Origen, a Greek scholar and early Christian theologian writing about the Eucharist said, “So you must not think that these events belong only to the past, and that you who now hear the account of them do not experience anything of the kind.”   

We celebrated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ last Sunday and it reminded us that the Eucharist has a twofold meaning: Jesus’ Presence in the Eucharist and Jesus’ Presence in us.  

Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist so by receiving Him, we could grow spiritually and our relationship with Him would grow ever deeper and more intimate.  Strengthened by the Eucharist we can bring Jesus’ Presence into the world through our lives.

Generally we can divide people into three kinds/types:

tourists – visit and leave,

pilgrims – visit and travel,

& settlers – visit, stay and live.

When we receive the Eucharist Jesus calls us to be SETTLERS.  He calls us to:

                        VISIT,

                        STAY,

                        & LIVE.

To VISIT Him frequently, to allow Him to STAY in our hearts, and to allow Him to LIVE in our lives.  “The truly shocking thing Jesus did by calling himself the living bread … was declaring that in his very humanity he embodied divine life being offered them” [Celebrations, June 18, 2017]

The famous hymn of Fr. John Foley S.J. captures it well: “One bread, one body, one Lord of all; one cup of blessing which we bless;

and we, though many throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord.”

May God Be Praised!