True Food

At the Last Supper Jesus said “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” These same words are repeated every time at Mass by the priest who is in persona Christi capitis or “in the person of Christ the head.” When the priest says those words of consecration, it is Jesus who is saying them. It is Jesus who once again is made present to us. It is Jesus’s body and blood that we receive.

The belief in the “real presence” is something that has always been held by Catholics. Through the words of consecration and the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine is transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. It is no longer bread that we receive, it is Christ Himself. Hence, the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” Bread cannot save us. Only Jesus can. We do not worship bread, we worship Jesus. Because we believe that the Eucharist is truly Jesus, we have Eucharistic adoration. The same Jesus who said those words at the Last Supper and who died for us on the Cross is the same Jesus we receive at Mass and the same Jesus that is reserved in the tabernacle. Bread is not worth of adoration and veneration, only God is. The Eucharist is Jesus truly present.

Just as we need food and drink to satisfy our physical hunger and thirst, we also need food for our souls. The Eucharist does both. It nourishes our body and souls. The Eucharist is true food. It is the food that makes us one in Christ. It is the food that transforms our weaknesses into something powerful. It is the food that brings about healing and life. It is the food that we need for the journey as we enter into Paradise.

Let us take a few moments today to give thanks to God for such a wonderful gift.

To listen or watch this week’s reflection, “Gift of the Eucharist,” click here.