In the spring of 1998, there was a story in the news about a fifteen-year old boy who bled to death just 35 feet outside the emergency room doors of a Chicago hospital.  It seems that the teenager was an innocent bystander who was hit by a bullet when gang members started shooting at each other.  After he was shot, friends of his managed to carry him to just outside the hospital, where they left him.  But apparently the bleeding youth was left there unattended for 25 minutes because it was against hospital policy for doctors and nurses to go outside the building to treat anyone.  Instead, they had to wait for an ambulance to arrive to transport him inside.  By the time they finally got him into the hospital, the boy was dead.

Willing to come into contact with the public, Jesus healed those whom he encountered along the way.  Healing miracles, raising to life and feeding the hungry are all part of Jesus’ ministry.   The gospel reading this weekend asks us what we believe about Jesus the Christ and about his continuing presence within the communities of faith.  It is clear from the scriptures that God and Jesus are about life, about healing and about us human beings sharing this powerful life.  Some don’t think that we are capable of continuing the Lord’s work.

Our ways of giving life are no less real though often they are certainly less dramatic.  Teachers who spark the love of learning in the minds of others; parents whose love gives children a sense of security and belonging; medical personnel whose skills alleviate pain and suffering; teenagers who help a friend refuse drugs and alcohol; neighborhood groups who work to relieve poverty; Red Cross donors and the list is endless!

You and I are just like people we hear about in today’s gospel.  Some are around for the news; some for the excitement; some by coincidence and others because there is nothing else to do.   Then, there is Jairus and the woman whose faith led them to seek Jesus’ help.  A synagogue official and a Palestinian preacher; a woman marked unclean and an itinerant rabbi; what an unlikely combination, an unexpected blend of people!  That shows us God’s life and healing.

Many times we turn away from giving life because we don’t believe we can make a difference or because we lack the staying power of the woman in the   gospel or because we are just too sophisticated to pray for healing.  His world is in our hands.  We are the ones whose cloaks now trail healing.  We can be the ones to grasp the lifeless hands and restore hope.  Through us, the world will live.

274. What does the Eucharist represent in the life of the Church?

It is the source and summit of all Christian life. In the Eucharist, the sanctifying action of God in our regard and our worship of him reach their high point. It contains the whole spiritual good of the Church, Christ himself, our Pasch. Communion with divine life and the unity of the People of God are both expressed and effected by the Eucharist. Through the eucharistic celebration we are united already with the liturgy of heaven and we have a foretaste of eternal life.

Further reading: CCC 1324-1327, 1407

275. What are the names for this sacrament?

The unfathomable richness of this sacrament is expressed in different names which evoke its various aspects. The most common names are: The Eucharist, Holy Mass, the Lord's Supper, the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharistic Celebration, the Memorial of the passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord, the Holy Sacrifice, the Holy and Divine Liturgy, the Sacred Mysteries, the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and Holy Communion.

Further reading: CCC 1328-1332

These excerpts are from the Compendium of the CCC. Get your own copy here. Copyright © USCCB - Shared with permission.

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