Seeing something old in a new way

I did not write this, but I am very moved by it's imagery.

At an old Catholic Church in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, the priest begins the Mass with the old familiar words.  It is a weekday mass at noontime and a dozen people are scattered in the front pews of the cavernous church.  The priest begins to prepare the altar for the blessing of the bread and the wine.  He’s done this a thousand times and as he is about to begin, something happens inside of him.  In the front pew he sees a middle aged man he has seen many time before.  The man does not look at the altar nor at the priest.  He is a man deep in prayer and there is no point in his looking at the priest or at the altar because he cannot see – he is blind.

And what happens next is a miracle (for the man, for the priest, for anyone blessed to have been there).  It may be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard of.  The old priest steps out from behind the altar and he walks down the steps to the front pew and takes the blind man by the hand and without saying a word leads him step by step to the altar.

He begins the celebration of the Eucharist with the blind man at his side – all the while, holding the blind man’s hand in his hand so that the man can experience in his body what he cannot see with his eyes:  a soft cloth unfolded, the brittle pages of a well-worn prayer book, the weight and warmth of bread, the chill and swirl of holy wine in an old chalice.

The bread is lifted by the hands of both men:  “On the night before he died for us, Jesus took the bread and gave it to His disciples…take, eat…this is My body.”

Next, the chalice is lifted by the hands of both men:  “After supper Jesus took the cup of wine and He gave it to them saying, “This is My blood…poured out for the forgiveness of sins.”

A learned old priest and an uneducated blind man celebrate the Eucharist and everyone’s experience is enlarged.  Everyone is included in a new way.  Everyone can see that it is a miracle within a miracle.

Comments

[bls]

Yes, this is very beautiful.

[*Christopher]

Wow. This brought tears to my eyes.

[Lorna]

beautiful. do you know if it's a true story? I'm writing about communion and would love to include it - do you have a reference?

[HeyJules]

I finally stopped crying from when I went to church Wednesday night and now I read this. (I had been overcome with emotion during Holy Communion just from the simple thought that Jesus died for ME. Sometimes that thought just hits me a little bit harder than other times and Wednesday night it almost knocked me right over.) I might as well get the kleenex back out...

[Damien Scott]

At the Mass yesterday at the Call to Action Conference, one of the lectors was a blind woman. She also stood at the altar with the celebrants and the other ministers and lifted the bread and wine. It was something I am not surprised to see at CTA, which is conscientiously inclusive. Your story is a powerful witness to the graced response to movement of the Holy Spirit in an unplanned moment. Even if it did not happen, this story is still True.

[Lorna]

Damien you are right - even if it did not happen the story is still True - but I would like to include it in a paper I'm writing for seminary about the eucharist and for that I'd need to cite a reference.

tx

[Bill Hayes]

What a beautiful picture of the Sacrament!

[Joe]

You find the best stories ever. I hope your brother and family are doing well.