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| Christ & the Eucharist One & the Same Public domain |
By Larry Peterson
The United States has a population of close to 330
million people. Of those, there are more than 74 million people who claim to be
Catholic. 70 million are registered (signed in with a parish as members). That means
that Catholics comprise more than 22% of the entire population of the USA. Approximately
38% of the 70 million attend weekly Mass (roughly 26.5 million).
Of those claiming to be Catholic, many do not practice
their faith, and among the millions who do attend weekly Mass, many do not even
believe in one of its most fundamental teachings. This teaching is known as the
Real
Presence. The Real Presence means that Jesus Christ becomes
truly present, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, under the appearances of
bread and wine, on the altar during the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass (note the word—Sacrifice). Pew Research did a
recent survey and found that 7 out of 10 people who say they are Catholic do
not believe this.
That finding is hard enough to comprehend, but this is
the one that seems hardest to fathom; of those Catholics who attend Mass once a
week, 63% know the church’s teaching, but 14% of those attending do NOT believe it, and 23% say they “do not
know of it.” That means that 37% of those going to Mass has no clue what is
going on. Why are they coming to Mass? What’s the point? Why not just go to a revival meeting in a tent?
What happened to all the “believers?”
We must have the Mass to have the Eucharist. They are
inseparable for it is within the Mass that the ordained Catholic priest can
consecrate simple bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Make no
mistake, my friends, this is not a "remembrance" or a
"memorial" or a "tribute." This is the unbloody Sacrifice
of the Cross being offered again and again and again to God the Father for
all of us, for all time, in perpetuity.
Something deeply mystical happens during
the Catholic Mass that many Catholics do not seem to even be aware of, no less understand.
When
the Catholic priest bends forward over the bread and wine and says the words of
consecration, “This is My Body---This is My Blood” the bread and wine become the actual Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ.
From the catechism of the
Catholic Church (CCC 1376) “---this holy Council (The
Council of Trent 1545-1563) now
declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes
place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the
body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the
substance of His blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and
properly called Transubstantiation.”
The Last Supper was the
very first Mass celebrated, and it was offered by Christ Himself. Jesus
instituted the priesthood at this moment in time, and the Apostles became the
first priests (Judas had already left). This was when Jesus empowered them to
do as He did.
Our Catholic faith teaches us that Christ is TRULY PRESENT
on the altar at Mass. Pick up your missalettes in church and go to the Roman
canon. See the wording after the consecration:
"---we, your servants
and your holy people, offer to your glorious majesty from the gifts that you
have given us, this pure victim, this holy victim, this spotless
victim, the holy bread of eternal life and the Chalice of everlasting salvation.---"
“---In humble prayer we ask
you, Almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy
Angel; to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty,
So that all of us, who
through this participation at the altar
Receive the most holy Body
and Blood of your Son,
May be filled with every
grace and heavenly blessing
Through Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Christ is with us, and we, the people, are offering
Him to God the Father. Our reward is the Risen Christ given back to us in the
Eucharist by our Father in heaven. This is the
Mystery of Faith, and this is
what we believe (or are supposed to believe). I know this is what I believe.
The meaning of this is beyond the pale. It transcends human
comprehension. This is when yesterday becomes today, and tomorrow became
yesterday. The Mass enables us to briefly step into the “eternal now” and to
take a peek at the life within the Holy Trinity and the love being shared
inside it. And never forget that this Holy Sacrifice is being offered somewhere
on the planet every day of the year, round the clock. Imagine that, somewhere,
every day, round the clock. It is the most beautiful thing this side of heaven.
It is time for the clergy to lead us all forward in an
ongoing offensive bombarding their worldwide flock with the truth of the Holy
Eucharist. Then it is up to the laity to carry this fact forward. It is
fundamental to the Catholic faith, and somehow, somewhere, this miraculous truth
has been cast aside. Maybe a different kind of Resurrection is now needed, the
Resurrection of Christ in the Eucharist. (See tangible proof at this link Eucharistic Miracles)
CHOICES
Perfection unbridled
That tells us why
And will let us understand
If we choose to see
this splendid Oblation
A perfect purity
This gift called The Mass
Ignored yet
Somewhere each minute
For us to share
The Answer there
The Perfect Love
But---choices.
Copyright©Larry Peterson 2019
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