“God is everywhere, in the very air I breathe, yes everywhere, but in His Sacrament of the Altar He is as present actually and really as my soul within my body; in His Sacrifice daily offered as really as once offered on the Cross.” ~ Elizabeth Ann Seton
Today we celebrate the memorial of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first native born American to be canonized by the Catholic Church. She was an Episcopalian who found herself yearning for the Catholic Church because of the Eucharist. After entering the Church, she found herself organizing a small group of women into a religious community. Mother Seton dedicated herself to forming orphanages and schools to help as many children as possible.
She desired what we have and, as is often the case, had a deeper appreciation for the great gift of the Eucharist than life-long Catholics had. It is sad but true that many Catholics do not really think about the gift of the Eucharist. They attend Mass by habit, receive the Eucharist by habit, and never truly reflect upon the gift that it is.
When was the last time that you saw the Eucharist as Jesus truly coming down upon the Altar of Sacrifice and offering Himself yet again to His people? When was the last time you said “Amen”, which means “verily” or “I believe”, as you received Communion knowing that you were receiving the actual Body and Blood of Christ?
Saints like Elizabeth Ann Seton are a wake up call to all of us to look at what we may often take for granted. They see the Church from the outside and long to receive the riches that we do not even acknowledge.
Let us open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to all that God gives to us today, especially at Mass and in the Eucharist.
FAITH ACTION: Make an attempt to go to Mass sometime during the week or, at the very least, visit a church and spend some time in the presence of the tabernacle wherein dwells the Real Presence of the Lord.