The Parish Priest of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Rev. Fr. Dr. Tijjani Ezekiel Danlami has described the Holy Eucharist as the very Substance that distinguishes the Catholic Church from other churches. The priest took the stand in the parish, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, Sunday, June 7, 2026, explaining that, the Holy Eucharist is the Center of the Church’s worship.
As contained in the day’s sequence which pointed to eternal life as one of the benefits of worthy reception of Holy Communion, the clergyman catechized that the reception of the Eucharist is a participation in Jesus. He however lamented that some Catholics do not receive the Food for the journey to eternity, querying if such persons do not want to be raised up on the last day; partake in the communion; or partake in the life of Christ, since Christ Himself said that those who receive Him in such manner, will live in Him and Him in them and that they would be raised on the last day.
“Do you want Jesus to live in you?” Fr. Danlami asked. “He said that the only channel is that you receive His Body and drink His Blood. Never run away from Jesus like the Jews. The Solemnity we celebrate today is a mystery because the ordinary species of bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, who is really, truly and substantially present. This mystery is what makes us different from other denominations. This distinction comes only through the mystery we celebrate today.”
“The Body of Christ, the Blood of Jesus is His real presence. That is why it is central to our worship. Every sacrament revolves around the Eucharist because it is the Source and the Summit of our faith. Jesus alone is the Principal Cause of the grace of the sacrament. The priest does not act in his own authority. Jesus is the One who brings the grace upon us, because it is the work of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. When it comes to the sacraments, it is Jesus in the Holy Spirit who does His works.”
“This mystery that we celebrate today has performed a lot of miracles. Many of us here can bear testimonies to this reality, that in deed, the Body of Christ has healed many people. So many people have testified to the Power of the Holy Eucharist, which is transformative and curative. It heals so many people. A lot have testified. A lot have changed their lives because of an encounter with the Holy Eucharist. Receive the Body of Jesus and be transformed.”
Fr. Danlami disclosed that the author of Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism, Dr. Scott Hahn became a Catholic alongside his wife and children after reading John 6. He added that the renowned authored remains one of the Church’s notable theologians. He also narrated how his classmate, now a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna, who was undeniably deaf for some time, regained his speech in Sacred Heart Parish Narayi, as responded ‘Amen’ to ‘The Body of Christ’, when he went to receive the Holy Communion. He then assured participants that miracles still abound in the Food of Angels.
