Eucharist

For 39 days, we have been rejoicing in the glory of the Resurrection, recalling the wonder of the apostles in those weeks after the first Easter. Then Jesus ascends to the Father, fulfilling his mission on earth and preparing his disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The hymn Alleluia, Sing to Jesus! captures the mystery of the Ascension in its cosmic dimension, while also reminding the faithful of Christ’s promise to remain always with us:

Though the cloud from sight received him
when the forty days were o’er
shall our hearts forget his promise?
‘I am with you ever more.’

One cannot help but think that, on a natural level, the apostles must have been filled with sorrow at our Lord’s “departure.” On the one hand, it would seem that the Ascension should not have been a surprise to them, since Jesus spoke of returning to the Father in the Last Supper discourse (John 14–17). Additionally, he told Mary Magdalene not to cling to him, since he had “not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17). Nevertheless, before Jesus’ final commission, the apostles still “doubted” (Matt. 28:17). When he finally ascends to the Father, we notice that the apostles “were looking intently at the sky” (Acts 1:10), as if to catch one last glimpse of him with their physical sight. Yet, didn’t Jesus promise, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matt 28:20)? What was it that caused the apostles such uncertainty or doubt regarding our Lord’s promise?

One can be tempted to fall into sadness, uncertainty, or even doubt, when considering that we are not able to see Jesus face-to-face in this life. Our hymn should offer us great comfort though, for a later verse reminds us of the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to remain with us forever:

Here on earth both priest and victim
in the Eucharistic feast.

In the Eucharist, we share in the sacrifice Christ offered for our salvation. We receive the fruits of this saving action by sharing in the sacrament of his body and blood. In the Eucharist, Jesus is truly present in our midst, under the sacramental species of bread and wine. He is not distant or remote, nor is he with us in a mere symbol. Rather, Jesus is truly present, waiting to be received and adored, offering himself continually out of his infinite love for us. His very flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, is given to us in order to nourish and refresh our spirits. By sharing his very life with us in the Eucharist, Jesus also gives us, in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, “a pledge of future glory.”

This pledge of future glory in the Eucharist reminds us that Jesus does not abandon us. We need not go any further than the nearest tabernacle to experience the fulfillment of his promise to remain with us always. His Ascension into heaven, rather than being some sort of loss or departure, allows Jesus to be present at all times and in all places as he brings “his humanity into divine glory” (CCC 659). So that we may always be united with his risen, glorified body in heaven, Jesus leaves his body with us sacramentally in the most holy Eucharist. In this lasting, sacramental presence of Jesus, he entrusts himself to his Church as a reminder of his love and salvation. Feeding us with his body and blood, Jesus sustains us as we journey toward the hope of glory that awaits us in heaven—eternal life with the Blessed Trinity.

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This article was originally published in the dominicanajournal.org and was written by Fr. Paul Marich, O.P..

Diversity is baked into reality. Rocks, plants, and animals adorn the world in a vast array of species. The existence of many things and many kinds of things displays the manifold and infinite perfections of the Creator. Just as this diversity exists in nature, so it exists in the order of the supernatural, that is, in the order of grace. Saint Paul teaches this point in his letter to the Ephesians: 

But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift…and his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

(Eph 4:7,11-13)

One particular grace that God gives to souls is a special love for the Eucharist. This special love goes beyond the ordinary love for the Blessed Sacrament to which God calls every Christian. This love is an extraordinary kind of love—a desire to be with Jesus, that is, to abide in his Presence and to share the thoughts and secrets of the heart, as one friend to another. Before he instituted the sacrament of his Presence under the veil of bread and wine, the Son of God first called men and women to intimate friendship with Himself as the Word made flesh.

One such recipient of this special love is Saint John, the beloved disciple. Jesus called John to a special vocation, the vocation to console his Sacred Heart with his friendship. The youngest of the apostles, John understood Jesus and consoled him with his loyal presence, faith, and confidence. It was John who rested his head close to the breast of Christ at the Last Supper, closely listening to his beloved teacher and friend. It was John who, when all the rest of the apostles had abandoned Jesus, remained with his friend at the Cross, offering his silent looks of faith, love, and trust. And it was this beloved friend of the Lord who, when unable to haul the miraculous catch of fish into the boat with Peter, recognized the resurrected Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias saying, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7). This grace of intimate friendship between John and Jesus knew no bounds, such that when Jesus ascended to the Father and no longer could be seen in the flesh, John undoubtedly continued to keep company with His Lord and God, hidden now under the appearances of bread and wine. 

Jesus continues to give this same grace of intimate friendship today. He calls all souls to Himself, but there are some to whom Jesus offers the grace to be his close friends, much like Saint John. These close friends are those who feel drawn to keep company with Jesus, to abide in his presence, to console him with their friendship. These friends go to the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ’s presence. They go to the Eucharist to find their master, their teacher, their Lord, their friend. There, these friends keep Jesus company, silently loving him. Perhaps we can call these close friends of Jesus “Eucharistic souls.” They are men and women in the Church of every time, kind, and place. Their value to the Church comes not from the diversity of their circumstances, but rather from the measure of Christ’s gift to them for the building up of the body of Christ.

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This article was originally published in the dominicanajournal.org and was written by Br. Raphael Arteaga, O.P..