"Through him, with him, in him..." Thank you, sweet Jesus, thank you. We love you! ♥
Posted on 04/03/2015 3:40:38 PM PDT by Steelfish
MARCH 13, 2013 FR. FREDERICK L. MILLER, S.T.D The Eucharist: More Beautiful Than All Creation
On the night before he died, the Eternal Son, the Word through whom the Father created all things, accomplished something far greater than in the original creation. The Eternal Son created something more splendid than the sun and moon and stars, mightier than the mightiest ocean, lovelier than the spring flowers that scatter color all over our land. He devised something more awesome than the seraphim and cherubim, who adore him, and the angel guardians who care for our every step, more graceful than human persons who are made supernaturally beautiful by sanctifying grace, and rendered by that grace capable of relating in love with God, and angels and men and women. Tonight, the Lord of creation did something far greater.
At the Last Supper with his apostles, the Eternal Son performed his greatest work of mercy. Feeding five thousand with a few fish and loaves, walking on water, calming the raging sea were all great manifestations of Christ’s divinity. Casting out demons, healing every form of illness, bringing the dead back to life, forgiving sins were all wonderful acts of grace. But tonight, the Savior did something far greater.
Taking the unleavened bread of the Passover into his hands, Christ blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying: “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying: this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
As he consecrated the Eucharist at the Last Supper, and set apart the Twelve as priests of the New Testament, Christ identified himself with his ministers in a marvelous way. From that Last Supper until the last moment of the world’s existence, Christ committed himself to be present to his people whenever one of his priests obeys his command: “Do this in memory of me.”
Through the sacred rite of the Eucharist, bread ceases to be bread, becoming Christ’s body—born of the Virgin, crucified for our sins, and raised from the dead. The Passover wine ceases to be wine, becoming Christ’s blood—poured out on the cross to ransom us from sin, Satan, and death. Believers in every age and place meet the one Jesus, crucified and raised from the dead, in the humble appearances of bread and wine. The Eucharist has given, and continues to give, millions of people, throughout the world, access to the One Christ, the Creator and Savior of the world.
The bread and wine offered up in the Eucharist is always the sign of the death of Christ on the cross. Bread and wine are the signs of his body broken, and his blood poured out. Whenever the priests of the Church do what Christ did at the Last Supper, they change bread and wine into his body and blood, also making his Calvary sacrifice sacramentally present in the midst of the Church.
The Eucharist, wherever and whenever it is celebrated, gathers the human race to the crucified Christ on Mount Calvary. Adoring him, with Mary and the other holy men and women gathered there, the Christian faithful worship the Father “in spirit and in truth.” The Eucharist has given, and continues to give, people throughout the world access to the one sacrifice of Christ, the savior of the world. As St. Paul tells us in the Letter to the Corinthians, “for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”
Whenever Christians eat the Lord’s body, and drink his blood, they become one with him, and through him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Enfleshed in his flesh, each Christian becomes a living member of his body, the Church. We are one with all who see the face of God in the heavenly Jerusalem; one with our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Therese of Lisieux, Blessed John Paul II, Blessed Mother Teresa, and with all our loved ones and friends who ate the Lord’s flesh, and drank his blood, and died in communion with him.
We become one with the souls who are being purified in purgatory, and with all the men and women throughout the world who profess faith in the Lord Jesus. Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, we enter into this synchronic and diachronic unity that is the Mystery of Faith. Perhaps, these are unfamiliar words: synchronic means that the one Christ, in the one Living Bread, makes us one with every person on earth who participates in the Eucharist. Diachronic means that the Eucharist brings us into communion with all who ever believed in Christ, throughout the ages. In every celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Christians encounter spiritually all who now enjoy the banquet on earth, and in the heavenly Jerusalem.
The current of love that originates in the heart of the crucified Christ, and circulates throughout all times and places in the Eucharist, is so powerful that every person who is saved, is saved through this sacred Mystery. In the Eucharist, we touch the Creator of the universe, as well as the sublime goodness of all creation.
We touch the Redeemer, as well as the awesome power of that love of his that transforms everyone he touches into Eternal Life. In the Eucharist, we have Holy Communion, not only with the Trinity, but with all who are united in love with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Eucharist is the great Sacramentum Unitatis et Caritatis—The Sacrament of Unity and Charity.
In the “Bread of Life” discourse, Jesus declared that the Father had given him power as man to give poor sinners the gift of eternal life. He said: “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” The eternal life, that only he can give, comes to us in this “Bread of Life.”
We acknowledge in faith that the Eucharist is God’s greatest work. As the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the Eucharist creates the Church. The Eucharist creates a miracle of unity, and an unending explosion of charity. Through the offering of Holy Mass, Christ’s work of redemption is carried forward in every time and place.
The Eucharist is the only food that brings poor mortal men and women the gift of eternal life. In the blessed Eucharist, the One God gathers One People to One Victim offered in sacrifice. The one Bread that we eat detonates into Eternal Life. Yes, I chose the word with deliberation: The Eucharist “detonates”—that is, “explodes” into charity, unity, and eternal life—if we allow Jesus to do his saving work in us.
O sacred banquet, In which Christ is received, The memory of his passion is renewed, The mind is filled with grace, And a pledge of future glory is given to us. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Thanks for the caucus designation.
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One of the most beautiful definitions of the Eucharist I have ever read. Thanks a million. Becoming a Catholic on Easter Saturday 2008 was the greatest defining moment of my life.
The Eucharist is heaven on earth. No other way to describe it.
The Eucharist is heaven on earth. No other way to describe it.True! And, I too, loved this article, Steelfish. Very, very, special, indeed. Thank you for taking the time to post it, and designate it for Catholics as well. A Blessed Easter to everyone!
Glad you liked it. Without the Eucharist, everything else is vapid rubbish.
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