Photography © Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart
Do you believe that the Eucharist is truly the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ? A recent poll indicated that sixty percent of Catholics do not believe, are not sure or simply don’t know. That leads us to a second question.
If you don’t believe that the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, or you’re not sure or simply don’t know, why do you receive the Eucharist?
In the seventeenth century, Blaise Pascal, a Catholic theologian and mathematician, proposed his famous Wager. When asked if there is a God, he suggested that the best action was to live a good life. If there is a God, God will reward you for your good life. If there is no God, you will have received the benefits of good works, good friends and the acclaim of those who know you.
Unfortunately this doesn’t work in receiving the Eucharist. We can’t receive just in case for three reasons.
First, for the sacrament to be efficacious, which means to work as its meant to work, we must be properly disposed and have no mortal sin on our soul. To be properly disposed, means to truly believe that the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ.
Second, after receiving the Eucharist you must respond Amen, which means I believe.
Third, and most importantly, God knows what you believe.
This leads to another question. Did you believe when you received Holy Communion for the first time?
As an adult convert, I can vouch that all the converts that I know came to the Catholic Church in large part to receive the Eucharist. So I think most converts still believe in the truth of the Eucharist. For cradle Catholics, I believe that almost everyone of you truly believed the day of your first communion.
If you no longer believe, you need to ask yourself, what has changed? Has society and it’s lack of belief in miracles, beat you down to the point where you never see any miracles anymore? Have you lost the sense of wonder that you had as a child? In Mark, Jesus told the disciples to let the children come to Him for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. Jesus wants us to be childlike in our trust in Him. He wants us to still believe in His miracles.
This isn’t a simple point of belief. It isn’t one of the minor tenets of our faith. It may be the most important of all because Jesus said “If you don’t eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not have eternal life.”
It doesn’t get any more real than that.
O Sacrament most Holy
O Sacrament Divine
All praise and all thanksgiving
be every moment thine.O Sacrament most Holy
O Sacrament Divine
All praise and all thanksgiving
be every moment thine.O Sacrament most Holy
O Sacrament Divine
All praise and all thanksgiving
be every moment thine.
