Father David’s Letter
“Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,
and distributed them to those who were reclining,
and also as much of the fish as they wanted.” – John 6, 11
Dear St. Mary Parish Family,
Perhaps the most stunning of all the many miracles Jesus worked was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. After all, how could someone raise another from the dead, and after the other had been four days deceased?! It was shocking to say the least, and it caused a considerable stir among Jesus disciples and among his enemies.
If the raising of Lazarus can be argued to be the most striking miracle that Jesus worked for an individual, then the instituting of the Eucharist can be indisputably said to be the most impactful miracle Jesus did for all his people, for in the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood Jesus “entrusted to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1323). In short, the Eucharist is everything! Here are a few additional references from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to drive this point home:
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. – CCC #1324
The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit. – CCC #1325
The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. – CCC #1360
What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit, preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. This growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death. – CCC #1392
Consider that by this one Sacrament of salvation all can be fed. From the One Sacred Bread Jesus first fed the Twelve. They would then by the Lord’s command give this One Sacred Bread to hundreds. Hundreds would become thousands, and eventually millions. Just think today how many millions are fed each Sunday by the Precious Body of Jesus Christ, not to mention how many thousands every single day. And as the Gospel today states powerfully and clearly, it is a food that truly and completely satisfies.
Over these next five Sundays including today, we will hear most of the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel, what our Sacred Tradition calls the Bread of Life Discourse. I strongly urge all of you to read and reflect on this chapter over the next several weeks, allowing yourself to be drawn more deeply into this most profound, life-altering, and life-giving mystery and teaching of the Holy Eucharist.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. David
Here is the link to Spiritual Communion and Chaplet of the Blessed Sacrament: https://www.virgosacrata.com/spiritual-communion.html
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