Bread of Life

BREAD OF LIFE
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. (john 6: 50)
The miracle of God’s physical presence to us at every Mass is the truest testament to Christ’s love for us and His desire for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him. Jesus Christ celebrated the first Mass with His disciples at the Last Supper, the night before He died. He commanded His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). The celebration of the Mass then became the main form of worship in the early Church, as a reenactment of the Last Supper, as Christ had commanded. Each and every Mass since commemorates Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross through the Holy Eucharist. Because the Mass “re-presents” (makes present) the sacrifice on Calvary, Catholics all around the world join together to be made present in Christ’s timeless sacrifice for our sins. There is something fascinating about continuing to celebrate the same Mass—instituted by Christ and practiced by the early Church—with the whole community of Catholics around the world…and in heaven.

THE REAL PRESENCE

Why does the Catholic Church believe Christ is really present in the Eucharist?
The Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence is the belief that Jesus Christ is literally, not symbolically, present in the Holy Eucharist—body, blood, soul and divinity. Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because Jesus tells us this is true in the Bible:

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” - John 6:48-56
Furthermore, the early Church Fathers either imply or directly state that the bread and wine offered in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is really the body and blood of Jesus Christ. In other words, the doctrine of the Real Presence that Catholics believe today was believed by the earliest Christians 2,000 years ago!

This miracle of God’s physical presence to us at every Mass is the truest testament to Christ’s love for us and His desire for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

DOES CHRIST LIVE WITHIN YOU?

Here is how you can determine if Christ is living within you.
Answer the following ten questions with a firm yes, a weak yes, or no.

Mary is the person who possessed her Son within her more than anyone else. If we imitate her by following her example, we will surely have Christ living within us. She is our role model.

1. How important is it in your life to know GOD's will?
Mary, Luke 2:39, "And when they had fulfilled all things prescribed in the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, into their own town of Nazareth."

2. Are you responding to the will of GOD or to your own will?
Mary, Luke 1:38, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word."

3. When you learn of a friend or family in need, do you drop everything to help them? How well do you respond? Do you visit the sick and the imprisoned? Do your feet rush to help them?
Mary, Luke 1:39, "And in those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah. And she entered the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth."

4. Does your conversation with others bring healing hope and joy to them?
Elizabeth and Mary, Luke 1:41, "And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe in her womb lept. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."

5. Do you find yourself remarking of the goodness of GOD in your life and of giving Him praise? Mary, Luke 1:46-49, And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in GOD my Savior; because He has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid; for, behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed..."

6. Does your presence bring alive the best (yes), mediocre (weak yes) or worst (no) in others? Elizabeth, Luke 1:41-45, And it came to pass, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe in her womb lept. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she cried out with a loud voice, saying,

"Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb! And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb lept for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished."
7. Do you celebrate GOD's gifts with open hands and are you ready to return them to GOD when He asks for them?
Mary, Luke 2:22, "And when the days of her purification were fulfilled according to the law of Moses, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord..."

8. Are you ready to share in Christ's redeeming love that comes through the love of others? Do you accept the pain as well as the joy which goes with it?
Mary, Luke 2:34-35, And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed."

9. When you have lost contact with Christ in your life, do you know how and where to find Him? Mary, Luke 2:46, "And it came to pass after three days, that they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions."

10. Does Christ hold first place in your mind, in your heart, in your memory, in your imagination, and in your emotions?
Mary, Luke 2:51, "And His mother kept all these things carefully in her heart."

If you can answer "Yes" to all ten of these questions,
then you truly have Christ dwelling within you...
If you cannot answer all ten with a resounding "Yes",
then this little self test will show you the areas in which you need to improve.

Compiled by Bob Stanley, December 7, 1999 (Pearl Harbor Day)
From a talk given by Fr. Anthony Wall
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