The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Today was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.  This is a very important day for Catholics as it represents one of our core beliefs, the real presence of Christ in the body and blood at Communion.  Today at Mass I happened to be both a greeter and an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist.  Since our patron saint is St. John the Baptist and his feast day is tomorrow, we also had fellowship after Mass.  This consisted of beverages, donuts, and cookies.  A nice time to meet and talk with those you know and any new faces that you might not know.  I wish more people took advantage of it, but unfortunately, many left right after Mass.  Perhaps they had other pressing things to attend to.  I am not trying to judge; it is just that I feel it was a missed opportunity.

I was born and raised a Catholic, but I drifted away over the years and it was not till 5-6 years ago that I earnestly “came home.”  It really did feel like home.  It is one of the tales where you go off and search every where else only to find that what you were searching for was right in front of you all the time.  I never truly gave up my faith in God.  I was never an atheist.  I will admit that I was angry at God.  I was also caught up in my own idea of how I thought God should act.  Realizing my fallacy was a humbling experience.

Since I have returned back, I have learned so much more about my faith and my religion than I had ever known before.  I truly think that many leave the Church out of true ignorance.  They really did not know the truth about what the Church really stood for.  Well, at least I did not, perhaps I should not speak for others so blatantly.

Back to the real presence, as a Catholic I believe that when we celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass and have Communion that we are not just reminiscing on the Last Supper, but actually partaking of Christ’s Body and Blood and becoming in union with Him and all others that have ever been, are, or will be, members of the Body of Christ.  And when we sing the Holy Holy, I try to imagine all the angels and saints present there with us as we witness the transubstantiation.  Amen.