Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.
"Eucharist" means "thanksgiving." It is startling, in our age of hedonism, to think of a ritual commemoration of a brutal death on a cross as an occasion of thanksgiving. Yet we do so because the Victim of that death insisted on it. For Jesus, even His death, horrible as it was, was to be an occasion of celebration because of the joy it would ultimately given birth to in the resurrection. And so the One who was about to offer His body on the Cross gave thanks for bread and declared "This is My body." Today, give thanks!
Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.
