Things Catholic

The Motivation Behind this Location on Lifejustiz®

Take this All of You and Eat it….

This is My Body which will be given up for You…

This is a story of a man who traipsed and wandered for many years–content on skirting the hard mystical questions of his Catholic faith. He was a “Sunday-man” when it came to keeping the day Holy and all that stuff. Hardly ever missing that gathering with other believers each week. Always wanting to experience what he was always taught about his Jesus really being on the altar and present in the bread and the wine after the consecration of both. A hard and tough non-awareness of what was really going on. He was happy to ‘think he believed’ but never ‘felt the presence’ that he just knew had to be experienced not “thought through”. He believed  he must become aware of that reality to understand.

I am That Man– I am the editor, relhurg

On a sunny Sunday morning at Mass, I listened to my pastor talk about this “Bread of Life”  in the Gospel of St. John. He proceeded to teach of us about the value that is given to those who are able to receive Christ’s precious Body and Blood. He started by going back to the Jewish exodus in the Old Testament and how the Jews wandered around the desert for 40 years. The God of Abraham and Isaac fed them with  a bread-like substance called “Manna” a day’s supply at  a time.

From there the pastor led the parish quickly through the references of ‘bread’ being an integral part of Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament. He built a case that Jesus was really foreshadowing the coming teaching to the Apostles about His ”Discourse on the Bread of Life”. He shared how Jesus promised them ” …I will be with you, always…even til the end of time…” could be interpreted as mystically joining with us in the receiving of the bread and wine being converted to Jesus’ body and blood….It sounded like a wonderful Spiritual description that might be…”the real thing…”

Something happened to me that day. I took home one of the Mass books called “Today’s Missal” and  planned to check all this stuff out by myself. After a pleasant lunch and a snack I retreated to my office upstairs and dusted off an old Bible to try and make sense of the morning teachings.

Father had referred us to the  Gospel of St. John  at (Jn 6: 45-59) in the New Testament,  which he said was the basic and absolute belief of the church in the story of the  real presence of His Body and Blood being… real food and real drink. This reference was to become my “AHA MOMENT OF INSIGHT! “

In reading and reflecting on this Magnificent Message, over many weeks and re-readings, I began to feel that God was trying to share the understanding of Jesus’ words ( …Be not afraid, I will be with you always…even to the end of time…”.

I studied, read, and became entranced in the story of  His Last Supper with His Apostles when as in LK 22: 19-20… Jesus tried to tell them all that the Bread and the Wine…will become His REAL BODY AND REAL BLOOD.

For all of us who read this teaching over and over again, it had a startling effect on those that heard these words…many departed from his following. “..How could this be….” appears to be their disbelief…but let me continue with “….the rest of my story…”

For a long time after that initial awareness of the importance of Christ’s word to us all…I was driven to reflect deeply as to the real meaning to me. Each time I attend the Mass I hear the same words that Jesus spoke over 2000 years before “…On the night he was betrayed, He took bread and gave You thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples and said: ‘ Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is My body which will be given up for you.’

‘…When supper was ended, he took the cup. Again he gave You thanks and praise, gave the cup to his disciples, and said: ‘Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of My Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me…’

What a marvelous prayer and Sacrament given to the world, if only We recognize Him in the Breaking of the Bread !  I began to realize that Jesus Really Is In the Bread, and also in the Wine ! The (Invocation) by the Priest to the Holy Spirit to make the gifts of Bread and Wine Holy, and  become the Body and Blood of Jesus. At this moment they are changed. (Transubstantiation) We, the faithful then are given His Body and Blood in Communion.

I appeal to the hearts and minds of all who search for the truth in Jesus’ words (…be not afraid…I will be with you always…) Consider these events:

The bread and wine become Holy by the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread is broken, and the cup is raised and proclaimed, then His Body and Blood is distributed to the Faithful in the Eucharist (Holy Communion).

Ponder the followig: The bread ( Body) is consumed by the recipient…likewise, the wine ( Blood ) is sipped….immediately the chemistry of the human body goes to work. Quickly and efficiently Jesus’ Body and Blood unites with every molecular and cellular portion of our own bodies. We now are one with Jesus..He did it !

This is the reality being lived out of  Jesus’ Promise that  “…Be Not Afraid….I am with you always….even til the end of time…”

Nothing more to say….I came to believe the Living Christ comes to me through the Sacrament of the Eucharist….during the celebration of  the Mass…the reenactment of the Last Supper and the Promises of Christ…. exactly as He promised! God Bless You all and hope this will lift some seeds of doubt and open your heart to the beauty of the Sacrament of Holy Communion and the rich traditions of our Faith !……relhurg

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The Story of Our Lady of Fatima

Editor Note:

I originally placed the Third Secret of Fatima on My home page today with mention that I would be creating the story of this Miracle to my readers.

I looked for information that I wanted to use and ended up reading the Free Wikpedia handling of the story. It is done in an objective and professional manner and I realized I could not better cover the story than they did.

So, to all of my friends, please take the time to learn and respond on the messages that the Catholic Church has been the keeper of the secrets of Fatima for almost 94 years. It is a story of Love, warnings, and reflections on the mind of Our God, shared with 3 simple farm children in Portugal. Chosen to embrace the innocence and veracity of the revelation to the “children” in order to create His Holy truth without preconceptive words and actions of “Worldly Conditioning” of the facts……

Here is the place to go to learn a fairly accurate recital of the facts and data….You be the Judges….but refer all knowledge and questions to the “…Original Author…” Our Father who Art in Heaven…..enjoy…relhurg

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_F%C3%A1tima

Please comment of your feelings or stories…………relhug