Child Martyr of the Eucharist

I read an article by the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen of New York. It's about an 11-year old Catholic girl who lived in China during the Communist revolution. One night, the Red Guards broke into her church and threw the consecrated hosts from the Tabernacle onto the floor. They left one soldier to guard the inside of the church to prevent people from entering. The girl, who was hiding inside the church, witnessed this desecration. Because she believed the Eucharist was the Body of Our Lord Jesus, she waited for the soldier to fall asleep each night before sneaking into the church to gather and eat one host. On the last night, when she consumed the last of the remaining hosts, the soldier awakened. Frightened, she ran outside of the church but the soldier caught up with her and beat her to death with the butt of his rifle. The parish priest, who was under house arrest and locked up in the house next to the church, could only watch in horror from his bedroom window. This girl's courage and martyrdom makes me wonder, "How many Catholic children today believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist?" And how many Catholics today would have the courage & willingness to suffer martyrdom for this belief, like that brave girl?"

Why Visit the Blessed Sacrament?

As I mentioned before, Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. So why aren't there more people visiting Him? If you think about it, our ultimate end is to be with God forever in Heaven. So we need to spend more time with Him here on earth. Let's look at an analogy. If you were planning to marry someone (i.e. spend the rest of your life with that person), wouldn't you want to get to know him/her first? And how do you get to know someone? You do it by spending time with that person. So if you plan on spending the rest of eternity with God in Heaven, wouldn't it make sense to get to know Him better? Then you should also spend time with Him here on earth by visiting the Tabernacle of your church, where Jesus is really, physically present in the Eucharist. And like people in love, spend that time conversing with each other. That's what prayer is - conversing with God about anything and everything. So next time you pass by a Catholic church, drop in to say, “Hi.” Or better yet, schedule time to visit Our Lord regularly, maybe once a week. You won't regret it.

How I Came to Believe in the Real Presence

I said I believed the Eucharist is Jesus. I didn't believe it at first. One day, my mom was taken to the hospital. She was seriously ill & her condition was worsening. At a retreat, I asked a priest why God allowed it. He said, "Ask our Lord in the Tabernacle." So I did & I asked for her cure. I got a Bible & chanced upon John 4:47-54, about the cure of an official's son. This occurred on Saturday. When I came home, I called the hospital & found out that mom was better. I asked her when her condition turned around. She said, "On Saturday." Coincidence? On Monday, a Protestant asked me why I visited the church on weekdays. I told her what the priest told me, "to visit our Lord in the Tabernacle." So I invited her to church. Later, she told me, "I found what I'm looking for." So she became a Catholic. I asked myself, "Can bread bring about conversion?" Another person told me he had a problem & had been praying for weeks for a solution. When he asked me what to do, I said, "Pray to our Lord in the Tabernacle." So I invited him to church on Friday. On Monday morning, he told me his problem was solved. These could not be just coincidences. So from that day onward, I was convinced that the Eucharist was truly our Lord Jesus, and not just a piece of bread.