"Focal Point of Catholic Life," Talk Broadcast By the Rev. Father W. McGoldrick on Sunday T was on Thursday in Holy Week that Our Lord instituted the Blessed Eucharist, The scene at the it Supper is described in the various gospels almost in identical words. "And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave to the disciples saying: Take ye and eat, for this is My Body. In like manner also the chalice, saying: Take and drink ye all of this, for this is My Blood."
Thus Our Lord celebrated the First Mass and the apostles received their First Holy Communion.
But because He willed all men to have the same priceless privilege, He gave. to the apostles, and thr ough them to the priests of His Church right down to the end of time, the same power, saying Do this in remembrance of Me.
That is, do what I have done; change bread and wine into My Body and Blood,—Myself; and give Me in Holy Communion to My people. That is the power of the Mass, which is offered every morning upon our altars, when the priest consecrates the bread and wine, and they become the Body and Blood of Christ.
What, is the Blessed Eucharist—the Sacred; Host which the priest places on our tongue when we receive Holy Communion? It is the Sacrament—that is, the Mystery—of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, under the appearances of bread and wine. Outside the Catholic Church men do not believe it—simply cannot bring themselves to believe it. And maybe it is not difficult to understand their unwillingness, It looks so impossible—that this small, white host should be our Lord. Nor would we dare to believe it either, if He had not said it Himself. But He has said it, and now even though the whole world should doubt or deny it, we cannot doubt. We know it is He.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.