We notice how the author of Genesis exults in describing the wide variety of things that God makes, from the light itself to the earth and sea, to all of the trees and plants that grow from the ground, to those lowly beasts that crawl upon it. From ancient times to the present day, the Church has battled the Gnostic heresy, according to which materiality is a lowly or fallen aspect of reality, the product of a lesser god. The book of Genesis—and the Bible as a whole—is fiercely anti-Gnostic.

We shall begin with the theme of the sacred meal, and we shall set this theme in the widest possible biblical framework. The opening line of the book of Genesis tells us that “in the beginning...God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). Why did God, who is perfect in every way and who stands in need of nothing outside of himself, bother to create at all?

In 2019, the respected Pew Forum released the results of a survey of Catholics in regard to their belief in the Eucharist. Along with many others, I was startled when I read the data, for I discovered that only one-third of those questioned subscribed to the Church’s official teaching that Jesus is really, truly, and substantially present under the signs or appearances of bread and wine.

Trusting in your goodness, Lord, in your great mercy, I come in my sickness to him who can make me well; hungered and athirst, I come to the fountain of life, a beggar to the King of Heaven, a servant to his Lord, a creature to his Creator, one lonely and sad to him who loves and consoles me. But what have I done to deserve that you should come to me? Who am I, that you should make me a gift of yourself? Dare I, a sinner, appear before you? And do you forget your greatness and come to a sinner? You know this servant of yours; you know nothing good of him, to make him deserve this gift at your hands.