Putting this verse into context: Jesus has been in the desert fasting for 40 days and he was hungry. He is then tempted by the devil. Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3.

Try to imagine this, you stop eating food for 40 days and then the evil one tempts you to sin with food. How will you respond? Jesus responds by teaching us that that the bread (food) we eat everyday, is not enough to live on, we need to feed ourselves with the Word of God. Of course the grace we receive in the Sacrament of Holy Communion is necessary for us to live (see John chapter 6), but we can have more. There are seven sacraments to give us grace, and also the grace that comes from reading Sacred Scripture.

Have to add…of course in and of itself, to honor the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is for His sake, but it points to our honoring one another where the whole Mass teaches us God truly resides. This is the point of my comments.

Hi Father, I didn’t mean to imply that Jesus’ presence is the “same.” Of course, in the consecrated species I use the words, “profound and full” way. However, I think it’s important, at least it has been for me, to find Jesus’ presence throughout the liturgy. Especially after communion, when I turn and wonder where did the consecrated species go? Into the people who consume Him. If we do not genuflect to each other in love, what good is our honoring the Presence in the tabernacle?

(Acts 2: 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers).

Thank you, Father Maurer, for your response. We are grateful to have priests like you out there who care enough about the many different aspects of our faith lives.
Blessings to you in your ministry!

Amen.

If we only focus on the THING of communion, we have missed the ACTION of Eucharist. Mary, all those actions you laid out–that’s good preparation and part of the whole saving Action of Christ. I’d extend it even more: if the community, in all its various parts and members, isn’t asking itself the hard questions, then it is too easy to settle and say, “All I need is Eucharist” –because what we’re likely to get is not Eucharist at all.

Not being blasphemous, but it’s the people who sneer at the seekers with a flip-off about the Eucharist who relegate the host to a “Jeezit”, as Dane Cook calls it. Not the people who are frustrated by the banality of too many Catholic Masses.

However, in terms of the Eucharist being used as a leverage for other bad or pathetic stuff in preaching, etc. I would wager a bet that priests who do not care about homiletics, liturgy, and evangelization are not banking on the power of the Eucharist…they probably don’t really even “buy that” either.

Although I’d take a little exception with Christine’s post. Jesus’ presence, while there, is not the same in the word, in the assembly, and in the priest.