The Eucharist

Each time I go to to mass, during the consecration I try to remember that I am witnessing a miracle - the transformation of bread and wine into the body and bread of Jesus. It is the greatest miracle in history, and I get to witness it at every mass I attend.

And each time I receive communion I try to remember that that moment is the greatest moment of my life - I am receiving the real body and blood of my savior.

There is nothing as awesome as mass. Nothing even relatively close.

I heard on Relevant radio recently an interesting analogy explaining why the church teaches that those who are not in full communion with the Catholic church cannot receive the Eucharist. It's similar to why the church teaches that sex outside of marriage is wrong. When we marry we commit ourselves as men in a sacremental union to love our wives with all our strength while we live, and if called upon to even sacrifice our lives for them. It is only in this unbreakable union that the incredible gift of sexual union can be properly exercised and nurtured. Sexual relations signify a lifetime covenant. Similarly, it is only when we have committed ourselves to a full communion with the Catholic church, accepting in faith all of it's teachings - its Traditions and intrepretations of the Word of God expressed in those books of the Bible it has determined to be divinely inspired, that we can receive the full grace and benefits of the reception of the body and blood of our Lord and savior in the holy Eucharist.