Prayer in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament (Part 2)

After Jesus and the early church established the Eucharist, many people wished to participate yet were not able to be present for this special gathering of the church each week, each Sunday. Justin Martyr, around 150AD, wrote that the Eucharist was taken to the sick or to those unable to worship with the community. Around 215AD Hippolytus and Cyprian, who died in 258AD, mention that people were reserving the Eucharist in their homes. These are the first elements of a long history of reserving, praying and making the Eucharist present to people who recognized the presence of Christ in the sacred bread.

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