Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

My Dear Parishioners,

You may recall a recent survey that found that only one third of Catholics in the U.S. believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This is a shocking fact, given that the Eucharist is foundational to our faith. Recently, the US Bishop’s Conference voted to issue a teaching about the Eucharist. There has been some level of controversy about this in the news because some see it solely as a criticism of politicians who support abortion policies while claiming to be Catholic and still receiving Holy Communion. Archbishop Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and president of the USCCB issued the following statement:

“Last week, my brother bishops and I voted overwhelmingly to issue a teaching document on the beauty and power of the Eucharist. The doctrine committee of the bishops’ conference will now begin drafting this document and, in the months ahead, the bishops will continue our prayer and discernment through a series of regional meetings and consultations. In November, the bishops will gather to discuss the document draft.”

“The Eucharist is the heart of the Church and the heart of our lives as Catholics. In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus Christ himself draws near to each one of us personally and gathers us together as one family of God and one Body of Christ.”

“As bishops, our desire is to deepen our people’s awareness of this great mystery of faith, and to awaken their amazement at this divine gift, in which we have communion with the living God. That is our pastoral purpose in writing this document.”

“I invite everyone in the Church to pray for the bishops as we continue our dialogues and reflections. I pray that this will be a time for all of us in the Church to reflect on our own faith and readiness to receive our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.”

We should indeed pray for the Bishops and for the Church as we hopefully deepen and strengthen our relationship with Our Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

God Bless You!
Fr. Bordonaro