The Eucharistic Bridge
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Have you ever looked at a bridge? I’m not talking about a little bridge at the park or even the bridge over a highway – I’m talking about a huge bridge over a large body of water. Bridges are beyond fascinating – they’re mind-boggling.
I know there’s the physics behind it and I get that it all makes sense when you do the math (I haven’t done it, but I know someone has), but it’s hard to accept that the weight from the materials used are all supported by two towers (huh, I wonder if the two towers in LotR were intended to represent a bridge or connection or something like that). I only know it works because I see it working (again, I haven’t personally done the math).
It reminds me of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the true presence of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine at Mass. Sounds a bit crazy, right? There are so many misconceptions surrounding the Eucharist, but mostly because people don’t take the time to truly understand it (honestly, I don’t think it’s possible to ever fully understand it, it’s one of those mystery things). There’s probably a whole lotta Catholics who don’t even believe it. Heathens.
Although I’ve only felt the holy presence one time when receiving the Eucharist (you can read about that here), I do fully accept that the bread and wine become the true Body and Blood of Christ. It still boggles my mind, and I’m not always aware of the Spirit’s workings at Mass, but I know it to be true (I haven’t done the math on this one either).
And that’s okay. I don’t need to understand it. A big part of faith is believing in something you don’t fully understand. Otherwise, if you fully understood everything, then it’s just knowledge. Knowledge is a good thing (a gift of the Holy Spirit, even!), but it can only take us so far in our relationship with God. Part of our relationship is trusting in God, and you can’t trust without faith.
