Learning to be Quick to Listen

The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is a divine mystery. One of the most profound and awe-inspiring doctrines of the Catholic Church is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This belief, rooted in the teachings of the Bible and the Church's tradition, affirms that after the consecration of bread and wine during the Mass, Jesus Christ is truly present in body, blood, soul, and divinity. The foundation for this belief lies in the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper. In John 6:51-58, Jesus says, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." This passage clearly indicates Jesus' intention to give himself as spiritual food. The Catechism of the Catholic Church elaborates on this doctrine, stating, "Under the consecrated species of bread and wine, Christ is present in a unique and incomparable way. H...

Yesterday, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) declared that "nothing prevents" the Vatican from recognizing the positive spiritual fruits observed over decades of devotion and pilgrimage to Medjugorje . This nihil obstat (certification by the Church that nothing objectionable has been found) is likely to continue the debate around the six visionaries who claim that Our Mother is appearing to them in apparitions. While the DDF acknowledged the value of the "spiritual fruits" from the site, they stopped short of endorsing the apparitions themselves, cautioning against pilgrimages aimed at meeting the alleged visionaries. The dicastery also highlighted concerns that some messages from the visionaries seem to reflect personal desires rather than divine revelation. For many, this restrained support of Medjugorje feels incongruent with the skepticism expressed in the 10,000-word theological note, which urged Catholics to use prudence and common sense in dis...