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Sacred Thinking Blog

- From a Catholic Catechist
  Michael Denz, Director of Discipleship and Evangelization
- The Eucharist Part VI:
  Take, Bless, Break, Give
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  To start with on the Eucharist, click HERE.
  
  Jesus instituted the Eucharist during the Last Supper. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke recorded the event.
  Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is my body.” -Matthew 26:26
  And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." -Mark 14:22
  And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." -Luke 19:22
  
  In each account, when Jesus gives the Apostles the most precious gift He would ever give, we are told that Jesus took the bread, blessed the bread, broke the bread and gave the bread. Throughout the gospels Jesus alludes to the Eucharist by doing the same four actions with bread on different occasions.
  
  When He multiplied loaves and fish:
  He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples. -Matthew 15:36
  And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. -Mark 6:41
  And he commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. -Mark 8:6
  And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. -Luke 9:16
  On the road to Emmaus, after His resurrection, with the two disciples:
  When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. -Luke 24:30
  These four actions: taking, blessing (or giving thanks), breaking and giving, are almost always mentioned as something Jesus did with bread when He wanted to allude to - or institute - the Eucharist.
  
  Why?
  
  Company
  
  The word “company” comes from the Latin words “com”, meaning “together” or “with”, and “panis”, meaning “bread”. When you have friends and family over for a meal, they are those whom you have “bread with” – your “company”.
  
  You are also likely to pray a blessing, or give thanks before you eat the meal. Eucharist comes from a Greek word “eucharistia” meaning “thanksgiving”.
  
  Eating a meal like this with someone had significance in the first century and still does today in some cultures. Eating of the same loaf with another is seen as an intimate act of friendship, because you would consume the same loaf of bread, which had to be broken so it would be in small enough pieces to be consumed by many. This is one reason why the religious leaders complained when Jesus ate with sinners. This is where we get phrase “breaking bread” with friends and family when you eat a meal together.
  
  It is often customary to bring something to the meal to share or “give” to the others at the meal. When we say we are “sharing” a meal in its fullest sense, it means everyone contributed to the meal and everyone receives something from the meal.
  
  Jesus’ Passion
  
  Jesus’ Passion was foreshadowed by the Passover instituted over 1400 years earlier. In the Passover the Israelites were commanded to take and sacrifice an unblemished lamb, eat it, and put the lambs blood on the doors of their houses to save them from the angel of death (Exodus 12).
  
  Beginning the night of Holy Thursday, which was also Passover, Jesus instituted a sacrificial meal that would replace the Passover celebration. Later that night Jesus was “taken” by the temple guards. Already being the “Blessed” of the Father, Jesus was then “broken” on the Cross. Jesus “gave” Himself for the forgiveness of our sins.
  
  The Mass
  
  During Mass, just as during the multiplication of loves which foreshadowed the Mass, the priest “takes” bread when it is brought up during the offertory. During the Eucharistic Prayer the priest “gives thanks” (eucharistia) and “blesses” the bread, so it may become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
  
  Then, similar to when we break bread with family, the priest literally “breaks” the bread in what is called the “Fraction Rite” during the “Lamb of God” at Mass. This is not only to make the host smaller so it can be eaten. The breaking of bread in Mass represents how Jesus’ body was broken, so it can offered to many for the forgiveness of sins. While breaking bread makes it smaller or easily edible, Jesus’ body being broken made His flesh nourishing for Eternal Life.
  
  In the Acts of the Apostles the earliest Christians described Mass as “Breaking Bread”:
  
  "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.” -Acts 2:42-47
  
  And to “break bread” on Sunday was a tradition early on for Christians, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread…” (Acts 7:20)
  
  The priest then “gives” the Eucharist to the people, as the first priests – the apostles - gave the multiplied bread to the thousands. And we all share in, and are united by, the one Body of Christ.
  
  The Body of Christ – the Church
  
  St. Paul writes that the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. Jesus is the “head over all things for the church, which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22-23). “Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior” (Ephesians 5:23).
  
  As members of His Church, through the Sacrament of Baptism, we have given ourselves to Jesus. Jesus has in effect “taken” us and “blessed” us. Just as the words of the priest transform simple bread into the Body of Christ, the water’s of baptism transform us into members of the Body of Christ – His Church. Over our lives, with the grace of the other sacraments, prayer, and the continued giving of ourselves to Jesus in love, He continues to “take” and “bless” us.
  
  Then there is something else. Jesus has to “break” us from sin. He spoke of this symbolically when He taught:
  
  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” -John 15:1-2
  
  When you prune a plant you remove the parts of the plant that take nutrients away from the production of fruit. As is done often in Scripture, Jesus is using fruit as a symbol of love. Just like a grape vine takes all its sunshine, nutrients and water to produce fruit for others, we are to take all that Jesus gives us and produce love for others. God sometimes allows us to experience obstacles, struggles, disappointments, pain and humiliation to help us remove sinful vices from our lives – vices that take away from our ability to love well. He “breaks” us down, “prunes us”, so we “may bear more fruit.”
  
  The giving of this fruit is the final act of Jesus. He “gives” us, as loving fruit, to others and to His Father. Just as St. Paul said, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Just so, it is Jesus who loves through us – having given us sacramental grace to love supernaturally. Therefore, it can be said that He gives us to others. Like a vine to the branches and on to the fruit, Jesus’ love flows through us and out to others.
  
  "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. " -John 15:5
- The Eucharist Part V:
  “I will not leave you desolate”
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  (To begin with Part I on the Eucharist click HERE)
  
  Let’s begin Part V with a close look at what may be the most amazing statement Jesus makes about the Eucharist:
  
  “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.” -John 6:57
  
  When we look at that verse closely, Jesus, most incredibly, seems to put no limits on the life of God that He wants to give us in the Eucharist.
  
  In the life of the Blessed Trinity, God the Father pours Himself out in a complete self-giving act of love to His Son, holding nothing back. This means that all of God is given to the Son. This is why the Son of God is equal in every way to the Father. Both are all loving, all knowing, all powerful, Truth, Beauty and Goodness. This is why we recite in the Creed, "God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God."
  
  In verse 57 Jesus refers to His relationship with the Father when He says, “the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father.” Jesus is reminding His disciples that the Father has given ALL of Himself to the Son. Jesus follows this up by saying that just as the Father pours His life out to the Son, so that the Son may live, “so he who eats me will live because of me.”
  In other words, God the Son pours Himself out in a complete self-giving act of love to those who eat the Eucharist. Now, we are not God, so we can’t receive all of God’s divine life exactly like the Son does from the Father. However, Jesus is pouring out all we can handle. Additionally, Jesus wants us to open ourselves to Him, more and more – to trust Him more. In doing so we give Jesus permission to transform us, making us capable of receiving more and more of His love.
  
  Jesus wants to give all of Himself to us, which is everything He received from the Father. This is what the father says in the parable of the Prodigal Son from chapter 15 of St. Luke’s Gospel. Representing God the Father, the father in the parable says to his son, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours” (Luke 15:31). God the Father gave us all that is His – His Son.
  
  A few last words on why we know Jesus was speaking literally when He taught about the Eucharist in John 6:
  
  Jesus left His Church with the infallible ability to pass on the truths of God without error. The Catholic Church has always infallibly taught that the bread and wine at Mass are not just a symbols, but are really the body and blood of Jesus Christ. “In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1374).
  In John 6:5, when Jesus was speaking about regular bread, he said, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" When John quoted Jesus saying this he used the Greek word “esthio” for “eat.” However, when Jesus spoke of eating His flesh, Jesus uses the word “trogo”, which means to gnaw or chew, which one would use to describe eating meat. Jesus wanted to be sure everyone who heard Him understood He was being quite literal.
  The expression “to eat the flesh and drink the blood” of another human being already had a specific meaning to first century Jews. It meant to persecute, assault and destroy a person. We see this symbolic use of eating a man’s flesh in Psalm 27:2, “When evildoers come at me to devour my flesh.” By stating that the evildoers are going to “devour my flesh” the Psalm is saying that the evildoers are going to persecute, assault and destroy the person. Jesus said we needed to eat His flesh for eternal life. It would make no sense for Jesus to be saying we had to persecute or assault Him so we could have eternal life.
  When Jesus explained the need to “eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood…” (John 6:63) “Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this?’… After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him” (John 6:61, 66). And Jesus let them go. He knew they understood Him to mean they literally had to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Jesus did not correct them, because that is what He meant. If they would not believe Him, they had to go.
  
  The Last Supper
  
  During the Last Supper Jesus revealed to His apostles more about this truly astounding gift, which is the gift of Himself in Holy Communion under the appearance of bread and wine.
  
  “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Luke 22:19-20).
  
  The apostles – who are the first bishops and priests of the Church – are commanded to “Do this in remembrance of me.” This shows that they too are to say the words Jesus said and that is what the bread would become – the Body of Christ.
  
  The Eucharist is described by the Catholic Church as the very source of our Christian life. This is because the Eucharist IS Jesus and Jesus is the source of our life. In St. John’s gospel account of the Last Supper we read some beautiful imagery Jesus used, alluding to the Eucharist.
  
  "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.” -John 14:18
  
  Jesus will come to us in the Eucharist.
  
  “Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me;” -John 14:19
  
  The world does not believe in the Eucharist, but Christians who believe will see Him in the Eucharist at Mass and adoration.
  
  “because I live, you will live also.” -John 14:19
  
  Jesus refers back to John 6:57, “I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.”
  
  “In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.” -John 14:20
  
  Jesus refers to the relationship of the Trinity and back to John 6:56, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
  
  “He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." -John 14:21
  
  Jesus tells us that to be His disciples we need to return His love by keeping His commandments. This alludes to the need to be free of mortal sin before reception of the Eucharist.
  
  “Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” -John 14:22-23
  
  If we love Jesus we will keep His word and Jesus will make His home in our body and souls when we consume the Eucharist.
  
  I encourage you to read John 6 in front of the Eucharist. Which verses or phrases really stand out to you? Read those over a few times and ask Jesus what He wants you to take away from His Word.
- The Eucharist: Part IV - Not a something, but a Someone
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  Last time we looked at Jesus’ seven-fold declaration exclaiming exactly what He means about Him being the bread from Heaven.
  “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
  "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
  “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
  “For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
  “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
  “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.”
  “This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."
  -John 6:51-58
  St. Hilary of Poitiers, who lived all the way back in the 4th century (315-368), is a Doctor of the Church. He commented on these verses from St. John when he wrote:
  “For as to what we say concerning the reality of Christ’s nature [divine life] within us, unless we have been taught by Him, our words are foolish and impious. For He says Himself, My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. (Jn. 6:55-56) As to the reality of the flesh and blood there is no room left for doubt. For now, both from the declaration of the Lord Himself and our own faith [Church teaching], it is truly flesh and truly blood. And these when eaten and drunk, bring it to pass that both we are in Christ and Christ in us.”
  St. Hilary leaves no doubt that Jesus is speaking literally. That what we receive in the Eucharist is the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.
  The Eucharist is called the “real presence”, which means that the Eucharist is no longer bread and wine (although it has the appearance of such) but is in its substance Jesus Christ, wholly and completely.
  But St. Hilary was almost 300 years after Jesus. What about those who lived in the first century? What about those who knew the apostles?
  Enter St. Ignatius of Antioch. He is known as an Apostolic Father of the Church because he was taught by an apostle, St. John – the very John who witnessed Jesus teach about the Bread of Life and wrote about it in his gospel. Before St. Ignatius was martyred in the year 110, he wrote about the real presence of the Eucharist:
  “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible.”
  
  “Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes.”
  St. Ignatius was dealing with unbelief in the Eucharist less that 70 years after Jesus rose from the dead! St. John wrote his gospel about 15 years earlier. No wonder the Holy Spirit inspired St. John to recall the great teaching of Jesus on the Bread of Life! Still, over 1900 years later, many Catholics still don’t believe.
  St. Justin Martyr, who lived in the early second century (he was born around the same time St. Ignatius was martyred) also wrote about the real presence of the Eucharist:
  “And this food is called among us Eucharistia [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined.
  St. Justin explains that baptism and belief in the teaching of the Church was a requirement for reception of the Eucharist in the second century just as it is today.
  “For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.”
  That last part from St. Justin is a mouthful! What he is saying is that the bread and drink are not common bread and drink. He goes on to say that the Word of God (another title for the Son of God – Jesus) made Himself flesh to save us with that very same flesh on the Cross. Likewise, the words of Jesus, when spoken by the priest over the bread and wine, are transformed into “the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.”
  Next time well look more at John 6 as well as other times when Jesus taught about the Eucharist. Until then, pray for this: that the next time you are at Mass, may God will deepen your love and devotion for the Eucharist.
- The Eucharist Part III - The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  Last time in Part II we began to look at what Jesus did and taught in the Gospel of St. John, chapter 6. We start Part III just past the half point of this chapter - which is all about the Eucharist - the Bread of Life. The people were murmuring about their unbelief in Jesus, thinking He was just a regular man and not God.
  "Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me." -John 6:43-45
  When Jesus refers to Isaiah 54:13, “All your sons shall be taught by the LORD” He is referring to His own divinity – as He is at that moment teaching them! Jesus also tells them the Father must draw them. As mentioned in Part II, grace from God the Father must penetrate their hearts – must “draw” them. We need God to give us the grace to believe in Jesus. However, not all accept the grace. Holding on to our sinful lives blocks this grace. If you are seeking God who is Truth, Beauty and Goodness, then you will be “drawn” by Him. If God the Father, in His Truth, Beauty and Goodness, is attractive to you – draws you – then you will be drawn to Jesus because He is God’s Son – He is God. Therefore, Jesus can say, “Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.”
  "Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die."   -John 6:46-50
  Jesus is the only way to God the Father. He “has seen the Father” which is a way of saying He knows the Father perfectly and is the only one who can reveal Him. Jesus also says once again that faith in Him is crucial, for anyone “who believes has eternal life.” And spiritual life – eternal life – is what Jesus has been stressing. Their “fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died”, but “the bread which comes down from heaven… (which is Jesus) a man may eat of it and not die.” When Jesus talks about not dying, He is talking about spiritual life - eternal life in heaven.
  Now, Jesus is about to begin a seven-fold declaration exclaiming exactly what He means about Him being the bread from Heaven. He will now establish that, as He is God, He can and will give us His flesh and blood to eat and drink.
  1.   “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
  2.   "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
  3.   “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
  4.   “For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”
  5.   “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
  6.   “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.”
  7.   “This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." -John 6:51-58
  Jesus is clear. We are to eat His flesh and drink His blood. The Bread of Life, which would become known as Holy Communion and the Eucharist, is really His body and blood. After Jesus first declares that He is giving us His flesh as bread, the Jews said, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” They knew Jesus was speaking literally, but they did not believe He was God, so they did not believe He could do it.
  Jesus declares above that eternal life and the resurrection at the end of the world are intrinsically linked to the Eucharist. He says His flesh and blood are real food and real drink – “food indeed” and “drink indeed”.
  Next time we’ll look at what some of the earliest saints had to say about the Eucharist.
  Until then, pray in adoration and ask Jesus to renew and strengthen your belief in the Eucharist as really the Body and Blood of Jesus.
  
  -
- The Eucharist: Part II - The New Manna
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  In Part I we looked at how a survey of Catholics discovered that 69% of them believe that the Eucharist is a symbol. We then looked at how the manna (what is it?) God gave the Israelites in the desert also confused the people at first. Finally we looked at how fulfillments in the New Testament are always greater that what foreshadowed them in the Old Testament.
  
  Now, let us look at the day Jesus first talked about the Eucharist. He called it, “The Bread of Life” and we call His teaching, “The Bread of Life Discourse.” This event is relayed in the Gospel of St. John, chapter 6.
  One day Jesus fed over 10,000 men, women and children with bread and fish that He miraculously multiplied from only 5 loaves and 2 fish. The next day some of the disciples he fed caught up with Him. We’ll pick things up there at verse 26.
  
  “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you.” -John 6:26-27
  
  Jesus does not want His disciples following Him just to be physically fed. He wants to spiritually feed them. It is part of our fallen human nature to seek out our physical needs before our spiritual ones. Jesus wants to change that for us. Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom” in Matthew 6:33 when referring to the Kingdom of God. This seeking of heaven first is what Jesus is trying to teach here.
  
  Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” -John 6:28-29
  
  This is a big step. To do the “works of God” Jesus’s disciples need to believe that He IS God. Jesus is about to reveal the Eucharist to them. The Eucharist will only make sense if Jesus is God.
  
  So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” -John 6:30-31
  
  The Messiah (in Greek, the Christ) who the Jews were waiting for was prophesied to bring everlasting manna to the people of Israel. The Messiah was predicted to be a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). From this prophesy was the idea that the Messiah would feed the people like Moses did with the manna. This time with an everlasting manna. They are asking Jesus to do this if He is the Messiah – feed them like Moses. However, they have yet to understand that He is more than just the Messiah. His is God.
  
  Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” -John 6:32-33
  
  Jesus tells them that the manna was from God and that “the true bread” which was coming next is also from heaven and this bread will give “life to the world.”
  
  They said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. -John 6:34-35
  
  The people said they wanted this bread, but they do not yet understand it because they do not believe in Jesus. Jesus tells them that He Himself is the Bread of Life, but Jesus knows they don’t believe in Him.
  
  But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. -John 6:36-37
  
  The people saw Jesus and heard Jesus, but the grace coming from Jesus did not penetrate their hearts. Those who’s hearts are penetrated are described by Jesus as those “the Father gives me”, because the grace of God – which came through seeing and hearing Jesus – is from the Father.
  For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” -John 6:38-40
  
  All that believe in and follow the Son of God will be saved and raised from the dead to eternal life at the end of time. However, the people here get hung up on Jesus saying, “I have come down from heaven”, because they don’t believe He is God.
  
  The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” -John 6:41-42
  
  Because they knew His earthly father, Joseph and His mother Mary, they don’t think He can be from heaven.
  
  Jesus is just beginning to show them what the Bread of Life really is! What Jesus says next blew them away! We’ll take a look at that in Part III!
  
  Until then, spend some time in prayer considering Who Jesus is and how great is His love for you. This love is fulfilled in the gift of the Eucharist.
  
  -
- The Eucharist Part I - What is It?
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  A 2019 Pew Research Center survey found that 69% of Catholics believe that Holy Communion is a just symbol. The 69% is broken down as follows:
  22% believe that the Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is actually Jesus Christ, but they personally believe it’s just a symbol.
  43% think the Church teaches that the Eucharist is a symbol and personally believe it’s just a symbol.
  The remaining 4% are not sure what the Church teaches, but personally believe it’s just a symbol.
  What do you believe? Who is correct? What is the Eucharist? What does the Church teach? The truth about what the Eucharist really is, is obviously an important question. If the Eucharist is just a symbol, that’s one thing. However, if it’s actually Jesus, then it’s the most important gift God has given us – and Catholics need to know.
  This is not the first time the faithful have been confused about holy bread. And I’m not referring to the Eucharist, but to another bread from heaven that came thousands of years before.
  After the people of Israel escaped Egypt and crossed the Red Sea with Moses, they found themselves hungry. God provided food for them. God said,
  "I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'" In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. Now the house of Israel called its name manna.
  -Exodus 16:12-15, 31
  When the people first saw the manna, they asked, “What is it?” in Hebrew, “man hu” This also led to the name of the bread: man hu: manna. Like many Catholics today, the Israelites also did not know what their bread really was.
  Much of what we read in the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of Jesus, the Church, the Sacraments, Mary and more. The “what is it?” bread – manna – is a foreshadowing of the Eucharist (or Holy Communion). An important fact about Biblical foreshadowing is this: The New Testament fulfillment is always greater than what foreshadowed it in the Old Testament. For example, Moses is a foreshadowing of Jesus and Jesus is greater than Moses. This means that the bread that Jesus gave is far superior to the manna which came down from heaven in the desert.
  But if it’s just a symbol, how is it greater? I’ll give you a hint… it’s not just a symbol.
  Next time we will look at what Jesus Himself taught about the Eucharist. Until then, go to Jesus in prayer and ask Him to help you deepen your understanding of the Eucharist.
  
  To go right to The Eucharist Part II click HERE. Then scroll up from there for each successive post.
- Do I Have Faith?
  
  By Fr. Mike Schmitz
  
  Q: Why do some people have faith and others don’t? What if I personally don’t feel like I have faith?
  A: To answer your first question: Sin. Sin is the reason why some people don’t have faith. “But wait!”, you cry, “I know a lot of really good people without faith and a lot of really mean people who have faith! How is sin related to all of this?” Here’s how. We were originally created in union with God. Once sin entered the world, that union was ruptured. Among other things, our intellects were darkened and we could not understand what we were originally able (before sin) to grasp. We all inherit this “fallen-ness”. So, in a real way, sin has taken its toll on all of us; sin is why we sometimes don’t see God very clearly.
  But even more close to home, sin is also what keeps ME from God (not just Adam and Eve, but ME).
  
  Never forget: faith is a gift. No one earns it. No one gives it to himself. God gives a person faith. The second super-important point is this: God gives this gift to everyone. God doesn’t choose to give it to some and not others. This is the point that Jesus made in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13). In the parable, God is giving the gift of faith (the seed) everywhere. But it was the recipient’s response that was crucial in bearing fruit or losing the gift.
  
  If you want the gift of faith, all you have to do is sincerely ask for it.
  
  God’s giving the gift is absolutely necessary, and He has made all the arrangements; if a person is open to faith, it is theirs. But that is the crux: we must receive it and live it out.
  
  If a person sincerely does not believe in God, it is most likely because they don’t see the “proof” of God. That’s legitimate. I mean, you would think that if God wanted us to believe in Him, He would have made it a lot easier. On the other hand, I personally think that there is plenty of evidence for God’s existence (another column perhaps).
  
  But maybe God doesn’t just want people to “believe” in Him. I think we sometimes act as if God has nothing better to do than get a bunch of people to believe in His existence. What if God wants something more than our “belief”? If you are struggling to believe in God, I have this advice: pray. Start living as if God was real. Ask God (in prayer) to draw you closer to Him. Ask God to reveal Himself (on His own terms) to you.
  
  If all one had to do was believe in God’s existence or in Jesus as the Son of God, then Satan would be saved.
  
  If you want the gift of faith, all you have to do is sincerely ask for it. Again, this means you have to begin by actually praying.
  
  Now, this is the moment (the moment of choosing, the moment of taking the risk, the moment of making the decision to act and not just have wishful thinking) when most people get off the boat. It is easy to go on and on and “wonder” at God’s existence. It is easy to study the arguments and argue the points. But until a person comes to this point, the point at which a decision is made to engage the will as well as the intellect, they will never have faith. This is crucial. Because “faith” is much more than “belief”. Simply “believing in God” never saved anyone. If all one had to do was believe in God’s existence or in Jesus as the Son of God, then Satan would be saved. James writes about this in his letter, “You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble.” (James 2:19).
  
  Faith is so much more. According to the Catechism, having faith is when a person “completely submits his intellect and his will to God. With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, “the obedience of faith” (CCC 143).
  
  Faith is related to “belief”, but the kind of faith that saves a person is more like “trusting obedience”. With that in mind, does it make sense why I said that some people don’t have faith because of sin? At its heart, sin says, “My way”. At its heart, faith says to God, “Your way”. Like love, faith is a decision, not a feeling.
  
  If you don’t feel like you have faith, don’t worry. Be practical. Look at your life. Are you striving to be faithful (obedient) to God? Do you pray every day? Do you feed yourself with Scripture? Do you go to Mass each week? Do you try and love the people around you who need love? When you fail, do you go to Reconciliation? If yes, you have faith. If not, now is the moment to begin. Start by praying at this very instant. Don’t wait. Don’t hesitate. Don’t put it off. Begin now.
  
  Father Mike Schmitz is the chaplain for Newman Catholic Campus Ministries at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He also serves as the Director of the Office of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth.
- Time for God
  
  Father Jacques Philippe
  
  Many people today are thirsty for God and feel a desire for a personal prayer life that is deep and ongoing. But they encounter obstacles that prevent them from following the path seriously and with perseverance. Time for God was written with these desires and difficulties in mind.
  
  Author Jacques Philippe focuses on mental prayer: prayer that consists of facing God in solitude and silence in order to enter into intimate, loving communion with him. Practicing this kind of prayer regularly is considered by all spiritual masters to be an indispensable path that gives access to genuine Christian life—a path to knowing and loving God that empowers us to respond to his call to holiness addressed to each individual.
  
  Philippe draws on years of experience as a spiritual guide to illuminate the fundamental principles of mental prayer and describes some common mistakes and misconceptions that can lead it astray. With simplicity and clarity, he explains the foundational principles for a healthy prayer life and gives advice for overcoming the various obstacles that arise when one sets off on the path of interior prayer.
  
  Originally published in English in 2008 and now an international bestseller, this new edition includes a helpful study guide for personal or group reflection.
  
  For more information click HERE.
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
  
  Feast Day - December 12
  
  On December 9, 1531, barely 10 years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, Our Lady appeared to a native peasant named Juan Diego while he was crossing Tepeyac Hill, outside what is today Mexico City. After telling Juan that she was the “mother of the true God,” she told him that she wanted a church to be built there in her honor.
  
  Juan Diego then approached the bishop of the new diocese of Mexico, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, asking for a church to be built. Without any proof, the bishop did not believe him. The Blessed Virgin then appeared again to Juan Diego, asking him to approach the bishop again. St. Juan obeyed her, and this time, the bishop requested a miraculous sign that would prove the story. When Our Lady appeared a third time to St. Juan on December 10, she said that she would provide a miracle the next day.
  
  However, on December 11, Juan Diego’s uncle became seriously ill, and he took care of him instead of meeting the Blessed Virgin. When his uncle, Juan Bernardino, appeared to be in his final hours on the early morning of December 12, St. Juan left the house to find a priest.
  
  Believing that he could avoid seeing the Blessed Virgin, he took another route. However, not to be outsmarted, she still appeared to him.
  
  The Blessed Virgin asked where he was going, and he explained that his uncle was ill. In response to Juan’s lack of understanding of her great love for him, the Blessed Virgin asked him, “Am I not here, I who am your mother?” She then told him that his uncle had, in fact, recovered.
  
  Then Our Lady asked Juan to collect some flowers from Tepeyac Hill, which is usually barren. He found Castilian roses, which are not native to Mexico, much less bloom in central Mexico in December.
  
  The Blessed Mother arranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, before he proceeded to the bishop yet again. Upon opening his tilma before the bishop and other witnesses, the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was revealed as the roses fell to the ground.
  
  The following day, St. Juan returned to his uncle and found him completely recovered, as the Virgin had said. Juan Bernadino reported that Mary had appeared to him and requested to be known under the title of “Guadalupe.”
  
  Within seven years of this apparition, in which Our Lady manifested herself to the native peoples of Mexico as a sign of her maternal care, nine million accepted the Catholic faith. Remarkably, this amounts to an average of over 3000 people a day, every day for the next seven years. This is the number who were converted on Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2:41.
- Authority, Power and Holiness
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  These three attributes all come from God, but not in the same way.
  
  Those in authority, with the power to do great things, often have it thrust upon them, like a mother or father. As well, a man or woman, when elected to a high office, go from having no authority or power to all at once having a lot.
  
  Authority and power are good, and should be used to love and serve others, but we know that is all too often not the case. Unfortunately, people often think they deserve the authority and power God has allowed them to have, and don’t look at it as a gift and responsibility.
  
  Then there is holiness.
  
  This can come with earthly authority and power, but its real authority and power is far greater, much different and often unnoticed by the world.
  
  What child is this?
  When we read the Christmas story in the Gospel of St. Luke, there is an interesting list of people:
  
  "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child."
  -Luke 2:1-5
  
  We are told of the following people in order:
  
  Caesar Augustus – ruler of the entire Roman Empire. Thought of as a god by Romans.
  Quirinius – Governor under Caesar with authority over the region of Israel.
  Joseph – head of his family with authority over Mary and her Child.
  Mary – Wife of Joseph and mother of her unborn Child.
  The Child – an unborn baby under the authority and protection of Mary and Joseph. He is completely dependent on them.
  This is Christ the King
  This is how the world sees these people at the time Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem with their unborn Child.
  
  However, that is not what God sees. In God’s eyes, the entire list is reversed:
  
  The Child – The Son of God – the Second Person of the Holy Trinity – all powerful, eternal and creator of all things. He has complete authority and power over all.
  Mary – The Mother of God – immaculate – full of grace – She is holier than any other created person and the most powerful saint in heaven.
  Joseph – The Foster Father of the Son of God – righteous and good, Joseph is second only to Mary in holiness.
  Quirinius – just a man.
  Caesar Augustus – just a man, not a god.
  
  Let loving hearts enthrone Him
  Now, the authority given to Caesar Augustus and Quirinius is real. God allowed them to have authority over the Holy Family. But the true authority, the real power and the holiness we all seek – came from the Child – and those close to Him received His grace.
- Fear Not
  
  By Mike Denz
  
  “While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. When they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, he saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a tumult and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi”; which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and walked (she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.” (Mark 5:35-43)
  Jesus tells us not to fear, but to believe. In the midst of the worst of suffering, the loss of a child, Jesus tells us not to fear. Jesus is trusted by the father of the little girl, even when others laughed at Him.
  
  Death and taxes
  Now I know what some of you are thinking, “Jesus raised his daughter, but he did not raise my daughter, son, mother, father, friend.”
  
  Yes, that is true, but don’t get blinded by that. The father believed in Jesus before his daughter was raised, not after. We know how the story ends, but the little girl’s father did not know. Everyone was telling him she was dead. Everyone was making fun of Jesus and the man’s faith in Jesus, but he still believed.
  
  However, the truth embedded in this miracle of Jesus runs deeper. It involves a truth we don’t like thinking about: death.
  
  Our lives here on earth are temporary. Everyone dies. And everyone goes on to live forever… somewhere. Often our problem is that we make choices which don’t take this fact into account.
  
  The world we live in doesn’t look at life through the lens of this truth. We tend to limit our thinking to just our life on earth. The world views death as an ultimate end. This life is seen as a time we need to make the most of… in terms of money and pleasure. We have sayings like, “You only live once”.
  
  We fear the unknown, and in this case, we fear the thing not yet experienced. We have never been to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. God has told us about them, but we doubt God, and we get influenced by the way the world thinks, though not intentionally, and maybe even unconsciously. Then we fail to carry our belief in God’s promises into our day to day lives. This comes to light most of all when we have to face death.
  
  For example, let’s say a person loses their spouse. This is indeed a most difficult thing to deal with. The sadness of missing ones spouse is very difficult to go through. However, what if the surviving spouse despairs because of all the things their spouse never got to do? What if they lament that they will never see their spouse again? Is this not a kind of denial of the reality of Heaven? I’m not trying to be insensitive. I say this with compassion and love.
  
  I know the plans I have for you
  You see, everyone dies. We may be ninety seconds old or ninety years old, but we all will die. Those we leave behind will be sad, but they will all die too. I know this all sounds quite morbid, but here is my point. We are all striving for Heaven, so we can be happy with God and our loved ones forever. And while our physical life on earth is sacred and should be protected, we need to act more like Catholic Christians who understand that – ultimately – we are all trying to get to Heaven.
  “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also.” (John 12:25-26)
  Like all things, prayer will help us be better at this. We can pray to God and ask him to open our eyes to spiritual realities and help us to be mindful of them and allow them to guide our thoughts and actions. Pray for the grace to remember that this life is not the end, but only a drop in the ocean of God’s love for us.
  
  Remember, the little girl in St. Mark’s Gospel died, but Jesus had other plans for her… and He has great plans for us as well.

Sacred Thinking Blog

What child is this?

Let loving hearts enthrone Him