"Never Take the Eucharist for Granted"

I suppose it’s typical for human beings to sometimes take our finest gifts for granted – our health, our faith, our family and our friends, for example.
And even as Catholics we have the tendency to take for granted one of God’s most precious gifts – the Holy Eucharist, and all that it means for us. Although we typically pay lip service to the importance of the Eucharist, I wonder if we really appreciate its significance in our lives.

As the heart and soul of our Catholic Faith, the Eucharist a gift and mystery that includes several important dimensions. The Eucharist is a sacrifice – the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, made present again in a sacramental way. The Eucharist is a sacrament – the abiding presence of Christ among His people under the external forms of bread and wine. The Eucharist is a meal – established by Jesus at the Last Supper, and in which the action of eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Christ is essential to its meaning. And the Eucharist is a celebration – an affirmation of our faith in sign and symbol.

You can read the rest of Bishop Thomas J. Tobin's article here

Thanks Sue Cifelli!

Pope Urges Faithful to Fall in Love With Eucharist

Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu

..."Speaking of the sacraments [in the third part of the Summa], St. Thomas pauses particularly on the mystery of the Eucharist, for which he had a very great devotion, to the point that, according to the ancient biographers, he used to lean his head on the tabernacle, almost as if to hear the beating of the divine and human Heart of Jesus," the Pope recalled...

Read the entire Zenit article here.

Pontiff: Love of neighbor flows from closeness to Eucharist

Photo of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament taken in a Church in NYC midday.

Addressing the Roman diocesan congress, which began June 15 in the Lateran Basilica, Pope Benedict reflected on the congress’s theme: the Sunday Eucharist and the witness of charity.

Catholic teaching on the Holy Eucharist “is insufficiently understood in its profound significance and in the relevance it has for believers' lives,” he said. Calling for a rediscovery of Eucharistic adoration and fidelity to liturgical norms, which “favors and promotes the growth of Eucharistic faith,” the Pope noted that “when we receive Christ, the love of God expands inside us, radically modifying our hearts and making us capable of gestures which, by the contagious power of goodness, can transform the lives of people around us.”

Read the rest here.

Centered in the Eucharist

Photo of the Chapel at St. Stephen's Church, Paterson, NJ

The following is from Father Euteneur's recent e-newsletter found here.

As the Church departs the glorious season of Easter and returns to Ordinary Time, we take a moment to pause and remind ourselves how we may grow in holiness during the "normal" course of our spiritual lives. The liturgical seasons of the Church immerse us in the greatest mysteries of our faith, but as necessary as they are for our souls, true spiritual growth doesn't happen in just a season. It happens in an organic process, over long periods of time and with diligent effort. For advancement along that arduous pathway of holiness, then, we need to be sustained and encouraged: and that is the role of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Let us never forget what the Church teaches about the Eucharist. Our Catechism tells us that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is the "source and summit" of our faith (n. 1324). That is another way of saying that it is the very reason why the Church and each individual Christian believer has the gift of faith at all. Accordingly, even those separated Christians who do not believe in the Eucharist have faith in Jesus Christ because of the Eucharist! As the "summit" of our faith, it is the culmination of all goodness, the treasure of God's Life and the very thing that holds the Church and all of reality in existence. What a marvelous source of grace, healing, virtue and union with God and man is this Most Blessed Sacrament!

In this Sacrament we find the entire Christ: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. His Body and Blood, given to Him by the Virgin Mary, we are now able to consume sacramentally for the transformation of our souls. He communicates and even squanders His Soul and Divinity upon us like a holy Prodigal Son who cannot cease spending Himself for those He loves. How is it that every Christian is not flocking to Mass every single day to be nurtured by the Lord's very Life?

We must never forget either that the Eucharistic is a sacrifice, not just a meal. To reduce the Eucharist to a fraternal sharing only is to miss the essence of Jesus' redeeming act of love, which was the perfect act of self-giving and dying to self on Calvary that He asks each of us to imitate. As such, this Sacrament is the one font of all consolation for all the myriad sacrifices of our lives, those willed directly and those suffered. Every pain and sorrow in heaven and on earth can be offered to the Sacrificial Victim on the altar and will be met with the deepest of compassion and understanding. We must just stay in His divine Presence long enough to hear His tender words that address our particular sorrows: "Be not afraid, my dearest friend, I have trod this path before you. You are not alone!" What strength that consolation gives us for the journey and difficulties of life!

As the absolute epicenter of our spiritual lives, rivers of grace flow inexhaustibly from the Eucharist. One font of grace is the obligation to "keep holy the Sabbath" which requires us to have weekly contact with God in the Eucharist. Many parishes nowadays even have Eucharistic Adoration chapels that allow us to pray before the Blessed Sacrament directly and with greater frequency. Thanks be to God! We may also see the Eucharist as a repository for all our intercessory intentions on behalf of others by presenting them to Christ any time we have contact with the Eucharist. How wonderful that the Eucharistic Lord allows every one of us to see Him face to face, something that was only allowed to Moses in the Old Testament!

In Ordinary Time, let us renew our love for the greatest gift ever poured out upon mankind, the gift of God's very essence that has no equal in this world. Given faith and time, this Most Blessed Sacrament transforms us, strengthens our virtue, detaches us from sin, purifies our imperfections, inflames our charity and perfects our souls. He Himself calls and invites us to center our lives once again on the Eucharist. Who could possibly turn down such a gracious invitation from the Eucharistic King of Heaven?

Sincerely,


Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

Tantum Ergo - Eucharistic Congress, Dublin 1932

The Monks of Glenstal Abbey

List of Saints of the Holy Eucharist - Updated

The list has been updated on September 26, 2009.

The following list is from Saintly Guides for the Eucharistic Year compled by Holy Family Cenacle Little Falls, New Jersey. Can you think of any other saints that fit this category? Just leave a comment and I will add them to the list.

Also, try checking out the links for each saint. I have tried to find the best short bio for them.

1. St. Canute

2. St. John Bosco

3. St. Juliana Falconieri

4. St. Miguel Febres

5. St. Melchtilde

6. St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

7. St. Stanislaus

8. St. Gemma Galgani

9. St. Benedict Joseph Labre

10. St. Mary Magdalene Dei Pazzi

12. St. Frances Caracciolo

13. St. John Francis Regis

14. Gorcum Martyrs

17. St. Frederick

18. St. Alphonsus De Liguori

19. St. John Mary Vianney

20. St. John Eudes

21. St. Clare of Assisi

22. St. Rose of Lima

23. St. Nicholas of Tolentino

24. St. Catherine of Genoa

25. St. Eleasar de Sabran

26. St. Wenceslaus

27. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

28. St. Ignatius of Antioch

29. Bl. Timothy Giaccardo

30. St. Gertrude the Great

31. St. Leonard of Port Maurice

32. St. Catherine Laboure

33. St. John of Sahagun

34. St. Germaine Cousin

35. St. Gerard Majella

36. St.Peter Julian Eymard (Thanks to the ever-vigilant reader!)

A big mahalo to Diana the Faithful Traveler, for the following:

37. St. Tarcisius

38. Blessed Imelda Lambortini

39. St. Juliana of Liege

Muchas gracias to my mother for pointing out I forgot:

40. St. Pascal Baylon.

A Video on a Eucharistic Miracle That Must be Seen

Thank you Sue

Updated List of Saints of the Holy Eucharist

The original list can be found here
The following list is from Saintly Guides for the Eucharistic Year compled by Holy Family Cenacle Little Falls, New Jersey. Can you think of any other saints that fit this category? Just leave a comment and I will add them to the list.

Also, try checking out the links for each saint. I have tried to find the best short bio for them.

1. St. Canute

2. St. John Bosco

3. St. Juliana Falconieri

4. St. Miguel Febres

5. St. Melchtilde

6. St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

7. St. Stanislaus

8. St. Gemma Galgani

9. St. Benedict Joseph Labre

10. St. Mary Magdalene Dei Pazzi

12. St. Frances Caracciolo

13. St. John Francis Regis

14. Gorcum Martyrs

17. St. Frederick

18. St. Alphonsus De Liguori

19. St. John Mary Vianney

20. St. John Eudes

21. St. Clare of Assisi

22. St. Rose of Lima

23. St. Nicholas of Tolentino

24. St. Catherine of Genoa

25. St. Eleasar de Sabran

26. St. Wenceslaus

27. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

28. St. Ignatius of Antioch

29. Bl. Timothy Giaccardo

30. St. Gertrude the Great

31. St. Leonard of Port Maurice

32. St. Catherine Laboure

33. St. John of Sahagun

34. St. Germaine Cousin

35. St. Gerard Majella

36. St.Peter Julian Eymard (Thanks to the ever-vigilant reader!)

37. Saint Paschal Baylon (Added 6/25/09 thanks to Anonymous)

38. Saint Pius X (Added 6/25/09 thanks to Anonymous)

39. Blessed Imelda (Added 6/27/09 thanks to Theresa)

The Real Presence: Life for the New Evangelization

Sacred Heart Statue at Blessed Sacrament Church, Paterson, NJ

Please take a moment to read Bishop Serratelli's Pastoral Letter on the Holy Eucharist.

Bishop Serratelli's new Pastoral Letter.

"On the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, I wish to offer you some theological, historical and practical reflections on the Eucharist. The Eucharist is “the culmination of the spiritual life and the goal of all the sacraments” (Summa Theol., III, q. 66, a. 6). Our rediscovery of this mystery opens us to the rich and inexhaustible gift of divine life. When we come to the Eucharist reverently and worthily, “we draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation (Is 12:3). In this mystery of the Eucharist, we are renewed and the Church herself grows. For this purpose, I offer the following pastoral instruction."

Click Here

The Holy Eucharist

Picture SourceNational Adoration Society

"You envy the opportunity of the woman who touched the vestments of Jesus, of the sinful woman who washed His feet with her treas, of the women of Galilee who had the happiness of following Him in His pilgrimages, of the Apostles and disciples who conversed with Him familiarly, of the people of the time who listened to the words of grace and salvation which came forth from His lips.

You call happy those who saw Him...

But, come to the altar and

- you will see Him,

- you will touch Him,

- you will give to Him holy kisses,

- you will wash Him with your tears,

- you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy."...St. John Chrysostom


"Jesus is there!"

St. Alphonsus de Liguori on St. John Vianney: "The holy Cure of Ars could not finish repeating these three words without shedding tears.

"There Jesus is!. Therefore all of us should go visit Him!"...St. Peter Julian Eymard

SOUTH AFRICA: Prelate Concerned by Poor Eucharistic Practice

The Catholic archbishop of Johannesburg, Buti Tlaghale, has expressed his disappointment about poor Eucharistic practice among some priests and the faithful.

The Eucharist effectively makes present the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, yet there is evidence that some Catholics do not show faith in the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, Archbishop Tlaghale said in his homily on Holy Thursday.

“Many enter the church and do not make the sign of the cross with holy water. Many no longer genuflect; not even a bow that acknowledges the presence of Christ in the tabernacle,” the archbishop said.

He also noted that altar rails had been dismantled, making it no longer imperative for the faithful to kneel when receiving the ‘Body of Christ’.

“Our churches are like a market place before and after mass partly because we have moved the tabernacle to a separate room, or simply because we have lost the sense of the presence of the Holy. We have abandoned silence and a prayerful atmosphere in the church.”

The archbishop recommended that where possible the centrality of the tabernacle be restored and the practice of genuflecting and silence revived.

“Church law requires us to fast for an hour before the Eucharist. The chewing of gum during Mass is simply distasteful,” Archbishop Tlaghale further said.

“The taking of Communion to the sick often leaves much to be desired. Usually, Consecrated Hosts are distributed to lay ministers after Communion. And the priest asks: ‘How many?’ How many what? It does not sound like a language of people who recognise the presence of the Lord.”

Lay ministers carrying Communion to the sick often stop to chat with friends as they go. “At times they rush to do a shopping round before proceeding to the sick. It is not unusual for some to keep the Consecrated Hosts at home because they did not find the sick person or because on their return, they found the church locked.”

Archbishop Tlaghale encouraged the practice of priests praying with altar-servers in the sacristy before and after Mass, but regretted that “some sacristies are like a market place. No prayers are said.”

He challenged priests, as custodians of the Eucharist, to promote adoration and ensure that papal or Vatican documents on the Eucharist are well known by Christians.

“My strong plea to the priests: put these documents within the reach of your parishioners. Help us translate them into vernacular languages where necessary. This is one way of reawakening and increasing Eucharistic faith. This is the supreme treasure of the Catholic Church.”

Article written and copyrighted by Catholic Information Service for Africa

H/T Catholic Culture

One Hour

One hour is not a long time,
one hour to speak to the good God.
We have so many things to ask him,
we should stay with Him forever.

Blessed Andre Bessette (1845-1927)

Shared by Sue

Addressing Misinformation Regarding the Holy Eucharist

In the book I am currently reading In the Presence of Our Lord by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, the good father addresses erroneous teachings by anti-Catholics.

..."Without any credible evidence anti-Catholic writers often falsely maintain that belief in the reality of the Body and Blood of Christ and in the Eucharist as a sacrifice began in the Church in the fourth century, after Constantine declared Christianity to be the religion of the Roman Emipre. It is alleged, completely without any historical foundation, that large numbers of pagan priests, put out of their jobs by the formal end of the Greco-Roman cult, became Christians in name only and brought their pagan belief in sacrifice with them.

Ignatius of Antioch and several other key patristic writers long before Constantine's edict in 313 clearly demonstrate the fallacy of this claim. No one who knows the writings of the postapostolic Fathers could honestly maintain that the idea of the reality of the Eucharist and its sacramental character came from pagan priests. Since many of these anti-Catholic writers are misled and confused about the Catholic teaching on the reality of the Eucharist, we need to be aware of and ponder the message of the early Christian writers...

Father Groeschel goes on to show how early Church Fathers such as Saint Justin Martyr, very early in the Church's history referred to the Eucharist as a sacrifice. When referencing the prophet Malachi, the saint wrote "Already, then, did he prophesy about those sacrifices that are offered to him in every place by us Gentiles, speaking, that is, about the Bread of the Eucharist and the cup of the Eucharist."

Fr. Groeschel also referred to St. Irenaeus, who is referred to as an important link to the apostles. He wrote a book entitled Against the Heresies, wherein he condemned those who taught that the human body was not saved. He believed that the promise of Christ in the Eucharist must be real because the promise of eternal life it gives is true.

Solemnity of Corpus Christi - Eucharistic Miracles

In honor of this solemnity Eucharistic miracles are offered for your reading pleasure.

1. Lanciano (The first miracle) 8th Century

The altar at Lanciano

There have been numerous Eucharistic miracles occurring all over the world since the 8th century. The Real Presence has a list from Austria to Switzerland.

The Saints and the Eucharist: St. Don Bosco

Recently, I rediscovered a little book my friend in New Jersey Fr. Ignatius, gave me. Saintly Guides for the Eucharistic Year complied by the Holy Family Cenacle of Little Falls, New Jersey.

The following are interesting little tidbits about today's Saint of the Holy Eucharist, St. John Bosco:

1. Early in childhood our Lord and His blessed mother inspired him to rescue young boys from evil ways.

2. The boys under Don Bosco's care learned about the Catholic faith "under a remarkable educational system based upon frequent confession and daily Mass."

3. In 1862 Don Bosco had a vision (depicted in the above painting) of the dangers threatening the Church. Since most everyone is familiar with the story I will skip to the end of the dream:

"Suddenly two marble columns surged from the depths of the stormy ocean, one surmounted by a monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament - "Salvation of Believers" and the other by a statue of Mary Immaculate "Help of Christians."

4. When the Church is battered by enemies from within and outside, Don Bosco taught that salvation can only come from three sources:

- Jesus in the Eucharist

- Mary Help of Christians

- The Pope, Christ's vicar on each

Born: 1815

Died: 1888

Sainthood: 1934

Feast: January 31st

Daily Dosage of Sacramentum Caritatis

Picture courtesy of Aci Prensa

The following is from the Legion of Mary Blog

2. In the sacrament of the altar, the Lord meets us, men and women created in God’s image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:27), and becomes our companion along the way. In this sacrament, the Lord truly becomes food for us, to satisfy our hunger for truth and freedom.

Since only the truth can make us free (cf. Jn 8:32), Christ becomes for us the food of truth. With deep human insight, Saint Augustine clearly showed how we are moved spontaneously, and not by constraint, whenever we encounter something attractive and desirable. Asking himself what it is that can move us most deeply, the saintly Bishop went on to say: “What does our soul desire more passionately than truth?” (2) Each of us has an innate and irrepressible desire for ultimate and definitive truth. The Lord Jesus, “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6), speaks to our thirsting, pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for the source of life, our hearts longing for truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth in person, drawing the world to himself. “Jesus is the lodestar of human freedom: without him, freedom loses its focus, for without the knowledge of truth, freedom becomes debased, alienated and reduced to empty caprice. With him, freedom finds itself.” (3) In the sacrament of the Eucharist, Jesus shows us in particular the truth about the love which is the very essence of God. It is this evangelical truth which challenges each of us and our whole being. For this reason, the Church, which finds in the Eucharist the very centre of her life, is constantly concerned to proclaim to all, opportune importune (cf. 2 Tim 4:2), that God is love.(4) Precisely because Christ has become for us the food of truth, the Church turns to every man and woman, inviting them freely to accept God’s gift.

My Daily Eucharist

Thank you Sue!

A man who lived near the church wondered what the new Cure was doing in there so very early each morning. One morning, long before dawn, when the man saw a tiny candle making its way from the rectory through the darkness across the cemetery, he sneaked over to the church and peeked in to find out for himself. There was the pastor, pouring out his heart to Jesus hidden in the Blessed Sacrament! "Ah," said the man, "he is not like other men!" What did the Cure say to his blessed Jesus? Henri Gheon has given us his version of the Cure's prayer. Prostate on the floor or kneeling with outstretched hands, the Cure thus prayed or groaned or wept out his heart:

"My God, my all, You see how I love You, and I do not love You enough.

"My God, You have given me all; behold the little that I give You. Give me the strength to give more.

"My God, here is all–take all; but convert my parish. If You do not convert it, it will be because I have not deserved it.

"My God, I count my merits as nothing, but Yours are infinite. May they win for me the grace of suffering.

"My God, I consent to suffer all that You may wish for all my life... for a hundred years... and the most bitter suffering, but convert them... "

(St. John Vianney, The Cure of Ars)

The Cure Of Ars, Patron Saint Of Parish Priests
Fr. Bartholomew O'Brien

Mass Clock

Thanks Sue

If you are unable to attend daily Mass, refer to the MASS CLOCK

For those on the East Coast (New York), add one hour.
For those on the West Coast, deduct two hours.
You may use this reference to convert the time if need be: Converter

Out of the Mouths of Babes - The Eucharist and the Crucifix

H/T to Sue

When asked by her faith-education teacher what was the difference between the crucifix and the Eucharist, a little girl had this delightful reply:

"In the crucifix we see Jesus but he is not there.
In the Eucharist we don't see Jesus, but he is there."

Amen.

Angels and The Holy Eucharist

H/T to Sue C.

St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom testify to having seen at the time of Mass, or when the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, many hosts of Angels in human form, clothed with white garments and standing round the altar as soldiers stand before their king. But what was their attitude and deportment? Their heads were bowed, their faces covered, their hands crossed, and the whole body so profoundly inclined as to express the deepest sense of their own unworthiness to appear before the Divine Majesty. Oh, would we but think of this! The Angels, those pure spirits, shrink before the Infinite Holiness of God, and we allow vain, worldly and even sinful thoughts to insinuate themselves into our minds in His Presence!

The Angels tremble before His Greatness, and we fear not to talk and laugh in His Presence! The Angels, those princes of Heaven, are all humility and modesty, and we, the dust of the earth and miserable sinners, all impertinence and pride! The Angels veil their faces before His splendor, and we do not even so much as cast down our eyes, but rudely stare and gaze around! The Angels bow down to the earth, and we will not bend our knee! The Angels, full of awe, fold their hands upon their breasts, and we allow ourselves every freedom of attitude and movement!! Oh, what a subject of confusion! What humiliating reflections! What an impressive lesson!


The Blessed Eucharist: Our Greatest Treasure
Fr. Michael Muller, C.S.S.R