Comprehending the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

We just experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event. Tens of thousands of Catholics gathered in Indianapolis for a five-day Eucharistic Congress.  People came from across the world. The event was extremely well done. The logistics of having about 60,000 pilgrims in town for five days was enormous. Hotels, restaurants, transportation, signage, programs with details, means to break the huge group into smaller groups, vendors and I am sure many other details had to be arranged.
Thank you and congratulations to all who planned and executed this event.  
Why was this event dreamed of in the first place? The answer is simple—because we love Jesus. Everyone is called into an intimate friendship with Him. Since God created us, He understands our desires and our needs, in fact He knows more about our needs than we know.  He knows that we are made for union with Him in heaven for all eternity.  This was God’s original plan for humanity.  God never intended for us to be separated from Him.  He allows us to reject Him because He desires us to love Him and that is only possible if we are free to return His love.
God also knows that we are not just spirits.  He knows that we are the union of body and soul.  God longs for us to be in union with Him and He desires that this unity is as complete as possible. Jesus took to Himself a human nature. He walked the earth and taught. He then perpetuated His physical presence by giving Himself to us under the guise of bread and wine.
Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.  When Jesus walked the earth there were many people who only saw His humanity.  They did not believe that He was also divine.  Today, many of us have the same problem.  We see the bread and the wine, but we have trouble accepting the reality of His divinity being present.
The Eucharistic Congress was the Church’s attempt to help us comprehend the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  I hope and pray that this Sacrament of Jesus’ Body and Blood fill us with faith and fervor for Jesus, particularly in the Eucharist.
— Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected]