength of the Blessed Sacrament.
And, that, in the end, is why the Eucharist is so important, and should be an important part of all of our lives. Because, as our Gospel has made quite clear these past couple of weeks, Jesus is not speaking figuratively or metaphorically or symbolically, He truly means that that bread and that wine literally become His Body and Blood upon that altar.
For, there is no other reason, no logical reason for someone so sick to have such a visible and drastic change, almost immediately, if it is just a mere piece of bread. Jesus says: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”
In fact, it is said, that, according to St. Augustine, when he was bishop in Hippo, Africa, the people in the Diocese called the Eucharist simply by one word, the word: “Life.” As he says: “When they would go to Holy Communion, they would say: ‘We are going to Life.’ They knew what they were receiving, they knew, as we should know, that without His life within us we can barely survive our own, for, it is only with Him that we can do anything, and, indeed, without Him, nothing.
There was a famous physician in Naples, Italy, by the name of St. Joseph Moscati who always made sure that he received Holy Communion each and every day. Yet, it is said, on those days when he would be unable to receive, he would not make his doctor’s calls. When asked why this was, he simply said: “Without Jesus, I do not have enough light to save my poor patients.” He knew that without the Divine Physician within him, he could not bring healing, comfort or, indeed, new life. Just imagine if all doctors and all professionals felt the same.
Perhaps, it is starting to sound repetitious, but The Eucharist is more than just mere bread and wine, people, like St. Joseph, don’t make sacrifices for mere food, they only make sacrifices when something is important, when they discover something that they cannot live without, the Eucharist is something none of us can nor should live without.
It is the very bread of Heaven, the Bread of Life, in short, it is our very lifeline, for, as Jesus says, whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood remains in Him and Him in us, and nothing on earth can take away its strength, nothing on earth can take away its power, because nothing on earth can even compare to the Eucharist, Jesus Himself whom, in a little while, we will get to receive.
Therefore, let us prepare ourselves to receive Him in the greatest and the most profound moment of our life, in Holy Communion, for, as Jesus promises, whoever eats this bread, will not only have life, but the greatest of all life, eternal life in Heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment