THE
LIVES OF THE SAINTS
John 6:53-56,
"Jesus said to them, I am telling you the truth: if you do not eat the
flesh of the son of man and drink his blood you will not have life in
yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him to life on the last day. For my flesh is real food,
my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives
in me, and I live in him."
As a young boy
and into my adult years, Sunday was always a special day. It was mass
and communion and time with my family. I called myself a good
catholic, but I spent one hour a week with god and the rest of the week
was spent on the normal things in life. As an adult it was going to
work, baseball, scouting and school activities with my sons.
This all
changed in 1981 when I made a Cursillo weekend. A Cursillo is 3-day walk
with Christ. This weekend started me on a new path for the rest of my
life. Jesus became my personal friend and savior. I shared three days
with 35 men that I never saw before and together we shared the love of
Jesus. We worked together, heard talks from clergy and lay people, and
prayed together. Here we were 35 strangers that hugged each other and
sometimes cried together as we listened to the testimonies given by the
speakers.
As I left the
weekend I started my walk with Christ. I began to read the bible, which
I had never opened before this, and shared with others the new joy of
knowing that Jesus loved me just as I was.
When I read
the gospel of john, chapter 6, the words penetrated my heart. The
Eucharist, which was always special, became alive to me in my life and
service to others. As i approach the table of the lord the Eucharist
becomes an intercessor for all my needs. As I take communion, Jesus
becomes part of my body. Jesus and I become one. Communion unites all
Christians with the body of Christ. We all become one body, one spirit
in Christ Jesus. As I look at the figure of Christ on the cross it
reminds me of what god did for me. He sent his only son that I could be
saved.
John 3:16
reads, "For god so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son,
that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting
life."
My service to my church
and my community began. My bible had a prominent place on my desk at
work, I gave out Christian literature and crosses. I became an usher, I
joined the charismatic group which meets every Tuesday and six months
later I was asked to join the Samaritan healing group here at Ss. Cyril
& Methodius. The Samaritans are an
Intercessory prayer team that meets every
Wednesday at our homes. We pray for the community, the needs of the
church, and the needs of individuals who are sick or facing crisis in
their lives. We visit their homes, nursing homes and hospitals. The
first Wednesday of every month starting in October we pray at the
healing mass with Monsignor Gaeta.
In 1992 I
attended the catholic charismatic convention in
Scranton,
pa. Along with twenty others from Ss. Cyril and Methodius. It was at
this convention, in 1992, that we experienced god's healing power
through the Eucharist.
As a group of
us was having lunch on Saturday, a man came to our table and asked if he
could join us. As we were talking about the weekend he began telling us
about his son who was very sick. His son was an athlete in his mid-20's
and ran 5 miles a day. Now he was in a hospital bed, dying. His mouth
was so ulcerated he couldn't take food or water. As his parents were
leaving the hospital one evening a nun approached them about giving
their son communion. They told her he was so ill he couldn't even
swallow. The nun replied that she would stay in his room and pray for
him. Suddenly the man stopped speaking and we just looked at one another
and very quietly we asked him, "Did your son pass away?"
He told us that
the next day when they returned to the hospital and went into his room
they found their son sitting up in bed and eating breakfast. The nurse
came into the room and told them that the night before, the nun took a
small piece of the host and melted it into a few drops of water and was
able to get him to swallow it. He then went to sleep and was healed
during the night.
This was a
confirmation of what the Eucharist can do when you put your faith and
hopes in the hands of the lord. Jesus walks with us in good times and
carries us in the time of need.
My son Gasper,
who is serving in the military for the past 24 years has served both the
military and civilian community as boy scout leader, baseball and soccer
coach, worked with prison ministries and he has been able to serve his
country witnessing his Christian beliefs. Gasper was asked to give his
testimony of what the Eucharist means to him. He sent me the following
letter which I would like to share with you:
What The Eucharist
Means To Me
For many many years I
read the words of Christ from Luke 22:19, "And when He had taken some
bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is
My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." And
although they are powerful words filled with symbolism and meaning, they
did not impact me the way they should have. Several years ago, as I read
this passage, I realized that Christ was saying, when you celebrate this
Passover Meal, remember Me. Remember Me. Then it hit me, that the Savior
of the world wanted me to remember him. Just as all of us want to be
remembered by someone, Christ wanted us to remember him and think of him
when we take communion. I began to see this as a much more personal
request.
Many times during my
life I have wondered if I was living the life that would have made my
family proud. When I handle my grandfather's shotgun or take my sons
hunting, I think about him. When I sit and watch a movie in which the life
of the main character passes from childhood to death in two hours, I am
reminded of the shortness of life and wonder if my life means anything.
Will anyone remember me when my life is over? Have I impacted anyone's
life to the extent that they will actually remember me? Communion to me is
about remembering a man sharing his last meal on earth with his closest
friends and asking them to remember their time together. The Savior paid
the price for our salvation and the Passover meal represents that God will
pass over our sins in judgment. However, during communion I also try to
remember the Man that walked the earth innocently, died a death that He
did not deserve and now asks me to think about Him and remember Him. That
request causes me to insure that my life does count for something. By
being the best son, father, husband, friend, neighbor, and Christian that
I can be, I give those around me a reason to remember me and remember the
Lord that I proclaim in my life. Communion is very personal. So when you
take it, remember Jesus Christ as your friend and Savior and live life so
that others will remember you.
Col.
Gasper Gulotta,
U.S.
Army
Let us pray for all the
service men and women who our serving our country.
I pray that all
of us, as we walk to the table of the lord to receive the holy Eucharist,
look at the cross and think of what our loving god did for us.
May God bless you and your
families,
Charles Gulotta
Witness talk “The Eucharist Through
Service” given by Charles Gulotta
August 3 at the occasion of Evening
Prayer on the Lawn
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