text: Agreed. One reason I value going to Mass is because Jesus is present, but  Eucharist is not only the consecrated bread and wine but the Body of Christ present in the assembly of believers.  Jesus is there in our neighbors in a way he is not present when I stay home and pray. Christianity is not a solitary religion (despite the value placed on solitary prayer, etc.); it is a religion that needs a community to find its best expression.