True Presence
(Not Just Wine)
Words and music: Gregory Stephen Popp
It’s not just wine
Not just a sacred sign
It’s the blood of The Lamb shed for us
In His love divine
It’s not just bread
But the Lord, instead
We fall to our knees in the presence of Christ
And our spirits are fed
We all are one
Under the Son
And who can give
What he had to give?
He poured out his life that we might live
Take and eat,
For here is His Body
Drink your fill,
For here is His blood
A cup running over with His love |
Greg's Story
This was another one that just rushed out one evening as I was meditating on the great gift that is the Eucharist. I had recently seen Mel Gibson's, "The Passion Of The Christ" and had begun to read "The Dolorous Passion Of Our Lord Jesus Christ" by Anne Catherine Emmerich, from which much of the film was derived. The image of our Blessed Mother sponging up the blood of her son was still burning in my mind. The idea that she could not leave the sacred blood of the true Pascal Lamb to remain defiled - spilled upon the stones of the courtyard moved me deeply.
The more I read about what really goes on during the consecration, the more in awe I became. Hosts of angels and saints literally join us at the altar. Not in my imagination, but in actuality. All of time intersects at that one moment - including Christ's moment of death on the cross. It is staggering to ponder. Now, at mass every week, I am transfixed during the consecration. I do fall to my knees in the presence of Christ Himself, but given the choice I would, as Matt Redman beautifully wrote: "Fall face down, as Your glory shines around". We do not know, nor appreciate the magnitude of this beautiful gift. If we did, we would be at mass daily, if not continually.
I urge you to read the book, "The Lamb's Supper: The Mass As Heaven On Earth " by Scott Hahn, "The Dolorous Passion Of Our Lord Jesus Christ" by Anne Catherine Emmerich, as well as to search for information and books on the web concerning eucharistic miracles in our time. The entire text of Anne Catherine Emmerich's book can be found online here.
Please believe me: It's not just bread... |
