# We are all homebound
*2020-05-01*

> Bill Young reflects on the vital importance of the Eucharist for the soul, sharing a personal story about his aunt and advocating for creative ways to distribute Holy Communion during the pandemic.

## A Legacy of Love and Faith

I want to share a story about my aunt, Sister Mary Teresa, who was a beautiful sister for over 60 years in Staten Island, New York. For a long time, I loved her, but I didn't fully understand her calling. That changed during a crisis with my employer around 2005. I began praying the rosary daily, and after every decade, I asked for the intercession of Sister Mary Teresa, who had passed away about 12 years prior.

After finishing the rosary, I was overcome by a feeling of immense love and joy—something I had never felt before. I experienced this again the next day while praying in my car during my lunch break. I felt a profound love for everyone around me, even coworkers I didn't know. I realized this joy must be from heaven, because that is what heaven is all about: love. Later, my sister Susie confirmed that she felt that same overwhelming joy and love at our aunt's funeral, which gave me peace knowing she went straight to heaven.

## The Timely Discovery of a Bible

Some time later, I found a Bible in my library that my aunt had sent me during her lifetime. It was covered in contact paper, so I hadn't noticed it until the moment I was meant to see it. Inside was a note and a picture card that said, "Love Bobby from Sister Mary Teresa." Interestingly, the card was placed exactly where the Gospel reading for the following Sunday was located—the passage where Mary says "yes" to God.

I don't believe in coincidences when it comes to God. He knows every hair on our heads and every second of our lives. He knew exactly when I would find that Bible. My aunt had highlighted and underlined specific passages in the Gospel of John that she wanted me to read, specifically John 6:35 and verses 50-58.

## The Bread of Life

The passages my aunt highlighted are central to our faith. In John 6:35, Jesus says, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not go hunger." In verse 53, He states, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." He continues by promising that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life and will be raised up on the last day.

As a Eucharistic minister since 2007, I have always felt a particular calling to distribute the Precious Blood. I recently lost a homebound parishioner, John Palantziger, and his wife Roseanne. It was a privilege to bring them Communion. If Jesus Christ says that the Body and Blood are necessary for life, then as Catholics, we must recognize that there is no higher authority. This is the food for our souls.

## Finding Creative Solutions for the Soul

During this time of pandemic, we are all effectively homebound. We have found ways to get our physical food—through delivery or curbside pickup—so that we do not starve. But what about our souls? We must be creative so that our souls do not starve. 

Some may worry about germs, but in my seven years as a minister, I never once got sick, even when consuming the remaining Precious Blood from the chalice. While we can and should take precautions—such as wearing masks and using hand sanitizer—we should not let fear stop us from receiving the Eucharist. We could meet parishioners at their doors or in their backyards to deliver Communion, just as we do for the sick. We could even combine confession and Communion in a socially distanced way.

## A Call to the Church

I hope our bishops and priests realize that we cannot go indefinitely without the Body and Blood of Christ. While spiritual communion is helpful, it is not a permanent substitute. We can implement social distancing, use markers on the ground to keep people six feet apart, and have ministers distribute Communion in lines or from cars. 

The transfiguration of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is the greatest miracle. We must prioritize this because our souls need it to live. I pray for our bishops, cardinals, and Pope Francis, that we can return to receiving the Body and Blood of Christ soon.

*If Jesus Christ tells us that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have life, we must find every possible way to ensure the faithful receive the Eucharist.*