THE MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH (Part-2)

Always Present To Us: When I was a child, it was customary to ‘bless yourself’ by making the Sign of the Cross as we passed a Catholic Church as a sign of respect for the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus housed in that church’s Tabernacle. I was sure the Sisters (Nuns) peered out their windows to see if we did so as we ran past the Convent Chapel! [We did the same whenever we saw an ambulance with flashing lights as a prayer for the sick person inside.] Why this Catholic custom fell out of practice I do not know; perhaps it faded away as more Catholics adopted the Protestant notion of the Eucharist as merely a symbol, not the Real Presence of Jesus and as our reliance on God through prayer also sadly abated. The Sanctuary Lamps that are lit nearby Tabernacles to alert us to Christ’s Real Presence, many choose to live in the dark by failing to present themselves before the Lord’s Real Presence! Do we take for granted the great Gift of receiving the Lord Jesus, who is so readily available to us, each and every day of the week? May this three-year National Eucharistic Revival reawaken in us to what, or rather, who is so near to us: Jesus Christ, present in His Most Sacred Body and Precious Blood in the Eucharist. (To be continued…) Father Maria Joseph Kodiganti