The Eucharist - Jesus comes to us ... by Eric

​Embarrassing moments, at mass, ugh!  Yes, I have many, and one in particular is the worst.  I was a Eucharistic Minister, and was in the spot next to Father Martins.  I had started off poorly, I went to the wrong location and Father scolded me; the worst was yet to come.  One of the first people in my line was a very devout woman.  She not only wore a veil, but she knelt to receive communion on the tongue.  I went to give her the body of Christ, holding it between my thumb and forefinger.  I placed it on her tongue and pulled my hand away.  Well, the communion wafer stuck to my thumb; and stuck long enough to pull off of her tongue and drop to the floor!  I went for another try, and the same thing happened with one big difference.  Instead of dropping to the floor, the wafer dropped down her blouse.  She was much more composed than I, fished it out and consumed it.  Needless to say, I had to struggle to stay focused the remainder of mass.  
 
As much of a fail that effort at serving communion was, the ultimate goal was a rousing success.  This very devout woman STILL received Jesus Christ, body blood soul and divinity.  That is one of the most amazing things about the Eucharist.  Despite our failings, lack of attention, or messing up the procedure Jesus always shows up to be physically in communion with us.  Think about that for a second, our Lord becomes a part of us.  When you leave mass, it is impossible to remove Jesus from you.  In fact, you have become what you consumed.  The word mass comes from the Latin word missa, which translated means “Go, be sent”.
 
Now I know that all of us, me included, have not always left mass and shown the world that Jesus is alive and is now a part of us.  That does not mean he is not there.  One of the things that is part of all the sacraments is God’s grace, the free gift of God that shows His love for us.  Like any gift, we must choose to accept that grace.  Sometimes God is there with His arms out saying “here, I love you, have this!” and we say “No!”.  If the image you get is that of a defiant 2-year-old, I think you are spot on, that is how we sometimes act.  Even if we say no, God keeps giving us that gift of himself, week after week, hoping for our own sake that we say “Yes” and not only receive him but become him to the world.  If we do, at every single mass we are fundamentally changed.  Are you ready to accept?
 
If you ever want to hear an amazing story about mass, ask me about the picture with this post some time.  I leave you with the words of St. Josemaria Escriva:
 
“When you approach the tabernacle remember that he has been waiting for you for twenty centuries.” 
 
In Christ,
Eric

---