Lesson from Fr. Paulus | Being a Christian Means Sharing God's Own Life

In this era when science is king, we are tempted to belittle the mysterious and miraculous aspects of our Christian faith. And yet, the mysteries and the miracles are still real. Just because God doesn't fit into a test tube doesn't mean God doesn't exist.

The Church is a wise mother. She keeps us humble. She reminds us that God is bigger than our limited human minds. Today she gives us one of the biggest of those reminders, Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi.

That is what the sacrament of the Eucharist is. It is not just a symbol of Christ's presence; it is the reality of Christ's presence. Every Mass is a miracle in which Christ makes himself truly present to us under the appearance of bread and wine.

Every Mass is a miracle in which God shatters the limits of time and space and brings Christ's sacrifice on the cross into the here-and-now of our lives. Every moment of every day, as red candles burn beside tabernacles all over the world and remind us of Christ's living presence in the Eucharist, that miracle continues. But why did Jesus choose to leave us his presence in this way, under the appearance of bread and wine?

He told us the reason, in the Gospel passage we just listened to: "Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me."

Christians are called to follow in Christ's footsteps, to be other Christs. But we are weak and sinful; how can we fulfill such a high calling? Only because Jesus has given us his own divine life, by feeding us with this divine food.

St Juliana Falconieri's Miraculous Final Communion

All the saints realize how much we need this divine nourishment. St Juliana Falconieri had a particularly passionate devotion to this truth of our faith. Juliana lived in Florence, Italy, in the early Renaissance. When she was 14, her mother began arranging a marriage for her.

As soon as she found out, she objected, explaining that she wanted to consecrate her life to Christ. At first her mother resisted, but Juliana's vocation was undeniable, and eventually she took the habit as a Third Order Servite. Later, she helped start a new Order of Servite nuns, dedicated to prayer and serving the sick.

Throughout the long, hard years of foundation, she received Holy Communion three times a week - much more often than was normal for those times. But in her later years, chronic sickness made her unable to consume anything solid. Even while on her deathbed, frequent fits of vomiting made it impossible for her to receive Communion.

But when she knew her last hour had come, she was inflamed with a desire to receive Holy Communion one last time. So, she asked the priest to lay a corporal (the white cloth put on top of the altar for the liturgy of the Eucharist) on her chest and place the consecrated host on top of it.

No sooner had the Eucharist been laid over her heart than it disappeared, being miraculously consumed directly into her body. She died soon after, and as they were preparing the body for burial, they found the sign of the cross that had been on the host emblazoned on her skin. Ever since, the Servites have kept an image of a shining host on the left front side of their habits.

The Eucharist is food from heaven, given to us by Christ to bring us to heaven.

Being Christ for Others

The Eucharist is divine food that Christ gives us to make us more like him. In life's hustle and bustle, we can easily forget how wonderful this sacrament really is. Today, let's renew our sense of awe and gratitude in the face of such an indescribable, miraculous gift.

But we shouldn't stop there. We all know that people who eat well but don't exercise soon get flabby and out of shape. The same thing can happen to us in our spiritual lives. Each week we receive this divine food, we pray, we hear the Word of God - we take in a lot of spiritual calories. But if we don't put them to work, our souls will get flabby, self-centered, and self-absorbed.

For Christ's grace to make us more like him, we need to make an effort to live just as Christ lived. And that means giving ourselves to others, just as he gives himself to us. We all know people who are suffering, confused, or in trouble.

This week, strengthened by our holy food, let's be Christ's messengers to them. We can find no greater joy in life than to spread to others the love we have received from Christ. Jesus himself said this, as St. Paul tells us in the Book of Acts: "There is more happiness in giving than receiving" (Acts 20:35).

Today, Jesus will give himself to us once again in Holy Communion. When he does, let's thank him for this tremendous gift, and let's promise that this week, at least this week, we will follow in his footsteps.