A hush descends upon the congregation as the priest elevates the host. "This is my body...This is my blood..." An infant wails. An old woman reverently fingers her rosary. A bored teenager shifts uncomfortably, thinking of a canoe trip that afternoon. On cue, hundreds of people pour down the aisles to the frontsome kneeling, some bowling some holding out their hands. The body of Christ.
In The Healing Power of the Eucharist, Father John Hampsch reflects upon the spiritual, emotional, and even physical healing that is available to us through the transforming power of this sacrament. He recounts miraculous stories, and explains the teaching of the Church concerning the real presence of Christ, "body and blood, soul and divinity" contained in the consecrated host.