Eucharist

I'm thinking about the Eucharist. I just read an article from the Fr. John Hardon archives about Christmas and the Eucharist. As I was reading the article I was thinking about how the Eucharist really puts our faith to the test. Imagine yourself being faced with mocking ridicule from the people who are closest to you for worshipping what you think is God being in a piece of bread. Imagine them saying to you "how can you possibly believe this?" "you have been lied to by these people - Why can't you see that?". Now imagine your self on some kind of trial where you are faced with prison unless you renounce your belief about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Will you still believe? What if you are faced with death? Do you still believe in this ridiculous claim? That God has become a piece of bread just because a Catholic Priest pronounces some words over it? Would you stand the test? Or would you say with the disciples that left Jesus "this is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" - and then leave him. The Eucharist really puts us between a rock and a hard place to say the least. This is a very hard thing to believe. Am I willing to give my life for it?