148 How well do I appreciate the Eucharist:
the incredible mystery of God's love for us
Vatican spy?
Some years ago, Catholics did not eat or
drink anything for twenty-four hours
before receiving Communion. During this
era Father Walter Ciszek was arrested by
the Russians and falsely accused of
being a "Vatican spy."
Ciszek spent the next twenty-three years
in prisons and labor camps. After his
release he wrote a book about his exper-
iences. In one passage he describes how
precious the Eucharist was to prisoners.
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They would rise early and celebrate it in
secret, knowing they'd be severely
punished if caught. This made it hard for
many prisoners to participate. Ciszek
writes in He Leadeth Me:
"We would consecrate extra bread
and distribute Communion
to the other prisoners when we could.
Sometimes that meant we would
only see them when we returned
to the barracks at night for dinner.
Yet these men would actually fast
all day long and do exhausting
physical labor without a bite to eat
since the evening before, just to be able
to receive the Holy Eucharist"
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The effect of our receiving
the body and blood of Christ
is to change us into what we receive.
Pope Saint Leo the Great
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