The heart of the Gospel

We know from the Old Testament that God worked many miracles through his holy prophets. The prophet Elijah raised a dead person to life, earthly life, and so that person had to die again.

But Jesus is saying something completely new when he talks about the new and eternal covenant of the Holy Eucharist. Jesus gives us his Body and Blood at the Last Supper, the First Mass, by consecrating bread and wine into his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, and promised his faithful followers that they will rise from the dead never to die again. He established the New Testament with the new ordained priesthood and calls us every weekend to celebrate his death, resurrection and ascension into to Heaven where there will be no more suffering, pain or death.

The Eucharist is at the heart of the Gospel because Jesus Christ is at the heart of the Gospel. The following citation is easy to remember since most priests are ordained at age 26, as I was, Mt. 26:26: “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disci-ples said, "Take and eat; this is my body.‟ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.‟” Mt. 26:26-28.

The Jews today are still waiting for the Messiah to bring God‟s Kingdom to earth, whereas we Catholics are assuredly being filled with God‟s life, the divine life of grace to help bring God‟s definitive kingdom into the world by living more and more like Jesus Christ.

Yet, some people are still in need of miracles to help them reach a deeper faith. You can go online and type in “6 Incredible Eucharistic Miracles That Happened Recently,” which is a summary of Eucharistic miracles written by Charles A. Coulombe.

A series of Eucharistic miracles occurred in Argen-tina in 1992, 1994, 1996. In these miracles the consecrated hosts became human flesh. Scientists studied the 1996 occurrence extensively and discovered that the host became human tissue from the heart, the muscle that pumps blood and so gives oxygen and thus life to the rest of the heart and body. No wonder the Eucharistic is at the center of the Church – the Mystical Body of Christ.

The scientists also discovered that the heart tissue showed evidence that it belonged to a person who had gone through intense pain, struggled to breathe for extended periods of time and had been stabbed in the left side.

To the amazement of those involved with the study, the white blood cells, which usually disintegrated after 15 min-utes outside a living body, were still intact.

Science cannot prove that the tissue was Jesus‟ heart tissue. Science cannot explain how a host changed into heart tissue, but science has proved that it is heart tissue, and that it went through much suffering.

As reasonable believers we have science and the light of divine Catholic faith that tell us that it was Jesus‟ heart tis-sue; that it was Jesus‟ broken heart because of people‟s lack of faith and love, but still poured out for the life of those who repent and seek God‟s holiness. We see with the light of faith

that Jesus is here in the Eucharist because he loves us and wants to be with us. With the light of the Catholic faith, we proclaim and celebrate that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Mary, feeds us with his divine life through the Holy Eucharist!

My friends, Jesus Christ is God who became man, and he has fulfilled all the Old Testament promises and miracles in himself. He is the New and Eternal Testa-ment (Covenant) in which we fully participate every time we receive Holy Communion worthily. Our reception of Holy Communion is a sign that we believe all that Christ teaches us through his Church and, after careful examination and a good confession, believe to be in the state of grace.

We can still grow in faith and hope when we make a spiritual communion or perform other acts of faith when we cannot receive him sacramentally when we are conscious of an unconfessed mortal sin or have not fasted one hour be-fore the time of Holy Communion (excluding water and medicine), or not being of the appropriate age.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph #1385: To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” (1 Cor. 11:27-29).

CCC #1387: To prepare for worthy reception of this sacra-ment, the faithful should observe the fast required in their Church. Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest.

The Crucified and Risen Lord Jesus is the living bread from heaven, so those of us who eat this divine food with Catholic faith, divine hope and sufficient love, will be brought to the fullness of heaven. The Eucharist is the pledge of Eternal Glory. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs #1406-1419.

After receiving Jesus Sacramentally in the Eucharist – his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity under the humble form of bread and wine, or spiritually in prayer – take time to thank him. Take time to praise his divine majesty, mercy and power; pray that he will apply his divine graces to your heart, your mind, your body and your relationships, that they would be made fully alive in the light of the Eternal Father.

Peace in Jesus Christ, the Living Bread from Heaven!

Fr. Thomas McCabe

“O Sacrament most holy, o Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine!”