Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have
no life in you. (John 6:53-58).
ONE of the cardinal teachings of the Catholic Church is the belief in the efficacy of the Eucharist or Holy Communion. On June 3, 2013, millions of Catholics all over the world joined the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in Eucharistic Adoration to mark the Year of Faith.
The ceremony, which was held in Rome featured liturgical hymns, prayers and Bible readings. It was the first time in modern history, that the Catholic Church would simultaneously adore the Eucharist: this means that the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was done all over the world at the same time, irrespective of time or location. What a wonderful feat!
But what is so special about the Holy Eucharist to elicit such global reverence and participation, you may ask? The Holy Eucharist simply means the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, present right now on every Catholic Church altar in the entire world. The Communion that every Catholic receives is the most precious gift of Jesus Christ to the world.
It is sometimes called the ‘Mystery of Mysteries’. The Lord Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist on Covenant Thursday, in the Upper Room of Zion, shortly before His arrest and trial. After He celebrated the Rite of Passover of the Jews, He rose and washed the feet of His disciples, as a sign of repentance and preparation, then sat down and instituted the Passover of the New Covenant, which is the Sacrament of Holy Communion. At the Holy Mass, ordinary bread and wine were transfigured into His sacred Body and Blood at the command of the priest, who has the authority from Jesus, Himself, to do this. “Do this in memory of me.”
“He took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘take, eat, this is my Body’, then He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to His disciples saying, ‘drink from it, all of you, for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins,” (Matt. 26:26-28), Paul repeated the same words in 1 Cor. 11:23-25).
By eating His body and drinking His blood, we share in the mystery of His death and resurrection. While bread in ordinary terms is food for the body, the Eucharist is food for the soul, which strengthens it in grace.
By receiving this Sacrament we become members of His Body, of His Flesh and of His Bones (Ephesians 5:30), and we also become partakers of the Divine Nature, 2Peter 1:4. Jesus said in John 6:54-58, “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. He, who eats this Bread will live forever.”
Partaking in the Holy Eucharist gives the spirit immunity and inaccessibility against deadly sins that tend to weigh down the soul. The Psalmist says: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5). This verse was a prophecy for victory against our enemies and the Church warns that those who must partake in it must be free from original or serious sins that can injure the soul.
Very Rev. Msgr. Osu, Director, Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos
ONE of the cardinal teachings of the Catholic Church is the belief in the efficacy of the Eucharist or Holy Communion. On June 3, 2013, millions of Catholics all over the world joined the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in Eucharistic Adoration to mark the Year of Faith.
The ceremony, which was held in Rome featured liturgical hymns, prayers and Bible readings. It was the first time in modern history, that the Catholic Church would simultaneously adore the Eucharist: this means that the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was done all over the world at the same time, irrespective of time or location. What a wonderful feat!
But what is so special about the Holy Eucharist to elicit such global reverence and participation, you may ask? The Holy Eucharist simply means the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, present right now on every Catholic Church altar in the entire world. The Communion that every Catholic receives is the most precious gift of Jesus Christ to the world.
It is sometimes called the ‘Mystery of Mysteries’. The Lord Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist on Covenant Thursday, in the Upper Room of Zion, shortly before His arrest and trial. After He celebrated the Rite of Passover of the Jews, He rose and washed the feet of His disciples, as a sign of repentance and preparation, then sat down and instituted the Passover of the New Covenant, which is the Sacrament of Holy Communion. At the Holy Mass, ordinary bread and wine were transfigured into His sacred Body and Blood at the command of the priest, who has the authority from Jesus, Himself, to do this. “Do this in memory of me.”
“He took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘take, eat, this is my Body’, then He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to His disciples saying, ‘drink from it, all of you, for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins,” (Matt. 26:26-28), Paul repeated the same words in 1 Cor. 11:23-25).
By eating His body and drinking His blood, we share in the mystery of His death and resurrection. While bread in ordinary terms is food for the body, the Eucharist is food for the soul, which strengthens it in grace.
By receiving this Sacrament we become members of His Body, of His Flesh and of His Bones (Ephesians 5:30), and we also become partakers of the Divine Nature, 2Peter 1:4. Jesus said in John 6:54-58, “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. He, who eats this Bread will live forever.”
Partaking in the Holy Eucharist gives the spirit immunity and inaccessibility against deadly sins that tend to weigh down the soul. The Psalmist says: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5). This verse was a prophecy for victory against our enemies and the Church warns that those who must partake in it must be free from original or serious sins that can injure the soul.
Very Rev. Msgr. Osu, Director, Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos
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