My dear brothers and sisters

In Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 10:16–17), he presents the Eucharist as a mystery of communion:

"The chalice that we bless, is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not a communion in the body of Christ?"

Communion means exchange, sharing. The cardinal rule of sharing is this: What is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine. Let us try to apply this rule to the Eucharistic communion—and we will begin to grasp the immensity of this mystery.

What do I have that is truly “mine”? Misery, sin—these are mine alone. And what does Jesus have that is truly “his”? Holiness, the perfection of all virtues. Communion, then, is the astonishing reality in which I offer Jesus my sin and poverty, and He gives me His holiness. This is the admirable commercium—the “wonderful exchange,” as the liturgy calls it.

Today, many search for God in the cosmos or within the atom. They debate whether there was a Creator at the beginning of the world. We continue to ask, “Where is God?”—yet we often fail to recognize that He is here with us. He has become our food and drink so that He might be even more intimately united to us.

The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us without fear. He draws near to our misery with total generosity and without hesitation. He assumes my flesh, and my flesh is thus immersed in His Mystery.

Tantum ergo Sacramentum veneremur cernui...

Rev. Julio Fernandez