When I heard of an alleged apparition of our Lady in Conyers, GA, I went there but saw nothing.
Come to think about it, there is something more than an apparition and that is the transubstantiation of ordinary bread into the living Lord. At the last supper when Jesus said, “This is my body.” He did not say, “This is like my body” or “This is a symbol of my body.” So, while the look and feel, “accidents”, of the bread stays the same, the substance has changed from bread to the Lord. Over the course of history, there have been numerous miracles to confirming this – like bleeding hosts. Just scour the web and see.
How much more intimate can one get with the Lord than to absorb and assimilate Him bodily. And in the process, one receives the life of God, grace, to get transformed into the Lord. That part is not automatic; it requires our disposition and cooperation. To this end, St. John Bosco encouraged his students to receive Communion frequently i.e. daily. That practice has produced 29 canonized saints or candidates for canonization.
What if the Lord had limited the power of consecrating the Eucharist to St. Peter on Holy Thursday? People will save the whole year just to afford the fare to go to Rome that day and receive Him. But the Lord knew how much we needed him so he had given that power to priests, even sinful ones, so that he can nourish us spiritually.
The left-over are put in the tabernacle. The lighted votive lamp indicates the presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. And that is why St. John Bosco encouraged his students to visit the Blessed Sacrament many times during the day – to meet the Lord.
The Church has built rules so that the Eucharist will be respected appropriately. No one in grave sin is allowed to receive the Lord without prior reconciliation. That is why some bishops have suggested to pro-abortion lawmakers to stay away until they repent and reverse their positions.
This Lent, I’ve resolved to go to an extra Mass and receive the Lord. Then I’ll take my son along. The life of God, grace, given in this sacrament will help us both to follow the Lord faithfully and grow into his likeness.
