JMJ + OBT

God Bless you! May our Lady, St. Joseph, St. Therese, St. John the Baptist, St. Cyril of Alexandria, and all the Holy Angels and Saints of God smile upon you. Welcome to the Lay Formation Program of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. My name is Father Zachary of the Mother of God. It is my pleasure to serve you and to help you come to understand the way the Most Holy Trinity formed Our Blessed Mother into a life of holiness. God had a plan for her life, and she responded so perfectly that now she is in heaven. God has the same destiny prepared for us, and so we open ourselves to this plan of Divine Love as we begin with prayer.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, pray for us.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, pray for us.

Today, we will be speaking about the Source, the Center, and the Summit of our life: the Most Holy Eucharist. We remember, a couple of months ago, we spoke about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Liturgy is the worship of God, and the high point of the Liturgy is the Most Holy Eucharist. Communion with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God Himself is a communion. Jesus Christ, the God-man, is a communion between God and man. The Holy Spirit is always working to bring about communion among the family of the Father. Our life is a call to communion, and we are blessed to be able to receive Our Lord: body, blood, soul and divinity; really, truly and substantially present in the Most Holy Eucharist. If we are in communion with the Catholic Church and if we are in a state of grace, we receive the greatest gift any human being could ever receive in the Most Holy Eucharist. There is nothing we could do in our whole lifetime to be worthy of one Eucharist. God desires to have communion with us, because we were created in communion for communion. Our destiny is communion.

Previously, we talked about Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Church. The Mass, the Most Holy Eucharist is contained in Sacred Scripture, because Jesus instituted the Most Holy Eucharist. There are numerous places we find the Mass documented in Sacred Scripture:

• In St. Matthew’s Gospel 26:26, Jesus took bread, He gave it to His disciples and stated, “This is my body.”
• In St. Mark’s Gospel chapter 13:23-24 Jesus said, after He took the cup, “This is my blood of the covenant.”
• In St. Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said the blessing, broke it, and said “Do this in memory of me.”
• In First Corinthians, Chapter 11:23-25, St. Paul pens the earliest written account of the institution of the Eucharist.
• In the Acts of the Apostles we refer to Chapter 2, Verse 42, we see how the early Church gathered to celebrate the Eucharist. Acts 20:7 “The first day of the week, the community gathered to break bread.”
• Of course, the Eucharistic teaching contained in St. John’s Gospel, Chapter 6 where our Lord says, “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life within you,” teaches us the importance of the Mass.

Jesus is talking about supernatural life. We want to have that supernatural life. Many people left Jesus when He gave that teaching on the Eucharistic. Please do not leave Jesus. The Eucharist is His gift of Life. He wants to give all of Himself to you. You see the passion of His Heart contained in St. John’s Gospel; the Eucharistic discourse of Our Lord at the Last Supper Chapters 14, 15, 16 and 17. Chapter 17 begins the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. His heart opens to us at the Last Supper. He shares the longings of His heart to have communion with us, so that we may have communion with God. That is why He came from heaven. We understand how the Mass is celebrated. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass makes present the unique event of Jesus’ sacrifice that began at the last Supper and was consummated on Calvary. These events are made present in every Mass. They are made present so that the saving work of redemption may continue.

We open ourselves to the great gift of Jesus’ love in the Eucharist by entering into the Heart of our Blessed Mother. The Sacred Tradition of the Church shows that the Mass has been celebrated from the time of the Last Supper. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will continue across time until Jesus returns. Mass will be celebrated here on earth until we join Him at the Eucharistic banquet of heaven, God willing. The early Church Fathers describe how the Mass was celebrated. You can turn to Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find all these references. I find the surest way to understand the Eucharist is to enter Our Lady’s Heart.

We talked about the Magisterium of the Church, the teaching authority of the Church. Remember Mary is the Mother of the Church. The Church is our Mother, and our Mother desires to teach us about the depths of Jesus’ love made present in the Eucharist. So I urge you to open yourself to our Blessed Mother. She will share with you the gift of Jesus who is in the Eucharist.

One of the ways that I would like to share with you, how to understand the Eucharist, is by understanding the Eucharistic mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary. We talked about the Rosary, how the Rosary comes from Scripture and Tradition. The Magisterium helps us understand the depths of the Rosary. As we pray the Rosary, there are Eucharistic aspects to be discovered in every Mystery. This is because when you say, “Jesus,” you say, “Eucharist.” You see, Jesus is the Eucharist. When you read the Gospels, and you read Jesus’ Name you can replace the Name of Jesus with “Eucharist.”

Let us walk through the mysteries of the Rosary, to see the Face of Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist in the School of Mary:

The first Joyful Mystery: The Annunciation, where Our Lady says ‘yes’ to the plan of God announced by the angel Gabriel. The Holy Spirit comes upon our Blessed Mother; just as the Holy Spirit comes in the epiclesis in the Mass. When Our Lady says ‘yes,’ Jesus leaps out of heaven into the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us; what we know as the Incarnation. That is what happens at the Mass. Jesus becomes really, truly, substantially present on the altar in His body, blood, soul and divinity. At the Incarnation, Our Lady had such joy, the greatest joy of her life. She experienced that same joy every time she received our Lord in the Eucharist, at the hands of the priests that Jesus ordained at the Last Supper.

St. John took her into His home, following our Lord’s instructions from the cross. Saint John, the bishop, the priest, gave to our Blessed Mother, Jesus in the Eucharist. Our Lady who gave us Jesus by saying ‘yes’ to God’s plan now receives Jesus in the Eucharist from the hands of Saint John. As she approached each and every Eucharist, she had a tear in her eye, recognizing the great Love made present in the Eucharist. God’s only begotten Son, the Son of God and the Son of Mary, gifting Himself to us. The tear in Our Lady’s eye says everything. She was filled with joy, just as she was filled with joy at the Annunciation and Incarnation. Are you filled with that kind of joy when you receive our Lord in the Eucharist? For those who have never received Our Lord in the Eucharist; we invite you to that joy. Come to the Catholic Church. Jesus is waiting for you. He wants to share His joy.

We move to the second joyful Mystery : The Visitation of Our Blessed Mother to the house of Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist. Our Blessed Mother has Our Lord in her womb. Right away she makes haste to her cousin Elizabeth, who has John the Baptist in her womb, in the house of Zechariah. That is what we are supposed to do at the end of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass after giving thanksgiving. We are supposed to go out and bring our Lord to other people’s houses and bring them joy. John the Baptist leaps in the womb at the presence of Jesus.

You see, Our Lady is the first monstrance, the first tabernacle, the first ciborium. When we receive our Lord in the Eucharist, we should be a living tabernacle; a monstrance manifesting Jesus Christ, bringing joy to other peoples houses. When Our Lady sings the Magnificat, it is a Eucharistic hymn. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has looked with favor on His lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed. The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is His name” and it goes on. We should sing the Magnificat when we receive Our Lord in the Eucharist. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, whom I just received in the Eucharist. The Almighty has done great things for me, and Holy is His name. All generations call us blessed. We are blessed to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist. I will share a little secret with you. When I am purifying the Sacred Vessels, at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I pray the “Magnificat,” because it is a Eucharistic hymn

We move to the third Joyful Mystery : Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem means the “House of Bread.” Jesus was born in the “house of bread,” Jesus was born right into the Eucharist. You can learn how to adore Jesus in the Eucharist. You can learn to see Him with the eyes of Mary and St. Joseph. You can kneel, adoring him, as the angels adore, the shepherds adore, the wise men adore. Learn how to adore. Learn to come to Eucharistic Adoration. That will be one of the things we address during our Facilitations.

As a matter of fact, every third Facilitation is centered in the Eucharist. Every third facilitation focuses on “Living for the Triune God.” This is centered in the Eucharist because, you see, where Jesus is, there also are the Father and the Holy Spirit: the Trinity is present. Now, theologically we make a distinction. It helps us; it is necessary. You see, Jesus is present body, blood, soul and divinity; really, truly and substantially in the Eucharist. Where Jesus is, there is the Father and there is the Holy Spirit. However, we must say the Father and the Holy Spirit are present concomitantly, because only Jesus assumed a human nature. That is for a theology class on Christology. We will be happy to share every thing we have with you.

Let us look with Our Lady’s eyes: the Trinity is present. You can never separate the Trinity. When you receive our Lord in the Eucharist, you receive the Holy Spirit. Our Father gives us our daily bread to do His will, to make His Kingdom present, to make Holy His Name. We are indeed able to overcome temptation and be delivered from the evil one. We have the power of the Eucharist. The Mystery of the birth of Jesus; He is present in the Eucharist.

The fourth Joyful Mystery : The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The law is fulfilled. The law said that the first born male that opens the womb, should be redeemed. Even though Jesus is the Redeemer, He humbles Himself to fulfill the Law. Our Lady, who is pure, does not need to be purified, but she consents to fulfill the law regarding purity. Jesus fulfilled laws that did not even apply to Him, to make up for others who do not live the Law of God. The Eucharist gives us the power to do that. Jesus is presented in the Temple. Can you not see this in the Offertory at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? We come forward and present the gifts ourselves, that are to become—at the words of consecration—the Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus is presented in the Temple and He is in every tabernacle, in every Catholic Church all around the world; the Mystery of Presentation in the Temple.

The fifth Joyful Mystery : The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Do you want to find Jesus? As I just said, He is in every tabernacle in every Catholic Church around the world. Do you want to have the joy of finding Jesus? Come to Him. Just as He was listening to those who had responsibility for instructing the people of Israel, and He asked them questions, lifting them up into the Mystery of Himself. When you come to Him, He will listen to you. He will ask you questions as well. He will lift you up into Himself.

The first Luminous Mystery : The Baptism of Our Lord. Jesus did not need to be baptized. Jesus did not need to be redeemed; Jesus is the Redeemer; Jesus is God. He submits Himself humbly, under the hand of St. John the Baptist, to be Baptized for us. He is Baptized to sanctify the waters of Baptism. This is fulfilling the Will of God so that all righteousness will be fulfilled. Jesus humbles Himself, Jesus humbles Himself in the Eucharist.

If you look at the Eucharist, do you see how small He becomes for us? Why is it we want to become so big? One time Jesus was speaking to a mystic, Gabriel Bossis, who wrote this beautiful book, “He and I.” Jesus was speaking to her at a Eucharistic procession. Among those present were the Holy Father and numerous cardinals, bishops, and priests. All were dressed appropriately in the proper regalia to honor Our Lord; all prepared to worship Our Lord in the Eucharist. Jesus said to her, “Look, look. Who is the smallest one there?” Jesus in the Eucharist. Yet, Jesus holds the whole universe together. There are innumerable lessons in the Eucharist, just looking at the Eucharist. How pure. How simple. How composed. How peaceful. How humble. Jesus is in the Eucharist. Yet, the perfection of Charity in the Eucharist. All these are points for your reflection. The Eucharist helps us to live our Baptism.

The second Luminous Mystery : the Wedding Feast at Cana. Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, who is attentive to all of our needs, attentive to the needs of the young couple who was just married, she goes to Jesus and says “They have no wine.” The wine represents the Holy Spirit. In the way they were living the Old Testament they were running out of the Holy Spirit. We needed the New and everlasting covenant in Jesus’ blood. So the first public miracle of Jesus is turning the water into wine. At the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we present wine, and at the words of Jesus, the priest in the Mass, the wine becomes the Blood of the New and Everlasting Covenant. So rich are these Mysteries. So rich is the Eucharist. So rich is God’s love. So important is our Blessed Mother’s intercession for us to understand what is really happening. See with the eyes of Mary, our Blessed Mother, and let your eyes be opened and your life enriched. Find the Eucharistic Mystery of your life.

The third Luminous Mystery : The Proclamation of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is made present in the Eucharist. Jesus is the King; Jesus is the Kingdom. The Eucharist makes the Kingdom present, and when you receive the Eucharist you can live a life worthy of the Kingdom. You can begin to conduct yourself in the ways of Truth, Life, Holiness, Grace, Justice, Love and Peace. The Eucharist makes present the Kingdom of God. For where the King is, there is the Kingdom.

The fourth Luminous Mystery : The Transfiguration. We go up to the mountain top and we see Jesus in His glory, a glimpse of His glory. When you look at Jesus in the Eucharist, you are looking at God. Jesus is the human face of God and the Divine face of man. It is God in the Eucharist. We bow down before the Mystery. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He strengthens us to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. We behold His glory and we draw the strength to go to the cross. We can only do that in the Eucharist.

The fifth Luminous Mystery : The Institution of the Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood. That is the precise Mystery we have been discussing: the Eucharist. At the Last Supper, Jesus loving His own, and loving them to the end, as it says in Scripture, gives us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist. He says, “I have longed to eat this meal with you.” Jesus has “longed to eat this meal with you.” The Passover meal, we pass over from death to life. We pass over from darkness to light. We pass from hatred to love. We pass over from slavery to freedom. We pass over from earth to heaven on the bridge of the cross that is present in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is the Paschal Mystery of Christ. The Eucharist is Christ crucified, risen, and ascended. Do you want to learn how to die to yourself and then rise and ascend and keep it all connected? It is all in the Eucharist. At the Last Supper, Jesus washes feet. The Eucharist gives us strength to wash feet. That is what He instructs us to do, to wash feet. He washes away our sins, all the things we walk through in life. We become so dirty and defiled. Jesus says, “Unless you allow me to wash your feet, you have no part in me.” Let Jesus wash your feet.

Now if you are ‘dirty,’ so to speak, if you have committed mortal sin, you come to the Sacrament of Peace and Reconciliation, before coming to Our Lord in the Eucharist. It is a sin to receive our Lord in the state of mortal sin. You can read that in Scripture, in St. Paul’s writings. Jesus waits in the Sacrament of Peace and Reconciliation to prepare you to receive Him. The Sacrament of Peace and Reconciliation is closely connected to the Eucharist. I urge you all to go to that Sacrament once a month. I urge my directees, my spiritual directees to go at least every two weeks, if not every week. You, my spiritual children, I invite you come to Jesus. At the Last Supper in the Eucharistic discourse, you hear Jesus talking about His call to love. He says, “I give you a new commandment, “Love each other as I have loved you.” That is a commandment, not a suggestion. Do we love as Jesus loves? We need the strength of the Eucharist to love as Jesus loves.

Jesus prays that all may be one. The Eucharist is the source of true communion, true Ecumenism. I want to say this to my separated brethren and sisters out there: Christians, I admire you. From my heart, I call you to the fullness of the Eucharistic Mystery of your life. Jesus is really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist. He is substantially present. It is not just a sign. It is not just a symbol. Yes, we celebrate in memory of Jesus, but in the Hebrew sense of memory, “zekar”. “Zekar,” in Hebrew means “to remember.” This is very dear to me, my name is Zachary, meaning “in remembrance of God.” Connected to the Mother of God, who helps me remember God. “Zekar,” to remember in the Hebrew sense, means to make everything present now.

We think in terms of past, present, future. However, in the Hebrew sense of ‘to remember,’ in the Greek “anamnesis” that takes place in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, ‘to remember’ is always present. Heaven meets earth and we leave time in the embrace of Divine Love in the Eucharist. I urge you all to come to the fullness of communion in the Catholic Church. It is a scandal to the world that we are not all united as Christians. True Ecumenism means that we must be centered in the Truth that sets us free. The gift of the Eucharist, the gift of Our Blessed Mother, the gift of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the Magisterium of the Church, these are essential to our life in Christ. There is so much we agree upon. We pray, we do acts of charity, we love Scripture. We love each other. Because we love you, we are calling you to come to the fullness. Come to the Eucharist. May your hearts be touched. We love you. God loves you. Our Lady loves you.

We move into the Love of Jesus in the Eucharist. This Love gives us the strength to go forward into what is known as the Sorrowful Mysteries.

Jesus goes to the garden and He agonizes, because so many people reject the love of God. He wants all people to be united in that Love, as we just mentioned. He sweated blood because we’re not united. The Eucharist gives you the strength to go forward into the Sorrowful Mysteries. It gives meaning and purpose to our carrying of the cross. We go to the garden and pray. Jesus says, “Can you not pray with me one hour?” That is Eucharistic Adoration, one hour. Can you not do that? I recommend going to Adoration at least once a week. Fathers, please take your children. That will make a profound impact in their lives.

We move forward and Jesus is scourged at the pillar. His flesh is torn from His body. Blood pours forth. He calls us to a life of purity. He wants us to receive Him, loving Him with all our heart, soul, might, and mind. His flesh is real food, His blood is real drink, and Jesus means it. He wants to feed us with Himself. He loves us that much.

Jesus moves forward to the crowing of thorns. Jesus’ Sacred Head is pierced because so many people reject this beautiful gift of the Eucharist. Jesus longs for you to come to Him. His every thought is about you. Right now He is thinking about you. You are the apple of His eye. Yet, many have strayed, and it hurts Him, it pierces His Sacred Head. He gives Himself in the Eucharist to draw to His way of life, to strengthen you to live His life. Console Our Lord in His Passion. Receive Our Lord worthily. Believe. For those who are not yet Catholic, the whole world is called to be Catholic. What a wonderful world that would be! Come. We will help you prepare to receive this wondrous gift of God’s Love.

The fourth Sorrow Mystery : The Carrying of the Cross. Jesus embraces His cross. He embraces His cross. He embraces His cross. The hour is at hand. Jesus keeps His vision fixed on the Father’s will, the Holy Spirit leads Him to Calvary, and our Blessed Mother is there on the Way of the Cross. Pray the Way of the Cross, you will understand more about His Passion and you will come to understand more about the need to have communion with God. God Himself, the God-man, Jesus Christ, was in communion when He went to the cross. We need to be in communion to carry our crosses. If you are falling under you crosses continually, or running from them, learn from the Eucharist how to embrace them. This Rosary that I hold is made of wood. You see wood reminds us of the wood of the cross. In this crucifix is a piece of the wood of the cross. Let us carry our cross. Find the strength in the Eucharist to go forward to your destiny.

The fifth Sorrowful Mystery : Jesus dies on the Cross with our Blessed Mother at the foot of the cross. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is pierced, and from His heart flows blood and water. The Church is born from His side. The Bride of Christ, the Church, comes from the side of Christ, just as Eve comes from the side of Adam. The new Adam, Jesus Christ, works with the new Eve, Our Blessed Mother. Our Redeemer works with Our Lady who is Co-Redemptrix. The term ‘Co-Redemptrix’ has to be properly understood. Our Lady is a human person. God is our Savior, the God-man Jesus Christ. Everything Jesus does is a Theandric action. He is the God-man, who redeems us. Our Blessed Mother, her actions are Anthropic, she is a human person. She cooperates so perfectly in that work of redemption, she is properly understood as Co-Redemptrix, but that is by participation. We are called to participate also. We make up through our sufferings what is needed in the Body of Christ. We all have a role.

Look to Colossians 1:24. We are to embrace suffering. The Eucharist gives us the strength. As I said, in the Eucharist is Jesus crucified and risen. You see, you have to keep the Crucifixion connected to the Resurrection. Read Ecclesia de Eucharistia. Ecclesia de Eucharistia was written by John Paul the Great, in the Year of the Most Holy Eucharist. It is full of wonderful insights into the Mystery of the Eucharist. John Paul the Great also wrote Mane Nobiscum Domine, which means, “Stay with us, Lord” to kick off the year of the Eucharist. You can find all of these on the Vatican website, www.vatican.va. Many, many wonderful resources are available to help you understand this Mystery of God’s Love.

We move to the Glorious Mysteries. The Resurrection. In the Eucharist is Jesus resurrected. Now, remember Good Friday comes before Easter Sunday. We embrace suffering, but we follow through to the resurrection. We are a resurrected people, our hymn is “Alleluia.” The Resurrection is made present in the Eucharist. When we receive Our Lord we sing Alleluia.

The Ascension of Our Lord, 40 days after the Resurrection, is the second Glorious Mystery. Do you want to ascend in Christ above this world, above the devil, above the flesh, the enemies of our soul? Do you want to ascend above them? Receive the Eucharist worthily and you will have the victory.

The third Glorious Mystery : The Holy Spirit descends upon Our Blessed Mother and the Apostles at Pentecost. In the Eucharist you receive fire, you receive the Holy Spirit. It should change the way you receive Our Lord in the Eucharist. You receive fire that transforms you from within. You receive the Trinitarian life. You are to go forth as a missionary making the Eucharistic Mystery of your life present.

The fourth Glorious Mystery : Our Blessed Mother is assumed body and soul into heaven. When we receive our Lord in the Eucharist, in a sense, we are assumed right in to heaven. For those moments while the actual flesh and blood of Jesus is united with us, 15, 20, 25 minutes, you have communion, physical communion with God, a foretaste of heaven, assumed above this world. Have you ever noticed the beautiful time after you have received our Lord in the Eucharist? When the people receive our Lord in Holy Communion? There is that holy silence, the stillness in the Church. I wish I could sit there for hours. I pray that people could sit there for at least a minute. Know Who you receive. Know that you are united with heaven. Know that heaven is your destiny.

The fifth Glorious Mystery : The Coronation of Our Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth. Our Lady will help you understand the Eucharistic Mystery of your life. We are indeed crowned when we receive Our Lord in the Eucharist. Do you know who you receive? Our Lord, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. What an awesome crowning that is! When we receive our Lord in the Eucharist we want to have a sense of blessing, a sense of thanksgiving, a sense of wonder and awe, a sense of adoration, a sense of contemplation, a sense of celebration. We are lifted up into communion with God. That is amazing.

Now, I want to go a little bit more deeply into beauty of the Eucharist by going to the Cross, where Jesus died for us. Our Blessed Mother was with Jesus, at the foot of the cross. The Sacred Heart of Jesus was pierced and because Our Lady loves Jesus so much, she who knows Jesus as her God and as her Son, Our Blessed Mother’s heart was pierced. From the Sacred Heart of Jesus flowed blood and water. Now, man can be restored to the Covenant of Communion of the Most Holy Trinity. God restores this Covenant at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where the New and Everlasting Covenant is renewed, at every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The work of redemption continues at the Mass; this saving act of Jesus Christ, the only Mass, the Last Supper consummated at Calvary, is re-presented, in an unbloody way. Salvation is wrought. The graces of redemption go forth. Every newspaper in the world, every internet site in the world should have as its headlines, “The Mass was celebrated. Redemption has been won. Jesus the Victor has been made present.” Yet, we’re caught up in so much trivia. People do not understand what is occurring in the Mass.

We need to learn from our Blessed Mother to see what is really happening in this Mystery of Divine Love. I urge you also to have a relationship with all the Saints. I urge you to go to St. John, the beloved Disciple, at the Last Supper, who places his head on the Heart of Jesus.

That is what we do in Eucharistic Adoration; we place our head on the Heart of Jesus. There is a great Eucharistic miracle at Lanciano, in Italy. They did a medical study of this Eucharistic miracle, and they found that there was a heart strand in the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The whole Jesus is present body, blood soul and divinity, really truly, and substantially present. Place your head on the heart of Jesus in the Eucharist in Eucharistic adoration. In communion with God you come to understand what is in the heart of Jesus. When you receive Our Lord in the Eucharist you receive the Mind of Jesus. That is what it means to receive His Mind and His Heart.

Jesus is present body, blood, soul and divinity. I want you to reflect on what that means. The Body of Christ, we are all one body. Jesus is our Head, He is the head of the Church; we are His body. His life flows to us in the Eucharist. First there is Baptism, but then He nourishes us in the Eucharist. The Blood of Jesus, the blood of the New and Everlasting Covenant, what does that mean? We are gathered into this Covenant. God’s life is Covenant. We talked about Covenant history last month, the New and Everlasting Covenant.

In fact at the time of consecration, what takes place? Four things take place:

• We are forgiven our venial sins.
• We are purified.
• We are covered with the blood of Jesus Christ
• The New and Everlasting Covenant is renewed.

Those who are not yet in the covenant, the power from the Eucharist goes forth like a radioactive power or nuclear fission, yet infinitely more powerful. It goes forth from the altar gathering the family of the Father into this New and Everlasting Covenant. Those who left the Covenant through sin are also gathered. That is what is happening, a miracle before our eyes, the greatest Miracle of God’s Love.

You know, some people say to me, “Prove it to me. Prove the Eucharist to me.” Remember we talked about how Faith comes before understanding. The greatest minds in the history of the world believed in the Eucharist.

Yet, the Eucharist is not about scientific proofs, even though we have scientific proofs that confirm everything the Church teaches. God, who created everything, is not subject to the laws of nature. He submits himself to the laws of nature, but this is a miracle that goes beyond that. That is what takes place in the Eucharist in the Mass. Do not offend God by saying, “Oh, God you must be subject to the laws of nature and science. You who created nature, You who gave us science, You must be subject to those laws.” Are you kidding me?

What does it mean to have a soul relationship with Jesus? The faculties of the soul are the memory, intellect and will. We put on the Mind of Christ and the Heart of Christ. That is what you receive in the Eucharist. You receive all the Gospels, all the teachings of Christ, the whole deposit of faith if you are open to it.

Because, if you receive Jesus you receive all of Jesus, Jesus does not give Himself in pieces. That is another lesson for us from the Eucharist. Jesus teaches us to give all of ourselves, and to be really present to other people. You know how it is when somebody is really present to you, it is beautiful. But if they are scattered everywhere, they are looking at their watch, they are looking all around, it hurts. Jesus is here totally. He is really, truly, and substantially present in the Eucharist. The smallest particle of the Eucharist is the whole Jesus. He teaches us to give all of ourselves and never hold back. That is what the Eucharist teaches us.

Body, blood, soul, and divinity. You receive Divinity, you receive communion with the uncreated God, uncreated Charity. Do you want to learn to live a life of Charity? You know that great passage from scripture, “Love is patient, love is kind…?” It is all a description of the Eucharist. You can go through that whole scripture and find that it is a description of the Eucharist and it is a description of you. Are you kind? Are you loving? Are you patient? The only way to become all of these things, to live a life of Virtue, is to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist.

That brings us to the Sacrifice of the Mass. The Liturgy of the Word precedes, that means comes before, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word challenges us to great things, things that are beyond our strength. We need supernatural strength. Jesus knows what He asks of us. We cannot do it, but with God everything is possible. He gives us Himself in the Eucharist, so we can live the Word. The Eucharist and the Word are infinitely connected. The Eucharist is very, very special because there are only two places that Jesus is substantially present: in Heaven and in the Eucharist. Jesus is really and truly present many places: in the Word, where two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, and in creation. In fact, he holds all creation together. Jesus is really and truly present in many ways, but he is only substantially present in Heaven and in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, He is present in His substance, the very substance of God.

Come to Him in the Eucharist. Let us humble ourselves like Our Lady to receive Our Lord and have the joy Our Lady had at the Annunciation and the Incarnation. Let us not be so proud that we separate ourselves from the greatest gift we can receive as a human person here on earth. In the Heart of Jesus, in the Eucharist, is the unity of God and man. You receive Him, body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. Then, you have a communion with God. God and man being united take place in communion. This is the marriage of mankind with God. Jesus is the Bridegroom, we are the Bride. God loves His Bride so much that He gives Himself totally to His Bride. He died for His Bride on the cross, so we could be cleansed and purified and presented holy, spotless, and undefiled, living a holy way of life. The Eucharist is the gift of God to us. The Eucharist unites heaven and earth, an eternal embrace of oneness in Jesus in the Eucharist.

All creation from beginning to end is renewed in the Eucharist everyday, through communion with the Most Holy Trinity. Jesus, as a Priest, came to restore all creation as an act of praise to the Most Holy Trinity. We talked about how our life should be a hymn of praise to the Most Holy Trinity. Be moved to the Everlasting Life of God made present in the Eucharist. Come live the Eternal Life now, and reach the joy to the end of time! If you live in the Paschal Mystery of Christ in the Eucharist, you move from Sacrifice to Resurrection—a new birth takes place in our lives when we receive the Eucharist. Jesus on the cross says, “Sacrifice with me.” The Eucharist is a Sacrifice, the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

We accept this way of Life, as Our Lady said ‘yes’ to this way of Life. She said ‘yes’ to the plan of God to the angel Gabriel. She said ‘yes’ to God at the foot of the cross. She said ‘yes’ to God and she became Mother of the Church. She said ‘yes’ to God and she is Queen of Heaven and Earth. She helps us understand the Eucharistic Mystery of our lives. We find Our Lady reaffirming the Gospels, teaching us to live the Eucharist that gives us the strength to live the Gospels. She says “Do whatever He tells you.” He tells us to eat His flesh and drink His blood in St. John’s Gospel Chapter 6. He tells us this is the great act of His love and mercy. We learn to say ‘yes’ to God, when we say ‘yes’ to the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist we receive the secret of the Resurrection, the medicine of immortality. Do you want the medicine of immortality? The antidote to death is contained in the Eucharist. Do you want the antidote to death? We live right now in a culture of death. It is time for Life to be made present, and that will only take place in the Eucharist. The Eucharist reinforces communion with heaven. It unites Heaven and Earth. We are united to the heavenly Liturgy, and the great crowd of holy Angels and Saints that shout, “Salvation belongs to God and to the Lamb!”

The Lord wishes to remain with us in the Eucharist. He fulfills His promise to humanity renewed in His love in the Eucharist. Communion is the answer to all of our problems. Be reconciled with God, with yourself, and with others. Remember again, the washing of feet. It represents the need to serve all. We draw the strength to serve in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist we are committed to changing the lives of those around us. This is the fruit of a transfigured existence. Jesus works in the hearts and minds of all who receive Him to bring the world into accord with the Gospel.

In the book of Revelation we hear, “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come Lord, Jesus.’” That is our cry as we approach Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus in the Eucharist restores the family of the Father to communion in the power of the Holy Spirit. When you approach Holy Communion, I ask you to realize that God is taking you into Himself before you are receiving Him. This will change your life if you can grab a hold of this reality. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit takes you into Himself first before you receive Him. That will help you prepare well, and it will change your life. You are stepping right into God. This is your life. You are called to a Divine Life. You are called to the Eucharistic Mystery of your life.

Turn to our Blessed Mother, Mother of the Eucharist. Mary is in fact, the Mother of the Eucharist. She is the Mother of Christ. Christ is the Eucharist. Mary is the Mother of the Eucharist. It is a simple logical syllogism, right? Just like Mary is the Mother of God, Mary is the Mother of Christ. Christ is God. Mary is the Mother of God. Jesus and the Eucharist are one. You are Baptized into Jesus. Turn to Our Lady. She will help you understand all of these Mysteries we discussed today and more. Study your Faith. Remember, Faith precedes understanding.

The three most important points of this teaching are:

• In the Most Holy Eucharist Jesus is really, truly, and substantially present, body, blood soul and divinity. These seven marks: Jesus is really, truly, and substantially present, body, blood, soul and divinity. Learn to relate to Him.
• Communion with God is the greatest gift any human person could ever receive. There is nothing we can do in our lifetime to be worthy of receiving one Holy Eucharist, one Communion with God. It is God’s gift of Love to us.
• Our Lady is the one who will help you understand all these Mysteries that are contained in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the Magisterium of the Church. She will help you enter into the Mass most fully, and help you find the Eucharistic Mystery of your life. Pray the Rosary with a Eucharistic focus and you will come to know the Eucharistic love God has for you.

The challenges of this month are to humble ourselves. Can we humble ourselves before the Mystery of God, His gift of divine love? In the Eucharist we are consumed and transformed in the fires of Divine love. Can we humble ourselves before the Mystery and worship and adore Our Lord? Prepare worthily to receive Him. If you are new, then your challenge is to come and open yourselves up to this Mystery. All are invited, yet not all can receive at this time. All are invited, and in time, and in God’s providence you will be able to receive Him, God willing. Go to Our Lady and ask her for this gift. Ask her for this gift. As a matter of fact, that could be a great blessing of the month, just ask her. When you ask our Blessed Mother, she will help you as only a Mother can help you.

The fruit of this Mystery is finding who you are. In the Eucharist is Jesus Christ. You are Baptized into Him. The graces that flow from the Eucharist are infinite. This is the Mystery of your life. The Eucharist is the Source, the Center, and the Summit of our Faith. I encourage you to come to our Lord. He loves you and gives you this gift of Love. I will be praying for you. In a special way this month I will be praying for you so that you will open yourselves to the greatest gift any human person can receive during this life on earth, Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist.

I entrust you all to our Blessed Mother and give you God’s blessing.

May Almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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