My mother, who prayed the Rosary at least three times a day, convinced me that I should always carry a Rosary in my pocket. She did this by constantly reminding me, and by telling me that every time we hold on to the Rosary, we are holding the hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because I had to tease her at every opportunity, when she would start in on this topic, I would remind her that while holding the hand of the Mother of God was a big deal, I got to hold Jesus in my unworthy hands every time I celebrated Mass. She was not impressed!

            Every now and then, while I am celebrating Mass, most especially at the moment of the elevation, a voice in my head reminds me that I am indeed holding the body and blood of Christ in my hands. It is not a sign, it is not a symbol it is the real thing. Even after nearly twenty-four years of celebrating Mass this reality always overwhelms me.

            I am overwhelmed because of the immense generosity of Jesus. Not only did Jesus leave the perfection of heaven to become one of us, not only did he teach us a new way of life, but he also gave us his very body and blood as food that strengthens us to live as people who have been redeemed. Jesus himself tells us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for his friends. Jesus laid down his life, and gave us his body and blood, while we were still sinners, and this has made it possible for us to call ourselves friends of Jesus.

            I am overwhelmed because Jesus came not for the perfect, not for the well, but for the lost, the broken, the sinners. He came and he gave his body and blood as food that heals, makes whole, and makes holy. A steady diet of this divine food gives us courage to persevere and strength to be patient.

            I am also overwhelmed because when we gather for Mass, when we pray together, when we listen to the Word of God together, when we humbly approach the Eucharist, we are participating in a glimpse of the eternal banquet in heaven. Our human eyes and ears may convince us that what we see and what we do at Mass is routine and ordinary, but if we listen with the ears of our faith, if we look with the eyes of our faith, we will see heaven and earth crashing into each other every time we attend Mass.

            When this topic came up in my head as a potential for my bulletin article, I tried to convince myself to go in a different direction.  I thought to myself that, I had just written an article about the Eucharist last month and perhaps it is too early for another one. It seems however that the Holy Spirit put this idea in my head in such a way as I could not think of another topic.

            As you may have heard, a recent survey revealed that only about a third of Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the real body and blood of Christ. I am not sure what the others think it is, but it saddens me to think that some who are reading this may think this way. For this reason, it is important to write, talk, pray, and study about the Eucharist at every opportunity. Bishop Deeley, and all the bishops of the United States, has made Eucharistic renewal a priority for the next three years. Over this time there will be diocesan and local events that will help us to grow in our awareness of the reality of Jesus in the Eucharist.

            Each time we attend Mass, we witness heaven and earth coming together. Because our minds are filled with so many things and there is so much competition for our attention, we can miss this. We can miss the moment when the Holy Spirit turns our simple gifts of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Spending some quiet time with Jesus at adoration, allowing Jesus to see us as we gaze upon him, immersing ourselves in sacred silence, and listening with the ears of our faith are all ways we can recapture our ability to see and to celebrate the moment at Mass when very clearly heaven is crashing into earth.

            Because my mother insisted, I always have a Rosary in my pocket. More importantly I am trying my best to follow Mary’s instruction and to do whatever Jesus tells me. This includes humbly recognizing and appreciating that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus given to us as food for the journey to eternal life.