This is an ancient belief of the Church. St. John Chrysostom, who lived from 349-407 A.D., the Archbishop of Constantinople, and an early Church Father, wrote this of the Consecration during Mass, when the priest repeats Christ's words at his Last Supper over the congregation's gifts of bread and wine:
"It is not man that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself. The priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God's. This is my Body, he says. This word transforms the things offered."
Christ is present in many ways to his Church: in his Word; in his Church's prayer where two or three are gathered in His Name; in the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned; in the sacraments, of which he is the author; in the sacrifice of the Mass; in the person of the minister. But he is present most especially and uniquely in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, Christ makes himself substantially, wholly, and entirely present, a presence in the fullest sense - which is why we say "REAL Presence." (from "The Catechism of the Catholic Church.")
What an incredible gift from God! St. John Chrysostom goes on to say
"How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food, your nourishment."
And the One Who comes to us in the Eucharist is Jesus, God and Man, who healed his followers physically and emotionally, the Jesus who gave his followers spiritual healing by saying "Your sins are forgiven." He is present in the Eucharist with abounding love, ready to heal us, here and now.
Receiving Christ in the Eucharist heals us from sin! Food strengthens our bodies; Christ comes to us as Spiritual Food to strengthen us in love, and love purifies. His Body and Blood, shed to save us from sin, wipes away our lesser sins, our momentary wanderings away from him (venial sins). Receiving the Eucharist protects us! Receiving Christ, over and over, strengthens our love for him and protects us from wandering away from Him completely! (Mortal sin.) "Having received the gift of love, let us die to sin and live for God." (St. Fulgentius of Ruspe, North Africa, who lived from roughly 462 A.D. to roughly 527 A.D.)
Receiving Christ in the Eucharist can heal our bodies! It has been a belief of the Church from ancient times forward that Jesus present in the Eucharist performs miracles of physical healing. St. Ephraem (who died in June, 373) said:
"Oh Lord, we cannot go to the Pool of Siloe to which you sent the blind man. But we have the Chalice of your Precious Blood, filled with life and light. The purer we are, the more we receive."
Christ present in the Eucharist can heal us emotionally. When I was grieving the death of my dear mother-in-law, a priest friend told me "When you receive the Eucharist, you receive the whole Christ - which includes His Body, all of the living and the dead. You are never closer on earth to your loved ones who have died than when you receive the Eucharist because you receive your loved ones as well, who are now perfectly united to Christ."
Pope Francis sees the Eucharist as a great gift of healing and strengthening for the whole Church: "The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak."
So - if you do not attend Mass regularly, think again. You are missing out on the greatest personal gift Jesus ever gave us, - the gift of Himself. As St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, said so beautifully:
"Do you realize that Jesus is there in the Tabernacle expressly for you - for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart....Receive Communion often, very often.... There you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing."
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