Deacon Tom Anthony

We are invited continuously to unite ourselves with Our Lord Jesus Christ through the celebration of the Eucharist. Through the Eucharist we are given a most precious gift that has the capability to transform our lives if we dedicate ourselves to our faith and to the Sacramental Graces offered by the Church. We must fully believe first and foremost that the Eucharist truly is the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He emphasized this during the Last Supper and the Bread of Life Discourses found in the Gospel of John. Celebrating and receiving the Eucharist is how we receive our spiritual food and how we can deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ.

In our lives we will continuously be challenged by obstacles and events that are beyond our control. Not only are we as Christians involved in a spiritual battle between good and evil but we are also challenged by the temptations and allures of a society that many times does not reflect the teachings of Sacred Scripture. Almost daily, our faith is minimized and criticized. There are those who wish to remove God from his creation and insert human institutions in his place. We learn through Sacred Scripture that this has always been the case and is apart of man's fallen nature: we as human beings have always tried to raise ourselves up like gods in our own right. As Christians, we struggle against this and recognize that we are his children.

Gathering to worship in community or to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist becomes central to our faith. The entire mass is an exercise in forgiveness and love. Christ is present in a very personal and special way. We are with him and united with him. When the Eucharist is consecrated, we are witness to one of Jesus' greatest gifts to us. We are celebrating the Mystical Supper with him continuously beyond time and space. It is truly one of the greatest miracles of our faith. We are then invited to partake in this glorious offering so as to experience his love for us. This love strengthens us, comforts us, and enables us to live our lives united with him. To deny ourselves the Eucharist is to deny that special relationship with Christ. Any opportunity that we have to celebrate the Eucharist through mass and Exposition should be acted up; especially when we find ourselves in crisis. The more we make Christ central in our lives the more the way to happiness will be revealed. A rich spiritual life begins with participation in our faith. Our faith is one of action and experience. That experience begins with the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Deacon Tom