The Eucharist is the central sacrament in the Catholic faith. It is a source of profound grace and holds immense significance in our lives. By God’s grace, the Church is celebrating a Eucharistic revival focused on teaching the faithful why the Eucharist is so vital to our spiritual life. To develop a deeper understanding of this let’s consider four ways that the Eucharist reveals God’s love for us.
Remembrance of the Passion
During the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, instructing his disciples to, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). Through the Eucharistic offering of The Mass, Catholics are reminded that this sacred remembrance goes far beyond recalling and honoring an event from the past. This remembrance makes present to us the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
The Council of Trent explains that when Christ said to His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” Christ was commissioning His apostles, as well as their successors in the priesthood “to consecrate and offer his body and blood” for as long as the Church exists on earth.
Furthermore, The Council declares that “the Lord, appeased by the oblation of the Sacrifice of the Mass, grants us his graces and the remission of sins. . .” Saint Alphonsus Liguori states, “It is a perpetual sacrifice, although in an unbloody manner. . . .” It represents to us the sacrifice on Calvary, “preserves the memory of it to the end of the world and applies its salutary fruits for the remission of the sins which we daily commit.” The Church expresses this truth in her prayer: “As often as the memory of the Sacrifice of the Cross is celebrated, so often is accomplished the work of our redemption.”
This sacred remembrance at the moment of consecration is not simply mentally recalling Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It is a re-applying of His great sacrifice to our present situation.
The Work of Salvation
The Eucharist continues the work of salvation initiated by Christ. In the Eucharistic celebration, we are profoundly united with Christ, literally becoming one with Him.
Saint Gemma Galgani wrote in anticipation of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. “Tomorrow morning is approaching, and then Jesus will possess me, and I will possess Jesus.”
One cannot be closer to Christ than in the reception of Holy Communion. Saint John Chrysostom reminds us that we tend to consider most fortunate the people who walked the earth with Jesus, who saw Him, listened to Him, and touched Him.
“However,” he says, “come to the altar and you will see Him, you will feel Him (in Communion), you will give Him holy kisses, you will wash Him with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy.”
This sacrament is a living encounter with the Risen Christ. With each reverent reception of the Eucharistic Christ in Communion, we receive the graces of His sacrifice poured into our hearts, transforming us and granting us the power to overcome our vices, grow in virtue, and become more conformed to the image of God, Who is within us in Holy Communion.
Furthermore, Catholics are called to love others as ourselves. As Father John Hardon explains, to love others is to give them what they most need. And we have no greater need than God’s grace. Where can we obtain these graces with which to bless others? Kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament or receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion. “At the foot of the tabernacle”, he states, “or before the exposed monstrance, where Jesus Christ is really present in the fullness of His incarnate divine love . . .” there is “a treasury of graces for others.”
The Greatest Proof of Love
The Eucharist is the greatest proof of God’s love for each one of us. In the bread and wine that become the body and blood of Christ through the Consecration, we witness the extraordinary act of God’s self-emptying and self-giving love. It is through this sacrament that God’s love is made tangible. He invites us to receive Jesus into ourselves, to nourish our souls and fill us with his grace. The Eucharist is a profound reminder that, no matter what we may have done, God’s love is unconditional and able to restore us.
As St. Augustine says, referring to the Gift of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, “Although God is all-powerful, He is unable to give more; though supremely wise, He knows not how to give more; though vastly rich, He has not more to give.” He has already given All.
Moreover, the same Christ who died on the cross, rose from the dead, and now reigns in Heaven is the Christ residing quietly in all the tabernacles of the world, waiting for us to visit Him, to receive Him in Holy Communion, to pray to Him and tell Him we love Him. The King of all kings has made Himself completely vulnerable to us, as He did in His passion.
As He invited the Pharisees to open their eyes to see the Love of God standing before them, He invites us to come, to open our eyes to see that same Love residing in the Tabernacle and in the hands of the priest at Mass, and to partake of the feast He has prepared for us. This is a perfect love through continual self-sacrifice on the part of Our God and Savior. As the prayer after Holy Communion expresses:
“What canst Thou refuse me when Thou hast given me Thyself?”
The Pledge of Heaven
“Ah, Holy Communion! Unspeakable heights for a human spirit to reach! What does the world have that equals these pure, heavenly joys, these tastes of eternal glory?”
– Blessed Contardo Ferrinin
The Eucharist serves as both the pledge and the foretaste of heaven. In the Eucharistic celebration, we catch a glimpse of the heavenly banquet, where we will be united with God for eternity. The Eucharist enlightens our souls to see our eternal destiny, which is union with God in everlasting happiness. It strengthens our hope for the ultimate fulfillment of our deepest desire – to reach that destiny. It is a taste of the joy and communion that await us in the heavenly realm, a taste that inspires and sustains us as we journey through life.
Furthermore, because the Eucharist calls us Heavenward, many saints have regarded assisting at Mass and receiving Jesus daily in Communion as a sign of predestination for Heaven.
Conclusion
As Catholics, we are blessed to have the Eucharist at the center of our faith. Let us approach the Eucharist with awe and reverence, recognizing its profound significance in our lives. May we always be grateful for this great gift, receive Our Lord frequently in Holy Communion, and visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. As we make intentional acts of love and thanksgiving, joining ourselves to Christ in the Holy Eucharist, He will transform us and draw us closer to His loving and Sacred Heart.
