The Joy of The Holy Eucharist

So many Sundays I’ve cried in church, willing the tears teetering on the bridge of my nose back into the fractured heart from which they came. “Don’t breathe, don’t make eye contact with anyone, and above all—don’t blink,” I would tell myself as barely visible droplets of salty moisture threaten to expose the hurts, fears, and sins to the faithful gathered in God’s house.

But not this Sunday. Today, for the first time, I was so moved by the true presence of Jesus that all I could do was move my lips to the worship music as the first tear escaped and rolled down the right side of my face. I shuffled through my purse in search of a tissue for what seemed like forever. Thankfully, at least no one was seated next to me.

Holy Wonder

In the soul-stillness of holy wonder, the tears continued as Father recited the words of institution. Oh, those precious life-giving words. The words Catholics know transform a stale wafer and cheap wine into the very presence of the Son of God. I spent half of my life among those who believed the very idea that a little wafer and grape juice could be anything more than a wanna-be snack was ludicrous. Did the priest think he was some kind of magician? Were the people really that gullible?

Then one night I learned that Jesus told us this IS His body and blood—repeatedly, always literally, never as a story or a parable, and even at the risk of losing all of his followers. Lay people and theologians will debate what Jesus really meant instead of trusting what he actually said, even as countless Eucharistic miracles continue into modern times.

A Holy God

Science fails to explain how wine turns into globules of type AB blood or how a little wafer turns into the flesh of traumatized heart tissue, or how these elements remain unaffected by centuries of time passed. We know it’s not about the wafer, the wine, the priest, or even the most enthusiastic blessing. All are mortal, imperfect, and vulnerable to abuse. Instead, the true presence of our Lord comes through what Jesus does with what we offer Him.

Of course, the words of institution matter most because they were first Jesus’s words. The Bible says that God’s word never goes void and He will always use them to accomplish His will. So, when God chooses to honor his children’s prayers for blessing upon plain food and drink, there is no limit to what He alone can do.

The Holy Sacrament

I put my tissue in my purse and looked up to see Father holding the blessed host and cup before the parish. I’d seen this thousands of times but again, today was different. Father elevated the host and chalice above his own 6-foot frame. He lingered in that stance long enough to make sure everyone could see Jesus. Father always seemed to pause at the same strategic moments during every Mass. After over 50 years as a priest, he still seemed to serve in awe of God, and in this moment, so did I. The same gold cups and bowls I’d seen all of my life held me in the most welcome captive embrace. I prayed it would never end. I thanked God for His clergy, for His church, for this church and the beautiful community He led me to, and for this Mass. I thanked him for this light snack transformed into a feast for the soul.

Communion servers began to gather beside me, so I wiped my eyes one more time before I got up to join them. I was assigned to the distribute the blood of Christ. This too I’d done since childhood, but today my soul knew that I held Jesus, the meaning of life and the definition of love, in my hands. And I got to share Him with anyone who simply stood before me, yet many just walk by.

I don’t know why people declined the very source of joy and peace, and I’m not here to judge. But as people sidestepped around me in the narrow space, I wondered how many are just like I was for so many years. Do they know what they are passing up? Do they understand? Do they believe? Maybe someone should tell them. Maybe that someone can be me.

After Mass, a gentleman thanked me for “giving me Jesus.” A stranger congratulated me for being part of such an honor. When I was outside and on my way to my car, a friend rushed to give me a hug, full of an almost childish joy that I had been part of the Sacrament. These people get it, at least as much as our humanity can comprehend the mysteries of a world we can’t see.

Holy Possibilities

The Bible tells a story about Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-15), an ailing, high-ranking military commander who sought God’s healing. But instead of a healer, God sent a messenger with instructions for Naaman to take a bath. “Wash in the Jordan River seven times,” the messenger told him. Sounds easy enough, right? But it was too easy for the king’s commander. He expected a ceremony. He wanted fanfare. He required more than healing; he demanded a story.

Naaman responded in disbelief. In so many words, he scoffed at the messenger, saying “That’s it? Are you kidding me? Aren’t you going to actually do something? The whole city bathes in that river, don’t mock me!”

Naaman’s servants tempered his resistance saying “Well it’s so easy, why not do what he says? What have you got to lose? The worst thing that can happen is you’ll get a little wet.” Naaman followed the messenger’s instructions, and he was healed. He returned from his bath declaring the wonders of the one true God.

So, for all the Naamans who think there should be more than plain bread and wine, for the intellectuals who can’t explain it, and for the doubters like me, I ask you: What have you got to lose by taking the Lord at his word?

Read what Jesus said about communion. Research hundreds of years’ worth of Eucharistic miracles where bread and wine really turned into flesh and blood that you can still see even today. Ask your priest or deacon about a thing called consubstantiation. Ask fellow parishioners what they believe. And pray. The worst that could happen is that you meet new people and learn new things.

But just imagine, what if you discover the joy of holding the creator of life and definition love in the palm of your hand?