Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"   Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you?"  As a result of [Jesus' teaching], many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"  Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."                                                                                                             - John 6: 53-56, 60-61, 66-69

St. Ignatius Loyola, our school's patron and guiding spirit, was a mystic of the highest order.  Ignatian spirituality is based on following not just the example of Jesus but accompanying Jesus in his mission to bring every person we encounter the lived experience of the healing touch of God, his Father, who loves each and every one of us with a truly infinite love. To this end, St. Ignatius encouraged - even expected - his followers to regularly take part in the Eucharist.  For it is at the Table of the Lord that we have the opportunity to encounter the Real Presence of Christ in and through the Body and Blood.  By joining together with our fellow campanions of Christ to hear the Living Word of God calling us to a deeper experience of God in our lives, to consume the Eucharist thereby literally taking Jesus into us - thus enabling us to follow him better each day - we demonstrate our commitment to living our lives according to the Jesuit motto: ad majorem Dei gloriam - “for the greater glory of God.”    You are cordially invited to join in the Loyola Community's daily celebration of the Eucharist.  Come share fellowship around the Table of the Lord on weekdays at 7:30 AM in Clougherty Chapel.  Bring a friend!