By Steve Dabrowski
Special to The Message
Over one-third of Americans are regularly taking drugs that effectively treat disease, but doctors will admit they don’t fully understand why those drugs work. According to the National Institute of Health, for example, some 78 million adults over the age of 21 take statins to lower cholesterol; and for most, the results are remarkable. Other medications also lower cholesterol levels, but without any reduction in heart attack or stroke; so ask a doctor how statins lower these risks, and the answer usually begins, “Well, we believe….”
We say this together each Sunday in Mass – “We believe” – to express a confidence in something we cannot fully explain but, nonetheless, experience. We have witnessed a measurable difference in our lives and those of an untold number of people throughout history through the presence of God. St. Anselm of Canterbury, a Benedictine monk who lived more than 1,000 years ago, offered a definition of Theology as “Faith seeking understanding.”
In other words, God stirs faith within us; reveals His presence; and moves us to understand our relationship with Him in the Church.
This year, in particular, the Church has called us to reflect upon God’s presence among us in the Eucharist. We believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist – His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, truly present to us. We know this to be true; we experience the presence of God; and, as St. Anselm taught, we seek to better understand that presence – that relationship. Although we do not understand how it occurs, we believe; and we long to understand.
The parishioners of Evansville’s Holy Rosary Parish will gather at 1 p.m. CDT March 18 to seek a clearer understanding of God’s presence in the Eucharist, and all are invited to attend. Jesus’ presence is not merely something outside, but God wishes to draw believers closer into His presence; to transform, to help Catholics truly become what they receive. The theme of the March 18 Holy Rosary Faith Day, “Become What You Receive,” is also a petition seeking to grow as the Body of Christ.
Faith Day will include presentations from three priests—Benedictine Father Godfrey Mullen, on, “The Eucharistic Mystery: Living What What We Celebrate, Celebrating What We Receive;” Father Martin Estrada on, “Eucharistic Adoration: Dwelling in the Presence of the Holy;” and Father Bernie Etienne on, “A Walk Through the Mass.”
The day will include discussion and Adoration, and it will culminate in worship of God and the reception of the Eucharist at the 4:30 p.m. CDT parish Mass.
For more information or to register, visit www.hrparish.org/faithday. Additional details will follow in the March 10 issue of The Message.
Steve is a member of Holy Rosary Parish and former Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.