Real presence
One of the greatest mysteries of our Catholic faith is that Christ is truly, really present in the Eucharist. During consecration, the ordinary elements of bread and wine are transformed into the extraordinary - the very Body and Blood of our Lord. And with this great mystery, we recognize another: as the gifts are brought forth, we bring our very lives to the altar, asking God to consecrate them, to make us holy. In receiving Holy Communion - Christ’s Body and Blood - the ordinary stuff of our lives is to be transformed, as we become more fully members of Christ’s Body.
Through participation in the Eucharist, we are given all we need in Christ’s gift of presence with and for us. We are drawn into communion with the Lord, who knows our needs, desires, hopes, and dreams, and who feeds us, body and soul, nourishing us to live as Christ’s people in our daily lives.
As Eucharistic people, we are called to give in turn, as stewards of all we are and have and will be. “Here people enjoy a unique union with Christ and, in him, with one another. Here his love -- indeed his very self -- flows into his disciples and, through them and their practice of stewardship, to the entire human race.” (SDR, 34)
It doesn’t end with the final blessing. We are sent out in Christ’s mission of love. Through his passion and death, Jesus sacrificed all for us. In communion with Christ, we are called into communion with one another. We are to see the needs of others, especially the most vulnerable, and are called to act - to sacrifice, to go out of our selves in service, ministry, and care. Without cost we have received; without cost, we are to give.