From the Pastor
Fr. Mike Comer shares his thoughts on Scripture, spirituality and the challenges of living the Gospel.
eucharist is gift of christ himself
June 7, 2026
Last Sunday we celebrated the Holy Trinity, the doctrine that identifies us as Christian. This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), the doctrine which most identifies us as Catholic.
In the Mass, bread and wine are brought forward and are offered by the priest. At that time, the bread and the wine represent us—our lives, our family life, our work, our joys, our struggles and pain, etc. So, what we do is offer our lives to God, imperfect as they are. God then sends His Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine to sanctify them. He then changes them so that they become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus spoke clearly on what happens in these moments. In the Bread of Life Discourse, in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies Himself as the Bread from Heaven, and that we must eat His Body and drink His Blood, or we will not have life within us. He tells us that His Flesh is real food and His Blood is real Drink. In all three of the Institution Accounts, He takes the bread, and says, “This is my Body.” And He takes the cup and says, “This is the cup of my Blood.” And finally, St. Paul tells the Corinthians that those who eat and drink the Eucharist unworthily eat and drink condemnation on themselves, and that is why some are getting sick, and even dying.
In the Mass, bread and wine are brought forward and are offered by the priest. At that time, the bread and the wine represent us—our lives, our family life, our work, our joys, our struggles and pain, etc. So, what we do is offer our lives to God, imperfect as they are. God then sends His Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine to sanctify them. He then changes them so that they become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus spoke clearly on what happens in these moments. In the Bread of Life Discourse, in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies Himself as the Bread from Heaven, and that we must eat His Body and drink His Blood, or we will not have life within us. He tells us that His Flesh is real food and His Blood is real Drink. In all three of the Institution Accounts, He takes the bread, and says, “This is my Body.” And He takes the cup and says, “This is the cup of my Blood.” And finally, St. Paul tells the Corinthians that those who eat and drink the Eucharist unworthily eat and drink condemnation on themselves, and that is why some are getting sick, and even dying.
The word “communion” combines two Latin words—com (which means “with”) and union (which means to be one). So, communion means to be one with. In the sacrament, we are made one with Christ, as He makes Himself one with us as we eat and drink His Body and Blood. And we become one with each other in Christ as we “commune” together (eat and drink) Jesus Himself.
Over the past few years, the Church (led by the American bishops) has become alarmed by surveys that indicate a large percentage of Catholics do not believe the ancient faith of the Catholic Church which states that bread and wine are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. I actually do not believe these surveys are accurate for a number of reasons. Primarily, they make no distinctions between practicing Catholics and non-practicing Catholics. When that distinction is made, the vast percentage of practicing Catholics do believe what the Church teaches. It is primarily those who do not practice who deny the faith of the Church. If I did not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, why would I regularly attend Mass?
I encourage all of you to ask Christ to deepen your faith in the Eucharist.
—Fr. Mike Comer
Over the past few years, the Church (led by the American bishops) has become alarmed by surveys that indicate a large percentage of Catholics do not believe the ancient faith of the Catholic Church which states that bread and wine are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. I actually do not believe these surveys are accurate for a number of reasons. Primarily, they make no distinctions between practicing Catholics and non-practicing Catholics. When that distinction is made, the vast percentage of practicing Catholics do believe what the Church teaches. It is primarily those who do not practice who deny the faith of the Church. If I did not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, why would I regularly attend Mass?
I encourage all of you to ask Christ to deepen your faith in the Eucharist.
—Fr. Mike Comer
