Posts Tagged ‘Real Presence in the Eucharist’

Dispelling Lingering Doubt on he Real Presence

Wednesday, April 24th, 2019

Easter Wednesday

Acts 3: 1-10; Luke 24: 13-35

Deacon Larry Brockman

The Emmaus Story!  How many times have we heard it?   

And you know, I’ll bet that most of us tend to judge the disciples along the road a little too harshly because our perspective is so much different than theirs was.  We are calmly reading the Gospel with knowledge of everything that has happened   But these disciples walking along the road only knew what they saw and heard in real time.   

So, let’s try to put ourselves in their position for just a minute.  I am certain that many of you have watched Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ”, if not this year, then in the last couple of years.  It was hard to watch because it was so graphic.  We really don’t want to think that anyone could be as cruel to another human being as the authorities were when they beat and and tortured Jesus the way it was depicted in that movie.  But you know what?  It was probably even worse than that!  The experts that have examined the shroud of Turin, and those historical experts who were familiar with how Crucifixions were actually performed, have said as much.   

Those disciples walking along the road had seen all that happen.  The last they saw of Jesus he was, as we here in the Isaiah prophecy, “marred beyond recognition”.  The idea that he rose from the dead and was walking around in a dazzling purified state, well, that was just too much to believe.  And even though Jesus had told them exactly what was going to happen before it happened, they just didn’t get it; even when the women came back from the tomb and told them that it happened.   

The root of their problem is Faith, when you come right down to it.  The Faith of these disciples had been shaken by the reality of the horror that Jesus endured.  Most probably, all of us would have reacted the same way.  That’s why the Emmaus Story is so valuable to us.    First Jesus teaches these two people yet again the essence of his teaching in his three-year ministry.  He interprets the scriptures that predicted his coming and fulfillment of the promise to redeem them first.  And in a flash, they recognize him, because he reminded them and just put everything in the right perspective.  It all happened just as was predicted.  And so, their faith was given a giant shot in the arm.  They had seen, and so they believed.  Indeed, the Lord is risen!   

But in the process, Jesus does something truly profound for us.  Jesus reenacts the Last Supper.  He repeats the words of consecration of the bread and wine as his Body and Blood, thereby demonstrating for all that he meant what he said on Holy Thursday.  That bread and wine that the priest offers and blesses does become the real body and blood of Christ.  This is a tremendous stumbling block for so many Christians; and yet, it is the bread of life, a resource of incredible power for all of us who really believe because we have continuing access to almighty God- He has not left us.  But we have to believe, really believe, even though it just doesn’t seem possible.   

It didn’t seem possible that a man who was “marred beyond recognition”; beaten and tortured to death; a man who shed virtually all of his blood in the process- it just didn’t seem believable that such a person could rise from the dead.  But it happened, and hundreds of people were witnesses to it.   

Likewise, it just doesn’t seem possible that the bread and wine are really the body and blood of Christ.  But that’s what Emmaus is about- Jesus showed us again that he really meant what he said.  He said the words and he was there in the resurrected body; and in a flash, the Eucharist was still there, but the visible Christ was gone.  We are called to believe that- we are not called to look for a rational proof of it.   

Now, the thing is that once we get beyond the lingering doubt; the need for understanding how it’s possible; and just really accept on Faith the important truths of Christianity- the Incarnation; the Resurrection; and the Eucharist; then something really amazing happens to us.  It happened to Peter and John in our first reading.  Their faith was so strong that they could work mighty miracles in Jesus name.   

All of us have the potential to do the same when we really believe!   

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Believing in the Real Presence

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

Holy Thursday Reflection

Ex 12:1-8; 1 Cor 11: 23-26; Jn 13: 1-5

Dc. Larry Brockman

The Eucharist!  Today we celebrate the day Jesus introduced the Eucharist.

The earliest account of that event is the one you just heard from 1 Corinthians.  It was written down decades earlier than the accounts in the three synoptic Gospel.  And what did Jesus say as he took the bread and blessed it?  He said “This is my body for you” and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood”.  He went on to say: ”For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes”.

In a few moments, you will share in the body of Christ, just as the first apostles did a couple of thousand years ago.  We have almighty God, Jesus Christ, present with us right here and now in this room- body, soul, and divinity!  And in a few minutes, we will take him into ourselves and all of us will be in communion with him at the same time.  Isn’t that exciting!

But you know what?  Over the years, we have become dulled to the miracle of the Eucharist.  One of the main contentions in the Reformation of the 1500’s was over the reality of the Eucharist.  The reformers talked about how the Eucharist wasn’t really the body and blood of Christ.  After all, they couldn’t see or feel Christ’s presence with their senses.  Some said that Jesus was there in parallel in spirit, but only as long as the ceremony was conducted.  Others believed the Eucharist was just a symbol, not the real thing.  Today, many people, even alleged Christians, scoff at the idea of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

But as Catholics, we are called upon to believe that the Eucharist we receive is the real body and blood of Christ.  It is part of the mystery of our faith.  And the Eucharist is the food we need to help us remain in Communion with the Lord as we face the realities and trials and sufferings of life.

Still, has God ever spoken to us to validate our faith in the Eucharist?  As a matter of fact, He has!  A couple of years ago I was awakened to how reality of the Eucharist has been validated by a friend and his wife..  These friends talked about the “Eucharistic Miracle” they had seen.  They had travelled to Italy, and toured some of the tourist sites.  Among them was a “Eucharistic Miracle” display in Lanciano, Italy.  They told me that during the consecration of a host in the year 750, the host actually turned into flesh and blood!  The people at the time had all seen it; but even more to the point, they had preserved the evidence,  And even now, some 1300 year later, the flesh and blood was still preserved and on display.  They told me how samples of the evidence had been tested, and validated that it was real human flesh and blood.  I found that all just astounding- that the bread and wine had actually turned to real flesh and blood.

And then, a couple of years later, I discovered that this was not the only such miracle.  There were, in fact, dozens of Eucharistic Miracles that had occurred over the centuries.  The evidence of these miracles had been carefully reviewed by the Church. and a number of them had been validated as genuine,  kind of like how the Church validates miracles that have been worked in the name of a person who is being considered for Canonization as a Saint.  The Church collected information from some 126 of these validated Eucharistic Miracles and made giant displays that told their stories and documented them.  These displays are part of the Vatican Museum, while the original evidence remains on display, where possible, at the original sites.

The Miracles are of various kinds.  Some of them are the actual change in the material from bread and wine to flesh and blood.  Others involve lost or stolen hosts that were later found or recovered in perfect condition.  Some of these have remained in perfect condition for centuries.  Still others involve hosts where the image of Jesus appears on the hosts.  And then there are miraculous Communions.  Hosts that miraculously made their way to communicants; or Communicants that have lived on the Eucharist alone- no other food for months.

A couple of years ago, a group of the Faithful here in the US  Called “Una Fides”, Latin for “One Faith”; paid to have these Vatican Displays replicated and brought them over to this country for making tours of our Churches.  They wanted more of the faithful to experience the evidence of what God had done for us in giving us the Eucharist.

On Friday, April 5, all of you will have the opportunity to come and see these displays while on the field trip arranged by Chaplain Walk to my Parish, Holy Family.  Come see the photographs and read the stories of some 37 of these Miracles.  And know that you do not believe in vain.  Because The host that you will receive today is the body of Christ!

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