Catholic Faith Space
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A couple of months ago, I was at mass for a funeral when, during communion, I saw someone take the host and discreetly slip it into a coat pocket. Ever since I witnessed this, it has been floating around in the back of my mind. Unfortunately, this incident was not the first or second time I noticed this at a mass, but the third time within the last few years. I think about this often. I think about how I failed to say or do anything. It has left me wondering what one should do in this situation. I may have been unsure of how to react in this situation. However, one thing I am certain of is that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. Reflecting on this thought makes me aware of a rather large problem. If the Eucharist is the central part of our faith, why are there so many Catholics who fail to believe or don’t understand?
If Jesus is who He says He is (and He is), then it changes everything. Being able to receive the Eucharist, body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus is a gift that blesses us with many graces and transforms us like nothing else can. Of course, it takes faith to believe Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. Thankfully, we are not left stranded. The Church’s teaching on this subject is rooted deeply in scripture. In addition to scripture, there are stories about saints and their experiences, books and documents we can read, and even documented Eucharistic miracles that can help deepen and strengthen our faith. Turning to scripture is usually the best place to begin. About five years ago, I was preparing a talk on what the Mass meant to me for the 12th grade confirmation class. As I was digging deeper into different sources to find points for my talk, I was blown away by just how much evidence for the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist could be found throughout scripture. While I found a lot of information throughout different books and chapters, the first passage that I went to and that really stood out to me was John Chapter 6, also known as The Bread of Life Discourse. I had remembered how much that passage had resonated with me in high school, as it had been a significant part of my faith and strengthened my belief in the Real Presence. I focused much of my talk around this passage to emphasize to the class that the Eucharist was not merely a symbol of Jesus but instead, His body and blood. This scripture passage is a great one to reflect upon often and a great place to turn to regularly to know and understand the truth. I often wonder how many Catholics do not know and understand the truth, specifically about the Eucharist. I fear that many Catholics receive Jesus at Mass, believing that what they are receiving is just a little circular wafer that symbolizes Jesus’ body. What about all of the Catholics who do not even know what the Church teaches about the Eucharist? What about those who choose not to attend mass regularly because they do not understand what, or rather Who, is present? The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, not just for some Catholics but for all Catholics. This teaching needs to be prioritized and discussions on it should occur frequently . After second grade, this teaching cannot fall through the cracks. We must help everyone to understand this teaching so they will believe Jesus is truly present. It is only Christ who will put this belief in people’s hearts, but we can help open the door. The Eucharist is spiritual nourishment. As St. John Paul II once said, “From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others.” My prayer today is that we would find strength in the Eucharist, always knowing the love Jesus has for us and sharing it with others so that they too would come to believe.
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“For nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). This verse we heard in this weekend’s Gospel is so simple yet so profound. Do we really believe it? There are no limitations to what God can do. What if we truly believed this and lived fully in this truth?
How often do we see a certain situation in our lives or dream up an idea only to then be filled with doubt because it seems impossible? How many times do we feel like giving up on something because we believe that it simply cannot happen? Oftentimes, our human minds put limitations on who God is and what He can and wants to do in our lives. What about each of us? God wants to do the impossible in us and through us. God used Mary to do great things and He wants to use us too. How often do we doubt God’s ability to use us in big ways? We think of all the things that we cannot do. We’re not holy enough, not strong enough, too young, or too old. The list goes on and on. When these doubts start to sneak in, this is when we have to remember that, for God, nothing is impossible. When we are open to God, He will use us for His glory. When we allow Him to fully come into our lives, there are no limits to what He will do. God is mighty and powerful. When we move past our limited thoughts and ideas and let God in, He will do great things and work in us in ways we never thought were possible. We need to have faith and pray boldly and in big ways. It is then that we will remember that He is good and nothing is impossible for Him. My sister got married this weekend. The moment my now brother-in-law Erik saw Sarah as she was walking down the aisle, he began to cry. It’s not hard to realize that he was overcome with emotion as he was struck by the beauty of his bride. I myself was in awe of how beautiful the wedding Mass was. The music was beyond beautiful thanks to the vocalist and the pianist , the homily was deep and reflective, and it was easy to be fully aware of God’s presence as he joined together the couple in the sacrament. The whole day of celebration was simply beautiful and it made me stop and reflect on the topic of beauty. Thinking about the day, I have realized that the beauty we experienced was a reflection of God. The day pointed to the existence of God who has made us all in His image. The beauty that we see and experience in the big moments and in the ordinary days point us to God and help us to better see and understand who He is.
It’s not hard to recognize beauty in our world. It usually stands out and strikes us as something truly amazing. We experience beautiful things on a regular basis. Just stop and think. We have all seen a sunrise or sunset that we could not take our eyes off of. Then there is nature. The creation around us is filled with beauty. What about music? I’m sure we have all been moved by hearing someone with an amazing talent sing or play an instrument, or by hearing a particular song. Maybe you’ve heard a deep prayer or a homily that touched you. Have you ever read a reflection that inspired you or a passage that spoke to your heart? We have all experienced beauty in these ways. Do we realize that every beautiful thing we experience is from God? When we see beauty, do we see God? Beauty draws us closer to God and tells us who He is. Our world craves beauty. People often have different ideas of beauty and perceive different things as beautiful, which suggests that beauty is subjective. However, our world has a warped idea of beauty. If something is not good and true, it is not beautiful. God is the source of all beauty and He is beauty Himself. This is why we have beautiful churches to worship Him. Even non-Christians can recognize the beauty of a cathedral, appreciating the art and architecture. Each and every person desires beauty. This is because we all desire God, whether we realize it or not. Beauty is all around us. We need to seek it out and allow it to pierce our souls. When we seek beauty, we are seeking God. When we experience something or someone beautiful, we experience God. My prayer for you today is that you would be able to experience the beauty that surrounds us and recognize that God is the reason for that beauty. May you know that whenever you are touched by beauty, you are touched by God. You know that feeling when you are putting hand sanitizer on and it reveals any paper cuts that you did not know you had? It stings for a little while and there is nothing you can do to make it go away. You just have to wait it out for a bit. These wounds that come to the surface and are exposed by the hand sanitizer make me think of the wounds and weaknesses we all have in our lives. However, unlike the paper cut situation, we do not have to just wait it out. We can go to Jesus. He is the divine healer who wants to fix our wounds and take away whatever is hurting our relationship with Him.
Sometimes, there are areas of weakness and sin in our lives that we may or may not be aware of. Once these areas are revealed or brought to our attention, it can sting. We might feel exposed or dragged down. At the same time, we often try to hide these wounds deep inside and hold onto them as long as possible. We allow ourselves to be burdened by them. It does not have to be like this. Jesus sees our hearts and knows what we hold deep inside. He knows what is weighing us down and also what we try to conceal. He knows what is challenging us and what sorrows we may be experiencing. Through His mercy and compassion, He is ready to give us the healing we need before we even ask. There are so many ways that Jesus can work in these areas of our hearts. Going to confession is the best way to remove whatever is hindering us from our relationship with God. When we acknowledge our weaknesses and what we have done wrong, we can start fresh and our souls will feel much lighter. We can also spend time in silence and prayer to allow God to reveal the wounds that we have. It might hurt to sit with these, but we do not have to sit alone. He will pour his mercy, love, and compassion into these wounded, weak, and broken parts and bring life to these areas. On the outside, we might act like we have it all together. However, we are invited to look deeper within ourselves and examine the areas of our hearts and souls that need some strengthening. My prayer for you today is that you would let Jesus expose the wounds in your heart and allow him to reveal His love to you in those parts. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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