Transcript
The Eucharist is-- Powerful. Glorious. Divine. Amazing. Healing.
We are people of the Eucharist.
Today, we'll start with the story. As you listen to it, I invite you to ponder this question: who do you know who needs what this woman needed? There was a woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for 12 years, and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surrounded you and pressed into you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I noticed that power had gone out from me." When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people, why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace." Jesus is always healing people. Think about the gospels. One thing we witness Him doing over and over again is healing men, women, and children. He made the blind see. He gave hearing to the deaf. He cured the paralyzed, fed the hungry, comfort the afflicted, counseled the worried and anxious, liberated the possessed, cleansed lepers, forgave those burdened with guilt and shame, gave speech to those who could not speak, and even raised Lazarus from the dead.
The mistake we make is we set these stories and the people in them apart from ourselves. We don't think we need healing. If we are not blind, when we hear the story of Jesus giving sight to the blind man Bartimaeus, we don't think of ourselves. But just like the people Jesus encountered, we are blind. We are paralyzed. We are deaf. We are possessed, and we are hungry. We all need to be comforted in our afflictions. We need to be counselled in our worries. We need to be liberated from spirits that possess us. We are lepers in need of cleansing. We need to be forgiven for the mistakes and sins and regrets that burden us with guilt and shame. We need to be given a voice in situations where we find it hard to speak up, and in some way or another, some part of us or some aspect of our lives needs to be raised from the dead. We all need healing desperately. When I asked you earlier, who do you know who needs what this woman needed, who came to your mind? You probably didn't think of yourself, but your need for healing, my need for healing, is great.
Now think about this story from Luke's Gospel again, but this time, think about it in the context of the Eucharist. This poor woman had been bleeding for 12 years. She'd heard about Jesus, and she had been waiting for Him to come to her town. Or perhaps she went out searching for him. Her faith was such that she didn't need a lot of attention. Her ego was in check. Filled with faith and humility, she believed if she could just touch the cloak, she would be healed. Here's my question. What would she have believed possible if she had been able to receive Jesus in the Eucharist? Body, blood, soul, and divinity? What would she have believed possible if she had been able to experience the Eucharistic glory of consuming the glorified Christ who rose from the dead under the appearance of bread and wine? How do you think she would respond if she could experience the Eucharistic glory that most Catholics take for granted on Sunday? And not just her. But pick any of dozens of people throughout the gospel who approached Jesus humbly seeking His help. How would they respond to the possibility, the astounding opportunity of the Eucharist? Did you notice what I said earlier? Jesus is always healing people. I didn't say Jesus was always healing people because that would have been a half-truth.
I don't know what form of healing you'd need. But I do know who can do the healing. Jesus, Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, the itinerant preacher, the Son of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Lamb of God, the new Adam, the Messiah, the Alpha and the Omega, the chosen one, the light of the world, the God-man who wants good things for us more than we want them for ourselves. The healer of our souls. The healer of our souls. What would happen if you went to church next Sunday looking for healing in the same way that this woman sought Jesus out to be healed? What would happen if you brought that broken and difficult part of your life to Jesus in the Eucharist? Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Don't worry about whether He will or not. Don't worry about that for now. Just focus on the reality that He can. Just focus on believing that He can heal you. Before we began day one of this journey, I spoke about a Muslim man I met many years ago. I asked him if he believed he could consume his God under the guise of bread. What would he do to receive that bread? Do you remember what he said to me? He said, "I would crawl naked of a red, hot, broken glass." That's what he said to me. Red, hot, broken glass. It is time we all rediscover the healing power of the Eucharist. Trust, surrender, believe, receive. Help us bring the healing power of this consecration every Catholic. Become a member of the International Society of Eucharist today. We'll send you a free copy of 33 Days Eucharistic Glory, a copy of the children's version, a copy of the limited-edition journal, which includes an amazing Holy Week retreat. Click the button below to join. Have an amazing day. Be bold, be Catholic, and remember, we are people of the Eucharist.
Jesus, I believe
That you are truly present
In the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist.
Every day, I long
For more of you.
I love you above all things.
And I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot receive you sacramentally at this moment
I invite you to come and dwell in my heart.
May this spiritual communion
Increase my desire.
For the Eucharist.
You are the healer of my soul.
Take the blindness from my eyes.
The deafness from my ears.
The darkness from my mind.
And the hardness from my heart.
Fill me with the grace, wisdom
And courage
To do your will in all things.
My Lord and my God
Draw me close to you
Nearer than ever before.
Amen.
Consecrate America
To the Eucharist.
Bye-bye.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Have a great day.
Come on.
Have a great day.
Hey, Isabel. One simple way to be mindful of God's presence in the world is to know where the nearest Tabernacle is. So while we've got a couple of minutes, I thought we might work on your geography a little.
Sounds good, Dad. You're always coming up with something.
Hey, Isabel, if I was at latitude of 38.61 and longitude of negative 90.24, where would the nearest Tabernacle be?
St. Luke's, St. Louis, Missouri.