A Beacon Of Light… The Greatest Of All The Sacraments

• 2 years ago

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)

• + + The Third Sacrament of Initiation is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the greatest of all sacraments. For in receiving the Eucharist we receive Christ Himself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us: “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life’….The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch” (CCC, n. 1324).
  
  If the Sacrament of the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of Christian life, then, we must know whom it is we receive in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Often people will ask: What is the Eucharist? This is the wrong question to ask! What we should be asking is: Whom are we receiving in the Eucharist. The answer is quite simple: We are receiving God Himself; the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord.
  
  Two thousand years ago, on the night He was handed over, Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. This sacrament, as He commanded the apostles, was to be offered “in remembrance of me.” Having instituted the priesthood on that night, Jesus gave His disciples the responsibility to offer this sacrifice forever.
  
  At each Mass, the priest has the great privilege of holding Jesus Himself. That is why at the Ordination of a priest his hands are consecrated, anointed with Sacred Chrism, to perform this most sacred act. By this consecration the priest offers the sacrifice of salvation for the People of God; thus enabling us to receive the fullness of God’s grace. We receive the food needed on the journey of faith.
  
  St. Thomas Aquinas offers us a reflection on the food we receive in the Eucharist. He says: “Material food first changes into the one who eats it, and then, as a consequence, restores to him lost strength and increases his vitality. Spiritual food, on the other hand, changes the person who eats it into itself. Thus the effect proper to this Sacrament is the conversion of a man into Christ, so that he may no longer live, but Christ lives in him; consequently, it has the double effect of restoring the spiritual strength he had lost by his sins and defects, and of increasing the strength of his virtues” (St. Thomas, Commentary on Book IV of the Sentences, d.12, q.2, a.11).

Eucharistic Miracles

The Eucharist is considered the greatest of all sacraments and it is here we receive the food that strengthens us on the journey of faith. Sometimes, however, we take for granted the great power the Eucharist has in our lives. Sometimes God gives us reminders of how great the Eucharist is.

Throughout the centuries there have been many miraculous experiences where the Lord reminded people of how powerful the Eucharist can be.

One such experience occurred in the year 1240 when St. Clare of Assisi saved her convent and Assisi from the hands of pagan Muslims. About to be attacked, St. Clare, with the monstrance being carried before her, prayed for the protection from these enemies.

Immediately a voice, like that of a Child, was heard saying: “My dear daughter you shall be saved and your city too.” It was because of St. Clare’s devotion to the Eucharist that she and her nuns were saved from their enemy.

We don’t always need to look to the past to see the power of our Eucharistic Lord at work among us, all we have to do is open our eyes and see these miraculous moments happening.

One such occasion happened recently. A young couple were approaching the due date of their second child. The date passed and a week later it was decided to induce labor. The mother arrived at the hospital and was escorted to the birthing center. Soon, however, the unexpected happened and the baby’s heart stopped. The mom was rushed for an emergency C-section surgery to save the baby. The outlook was very grim. Soon the doctors found themselves doing CPR on this newborn hoping for the best. After thirty minutes of CPR, the baby had a heartbeat and was breathing with the help of a ventilator.

The doctors informed the mother of the serious condition concerning the new baby and that he would probably die during the night. Immediately it was determined to transport the baby to the Neonatal Intensive Care of the local children’s hospital.

The mother, groggy and confused, called her parish priest seeking advice on what to do. The priest recommended the immediate Baptism of the struggling baby.

The next morning the baby was still alive, although critical and still breathing on a vent. He had survived the night despite all odds against him.

The parish priest arrived to visit the baby and offer spiritual support to the parents, including Holy Communion. After speaking with the parents, the priest was told that the baby was most likely severely brain damaged and would not survive. The priest, then, felt a burning desire to pray over the baby. Together with the parents, the priest stood at the baby’s bedside and began to offer prayers.

However, as the priest was about to give the parents Holy Communion, a voice from within told him to place the Eucharist on the baby’s head. This he did as he prayed, asking the Eucharistic Lord to heal the baby. Then he gave Holy Communion to the parents.

The next day the baby began improving. The doctor was not optimistic, however, saying the baby would still die. Although alive, he was still critical!

A couple of days later, the parents had to decide to remove the breathing tube. The doctor was encouraging the parents to let the baby die peacefully. The parents invited their parish priest to be present when the tube was removed, citing the doctor’s assurance of the baby’s imminent demise. Again the priest visited the parents with the intention of bringing them Holy Communion. Prior to removing the tube, the priest felt again an inner voice yelling him to place the Eucharist on the baby’s head, which he did.

Afterwards, the breathing tube was removed and to the doctor’s surprise, the baby began breathing on his own. One month later, the baby was released from the hospital and went home.

Reflect On The Great Gift

The power of the Eucharist was made present in the lives of this little child and his parents, but more important, this Eucharistic Miracle was needed to soften the heart of the neonatal doctor who had no hope for this child. In the end, the doctor called the parents to offer his apology for not having hope in dealing with their child. He told them that he believed medically speaking, their child should be dead. This experience has changed the doctor’s view in dealing with future critically ill newborns.

When was the last time we reflected on the great gift of the Eucharist? When was the last time we participated in Mass, not going through the motions, but really listened to the prayers of the Mass?

Now is the time for a renewal in respect and reverence for the Eucharist. Not only is the Eucharist the food of everlasting life, but the Eucharist is a divine portal through which we become more like Christ.

Every time we receive the bread from Heaven, God touches us, and we touch God! How blest are we to be chosen to participate in so great a mystery that is our faith!

In closing I offer this Act of Adoration to Jesus in The Most Blessed Sacrament:

O Sacrament most holy!

O Sacrament divine!

All praise and all thanksgiving

Be every moment Thine. Amen.