This article was originally published on Fri, 16 Jun 2023. 

The source and summit of our faith is the real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the bread and wine. Last Sunday, we celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ). I want to share these images with you that connect with the stories that I spoke of in my homily about my personal experience and encounter of my conversion to my faith, and how I came to know, that our faith truly revolves around the Eucharist, where Jesus is present to us. This began when I went to World Youth Day in Toronto, 2002, and able to encounter Pope John Paul II who was weak and frail. Although he seemed this way, there was something amazing about his dedication. Yes, his message, and the presence of millions of faithful Catholics were amazing. But there was something else that struck me, it was at the time of the consecration of Our Lord. Of all the times I went to mass with my family, I had never experienced something as profound as I did at that moment. It could have been the struggle of our Pope with his Parkinson’s on that altar. To witness this powerful man, who did not look strong, offer up what our faith calls the body and blood of Christ became a revelation to me. It helped me understand what our faith was truly about. Namely that Jesus Christ was present on that Altar in the Eucharist. As powerful as this experience was, it quickly dwindled as I came back home to enjoy my regular life again. And low and behold eight years later, I would encounter a call to the priesthood that I did not understand at the time. The second image is from my experience at W.Y.D in Madrid Spain in 2011. I was only an aspirant to the priesthood, and this experience did not start out so great. There was a riot happening near the place I stayed, and a storm closed the field where the Pope would celebrate Mass the next morning. There was no access to the main event whatsoever. It was cold, dark and I was hungry. I sat outside that gate for about three hours. I was tired and frustrated - it was also my birthday! But then the rain subsided, and the gates finally opened. Right when I entered the field, On the big screen, I could see Pope Benedict XVI raising the Monstrance to bless us with Jesus' presence (image shown above). I fell to my knees in sorrow because I was about to give up on that horrible night. But, once again, God became truly present to me in that Monstrance, showing me that this was my faith. This is where my strength comes from, regardless of the storm and my frustration. Jesus Christ is truly there in the Eucharist for me. The last image is for all of us, a reminder that Jesus was with us in a low moment in the world. This was an image from the start of the pandemic when our Holy Father, Pope Francis, blessed us with Jesus’ true presence. Jesus is alive to us in this bread and wine, which has become his flesh. As we focus our faith on Christ in the Church, let us remember that during the month of June, we celebrate the “Sacred Heart of Jesus.” Let us give thanks to God for what He has given us. True Flesh indeed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOlYQB8Twdk​