When I was a girl, I expressed the normal complaints to my mother as to why church was boring. But what always stuck with me and kept me attending weekly Mass, no matter where I was living or vacationing, was her response: “It doesn’t matter the priest or the music or the homily— we have Jesus in the Eucharist. That is what matters.”
Matthew Kelly makes a powerful statement in his book 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory. He says, “Those who believe don’t leave.” He explains: “Those who believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist may feel like they are not being fed, they may disagree with the way their priest is doing things, they may not like the direction the music is moving in, they may have different liturgical preferences, they may get divorced, and they may feel unseen and unwelcome in their parish community. And yet, despite all these things that have led millions of people to leave, they stay. Why? They believe Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist and they know that only the Catholic Church can offer this gift to them. They might be able to go down the road and experience better preaching and more dynamic music, but they are simply not willing to give up the Eucharist in exchange for that. Why? Because it’s a bad deal. But you have to know and believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist to understand how bad a deal it is to give that up for what is trivial by comparison.”
I know several people who have recently converted to Catholicism, including two of our staff members. They had belonged to Protestant churches, but when they became convinced that only through the Catholic Church, through the hands of Catholic priests by the power of the Holy Spirit, they could be intimately united with Jesus at any Mass anywhere in the world, every day of the week if they wished, they wanted to become Catholic. No charismatic preacher, praise and worship band, or cushioned seat held their interest anymore. They even walked away from important friendships because they put Jesus first. Let this Lent be your chance to learn all that you can about the Eucharist. Then talk about it with your friends and family. If they believe, they won’t leave. You won’t either.
Scripture: Read John 6:32-35. What stands out?
Call to Action: Read 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory; spend time in the Adoration Chapel; ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you.
