THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST

                       By Father William Most

	There are several kinds of presence of Christ: He is 
present where two or three are gathered in His name. He is 
present in the Sacraments, in that He brings about the effects 
of them. He is present in the word of Scripture. 

     But His presence in the Holy Eucharist is in a class by 
itself: It is the physical presence of His body, blood, soul 
and divinity, as means of the transmission of grace. The 
other presences are not nearly so great as this. He remains 
present as long as the appearances of bread and wine last. So 
after receiving Holy Communion, He will be present within the 
person as long as the appearances last. The amountof time can 
vary, but something like 15 minutes from the time of receiving 
would be a reasonable estimate. Therefore people should stay a 
bit after Mass for thanksgiving. To run out at once is to lack 
respect. Even if He is still presenting the ways indicated 
above, they are not in the same class as His physical presence 
in the Eucharist.
 
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