As Deacon Rick and I were traveling to Mackinac Island for the Knights of Columbus State Convention, I remembered I hadn’t yet written this Connecting Point article. Looking for inspiration on what to write about, the only thing that came to me that evening was that the Real Presence of Jesus means “everything” to me. But really, what does that mean?
The following day, Deacon and I had the opportunity to go to St. Anne Church and serve Mass. Afterward, we, along with a dozen other priests and about 200 Knights, prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and carried Jesus in procession through the streets to the Grand Hotel, where the convention would be held. The effect that Jesus’ Real Presence had on those we passed, both in the Blessed Sacrament and through the witness of over 200 people singing and praying in his honor, was miraculous. Every horse-drawn carriage stopped in reverence. People on the streets cleared a path for Jesus. Some made the sign of the cross, others fell to their knees, but all stopped their conversations to turn and gaze upon this spectacle of Living Faith. What an incredible experience to see how the Real Presence, honored in faith, can affect the world around us.
Both Deacon Rick and I had the honor of carrying Jesus in the procession, and we shared the same moving experience. The way the sunlight shined on Jesus’ Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament caused us to see our faces reflected in the Holy Eucharist. Seeing myself in Jesus almost brought me to tears. In becoming bread for me, he not only enters me through communion but also draws me into his very self to experience the depth of his peace, love, and joy. In that experience, I realized that being one with Jesus, living “Through him and with him and in him,” delivers very palpable peace, love, and joy. Coming only from him, that is the ultimate meaning of “Real Presence.” And for me, that is everything!