Happy Solemnity of Corpus Christi! And happy, happy day that our churches are beginning to open so that Catholics can once again receive our Bread of Life, the source of eternal life. I pray that the intense emptiness of not being able to receive our Eucharistic Lord these past months will be replaced with profound joy and consolation in all those who can receive Him.

On this special feast day, I like to recall the events of my first unforgettable encounter with the Holy Eucharist. It was this extraordinary grace that led me to the Church, 30+ years ago. It was the Eucharist that breathed life back into my soul after it existed far too long in a devastating state without Him.

When my conversion to Christianity first took place in the early 80s, I didn’t know one Christian religion from the other. All I knew was that I promised God my life after He freed me from a year of nightly torments of reoccurring nightmares, depression, and an unhealthy lifestyle. Although I was Jewish, I had no problem with Jesus being God, figuring that if He wanted to take on flesh and become man, He could do it. God could do anything. And so, my search to “follow Him” as a Christian had begun.

I’d go weekly on Sundays to different churches in my area to see where God wanted me and to learn more about each faith’s faith so to speak. I even went back to a Friday evening Shabbat service to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake in accepting Jesus. But week after week I felt that something was missing, so I continued to “church shop.”

It was the Sunday that I happened upon the Catholic Church “service” that everything changed. I didn’t realize that a Catholic Mass was so Jewish. They read from the books of the bible that I was familiar with in Judaism including one of my favorite books, Psalms. There were gestures and songs and even “handwashing”. I immediately felt comfortable and all seemed Kosher. Then something happened that changed my life forever.

While trying to figure out all the Catholic aerobics; stand up, sit down, kneel, bow, and strange arm movements, a bell sounded, drawing my attention to the altar. I saw the priest, holding high in his hands a white disc. Something deep inside my heart found its meaning and proclaimed in my soul – “My Lord and My God!” I began to weep. I was home. An intense desire to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist led me to RCIA classes, and my First Communion after my full reception into the Church at the 1983 Easter Vigil Mass.

I realize that the extraordinary occurrence that introduced me to our Lord in the Eucharist is probably not the “norm.” And I wish that I could say that every time I am in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, my heart shouts with the same proclamation and desire. I know that His Presence in the Holy Eucharist is a reality. The sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, although a tough one to swallow, leaves me without question of Our Lord’s true presence in the small white disc. But that original “feeling” isn’t always there and I have come to realize it doesn’t have to be. My “feelings” don’t make the Eucharist His body, blood, soul, and divinity – God does through His priests.

I know that the Eucharist is God because He told us it is. The Word of God is trustworthy, so even when I can’t trust myself, I can trust Him. What helps me focus on His true presence in the Eucharist when my mind wanders or doubts kick in, is The Servants of the Eucharist prayer. I’ve been praying this prayer every time I receive Communion, since 1988 when I first learned of this beautiful prayer. I found it when I was researching approved Marian Apparitions before our trip to Medjugorje. Apparently, Our Lady started appearing to Sister Agnes, a nun in Akita, Japan in 1973. Among other amazing happenings, Our Lady added a word to the Servants of the Eucharist prayer asking that it be recited from then on with this revision. The Servants of the Eucharist Prayer traditionally started, “Oh my Jesus, present in the Holy Eucharist.” Our Lady inserted the word “truly” and asked that it now be prayed, “Oh my Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist.” Deep in my soul there was a whisper, “This is your prayer.”

With the addition of this one little word, when our eyes and hearts don’t recognize Him in the Eucharist, we can be assured by Our Heavenly Mother who always sees her Son’s presence. Through her eyes of faith, we can know that He IS TRULY our Bread from Heaven which gives eternal life. Jesus desires to rest in our hearts while we rest in Him. After receiving this Most Precious Gift of the Eucharist let us proclaim the Servant of the Eucharist prayer until our hearts proclaim Him – My Lord and My God.

The Servants of the Eucharist Prayer

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Truly present in the Eucharist

I consecrate my body and soul

To be entirely one with Your most Sacred Heart.

Offered up in perpetual sacrifices

On all the Altars of the world,

Giving praise to the Father

And imploring constantly for the coming of His kingdom.

Please accept and receive this humble offering of myself

And use me according to Your will,

For the Glory of the Father

And the salvation of souls. Amen