If you hear about a place where the purest and most precious gem is given free of charge, and you can come daily and get as many gems as you want, will you come, as fast as you can, every day?
In the Holy Catholic Church, the greatest gift any human being can receive to build up their treasure in Heaven is given daily — it is the Holy Eucharist during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Eucharist — which originates from the Greek word “eucharistia,” meaning “thanksgiving” — is the peak of the Christian life. But what is the Eucharist? Is it merely the simple bread and wine we eat and drink during Holy Communion?
At the moment of Consecration of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass, the bread and wine on the altar become the whole Jesus Christ — His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Though the appearances and properties, or “accidents” of bread and wine remain, they no longer exist. Though not visible to the naked eye, it is Jesus himself who we receive during Holy Communion. In either the Bread or the Wine, no matter how small the consecrated bread is or how little is the drop of wine the whole Christ is present – His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. This change in substance is known as Transubstantiation. This is the teaching of the holy Catholic Church.
Those who believe know that God is everywhere, He is present in all souls in the state of grace, in a spiritual way, in the scriptures, in the priest, in the congregation. The Eucharistic presence of Jesus Christ — Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity — referred to as the Real Presence, is a totally unique and most precious gift from God.
The Eucharist — the greatest treasure of all on this Earth — is given free, every single day, 365 days a year. Why is this greatest treasure given free of charge? Because the total price is already paid in full by Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross. John 3:16 tells us of the love God has for us and the extent of that love — so great that He sacrificed His only Son on our behalf.
I invite us to imagine the continued sorrows of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit for the many who still refuse this greatest and priceless gift of the Eucharist, for those who receive it unworthily or with indifference, for those who left the Catholic Church in search of other treasure, for those who still do not believe, for those who continue to live in sin. Receiving Jesus in the Eucharist in a state of grace — free from unconfessed mortal sin(s) — brings graces to our soul, graces to help us live in His Commandments, graces to help us overcome sins while we are still on Earth as pilgrims on a journey. At the end of this Earthly life, God is offering us an everlasting eternal life in Heaven through Jesus Christ – The Way, the Truth, and the Life — but we must receive, believe, and be in communion with Him while we are still alive on this journey. When this earthly life is taken when we still do not believe, and it can be taken any moment, it will be too late for many.
Saint Matthew described in Matt. 26:26-28 “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat, this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” This was also recorded in the Gospels of St Luke 22:17-20, St Mark in Mk.14:22-24, St Paul in 1 Cor. 11:23-26.
God, in His everlasting love and mercy for all humanity, continue to allow Eucharistic Miracles — from the transformation of the bread and wine into flesh and blood, some Hosts that shed blood, the preservation of consecrated Hosts — to help us believe in His Real Presence in the Eucharist. In the eighth century, in a monastery in Lanciano, Italy, the bread and wine became flesh and blood when a priest-monk who had doubts about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist after he spoke the words of Consecration at Holy Mass. In 1970, the most complete scientific verification was done by Professor Linoli, who at that time was the head physician of the united hospitals of Arezzo and a university professor-at-large in anatomy and pathological histology, and in chemistry and clinical microscopy. Dr. Ruggero Bertelli, who at that time was a professor of normal human anatomy at the University of Siena, also helped. The conclusions of that microscopic studies are documented and shared on March 4, 1971:
1. The flesh is striated muscular tissue of the myocardium (heart wall), no trace of any materials or agents used for the preservation of flesh.
2. The flesh and sample of blood are of human origin, with no possibility that it was from an animal species. Only a hand experienced in anatomic dissection could have obtained such an expert cut from the heart.
3. The blood and the flesh belong to the same human blood type, AB.
4. The blood contains minerals — chlorides, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, calcium. If the blood is taken from a cadaver, it would spoil and delay rapidly. The proteins found in clotted blood have the same percentage ratio as those found in normal fresh blood.
5. There is no possibility of fraud.
Now, with the internet at our fingertips, we can search and read about more documented Eucharistic Miracles in various parts of the world — in France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic formerly known as Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal and so many other places. You can search about the Eucharistic Miracles in Naju Korea where the external appearance of bread in the Holy Eucharist changed into visible flesh and blood on Julia Kim’s tongue over 10 times between May 1988 and October 1996 with pictures and videos of that miracle. Blessed Carlo Acutis, the Apostle of the Eucharist, who died at the age of 15 on Oct. 12, 2006, has compiled a collection of Eucharistic Miracles of the World which can be seen via the web at http://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html. “The Eucharist is the highway to Heaven” declared Carlo Acutis. He added “Holiness is impossible without the Mass, the Rosary, and the time before the Blessed Sacrament.” More information about Carlo Acutis can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvys0yjUp1U.
O Father in Heaven, enlighten the hearts of your people to the Truth that the Eucharist is indeed your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity · who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. O Holy Spirit, come by means of the most powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well-beloved Spouse and reveal this Truth to us. And because Jesus is always with the Father and the Holy Spirit, united and inseparable, reveal in our hearts the truth that when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we also receive you, Father, and the Holy Spirit. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
• Gina Del Rosario is a Roman Catholic who was born and raised in the Philippines, and is a parishioner at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Juneau. “Living & Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Saturday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.
