By Savanna Kearney
In an in-depth and thoughtful talk, Father Robert Spitzer kicked off the Florida Eucharistic Congress on Friday evening with a keynote address detailing what Jesus intended when He instituted the Holy Eucharist and proof that He is present in the Host.
Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer, Ph.D. has numerous degrees specializing in philosophy of science, the theory of time and philosophy of God and more. Father Spitzer’s philosophical and academic experience and knowledge has led to many TV appearances, including Larry King Live, the Today Show and more. Currently, he appears weekly on EWTN in Father Spitzer’s Universe.
Father Spitzer certainly demonstrated his comprehensive knowledge of these subjects at the 2019 Florida Eucharistic Congress. He began with an explanation of Jesus’ intention in establishing Himself in the Holy Eucharist.
“Jesus knew ultimately that [His plan] would culminate in His crucifixion. A crucifixion that He intended to give away as an unconditional act of love to redeem the world and to definitively defeat Satan,” said Father Spitzer.
He went on to explain why Jesus separated Himself in His body and in His blood. When Jesus said, “this is my body,” not only did He mean His physical flesh, but He also intended us to have His whole self as a gift of love. And Jesus’ blood poured out is the blood of a covenant that guarantees us eternal life.
Father Spitzer continued with a profound explanation of the “sacred notion of time,” meaning that Jesus can collapse time into the future and into the past, which He did at the Last Supper. When Jesus uttered the words offering up His body and blood, he brought his future crucifixion and resurrection into the present moment.
“He’s the son of God. He can do it,” said Father Spitzer. “All time is in the mind of God. If he wants to collapse an event in the future into the present moment, God, believe me, can do it.”
Ultimately, this collapse in time is the reason that the bread and wine in present-day Mass is able to be transubstantiated into Jesus’ body and blood, said Father Spitzer.
He went on to cite the Gospel of John’s “The Eucharistic Discourse,” in chapter 6 verses 48-71 to prove Jesus’ real presence of the Eucharist. He also walked through a Eucharistic Miracle that took place in Buenos Aires in 1996 as further evidence of His presence in the Eucharist.
Father Spitzer ended his keynote with the Five Graces of the Eucharist:
- Peace of Christ
- Forgiveness and healing
- Transformation in Christ
- Unity with the mystical Body of Christ (life in the sacred community)
- Eternal life
“If we receive the Eucharist worthily, if we receive the Eucharist with sincerity, it’s going to transform us. It’s going to free us from the devil and from sin. And it’s going to bring us right into the light of Christ,” said Father Spitzer. “It’s going to, beyond our capacities, lead us to the unconditional love and joy of Jesus Christ and His Father, the whole Trinity, forever with the entire communion of saints. Amen.”
To learn more about Father Robert Spitzer, visit www.magiscenter.com/meet-fr-spitzer/.