Eucharist means Thanksgiving

“The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all His benefits, for all that He has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all ‘thanksgiving.’” CCC 1360

The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word “eucharistia” which means “thanksgiving.” How appropriate then to talk about this on this month of Thanksgiving.

Learning this meaning elevated the Eucharist for me to a whole new level. Not only do I need to receive the Eucharist because it’s the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, but now I know that I must also receive it in thanksgiving for all that God has done for me. This makes attending Mass infinitely more precious. It is no longer an obligation but an act of love to the Father. God has given me so much, and I have so much to be thankful for, that I owe Him my gratitude.

There have been many Sundays that I have dreaded going to mass, especially when I know that the priest will be giving a very long and boring homily. But the main focus of the mass should never be the priest. The main focus should be the Eucharist. However, we could not have the Eucharist without the priest. The priest acts sacramentally in the person of Christ “persona Christi” during the miracle of transubstantiation when he speaks the words of Christ over the bread and wine, converting them into the body and blood of Christ. It doesn’t matter if we like the priest or not, at that moment, we should not see the humanity of the priest but the face of Christ.

In my Eucharist class, I heard this story this week:

A certain woman used to bring altar breads to St. Gregory the Great which she made herself. One Sunday, when he held out the host to her saying “This is the Body of Christ,” she laughed. St. Gregory asked her why she had dared to laugh, and she replied “Because you called this bread, which I made with my own hands, the Body of Christ.” Then St. Gregory prostrated himself in prayer, and when he rose, the bread had changed into flesh in the shape of a finger. Seeing this, the woman recovered her faith. St. Gregory prayed again, and saw the flesh return to the form of bread, which he gave as communion to the woman.

Many times it is difficult to believe that the Eucharist is truly the Body of Christ. We sometimes may doubt like that woman did. But I am thankful that God gives us these miracles that convince us of the truth of the Eucharist. A turning point for me was when I attended a Eucharistic exhibition by Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young boy that will soon be canonized. He put together an exhibition of all the Eucharistic miracles that have taken place around the world. When I read about all these miracles, and saw the pictures, I thought to myself, this cannot be a lie. Even if I don’t see the bread actually turning into the Body of Christ, it truly is happening. And now I believe and I don’t doubt.

This November, when I celebrate Thanksgiving, I will give thanks not just for my blessings like I do every year, I will give thanks for my faith and for the gift of the Eucharist. And I commit myself to receive it as often as possible, in thanksgiving for all the blessings that God bestows upon me and my family each and every day.

Copyright © 2024 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.