Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. In essence, we give thanks this weekend for the Holy Eucharist, our spiritual food. The Eucharist is the abiding presence of Jesus in our lives. What a miracle!!! Before Jesus went back to the Father, He told us that He would be with us always…even to the end of time. And so He is in the Eucharist. As Catholics, we believe in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist. In the act of consecration at Mass, the bread and wine are REALLY changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus. We need to be clear about this…the host and wine are no longer “bread and the juice of grapes.” Rather, they truly become “Jesus with us.” Jesus promised His presence after miraculously feeding the 5000…He instituted the Holy Eucharist during his Last Supper…He commanded his disciples to repeat this action. Every consecration at Mass is an absolute miracle making Christ present to us and we believe this. It falls to us to appreciate the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by receiving Him with true reverence…not chewing gum, not looking around and talking with people on our way up the aisle...but rather focusing on what is about to happen for us (the reception of God Himself!!!). Could anything be more of a miracle than this? How can we show our gratitude for this wonderful gift of the Eucharist? We can do that by: offering our own lives along with Jesus’ sacrifice (letting God know that we want to be His instrument here on earth)…by asking pardon for our sins…and by expressing gratitude for the blessings we have received from the Lord. As you receive the Eucharist, make a commitment to be a Christ-bearer. Think of this…when we receive Holy Communion, we actually become Christ-bearers as Mary was. This carries with it the responsibility of bringing Christ to others at home and in the workplace…through love, mercy, forgiveness and compassionate service to one and other. Two hundred years ago, a beautiful, young, Episcopalian woman accompanied her husband, a merchant, to Italy, leaving four of their five children at home with family members. They had sailed for Italy, hoping that the change in climate might help her husband, whose failing business had eventually affected his health adversely. Tragically, he died inLiverno. The grieving young woman was warmly received by an Italian family, business acquaintances of her deceased husband. She stayed with them for three months before she could arrange to return to America. The young widow was very impressed by the Catholic faith of her host family, especially their devotion to the Holy Eucharist: their frequent attendance at Mass, the reverence with which they received Holy Communion, the awe they showed toward the Blessed Sacrament on feast days when the Eucharist was carried in procession. She found her broken heart healed by a hunger for this mysterious presence of the Lord, and, upon returning home, requested instruction in Catholic Faith. Soon after being received into the Church, she described her first reception of the Lord in the Eucharist as the happiest moment of her life. It was in St. Peter’s Square on September 14, 1975, that Pope Paul VI canonized this woman, Elizabeth Ann Seton, as the first native-born saint of the Unites States. The Eucharist for her was a sign and cause of union with God and the Church. GOSPEL HOMEWORK OF THE WEEK: Do you receive the Eucharist with reverence and devotion?