Belief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist

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GODHEAD HERE in hiding

Much has been written recently about the latest polls regarding Catholic belief in the Real Presence. It’s easy to get discouraged when reading that nearly one-third of those contacted for the survey claim they did not believe that Christ is truly present--Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity--in the Holy Eucharist.

We know that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist because He promised us that He would be with His Church until the end of time. (See Matt 28:20.) He gave the apostles explicit instructions:

“Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me,’” as described in Luke

22:19. We see in John 6 that Jesus was speaking very plainly in verses 32-33: “So Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave 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.’” And again in verses 55-57: “Whoever eats* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

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.”

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I have been given the greatest gift imaginable by belonging to a parish these last nineteen years that has a Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. This means that anyone who makes the time can sit quietly with our Lord, fully present under the appearance of bread, anytime day or night, seven days a week.

I remember the day I made the decision to sign up for a weekly hour of adoration. A devoted parishioner at Our Lady of Angels spoke after Mass about the opportunity to deepen one’s prayer life by spending just one hour a week with the Lord in the chapel right across the way. My husband Joe and I were already spending extra time at the

parish, as our daughter Natalie was in kindergarten at St. Thomas Aquinas Regional school, just a short walk from the main church and chapel. I signed up for an hour that would finish up around the time Natalie would be dismissed from school, so it was a good fit. I have gratefully been able to keep to this time slot for the last ten years, even though Natalie is now a junior at St. John Paul the Great High School.

I could write pages upon pages about the countless graces that have been given to both myself and those for whom I have prayed during my time in the chapel over the years. Not only has this time transformed my relationship with our Lord,

but it has enabled me to weather many storms.

Even if you may think you don’t have the time to commit to an hour each week, you can still pop in to sit with Jesus even if only for a few moments. Jesus is there waiting for you, fully present and fully in love with you.

If you would like to learn more about Eucharistic Adoration or would like some inspiration for how to pray during your time in the chapel, there are many resources available online and at the parish. If you stop by on a Thursday afternoon between 1:00-2:00pm, I would love to meet you!

- Mrs. Lisa Hill-Sutton, O.P. Our Lady of Angels (parishioner since 2001)

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