“You have to eat It.”
The other day I attended early morning Mass. During the Mass, there was a woman in front of me in the line to receive Holy Communion. On her way down the aisle, she saw a young child who she obviously knew and she bent to pick the child up (from out of his mother’s arms) and carried the child with her to the altar. When she reached the end, she received the Blessed Eucharist into her hand and then turned to leave the altar.
The priest immediately stopped administering Holy Communion and said, “You have to eat It.” He said it relatively quietly at first. Then, when she ignored (or did not hear him) he repeated louder, “You have to eat It.” Still the woman was distracted with the child she was carrying and still she was not consuming the Holy Eucharist. A third time the priest called out – loudly this time – “You have to eat it.” This time he stepped down form the altar and stood beside the women to watch her consume the Blessed Eucharist.
After he was sure that she had consumed the Eucharist, he returned to the altar and continued to administer Holy Communion.
I have been reflecting on that experience ever since, because it was such a vivid reminder of God present in the Blessed Eucharist.
That priest was completely fixated on ensuring that the Blessed Eucharist was consumed and not dishonoured by that woman. He did not care how loud he needed to be. He did not care that the Mass was interrupted. He did not care that I (and others) had to wait in line for him to become available to finish administering the Sacrament. Instead, his whole focus was on the respect for the Holy Eucharist.
And I have been thinking about that today. When Saint Carlo Acutis was a young teenager, he designed a website displaying the various miracles of the Holy Eucharist. There were many examples of the Host bleeding or not decomposing. And he spent many hours reflecting on those miracles during his short time – while compiling that website.
And it seems to me that I receive the Blessed Eucharist – the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of God as though I am receiving a scrap of bread. In the old days, people were only allowed to receive Holy Communion once or twice a year. Saints like Saint Therese of Lisieux would wait for months to be given permission to receive the Blessed Sacrament, and they spent their time longing for the Sacrament and the Communion with God. And I walk into a Church and receive God Himself inside my soul as though I were receiving food into my stomach.
And I think of God of the Universe, humbling Himself for my sake, and I feel such an overwhelming sense of awe. For what a miracle it is to have a God like that!
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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