Greetings in Christ!

This Sunday’s readings invite us to find and deepen our relationship with God, by putting Him first and identifying Him as our highest good.

There is no better way to identify with Christ than to receive Him worthily (in a state of grace) in the Eucharist. Receiving the Eucharist may have become so habitual for us that we might forget the great benefit it is to our souls. This routine coupled with the all too frequent difficulty of seeing our progress towards God in the midst of our sins and weaknesses, can obscure just how powerfully this sacrament impacts both ourselves and those around us.

There is no saint of which I am aware, who did not have a great love and devotion for Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. St. John Vianney, who we celebrated this past week said, “There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us.” In addition he claims, "When we come from Holy Communion if someone asked us: What are you bringing into your house? You would be able to say: I am bringing heaven.” St. Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, described the Eucharist as the "bread of the Strong" that provides essential strength for victory.

Whenever we receive the Eucharist worthily, simply by that fact, we do great good both for ourselves as well as for the entire world. Ultimately, there is nothing better we can do for those around us than to grow in holiness. Receiving the Eucharist does that for us.

To receive the Eucharist worthily, does not mean that we are perfect. It means that as best as we know, we are in a state of grace, meaning that we have not committed any mortal sins. Or if we have, we have confessed those mortal sins in kind and number in the sacrament of confession. It also means we have fasted (we have not consumed anything besides water or medicine) for at least one hour before receiving Holy Communion.

Friends, at times we might feel incapable of making the changes that will be best for our souls and those around us. However, by relying on the Eucharist, and receiving it frequently while in a state of grace, we allow the Lord to do the heavy lifting and not only to keep us from sinking into the chaotic waters of our world, but even better, we allow Him to draw us closer to unity and identification with Him.

In Christ,

Fr. Michael Carlson, pastor