The Most Sacred of All Beliefs

June 2, 2024

The most sacred of all the beliefs of Catholics is that which we celebrate this Sunday—the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. We are in a year of Eucharistic Renewal, called by the American Bishops, because of the crisis of faith among Catholics, many of whom do not believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
   
As Catholics, we believe that in the Mass, bread and wine are truly changed into the Body and the Blood of Christ.  This is not the dead Body and dead Blood of Christ, but the Risen Lord Jesus Himself. We do not receive a piece of Jesus when we receive Communion. We receive the whole and entire Jesus, Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

The Jesus that we encounter in the Eucharist is the same Christ who raised Lazarus from the dead, who laid hands on the sick, who walked on the water, and who Himself rose from the grave. He promised the disciples that He would be with us until the end of the age. This is the most perfect way in which He fulfills that promise.
   
I know that many of us will go through times of questioning our faith. That is alright. Wrestling with our faith is one of the ways we strengthen our faith. All too often when people begin to have doubts, they begin to distance themselves from the Mass, from the Church, from prayer, from Scripture, etc. It is when our faith is under attack that we must double down on our religious practice. We need to pray more, to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament, to read Scripture, etc. We need to be more faithful in attending Mass and really try to be as invested in participating as we can.
—Fr. Mike Comer