The Strength of the Catholic Church

"Herein is the strength of the Catholic Church... She professes to be built upon facts, not opinions; on objective truths, not on variable sentiments; on immemorial testimony, not on private judgement; on convictions or perceptions, not on conclusions. None else but she can make this profession."



Venerable John Henry Newman

Thursday, 12 August 2010

The Awesomeness of the Holy Eucharist


The second Communion Antiphon of today's Mass reads: "The bread I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world, says the Lord." For some reason I found this particularly striking as I read it this morning. Perhaps what is striking is how clear these words make it that the Holy Eucharist is the very source of our life, and that it is in the Holy Eucharist that all graces and all strength for this Christian pilgrimage of ours are to be found. Here nothing is lacking, here is Life Himself, Who offers Himself for all and to all. What is striking is Our Lord's unbounded generosity - He sacrifices Himself to take away our sins on Calvary, undergoing incredible suffering motivated by the most indescribable love for His creatures, then He continues to offer Himself through the Eucharist, and continues to remain with us through the Eucharist as our unfailing strength and support. We can only be awestruck by the nature of God's love for us, and by this most precious of gifts that He gives us.
Can anything compare to the wonder of the Holy Eucharist and to the Real Presence? Even when the eyes of faith are enlightened by God's grace, I think we can snatch only a glimpse of the reality of the beauty of the Holy Eucharist and its meaning, we will always remain somehow impoverished in our understanding until we finally see God face-to-face, when the sacramental veil is removed. But what a joy to know that this Jesus is always here for us in the Tabernacle and that He comes to us daily to dwell in and feed our souls. If we live for anything, we should live to welcome Him into our souls daily - a privilege beyond description. If only each day, and each Holy Communion would help us to appreciate this gift more and to love our Eucharistic Lord more profoundly. Each Communion is already, in truth, a foretaste of the union we hope to have with God for ever in Heaven, where we will experience the fullness of His love without end. "O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!"
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