This weekend the Church celebrates the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. As Catholics, we firmly believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. At the Last Supper, Jesus told those gathered at table with Him: “This is My Body . . . This is My Blood.” He told us in clear language that He is present. He never said that this is a symbol of My Body, nor did He say that this is a sign of My Blood. He said: “This IS My Body . . . this IS my Blood.” Every time we come to Holy Mass and receive Him in the Eucharist; we are receiving His Flesh and Blood, given for the life and salvation of the world. This is why we approach the Holy Eucharist with such love, respect, and devotion. St. Josemaria reminds us:
“Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect man, leaves us, not a symbol, but a reality. He Himself stays with us. He will go to the Father, but He will also remain among us. He will leave us, not simply a gift that will make us remember Him, not an image that becomes blurred with time, like a photograph that soon fades and yellows. Under the appearances of bread and wine, He is really present, with His body and blood, with His soul and divinity.”