Share your personal experience of the Eucharist

I just wanted to share my experience yesterday of receiving the Eucharist. It is not a miracle but to me it was a life saver. My dog has been suffering for months with a tick illness, and bordering some days between life and death. I've been stressed and even grieving I think and not well myself. I always feel better on Sundays, and I used to get to daily Mass but lately have not been able to make it. Yesterday I was so down and hopeless and really didn't feel peaceful anymore, and so put off half my morning chores til later and got myself to Mass. The relief was immediate when I received! It felt like peace washed over me and all day I was peaceful and found joy again even in the midst of the chores and worry. When I was making daily Mass, I always felt I had good days when I received. Peaceful and joyful as compared to days when there was no Mass or I couldn't make it. I already have a very faithful prayer life with daily liturgy, rosary, and quiet prayer time so it has to be the actual Eucharist. Anyone else have noticeable benefits from receiving?

 

That's wonderful! I'm so sorry about your dog and the struggles you've been going through.

I don't have any good stories about receiving the Eucharist, though I did have to offer up NOT being able to receive a few weeks ago at Mass. My baby wouldn't stop crying no matter what I did, and Communion was approaching while I paced around outside desperately praying that I could get him to calm down at least long enough to receive...but he didn't. I actually cried a bit, because I really felt I needed the Eucharist to give me the graces I needed to be a good mom to my children, and I guess I felt a little hurt that Jesus didn't want to calm my baby down so I could receive Him. But He must have reminded me I could offer it up, which I did, and Jesus felt very near to me then. He gave me everything I needed.

 

Awww I'm sorry you were not able to get to communion. Do you know your priest at all? Our priest regularly goes to the cry room to give communion to any mom's stuck in there. Maybe you could ask if he would peek out where mom's go to comfort their babies when he is giving communion or designate a place in the foyer where he will check if there are any mom's stranded during communion. I'm sure that must happen to a lot of moms and dads and it would be wonderful if they were able to receive!

 

In those situations PF, if at the end of Holy Mass you pass off your little one to your husband, I'm sure if you went to your priest or deacon and asked, they would take the time and allow you to receive.

 

I go to a Latin Mass so that may not be feasible, but that's a great idea!

 

I couldn't pass him off to my husband because he was inside at the front of the church with the rest of the kids and I would have had to bring a loudly crying baby all the way up the aisle in a Mass so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

 

Maybe it’s just me but I would have zero problem if you or any parent had to do that. In fact, it would be a sign of love and devotion. The Church needs crying babies! Peace.

 

AGREE.

 

St Frances of Rome said something that helped me a lot when I was a young mother. "Sometimes I had to leave Jesus at the altar to take care of Him at home." You were holding the crying Baby Jesus in your arms through your own child. So it makes sense He felt very close.

 

Yes, this is what it did end up feeling like.

It reminded me a bit of when my baby niece was living with me and my siblings and I went to daily Mass...but sometimes as I was rushing through the living room to leave, I'd see my niece awake, having leaked through her diaper and fussing because she was hungry, and her young father was fast asleep and her mother (my sister) was at school. So I'd go pick her up, clean and redress her, and feed her...and it would be too late to make it to Mass. I really struggled with that sometimes, but in prayer I felt God was telling me it was the right thing to do.

 

Yes, it was the right thing to do.

 

Reminds me of the movie "The Fourth Wise Man." The 4th Wise man was so eager to find and meet the Christ, but so many lepers needed his financial resources and services.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

 

Recently I was receiving Holy Communion and the priest gave me two hosts. Not sure if that is significant or not . I read in Saint Therese's diary that it happened to her too . Have had dreams about the Eucharist at various times also.

 

Wow, this happened to me a couple months ago. I was praying for the soul of an old neighbor who had just passed away. I asked to receive for his soul. But then I also added how much my soul needed it that day too. So if I could receive for the both of us. Then he placed two in my mouth. I was quite overwhelmed and I do really believe that was a gift from God.

 

You are absolutely right!

 

Our outdoor procession of the Holy Eucharist today on the feast of Corpus Christi.

 

Second image.

 

I was listening to Father Edward Meeks this morning give his homily for Corpus Christi and said something I have never thought of before. He said that when we see the Precious Body and Blood we simply see bread and wine. In the same way, when He was alive if we looked at Jesus all we would have seen was a mere man , not God, 'A man like us in all things but sin', nothing special, 'Is this not the son of Joseph the carpenter?'.

I was thinking of the Last Supper and how amazing it would be have been to have been there, one of the Apostles in Christ's company. But then I heard Jesus say quite clearly in my heart, 'All that they had, you have!' This is true, we have all that they had in the Mass, in the Eucharist.We have not been left orphans.

I love the way God is there and appearing not to be there so that we have to reach out with the hands of Faith, Look with the eyes of Faith. Listen with the ears of Faith. St Thomas Aquinas expresses this so well in the hymn, 'Adore Te Devote'

1. Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

2. Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.

3. On the cross thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here thy very manhood steals from human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

4. I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

5. O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

6. Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran---
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

7. Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory's sight.

I had a curious experience after Mass yesterday . I was going to get up to go home when I suddenly forgot where home is. I had to sit a while and think of where I lived. It only lasted a few seconds but when I recalled where home was it was as if I was seeing it as a stranger for the very first time.

The Eucharist is like this I think. It is coming home, it is hearts heart. It is a hug from heaven. It reminds me of the theme song from the film, 'Of God's and Generals', 'Going Home'.

They say there's a place , where dreams have all gone
They never said where, but I think I know
Its miles through the night just over the dawn
On the road that will take me home
I know in my bones, I've been here before
The ground feels the same, tho the land's been torn
I've a long way to go, the stars tell me so
On this road that will take me home.
Love waits for me round the bend
Leads me endlessly on
Surely sorrows shall find their end
And all our troubles will be gone
And I know what I've lost, and all that I won
When the road finally takes me home
And when I pass by , don't lead me astray
Don't try and stop me , don't stand in my way
I'm bound for the hills where cool waters flow
On this road that will take me home
Love waits for me round the bend
Leads me endlessly on
Surely sorrows shall find their end
And all our troubles will be gone
And we'll know what we've lost and all that we've won
When the road finally takes me home.
I'm going home
I'm going home
I'm going home

 

You know I was crying there now, thinking of the Eucharist, tears of Joy, without not knowing quite why.

It strikes me that this is the central Mystery of the Sacrament, that is there so deeply hidden in our heart's heart , it has become so much a part of who and what we are that we no longer see. It means too much to be named. It has become so precious that it is our all in all.