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\nAs we celebrate First Holy Communion at all the Masses this weekend, I thought I would devote this column to the Sacrament of the Eucharist.\u00a0 The following reflections are taken from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Copyright 2006.<\/p>\n
Question: \u00a0What happens at the consecration in the Mass?\u00a0 Answer:\u00a0 By the consecration, the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about.\u00a0 Under the consecrated species of bread and wine, Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real and substantial manner:\u00a0 His Body and Blood, with his soul and divinity (page 226).\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0 What are the effects of Holy Communion?\u00a0
\nAnswer:\u00a0 Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicant\u2019s union with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins.\u00a0 Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the bonds of charity between the communicant and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ (page 226).\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Question:\u00a0 Why is it valuable to visit the Blessed Sacrament?\u00a0 Answer:\u00a0 Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, he is to be honored with the worship of adoration.\u00a0 \u201cTo visit the Blessed Sacrament is\u2026a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord\u201d (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1418; Pope Paul VI, Mystery of Faith, no. 66) (page 226).\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Jesus instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice, the banquet of divine life, at the Last Supper (page 228).\u00a0 <\/p>\n
We need to remember that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because in the Eucharist is found the entire treasure of the Church \u2013 Jesus Christ (page 228).<\/p>\n
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ\u2019s saving life, death and Resurrection, made present for our salvation by the action of the liturgy (page 228).<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly validly ordained priests (and bishops) can preside at the Eucharist and consecrate the bread and
\nwine so that they become the Body and Blood of the Lord\u201d (Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 1411) (page 228).<\/p>\n
The essential signs of the Eucharist for the Latin Church are unleavened wheat bread and grape wine (page 229).<\/p>\n
To receive Communion, one should be in the state of grace.\u00a0 A person conscious of mortal sin may not receive Communion until absolved from the sin in the Sacrament of Penance (page 229).<\/p>\n
Once Communion has been distributed, the remaining hosts are placed in the tabernacle to provide Communion for the sick and Viaticum for the dying and also to provide opportunity for prayer and worship before Christ in his Real Presence (page 229).<\/p>\n
In closing, please remember the beauty of the Eucharist.\u00a0 It is truly Jesus Christ.\u00a0 He gives of himself to help sustain us.\u00a0 People ask, where do we find Jesus Christ?\u00a0 Answer:\u00a0 Jesus is found in the Eucharist. <\/p>\n
God\u2019s blessings!\u00a0 Father Schuster<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As we celebrate First Holy Communion at all the Masses this weekend, I thought I would devote this column to the Sacrament of the Eucharist.\u00a0 The following reflections are taken from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Copyright 2006. Question: \u00a0What happens at the consecration in the Mass?\u00a0 Answer:\u00a0 By the consecration, the transubstantiation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-weekly-columns"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2916"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2917,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2916\/revisions\/2917"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rescathroch.org\/WP\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}