A MISSIONARY died recently in Manila. This missionary was famous for two things -- his personal devotion to the Eucharist and his dedication to the poor. Here Fr. Al Schwartz reflects on how easy it is to believe that Christ is present in the Eucharist compared with believing that Christ is present in the poor. Yet both doctrines are central to our Catholic faith.

Let me give an example to illustrate how easy it is to believe Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, yet at the same time ignore His presence in the poor. Suppose for the sake of my illustration, someone – say a Satanist – broke open a tabernacle, stole a ciborium, went to the local dump-site, and threw the consecrated hosts on the garbage heap of the city. A believing Christian secretly witnesses this sacrilegious act. He runs to the chancery office and informs the bishops the bishops and his assistants. One can easily imagine what the creation would be. It would be one of outmost surprise, shock, and scandal. Most likely, one of the priests, or even bishop himself would the dump-site, gather up one by one the consecrated hosts from the mud, muck, and the garbage; brush them off, put then in sacred vessel, and then return them to the to the tabernacle of the Church. Probably, public prayers of reparation would be called for. The story of the incident would be written up at great length in the Catholic press. People would read the account with horror, shake their heads and wonder what this world was coming to.

However, the poor of the world live day and night in the muck, the mud, the garbage, and the degradation of dumpsites, garbage, and the degradation of dumpsites, garbage heaps. Squatter settlements, slum areas, and relocation districts through out the world. Everyday believing Christians see them, but they simply shrug their shoulders and pass the other way - as did the priests and levites in the parable of the Good Samaritan. If the Christians really believed that Christ was present in the person of the poor they would be more disturbed shocked, and settle by these settled by these than by the thought of consecrated hosts being scattered among the debris of the dump-sites and garbage heaps.

Christ present in the Bread of the Eucharist is in no way a threat to us, nor does he offend us in any manner. For example, the Eucharist does not smell, nor does it have a disagreeable taste. The Eucharist never insults us, hurts us, or robs us of our prized possessions. It does not deprive us of our rest, our leisure, and our free time but if you are with the poor and serve them, you quickly discover that they are either heroes or saints, nor - in many cases – even very attractive people. Frequently they smell. They offended us with their. They go against our will. They rob us of our possessions. They devour our time, and take away our leisure.

In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, we approach Christ as beggars with outstretch hands and pleading eyes. We say, “Lord give me to eat, I am starving and dying for lack of drink.” Christ takes pity on us. He gives us His flesh to eat. His blood to drink. We are refreshed, restored, and reinvigorated.
We go out and the roles are now reversed. Christ, in the person of the poor, now approaches us with outstretched hand and pleading eye, He says, “I am hungry, give me to eat. I am thirsty, give me to drink.” We in turn, give Christ in the poor, our flesh own flesh to eat. His own blood to drink, because this is what we have received in the Eucharist.

True faith in Christ’s presence in the Eucharist should lead to self sacrificing service of Christ in the poor.