Dear Friends,

I recently saw a reference to an article about the increasing number of converts from protestant religions to Catholicism as being driven by belief in the Eucharist. This article was directed to other protestant teachers, instructing them to sharpen their counter arguments. I found it fascinating that it wasn’t fancy dialogue or flashy advertisement that caused conversion—it was the power of the Eucharist itself.

It is in moments like this that the reality of what happens at every single Mass drives me to my knees. The beauty of the Eucharist is not so much that in receiving Jesus, He becomes one with us, which is true, but more so that we become one with God.  Think about that! For a few brief moments Jesus, the Son of God, is loving his father perfectly through us.  Incredible.

Pope Leo invites the faithful to prepare to encounter God in the Eucharist on the altar and in our daily lives: “Every gesture of willingness, every gratuitous act, every forgiveness given in advance, every effort patiently accepted is a way to prepare a place where God can dwell,”

One of the prayers prayed by the Missionary of Charity Fathers says, God stands at the door of our hearts waiting for the smallest of invitations to enter: “And I want you to know that whenever you invite me, I come. Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love and bringing the many gifts of my spirit.”

I pray that the next time you receive communion, you might just ponder for a moment the awe-inspiring love of God who humbles himself to become our food so we can become what we eat.

Yours in the Heart of Jesus,
Donna