Eucharist

"He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take this all of you, and eat it: this is my body which will be given up for you."

At every Mass, during the prayer of Consecration when the priest says, "This is my body...this is my blood," the bread and wine becomes truly the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. Christ's sacrificial offering of Himself on the Cross - once for all - is made present to each time and place in the sacrifice of the Mass and the sacred meal of Holy Communion.

The Holy Eucharist is one of the most important sacraments of our Catholic faith. By receiving this sacrament at the Mass, Jesus Christ literally becomes a part of you.  Through God's amazing grace, our souls are fed, nurtured, and changed by this sacrament of Christ's Holy and Risen Presence.

By receiving the Holy Eucharist during the Mass, we are also expressing our union with all Catholics who share our fundamental beliefs (doctrines) under the leadership of our earthly shepherds, the Pope and bishops.

The Eucharist is His true Presence in the form of bread and wine. It is Christ. It is an incredible gift of our Catholic faith and we need to receive this gift as a regular part of our diet!

The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle is the place in the church where the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist, is kept.
 
The word tabernacle means “dwelling place.” The Catholic Tabernacle is the place where Christ dwells in the Eucharist. This makes the Tabernacle the heart and cornerstone of each church.
 
The physical box-like structure of the Tabernacle is made of a solid or opaque material that is securely placed in a prominent area of the church, usually near the altar. A sanctuary lamp must burn at all times to indicate and honor the presence of Jesus Christ in the Tabernacle.
 
The Tabernacle is kept locked in order to prevent theft or desecration of the Blessed Sacrament. During Mass, the Tabernacle is unlocked so that the Blessed Sacrament can be distributed. Consecrated hosts remaining after Communion are locked in the Tabernacle.
 
As Catholics, we show reverence and adoration whenever passing in front of the Tabernacle, normally by genuflecting on the right knee. For those who find it difficult to genuflect, a bow from the waist is appropriate. When we genuflect upon entering and exiting the pew, it is to venerate the Tabernacle. While Mass is celebrated, there is no reverence made to the Tabernacle by the congregation because our focus is on Christ’s presence in the Word and in the Eucharist we are celebrating at the altar.
 
In the time of Moses, the Tabernacle was a portable sanctuary for the Hebrew tribes during the 40 years of wandering that preceded their arrival in the Promised Land. That Tabernacle contained the broken pieces of the tablets on which God wrote the Ten Commandments. Once the Temple was built in Jerusalem, that Tabernacle was placed in the “Holy of Holies” in the heart of the temple.
 
In Jesus we have a presence of God that is greater than the Temple, and therefore the greater Tabernacle!